greate â—harge whoe neuer coulde obtaine it but departed euer withoute it and thus he determined the enterprise making fewe priuie vnto it but dissembled the matter and wyth all spede possyble caused to buylde a Castle vpon the mouth of the striate of the great sea v. miles aboue constantinople and fynyshed it with great expedityon and being finished he appointed a captaine to it and fâ—â— nished it with men and all kinde of munition when hâ— had thus done without any other denouÌ„cing of warre contrarye to the othe and effecte of the confederacye hâ—â— presented his armie as an enemie to Constantinople and when he had ouer ronne and proied the whole conâ— trey rounde aboute it he encamped neare to the citiâ— and enuironed it with his armie both by sea and land The Emperour and the princes of Gretia had a suspition of Mahometh and being affraied considering thaâ— their force was not sufficient to encouÌ„tre him sent theiâ— ambassadours and Oratours to all the princes of Euâ— rope to the Emperour and to the Bushope of Rome vsing with them al arte possible to induce them to giuâ— them aide declaring to them the manifest peryll wher in they were which was like to be the ruyne and lossâ— of that ancient and noble Empire and laste of all openned vnto them the miserye that they were lyke to en curre if they shoulde lighte in the handes of that mostâ— cruell Barharouse and bloude thirstye nation of the Turckes which more thirste for Christian bloude theâ— for anye drincke that is in the worlde thus were they inforced with plentiful streames of teres to moue them to compassyon and to craue ayde at their hande but all their trauayle was in vaine for they founde that whicâ— I doe abhore to speake of the eares of the christian princes so stopped and their eyes so blynded yea they foundâ— them not onely blynde and deafe but they were rather to be Iudged out of their wittes if y â— they coulde not disâ— cerne and consyder that yf the Turckes once moughte possesse the whole empire of Grecia the ruyne of al Europe in tyme were lyke to folowe with y â— vtter extirpation of the Christian religion but I belyue that they were occupied rather in reuenging of particulare causes and about their priuate commodities by meanes where of they contempned their vniuersale welth and commoditie But nowe to retorne to the declaration of our historye In this meane tyme Mahometh caused to leuiâ— out of all partes of his dominions an infinite number 〈◊〉 men toke with him to his campe an exceding great â—rniture of artillierie and munition and when he had â—us beseged the citie of ConstaÌ„tinople rounde he plan â—d his batteries and emploied his wholeforce to take it â—nd to the ende he woulde be suer of it he commaunded â—o make certaine mines directly vnder certaine of the â—ul warcks of y â— to ende y â— his peoplemoughte â—ghte the more aduantagiously and the more easyly w t â—heir ladders surmounte the height of the walles he cauâ—ed to make a very depe trenche rouÌ„de abaute y â— Towne â—eare to the walles with the earthe wherof he made great bancke at the fote of the walle vpon the height wherof they moughte easyly set their ladders and so enâ—er the Towne and on that syde towarde pera where â—he sea beatethe vpon the Towne he made a bridge by â—reate arte of twoe myles of lengthe where vpon he â—uylded certaine towres whiche in heighte dyd farre exâ—ede the walles of the citie and placed on euery one of these a number of men to bete alonge the walles that no man mighte stand to the defence thereof with these â—errible and greate preparations Mahomethe dyd for â—a longe tyme batter and annoie them of the Towne bothe daye and nighte with oute cease yet for all that they of y â— towne determyned rather to dye then to yelde the towne to his mercy whereupon they defended their citie with greate assurance Mahometh then considerâ—nge the great breache that he had made and also the slaughter of the Citizens was in good hope to wyn it by force wherupon he commaunded a proclamation to be made by sounde of trompet throughoute all hys campe that euery man the next day folowing whiche was the fyue and twentyth of Aprill in the yere of our helthe 1452. shoulde be in order redye to gyue the assaulte and the Towne beinge once taken he gane francklye to his souldiours all suche good des as they shoulde fynde wyth in it and be able to carye oute of it in thre dayes whiche proclamation once published so pleased euery man that happie was he y â— coulde be in the beste order furnished there was not one of them but that he fasted all the whole day tyll night that they sawe the starres appeare in the heauenes then euery man prepared hym to eate and drinke calling their frynds and kinsmen to them and made great chere togither and when the had thus in banquetting consumed a good pece of the night they toke thir leue the one of the other with embracing and kissing one an other as thoughe thei shulde neuer haue seene againe On the other syde when they of the Citie vnderstode the proclamatioÌ„ that this mighty prnice had made and the great preparation also y â— prests and other religiouse toke in hand the Images of the Crucifixe and our Ladye and also the reliques of Saincts and went in solempne procession with all the inhabitants of the Citie singing of himnes and songs with sheding of teares calling to god for aide in this sort dyd they consume all that daye in fasting praier and visiting the holly places of the Citie vntyl night came and then they made good chere and that done euery man wente to the place that he had in charge to defend the walles of the Citie were in heighte and thicknes comparable to the walls of any Citie that then was in the worlde but throughe their long contynuance and neglygence of the Greekes for wante of reparation their vauntemures were vtterlye decaied in many places but the walle was very stronge and of sufficient force to be defended wherupon the Grekes hauyng good hope in the force of theyr walles appointed their people in companies for y â— defence of theÌ„ Constantinople is in forme almoste treangle wherof the two partes that the sea beateth on are guirded aboute with walles sufficiently stronge to defend y â— force of the Armata the reste of the Citie toward the firme land besyde his walle wherof we haue alredye spoken is enuironned with a dyke deye and large when the thirde watch of the night was passed the Turckes beinge very gredye vpon the spoyle of the Citie made them redye to the assaulte and woulde not tarye for the daye lighte but presented them selues to the walles of the towne and began to assayle it from whence che arroes and stones flewe as thycke
and multiplied that of all those prouinces was made one Region and gouernement and was called Albania for that it was inhabited by y ◠Albaneses who so named it other some saye that the Albaneses are descended frō Fraunce peraduenture for that they see a natural frindshippe betwene the noble men of both the coūtres which thinge is perfectly knowen by certaine of their princes as by the lordes of Durazzo surnamed Thopia whiche are discended from Charles the greate some other frō Meschino and somme from others and for a token of good wyll Charles is made in the Citie of Croia of an excellent stone engrauen with great skyll and arte and set in the chiefe place of the Citie others saye they are discended frō Griffon de Altafoglia as the house of Ducagine and the house of Spagni as y e noble men of both houses them selues saye Let all men knowe that this newe Albania which is this discribed liethe in Europa it is very fertile plentyfull of al thinges nedfull to y ◠maintenance of mānes lyfe as is possyble it bringeth forthe men naturally so stronge valiaunte of noble myndes and apte to anye thinge that they take in hande chiefely for the warres as is possyble they are constant and faythfull to their naturall lordes and wyll rather committe them selues to all kynde of daunger and peryll then to haue their displeasure the fardest part of this Albania is neare to the seas Adriatico and Ienio and liethe ouer against Puglia froō Durazzo to Brindizio is an hundred myles and from Valoua ouer to Ottranto thre score myles by sea Nowe to oure purpose After all these thinges there came aspiall from Andrinople to Scanderbeg declared vnto him y ◠Alibege one of the Turckes Bassas came against him with .xl. M horsemen then Scanderbeg withoute delaye rode to his confynes with .xv. M. Albaneses and when y ◠Turckes were comme within two myles of him he made an oration to his armie wherby he dyd so encorage his souldiours that they desyred nothinge so muche as to encoūtre with the enemye in this meane tyme the Turckes came on with suche a noise that it semed that the heauens shoulde fal but Scanderbeg with his worthy souldiours refused not to encountre them but made y e signe of the crosse vpon hym and then he cried folowe me thruste towarde them and was the fyrste that strake charged them with sucke force and vertue that in shorte tyme he disordered them and when the battayle was ended there were founde deade on the place .xxii. M. Turckes and there were taken a thousand of the Christians manye were hurte and one hundred stayne vpon y e place all the spoyle of the Turckes as money Iuelles horses and suche lyke was presented to Scanderbeg who cansed it wholly to be disstributed to his souldiours whiche were all very ioyfull The nexte daye Scanderbeg commaunded to sounde to horse and rode into the Turckes countre a great dayes iorney and cut in peces as many Turckes as he mette or coulde fynde and raysed fire in all places where he wente In this meane while Alibeg Bassa retorned to Andrinople and was greatly blamed by the Turcke for his euell gouernement Laodislao king of Hungarie who then made preparatiō to goe against Amorathe w t an armie sent to Scanderbeg vnderstādīg of y ◠great victorie y ◠he had obtained against him to desyre him that he wolde goe in his companie w t such bandes of souldiours as he should thincke good wherfore when Scanderbeg had redde his letter he called vnto him his Captaines showing them the letter and asking their aduise in y ◠behalfe who aunswered by one consent that he mought in no wyse refuse y e king in so reasonable a demaunde for y ◠it was for the distruction of the common enemye of our faithe then Scanderbeg wrote vnto the kinge Laodislao that he moughte assure him of all the ayde that he shoulde be able to gyue him and then Scanderbeg by y e helpe of Paulo Ducagino and other princes of his nation had leuied other xv M men besides those that he had alredie vnder his conducte with whom he defeicted the aforesayde Alibeg which amounted in the whole to the number of xxx M. and then he began to marche but George Vucouich dispotto of Seruia a man valiante ynoughe but of a traitorouse mynde and regarded not anye religion neither Christian nor Mahometane for that he had gyuen Amorathe to wife his daughter named Hierenia and of some Catagusina which was syster to the wyfe of Alessio Spano called Isabetta and of some others Milizza which was sister to Lazaro Stephane and Georgio Nephewes to Andrea Augelo by there mother side for certaine hatred that the Dispotto bare to the Hungarianes and chiefely to Iohn of Transyluania who had ben the cause that certaine castles and townes of his were holden frō him whervpon the Dispotto fortyfied all the passages of his countre wherby he troubled Scanderbeg in suche sorte that he coulde not passe withoute great losse of his people into Hungarie In this meane tyme Iohn with the Hungarians and Polonianes beinge ayded also by Iuliano Cesarino Cardinall S. Angelo made redie his armie to marche towarde Varna where they muste nedes fyghte and Amorathe loked for ayde oute of Asia to comme to hym and therfore auoyded by al meanes possyble the battaile and prolonged the warres as much in him was wolde not comme to the battayle whiche when the worthye Vayuoda vnderstode he procured him to the scaramoche in so skylfull sorte that in the ende he enforced hym to come to the battayle and in the ende after longe fyghte the vertue of the Hungarianes was suche that y e Turckes were disordered and put to flyghte when Laodislao vnderstode this he became excedingly wrothe by meanes of the talke of certaine folyshe and ambitious yong◠men who sayde that Iohn Vaiuoda soughte to haue al the glorie of the victorie to him selfe which was y ◠cause that he appointed the kinge alwaye to tarie within his squadrone the kinge beinge moued with these wordes marched forwarde with his troupe of ten thousand Hungarianes which was very stronge and fronted y ◠Turckes great squadrone where after longe and cruel fighte Laodislao was stayne by meanes wherof the Hungarianes which were euen redie to folowe the victorie were constrained to torue backe againe and to loose al-in such sorte that Iohn Vaiuoda their Captaine generall was enforced to flee to the house of the aforesayde Dispotto of Seruia as to a place of securitie but he being the onely cause of thys ouerthrowe for so muche as he suffred not Scanderbeg to passe thorowe his countre caused Vaiuoda to be kepte vnder good garde forthe with vntyll suche tyme as he restored him to al his townes Scāderbeg soughte contynually to passe throughe the countre of the Dispotto and hearing of this miseral le chaūse was in such
gentle wordes pacifyed and contentyd them all lainge for his excuse the olde prouerbe that to the enemy that fleeth a man must make a brydge of golde and then gaue to euery man presents and gyftes acording to his place In this meane tyme many Albaneses of the Venetians countre and of the countres of other princes came presented to Scanderbeg a great number of the heddes of Turckes with horses armour and other spoyle in the ende Scanderbeg very honorably licensed his armie Sauing onely his two thousande horsemen and one thousande fotemen wyth whome he went forthewyth to his confynes When Mahomethe the Turckyshe prince vnderstode that Scanderbeg had raysed the seege of Croia w t so muche honor to his great shame and losse of his people he was muche gryued there with wherevpon the yere folowing he retorned into Albania w t two hundred thousande Turckes and went to besege Durazzo a noble City and of great antiquitie which had ben a garnison towne of the renomed Romaines he did greatly molest it notwithstandinge he departed from thence withoute it with spoyle of his people and great dishonor froÌ„ thence he went with spede to Croâ—a beseged it rouÌ„de and sent his messager to signifie to them of the towne y â— yf they wolde delyuer him the Citie he wolde aduaunce them and deale liberally with them all and otherwyse it shoulde be to their paine for he was determyned not to departe thence withoute it and wolde be reuenged vp on them to the vttermost The aunswere of the beseged was not farre to seeke but was gyuen by the mouthe of the Cannon Colueryne harquebuze and suche like instrumentes Scanderbeg on the other syde dyd often tymes assayle the Turckyshe armie nowe in one quarter and then in an other makinge great spoyle of them holding them in continuall feare and doubte wheÌ„ the Turcke sawe that he coulde by no meanes obtaine the towne he departed with all his armie thence and marched to a place called capodelli Rodane neare vnto the Admatique sea where Scanderbeg had buylded a Citie named Chinril which was not fully fynyshed nor replenished with inhabitanes he toke it and raised it to the very foundation after this he passed thorowe the countre of Scanderbeg thincking to take it from him but he coulde not take the symplest forte that he had he went also into certaine mountaines of Albania where there were multitudes of Albaneses with their whole familes and substances and assayled them but he was repulsed with great dishonor spoile and slaughter of his people but Scanderbeg who was euer vigillante and folowed the Turckyshe armie daye and nighte making great spoyle of them in such sorte that Mahomethe being in maner oute of al hope was constrained to retorne to Constantinople by the shortest waye When the Turcke was comme to Constantinople be apointed Alibeg and Alesbeg his Captaines to haue the conducte of xxviii thousande men and sent them to his confynes with expressyd commaundement that in no wyse they shoulde goe to fyght with Scanderbeg nor to enter his countrey vnles that he firste began but onely to garde well his confynes These Captaines came to the frontiers and obeyd the commaundement of their lorde and secretly soughte to haue fryndshippe w t Scanderbeg and sent vnto him presentes of greate price and value he also vsed them very cortesly and fryndly not in that that he feared them but bycause he wolde not be counted ingrate for he neuer trusted them but stode alwaye vpon his garde In the ende Scanderbeg vnderstanding certaynely that these Captaines had expressed commaundement from their lorde not to make anye attempte against him but onely to garde his confynes also howe that they were desyrous to be in peace with him he lefte the one parte of his souldiours vpon hys confynes and toke the rest with him and went to visyte his countre and to administer Iustice and reason to such as had nede therof and to se that none were oppressed After this Scanderbeg came to Alessio aboute certaine affares that touched bothe his state and the state of the Senate of Venise and chiefely for order howe to take a certaine newe Citie called Valma whiche the Turcke had builded and there fel sicke of a feruant feuer in such sorte as he was enforced to lye longe in that place and seing his deathe at hand he called vnto him all his Captaines and had a longe discourse with them who shed not a fewe teares to see him in that case and in the ende he called vnto him Iohn his onely sonne and in the presence of his mother the lady Doneca and of y â— rest spake vnto him in this sorte My good sonne knowe thou that I fynde my selfe so euyll disposed in my body that I am assured y â— the tyme of my departure oute of this worlde is at hande whiche thinge seing it is by the prouidence of God his wyll be done but for that thou arte very yonge and not able to defende oure state for that oure enemye is of excedinge great power I haue determined to leue it in the protection of the Senate of Venise as my deare brother good father Paulo Angelo the Arche Byshope oure hope whom I leaue in my stede of the gouernaunce therof hath often tymes perswaded me And further I doe commaunde the my sonne that thou be alwaye aduised by him for in so doing thou shalte not doe a mysse consydering his great wisedome and experience to be suche as I can not but hope well of the and of the reste of my subiecttes yf that you be gouerned by him for I am assured that for my sake he wylbe as carefull for the and thyne as yf thou were his owne sonne wherfore when thou hast shutte vp these myne eyes and buryed me goe thou then into Apuglia to oure Castles and townes y â— we haue there and contynue there vntyll thou comme to age able to gouerne and then goe to Venise and be alwayes aduised by the Senate therof who wyll gladly see the and set the safely into thy state and dominion I commend vnto the all my subiectes whoÌ„ I haue alwaye founde faithefull and obedient vse them so that they maye rather loue the then feare the which thou maiest easyly doe if thou se iustice truely admynistred Scanderbeg had scarcely gyuen ful order for his testament when a messager from the gouernour of Scutari came with a letter signifiyng vnto him howe that Hamathbeg one of the Turckes Basas was comme froÌ„ Seruia with x. M. horsemen and v. M. foteâ—en and had passed a very sharpe and difficulte mountaine named Illugi which dyd appertaine to the Venetianes was comme downe into their countre and had made greate spoyle there Then that noble and magnanime prince Scanderbeg beinge greatly moued with these newes caused to make him redie and appointe his souldiours to make them redie to ryde in this meane tyme his desease dyd so encrease vpon
toute the slaughter and spoyle of an infinite nūber of Turckes In the ende y ◠Senate of Venise to conclude a peace with the Turcke were content to giue him that Citie sauing the lyues and goodes of the Citizens acording to the conditions of the peace that was made with Tauth Bassa of Romania by meanes of y ◠magnificient Pietro Angelo who was sent with commissyon honorable in ambassade from the mightye Antonio Loredano generall of y ◠Venetian Armata to the aforesaid Tauth with whom Ducagino was prisoner by whose meanes he obtayned a safe conducte for the Senate to send an ambassadour for the conclusion of the aforesayde peace to Constantinople Then the Venetianes sent their secretarie Iohn Dario ambassadour to y ◠great Turcke concluded that peace In this meane tyme all the inhabitantes of Scutarie came to Venise and were receaued by the Senators and rewarded largely for their faithefull and true seruice After this the Turckes toke the Citie of Alessio where with all deligence they soughte for the bodye of Scanderbeg as sone as they had founde it althoughe in his lyfe tyme they feared it and also hated his name yet being ded they worshypped it as we vse to worshipe Canonizad sainctes and in the ende happie was he that coulde gete some pece of his bones esteming it for a holly relique and set it in golde or syluer and hanged it aboute their neckes as thinges of great hollinesse saying that therby thei hoped to haue alwai victorie whiche is a paganishe superstition Althoughe that for the offences of vs Christians which are so deuided amonge oure selues by meanes of oure Ambition and gredines god hath gyuen the Turckes manye greate victories a gainst vs euen to this present daye acording to oure moste iuste desertes and merites FINIS A discription of the successe of the house of Ottomanno IN the yere of oure helthe 1353. Amorathe Ottomanno prince of the Turckes passed into Gretia with 70. thousand men in the aide of one of the bretherē sōnes to the Emperour of Constantinople then lately deceased he spoyled all the countre of the loer Seruia called Burgaria with the countre of Macedonia and the higher Seruia In the yere 1366. he toke the Citie of Gallipolli of the dominions of the Emperour of Constantinople In the yere 1370. he toke the kyngedome of Burgaria In the yere 1375. Baiazithe the fyrst entred into Gretia with his armie making warres against the Grekes and in shorte tyme possessed all Romania leuing to the Emperour but only Constantinople and Pera. In the yere 1390. Tamerlano the parthian prince made warres vpon Armenia vpon the confynes wherof Baiazithe the Turckishe prince encountred him in battayle and was taken prisoner his armye defeicted by him and also the Empire of y ◠lesser Asia possessed Amorathe the .2 toke the Citie of Solenich with dyuerse other places to the greate preiudice of the Christians he made warres against George Castrioth sometyme named Scanderbeg in the ende he dyed in dispite before the Citie of Croia in the yere 1442. In the yere 1453. Mahomethe the seconde sonne to Hierenia the daughter of George the Dispotto of Seruia and to Amorathe the seconde aforesaid toke the Citie and Empire of Constantinople In the yere 1459. he toke the whole kingedome of Seruia after the death of his Vncle Lazaro he toke also the kingdome of Bassina and made warres in Albania against the afore named George Castrioth but he receaued alwaye the foyle at his hand In the yere 1460. he toke the whole countre of More a Athenes and all Thesalia In the yere 1462. he toke the Empire of Trebisonda In the yere 1463. he toke the Isle of Meteline at the same time they of the Isle of Scio put them selues vnder the protection of Mahomethe and graunted to paie him trybute In the yere 1470. he put a Nauie to sea of 400. saile vnder the conducte of Mahomethe Bassa sending him to take the Citie of Calcide standing vpon the Isle aunciently called Euboica nowe called Negroponte and after many assaultes toke both the Citie and the Isle In the yere 1475. he toke the Citie of Caffa In the yere 1474. he came to the Isle of Rodes landed his people and beseged the towne of Rodes but he coulde not take it he sent at that same tyme Acomathe his Bascia with 15000. men towarde the Golfe who assayled the Isle Eucadia or Sent Manra and toke it he toke also Cephalonia and Hiacinta and then passed the Golfe and went into Puglia toke Ottranto In the yere 1477. after the death of Scanderbeg aforesayde he toke the Citie of Oriuasto he obtained Scutari by the making of a peace with the Venetians he toke also dyuerse other townes in Albania In the yere 148. Baiazithe the. 2. entred into Cilicia and foughte with Caromano prince therof ouercame him in battayle flewe him and defeicted his armie possessyd in shorte space all his dominions Aboute that same tyme he agreed with the prince of Scandaloro prince of Cilicia Trachea gyuinge him in exchaunge of his countre other possessiones in Natolia In the yere 1498. he put his Nauie to the sea and he in person went with his armie by land and came to the Golfe of Patrasso and beseged the towne of Lepantho in shorte tyme toke it The yere folowing he beseged Modone and toke it Selim the successour of Baiazithe in the yere 1512. departed from Trebisonda and encountred his father in battayle and was defeicted by him In the yere 1514. Selim came to Constantinople against the determination of his father thoughe the ayde of the Gianizaries deposed his father from the gouernement In the yere 1515. he gaue battaile to both his bretherē and defeicted their armies flewe them with certaine of his Nephewes In the yere 1516. went with a great armie against the Sophie king of persia gaue him battayle and ouerthrewe him In the yere 1518. he marched with is armie toward Alepo and encountred Campson the Soldane ten miles beyonde Alepo vpō the banke of the ryuer Singa gaue him battayle in the which both he was slayne and his people put to flighte and flayne within shorte tyme after he marched on towarde Cairo and encountred in battayle the newe elected Soldan Tomombeio defeicted his power and toke him and put him in miserable sorte to deathe and possessyd all Egipte with the whole coūtre of Sorria In the yere 1520. he made redie a puissant Armata with other great prouision by land and then dyed In y ◠yere 1531. Gazzele rebelled in Damasto against Soliman soune to Selim whervpon Solimanno sent his armie against him flewe him and defeicted all hys power Faultes escaped in the printing In y ◠2. lease 2. page Eugenio for Egeo fol. 4. page 1. Emirna for Smirna fol. 7. page 1. Ianio for Ionio fol 8. page 1. Sagenio for Eugenio fol. the 10. pag. 1. Varia for Varna fol. 11. page 1. sturre
gouernor and in this sorte gouerned for a long time hauing among them nother kinge ne any man endued with tytle of souereentie other then of captaine according to the saying of Nicolao Sagundino a man very well seen bothe in the Greake and Latyne tonge and also in the histories as wel ancient as of later times for that he had exercised hym selfe alonge tyme in them and hauing ioyned to his redinge experience hauing trauayled thorowe seen the greatest part of the inhabited earth whoe wrote to the pope pio that aboute the yere of y e christian helth 1330. There arose amonge the Turques one Ottomano of a noble house and smale welthe wyse and of a noble minde whoe by his perswasiones and towardnesse had gathered togither a greate numbre of valiante and lustie men desirouse of alteration he toke in hand y â— which he knewe to be generally acceptable vnto theÌ„ which was to make warres against the christianes which confyned with his contreys and throughe hys lyberal distributing of the proies and spoiles that he gate from y â— christians to his souldiors his power was so encresed throwe the pleasantnesse of gaine and reputacion that his people had that he seing him selfe cheyfe of an armye whych desired to liue licensiously and was apte to accompanye him in whatsoeuer enterprise he shoulde take in hand determined to make him selfe prince of that companye and began openly wyth warres to persecute those y â— wolde not there vnto agree in the which his enterprise he was very well holpen by the discorde and diuision that was amongest the principall and cheife rulers of that nation and he ayding him selfe with the same diuisioÌ„ did continaully maintaine and norrishe the same and gaue nowe ayde to the one partye and then to the other vntyl that they were al so consumed and impouerished that they were not able to resiste his force when it was emploied against them And in this sorte he became a Tyran ouer his owne natyon made him selfe lord of the greatest part of their contreis namiÌ„g him selfe prince of the lesser Asya This Ottomano at his death lefte to succede hym in hys kyngdome Orcano hys sonne who folowing his fathers fote steppes did not only preserue the Empire which his father lefte him But also enlarged it greatly when Orcano died Amorath hys eldeste sonne succeded him in his kingdome who traÌ„sfering his courte to Bithinia ordained y e seate of hys kyngdome in Bursia which standeth at the very fote of the rootes of the Mounte Olimpo In the time of Amorathe two of the Emperors sonnes of constantinople fel at stryfe aboute y e possessyon of the Empire it semed to the yonger sonne y â— his brother did maruelously oppresse him and althoughe his force was not sufficient to resyst hym he woulde not yet giue place vnto him but sent to Amorathe for ayde of fering him a great sum of mony inrecompence Amorathe agreed to his demande and assembled his power and with spede embarqued hys people and passed into Gretya and with greate subtiltye dyd leade the warres at length and when he sawe the two bretherne so weake and that they had consumed the treasure which their father left them by their cyuille warres had so spoiled their contrey y â— they were not able to maintayne them selues in there estate w t there reuene we which was then lefte them he in one instante emploied his force against them both and in y e firste assaulte he toke the citie of Gallipolli a place very commodiouse for his state for asmuche as it standeth in Propontide vpon the sea side not farre from the mouth of y e straite of Helesponto And desiring ernestly in his minde the Empire of Gretia for asmuch as he knewe their force not able to endure against him wherupon he vsed the occasyon did continually spoile and impouerishe them in such sorte as in shorte space he became lorde of the greatest parte of Romania which is the principall parte of the prouince of Thracia the which in ancient time had his confynes very large in so much that it is said that on the one side they stretched oute towarde the east euen to the sea called Eusino and Propontyde and towardes the southe to the sea Eugenio and the floode Strimone and the contrey of Macedonia and towardes the north to the riuer Danubio on the west it confined with the Mountaines of Peonia with panonia nowe called hungaria and with the Ryuer Sauo in the which Thratia they will that there be comprehendid the one and other Misya at this day called Seruia and Burgarya the inhabytantes wherof doe call all these places lying a long the seacoaste toward the south inhabited by the Greeks euen to the verie straite of Elespontho Romania when Amorath died he lefte behynde him two sonnes Saliman and Baiazith Saliman dyed in shorte space after then the successyon was wholly in Baiazith who toke in hande the goueraunce And wheÌ„ he had established his state in Asya he sent a new power into Europa and reuiued the warres began by his father against the Greekes in the which fortune so fauored hym that in shorte space he was possessid of all Romania and lefte the Emperor of Gretia nothinge but Constanâ—nople and Pera the which was possessid then by the Genoueses after this he passed on and made his warres euen in the very bowels of Gretia with a course of maruelouse victorie no place resisting him he occupied Thessalia Phocide the contre of Boetia with the greatest part of the contrey of Attica that onely the citie of Athenes was defendid which being of suche force both natural and artificiall that it was inexpugnable wherfore he entred into Macedonia y e which in time past had his confines greatly enlarged thorough the great force of y e places of the same conteyned in it at that time y e contreis of Peonia and Paphlagonia and finding it vnfornished of such as moughte defended it he possessyd it and passed on with his people and made a course through Bossina and Seruia leadinge awaye w t him continually great proies both of men and catell in most miserable calamitie and thus he went on consuming and destroing the contreis and then retorned into Romania and broughte his armie to constantinople and shutte in them of the cytye and toke from them all the contrey aboute them in such sort y â— they were enforced to hold theÌ„ with in the gates of y e citie and coulde non withoute great danger go forth of it no way by land tormenting it continually had brought it to that passe that the Citizens being out of all hope to defended it began alredie to practise appointment with him And there is no doute that yf god by extraordinarie meanes had not prouided for it the citie of constantinopole y e which in time before many hundred yeres passed had ben
two one proffited so well in the exercise of armes and also in gouernance that the Turcke had him in great estimation And in Albania the whiche is that part of Macedonia that lieth toward the weste and stretche the oute frō Durazzo to the ancient Citie Appolonia the langage of the Albaneses is propre to them selues and dothe differ from the speche of all those people that dwell aboute them for neither the Greeke ne yet the Schiauonese vnderstandeth it and we are not certaine in what sorte nor by what meanes they fyrste arriued in those partes ne yet of their ancient originall althoghe it be sayde that this nation with diuerse others came oute of Scithia Asiatica from that ancient Citie Albania not farre from Colchide and so went on wandring to seeke newe habitacions and seates and fynally occupied that parte of Macedonia whiche beareth their name aboute the tyme of the losse of Constantinople the prince of their contrey happened to dye whose name was Camusa whoe beinge discended of christian parents became so beastly that of his owne acorde he lefte the christian faythe and embraced the folisheand beastly religion of Mahometh but hauinge smalle affiance in it euen as he had raishely forsaken Christe so vnaduisedly refused he Mahomet he and retorned to the religion of his ancestours willing althoughe he had no great affiance nether in the one nor other rather to dye beringe the name of a Christian then of a Mahometiste vnto whome George Scanderbag succided in gouernaunce as lawfull heire whoe was discended of a noble parentage in his contrey and when he had haunted the warres along time he became an excellent and famous Captaine and spent the reste of his lyfe in the defence of the Christian religion when Mahomethe vnderstode the deathe of Camusa he sent one of his Bascias with an armie to Valona whiche standeth vpon the sea bancke and althoughe it be but a litle Towne it hathe a suer and a goodly hauen from whence in to Italie the passage is but shorte and withoute daunger and manye yeres before that tyme it was possessed and holden by Baiazithe and when he died they threwe from them the Turquishe yoke but Amorathe within shorte space after toke it againe and from thence for the was it contynually holden by the in fydels to the greate reproche and dishonour of the Christian princes and to the greate terrour of all Italie it is possessyd euen at this daye by the infidels when this Bascia had broughte his people to valona he assayled Scanderbeg whoe althoughe he dyd alwaies worthilye defende him selfe and his people and diuers tymes with his power had encountred the Turckes and departed from them alwayes with the victorie yet notwithstandinge he sent for ayde to the kinge Alphonso of Aragone then kinge of Naples and obtained of him dyuers bande of men at armes well furnished in euery respecte whiche passed in to Albania by the waye of Durazzo not farre from the Cytye of Croia and with the helpe of George Scanderbeg they defendyd that contre for alonge tyme from the Tyrannie of the infydels when Calixto the Romishe Byshoppe vnderstode the danger that Scanderbeg was in Scanderbeg was in weinge his power w t the vnspekeable power of his enemye he wolde not se him wāte but supplied him with a great some of money to entertaine his souldiours and with these aydes he de fendyd y ◠contrey of Albania very skylfully and valiantly In this meane time their was a practize discouerid y e whiche a Nephewe of his his brothers sonne whoe hauing intelligence with Mahometh agreed with him vp oncertaine condityones to sleye his vncle by treason or els if he coulde by any meanes bring it to passe to delyuer him on lyue in to Mahomethes handes when this practeze was discouered by one of the menagers of this same he laid handes on him and so caused him to be examined in the which he confessyd the whole wherupon he thought it not conueniēt to shed his owne bloude but banished him sending hym with his processe to the king Alphonso whoe commaunded to put him into the Donge on called Miglio there to continewe during his naturall lyfe And whileste Scanderbeg lyued he defended Albania from the tirany of the infydels fyghting onely for the zeale he bare to the Christian religiō caused his subiectes to perseuere in the faith of christe and his worde notwithstanding the contynuall inuasious and courses that his enemies made vpon his cotre impouerishing his subiectes vtterly spoiling y ◠laborers of the earthe lainge waste a greate pece of his contrey bringing it into vnspekeable miserie and calamitie whē Mahometh vnderstode the death of Scanderbeg he sent forth with his armie in to Albania and toke the citie of Croia with all the reste of the contrey except those places that the venetianes held aboute that tyme after the taking of Constantinople he dyd maruelously vexe the religion of Rhodes both by sea and land but the greate master of the Hospitall of Iherusalm vnto whome the Isle dyd appertaine with his souldiours defended it cōtynnally euen to these our dayes and whan Calixto the gre at Byshope was called vnto for ayde he put his Nauie of Shippes Galleys to y ◠sea sent them to Rhodes vnderthe conducte of y ◠patriarcke of Aquileia who being in those seas had often to doe with the Turckes toke and drowned manye of their Galleys and fustes drowned and slewe their people and departed alwaye from them with the victorie when he had taken from the Turkes y ◠Isle of Salaminā whiche in ancient tyme was called Lēno and also that that is called Tasso w t the Isle of Nēbro and certaine other litle Isles nere vn to them he went and spoyled all alonge the sea coastes from helesponto euen to the confynes of Egipte to the great impouerissing of the inhabitants there of holding them in contynuall doute and feare and it semed that if he mought haue contynued he wolde with time haue greatly preuailed but as sone as Calixto was deade he departed from thence with his Nauie in to Italie leauing Rhodes with all others places that y ◠Christianes possessid in those partes in great peryl And in Acarnia which lieth in the myddeste betwene Epiro and Boetia and is called at this daye the Duchie and the Dispotto which then raigned in Acarnama and Epiro whiche at this daye is called Arta which begynning towarde the weste at the permontories of Acrocera doe stretch oute toward the easte to the baie Ambrachio whiche at thys daye is called y ◠golfe of Arta this Dispotto being maruelously vexed with Mahomethes souldiours and being desyrous to purchase some forien amitie by meanes of the king Alphonso he toke to wyfe a daughter of y e lord Iohn Vnitimiglia a Captaine of great fame that came into Italie with the king Alphonso of Aragone to the winning of the
and the Duke had thus promysed the Turckes delyuered the towne and receauyd into it the Dukes souldiours and delyuered vnto them the gouernance of the towne when this was done contrarie to all promes they helde all the chiefe of y â— Turckes prisoners and put a great number of the souldiours into the galleys and helde them of force all sauing certaine of them beinge men of place and circumspect who wolde rather committe them selues to the faythe of the Hungarian Cononel then to the Italianes when Sultan Baiazithe had ouerthorowen his brother Gemma and put him to slyghte and receauid obeisance of all the state and dominiones of his ancestrous in Asia the lesse and had visited the contre of Pontho Capadotia and other prouinces and gyuen order for the gouernaunce of them he coÌ„tynued in Burfia for a certaine space to giue audience to the gouernours of those prouinces of Asia which were subiecte vnto him in those partes where he bare him selfe so modestly and determyned his causes w t such humanitie that in the ende he obtained great good wyll of the people when he had thus done be passyd the straite homeward and was receauid into Constantinople with great pompe acording to the order of the triuÌ„p hantes of y e olde worldes he then gaue order altered the recepte of his reuenewes and customes withoute any sparcke of auarice or rapine and when he had made a reuewe of hys Gianizzaries he dyd not onely encreÌ„se the number of his fotemen but also of his horsemen and caused them to be wel paide which was an occasion that they were wel furnished in good order for so much as they sawe their prince to haue a delight ni them that he was very liberall vnto them And then began they to be excellently wel mounted their horses richely furnished them selues and their wiues soÌ„ptuously aparellyd with clothe of golde syluer Iuelles and suche lyke in sorte that the countre was chaunged from rude grose furniture into somtuouse and magnifique ornamentes and deckings And wheÌ„ he had bestoed a time in visiting his prouinces of Gretia and was come neare to Epâ—rro whiche is that parte of Macedonia that is inhabited by the nation called Albaneses from whoÌ„ the contrei hath yet his name is called Albania amoÌ„g whoÌ„ at the death of SultaÌ„ Mahometh there arose certain leaders seditioussi caused a great parte of y e couÌ„trei to reuolte whoÌ„ by his presence he agreed y e rest be toke bâ— force and so brought theÌ„ to his deuotioÌ„ before y e he wolde departe oute of that contre he sent to protest to the kinge Ferrante of Naples that yf he sent him not his artillerie munitioÌ„ wholli that was left in Ottranto at the deliuerie therof with his people and all suche substance and treasure of theirs as he then deteyned contrarie to his sworne promes that then he wolde make warres vpon him and seke to redresse his owne cause throughe the which message the king beinge sore a ferde embarcked all his artillerie monition and men with all such riches as they there had and caused them to be landed safely at Valona after that he lad his armie into Romania and coÌ„tinued with his courte in Andrinople began to make preparatioÌ„ for the warres against Caromano prince of the one parte of Cilicia beinge desirous to reuenge the defeicte that he receauid of him a litle before the deathe of his father This Caromano was the seconde prince of the Turckishe nation that then possessid anye dominion in Asia and they say that when he neded he was able to come to the feelde with xl thousand armed horsemen his principall state wherin he did reside was in y e for dest parte of the lesser Asia toward Soria called Cilicia campestre in that part therof where the ancient and famous citie of Tarso standethe which is builded vpon a plaine and is deuided throughe the middest by the ryuer Cidna and is not farre from the Baie Issico whiche is at thys daye the golfe of Iaza he possessed also in the lesse Armenia and Capadotia those partes that confyne with y e mounte Tauro wheÌ„ Baiazith had prepared al things mete for the iorney he put his Nauie to the sea embarâ—ked all his souldiours both horsemen and fotemen and passed then into Asia then marched throughe Bithi nia bothe y e contreis of Frigia Dardania Ionia Mâ—sia Caria Licia Pamphilia and finally with his people in ordre he entred into Cilicia campestre forasmuch as the contre of Cilicia hathe very large confines it is by ancient writers deuided into two partes of the whiche the lesse is called Trachea and hathe his sea bancke or shore of no great largenes it hath standinge vpon the plaine therof neuer a great towne for that the greatest parte of it is of the mounte Tauro and is so barren y â— it is not well inhabited the campestre begynning at y e Citie of Tarso and at Magnopoli a Citie in tyme paste of great power and fame stretcheth oute to y t baie Issico nowe called the golfe of Iaza and towarde the northe it confineth with Capadotia vpon the syde of the mounte Tauro when Baiazith was entred with his armie into y e countre of Abraham Caromano who had w t great diligence fortified his townes looking for his enemies and also he had furnished the straites of his contre and to the ende he wolde not be enforced to fighte he encamped alwayes in places of strengthe and great securitie and dwelled with his people as neare the enemye as he moughte The Turckes being lordes of the feelde went and spoyled and proied all the contre finalli when Baiazithe had consumed a great pece of the sommer coulde by no meanes prouoke the enemie to battaile he deter myned to besege some of his townes whervpoÌ„ he went to Tarso and besegyd it rounde planted his batterys and began to batter the walles not ceasiing daye nor nighte in suche sorte that in shorte space he had made so great breache that he thoughte it sufficient wherevpon he made redye for the assaulte and put his menne in battaile which thinge when they of the citie perceaued refusinge to put them selues in daunger of the losse of both lyfe and goodes they practized appointement and agreed to delyuer him the Citie vpon condition that he shoulde suffer them to enioye both lyfe and goodes wheÌ„ Baiazithe was come into the Citie he vsed y e Citizenes very gently and wolde not suffer anye of his armye to enter into the towne but onely those that were appointed to y e garde bothe of his person and towne and when the Automne was come on the sharpnes of the wether was suche that he coulde not well holde his people in y e felde whervpon he appointed them to lye in Garnisones in the townes there aboute from whence he ouer ran
spoyled all the contrey and wolde not suffer the subiects of Caromano other to sowe and plowe the grounde orels to doe anye thinge in the feeldes that moughte befor their commoditie whervpon they that dwelled vpon the plaine were in suche distresse that of their owne acorde they reuolted from Caromano for the greatest number and became subiectes to Baiazithe when the springe of the yere was cōme Caromano consideringe the inclination of his people and being in feare to be forsaken of his souldiours or els to be delyuered by them into the hands of Baiazithe obtaine of the Soldane of Egipte Caribeio a man of much fame and worthines a great sume of money and also certaine bandes of Arrabianes he sent into all partes of his dominions for such ayde as there was to be had and ioyned them all with his armie and made it of as great number as he coulde and determyned to se howe fortune wolde fauour hym and rather to Hazard the battayle then to gyue place to his enemie and in tyme to be delyuered by his owne mē into the handes of his enemyes whervpon beinge furnished with all necessaries he toke the feelde and chose a place of great strengthe and apte for the seruice of horse men when Baiazithe vnderstode that the enemey was come to the feelde and in campe he sent to all his garnisones commaūdinge them to repare vnto hym wyth spede with them to bring their whole furniture and when he had taken reuewe of them he marched to the feelde and put his souldiours in battayle and then marched towarde Caromano and when he came w tin sighte of him he sent his vauntgarde toward his enemie some thinge spedyly to begyn the battayle and he in person dyd conducte the battayle and folowed the Vauntgarde he also was folowed by the rierewarde and all his bagagers and when he came where the enemies were they refused not the battayle he came towarde them in good order and ioyned with them and notwithstanding that the force of Baiazithes people was greate and that a troupe of ten thousand horsemen of his went and serred them selues and with great furie assayled the enemies perswading them selues that in the first encoūtre they woulde disorder them but the Ciliceanes recauid theyr charge with great assurance in suche sorte that there was not one of them that gaue one fote of grounde to his enemie After this when they were entremelled there began a very braue and blooddie fyghte men fell downe dead and hurte contynally on bothe sydes and their places were alwaies supplied with freshe men and in this sorte they contynued for the greatest parte of the daye with great assurance nether partie gyuinge place to the other so that it coulde not be Iudged on whiche parte the virtorye shoulde lighte for the battayle contynued doubtefull euen to the darcke night Abraham Caromano shewed that daye of what value he was for in his order he shewed him selfe a Capten of great Iudgement and afterward in his fyghte he shewed him selfe a valiante and stoute souldiour and laste of all by the prouidence of god his tyme beinge at hand seinge his people to gyue place beinge charged by a greate numbre of his enmies whose force they were not able to endnre be thruste on spedilie towardes them with his garde a good number of other of his souldiours and gaue in vp on them in suche sorte that he perced euen in to myddest of their squadrone and beinge knowen by the enemies was by thē forth with enuironed and charged on euery syde with suche furie that they slewe his horse vnder hym where vpon he was constrayned to fyghte on fote in the whiche he behaued him selfe so nobly that w t his owne hande he slewe dyuerse of those which assailed him in the ende throughe the great losse of his bloude which contynually fell from him throughe his dyuerse and sondrie woondes whiche he had receauied in the battayle not beinge able to endure anye longer fell downe deade in the place as sone as his people vnderstode of his death they were so amazed and discouraged that immediatly they dysorderid them seules and lefte the fyghte scatteringe them selues all the the feelde ouer hoped to make flighte their sauetie but being folowed by y e Turckyshe horsmen the greatest number of them were slaine and a great parte of the rest were taken on lyue and delyuered to Baiazith when he had in this sorte obtained so greate a victorie he determyned forthewith to vse the same whervpon he began to occupie the reste of Cilicia campestre and marching on ouer all the contrey the cities and fortellezes yeldyd vnto him enerie where as he came withoute makinge anye resystaunce and hauing in shorte tyme broughte vnder his obeisance all that contrey that Caromano possessed in Cilicia he deuised then with his Captaines what was beste to be done fynally it semed beste in the opinion of euery mā first or he toke in hand to passe the mounte Tauro and so to goe on to conquere that which Caromano possyd in the lesse Armenia and Capadotia to possesse the other Cilicia called Thrachea to the ende to leue no enemie behinde thē y e mought empeche them whervpō he caused to moostre and paie his men and then gaue them a litle tyme to repose that done he vnited them and sent them towarde Setalia which is a Citie in that prouince then newlye inhabited a citie of greate traffique maruelously well inhabited by meanes of the decaie of the trade that was in Delo whiche in tyme passed was a Citie of the greatest traffique of all Asia and chiefely for the great number of slaues that then were there boughte and solde which were in nūber in maner infinite wherof it grewe into prouerbe marchantes make your voyage to Delo and there vnshippe for whatsoeuer is broughte thither is redie money when the traffique of this Citie was decaied the whole traffique and trade of marchandize was put ouer into Setalia and throughe the greate repaire of marchauntes it was become the cheife and beste in habited Citie of the lesse Asia in so muche that the sea coaste all there aboute losynge his olde name is called the golfe of Setalia euen at this daye vpon the whiche golfe directly ouer againste the Isle of Cipres standeth a noble Citie and a popolouse called Scandoloro the lorde wherof beinge a Turcke borne and all wayes in doubte of them hath euer ben an enemie to y e house of Ottomano and also to Caromano and confede rate with the greate maister of Rhodes and the King of Cipres dyd preserue his state vntyll that daie standing as a newter betwene them both but whē he sawe Baiazith come vpon him withe so populouse an armie vpon the sodden Iudginge him selfe not of power to witstand his force for all the power that he was able to make did not excede the number of xx M. men on horsbacke
warres they sent to the king Lois of Fraūce for aide who sent them oute of prouince Genoa seuen shyppes well armed and furnished and fyftene galleys with a great quantitie of artillerie also certaine thou sandes of fote men the greatest parte Guascones vnder the conducte of the lorde of Grauistence who departed from Genoa and sayled towarde y e Archipelago whiche deuideth y e lesse Asia from Gretia to ioyne with y e Venetian armata and when he came to Scio he depated from thence to Mitilene entred the hauē and landed his people immediatli proied spoiled al y e Isle finalli came and encamped before the towne which was the cheife of the Isle and assayled it with greate furie the first daye that they came before it they planted their batteryes and batterid in suche sorte that they so feared y e Turcks of the towne with their sodden assaulte y e notwithstanding there was within it a granison of greate fame of men of great experience yet they were so affraied that they sent their postes by sea and lande to Baiazithe to declare vnto him the great preparation and force of the Christianes and the furie of their batteries protesting vnto him that yf they were not spedylye reliued they shoulde not be able longe to defend it when the arryual of y e Nauie of Fraunce was commonly knowen in Constantinople y e force of y ◠nation beinge then augmented and increase so at that tyme dyd put suche feare into the whole Citie and to all the reste of Romania that y e Mahometistes beinge oute of all hope to contynue ani longer in Gretia immagined howe to prouide shyppes and other vesselles where with to flee into Asia rather then to put them selues in order to succour Mitileno wher vp on Baiazithe beinge excidingly moued with the confusion that he sawe amonge his people makinge none accompte of his astate guyrded his gowne to him came downto y e hauēnes syde where his people were sō meembarcked and others redie to enbarcke and entretyd hys people that they wolde embarcke passe on to succour Mitileno and whiles the courte contynued in this sorte makinge no prouisyon at all in effecte for their defence their is no doubte that yf the Venetianes had gone on with their Nauie vnited them w t the Nauie of Fraūce and encreased y e power of the Christans cheifely of fote men wherof the frenshe had great wante but whē they had taken Mitileno and some other one place in Gretia they shoulde haue broughte the Turckes to that passe that they paraduenture of them selues wolde haue fled into Asia and haue for saken Gretia but the Venetianes whether that it were for that they were all redyentred into practize of a peace with Baiazithe which afterwarde they concluded by y e meanes of Andre Gritti and wolde no furder procure his indignation or els that the good successe of the frenshe dyd not lyke them whervpon they in dede procided slowly in all their affares cheifely in furnishinge the frenshe Nauie with victuall and men wherof they stode in great nede and prolonged so their comming to vnite them selue◠with the frenshe that when they had contynued there for a certaine space and made so great breaches y e yf they had had men sufficient to hane gyuen the assaulte they moughte easylye haue taken the towne but when they sawe the tarying of the Venetianes and the smale haste that they made the Captaine of the frenshe beinge in great distresse of victual by meanes wherof he coulde no lenger continue there and beinge also muche offendyd with there stacknes doubted that they went aboute te betraie him and his people and had them in great suspition where vpon he embarcked his people and artillerie disolued the sege and set sayle passed the Golfe and then alonge by Scicilia and retorned with his Nauie to Genea and then be in person toke the poste and went into Fraunce when Baiazithe considerede the great peryll wherin he had ben determining no more to incure the like chiefely for that he was of nature gyuen to be quiet and not ambitious nor desirouse to enlarge the confines of his dominions whervpon he determyned to attempte the Venetianes for peace and delyuered Andre a Gritti vpō suerties for his retorne then embarcked him sent him to Venise to entreate the peace when Gritti was cōme to Venise and founde the Senate the Duke and all the commons of the Citie well inclined to peace after that he had had great conference with the Senate he receaued auctorye and commission from them to conclude the peace whervpon he retorned to Constantinople and concluded the peace vpon suche conditiones as at this daye are obserued betwene them and Baiazithe when he had in thys sorte ceased hys hostilitie he lad his lyfe in great quietnesse and spent the greatest parte of his time his courte being in Andrinople at a certaine house of his not farre from the Citie a place of great pleasure where he buylded for his commoditie maruelouse sumptuous goodly lodginges and in this sorte he passed a great pece of his tyme in great quietnes and beinge come to the age of .lx. yeres and hauinge gouerned in the Empire .xxx. yeres to the great content of all his subiectes he began lyke a wyse man to consyder that he was olde and not helthefull of bodye and that he was lyke euery daye to be surprinsed by dethe and to be taken awaye wherfore he was desirous to prouide for and establyshe his succession for the quietnes of his subiectes and to take awaye all occasyon of tumultes that moughte happen by hys deathe consyderinge that he had three sonnes of lawful yeres whome he had apointed in thre sondrye partes of Asia to gouerne vpon his confynes euery of them had vnder his charge a great armie wherfore for onely remedie and maintenance of vnitie in his Empire to the ende that throughe the discorde of his sonnes it shoulde not be deuided and consumed with Cyuyll warres for so muche as there was not a better remedie for to auoyd suche disorder then to folowe the example of Amorathe his graud father whiche was to giue ouer the gouernaunce and to prouide in his lyfe tyme for the establishement of his successyon and to appointe who shoulde succede him and to gyue ouer into his handes al power and rule and to put him in possessyon of the Empire which shoulde be an occasyon of great quietnes for so much as be being olde and syckly and not able to endure so great laboure and trauayle thoughte that the people shoulde be better gouerned by a yonger man and the other bretherin shoulde be oute of hope to attayne to the Empire whiche shoulde be all redie possessyd by meanes wherof they shoulde be enforced to obey yf that they wolde not receaue furder incommoditie and he beinge entred into a priuate lyfe
vsed al mea nes possyble to diswade the Gianizzaries from this vprore and in the ende offered them an infinite summe of money yf they wolde agree and consent that Acomathe shoulde be coroned and seinge that he coulde by no mea nes appease them but that the more that he entreted them the more insolente they were and began to threa ten him with proude and beastly wordes whervpon Baiazithe was enforced of necessitie to gyue ouer and to graunt their requeste yet for al that dyd he not leaue of but soughte by all meanes possyble howe to alter theÌ„ and to bringe them to his deuotion but he kepte hym selfe alwayes oute of their handes when the Agar and others of great place had receaued this graunte of their lorde they dispatched one fleing toward Selim to wyll him to comme his waye with all spede he receaued not so sone this message but he came his way with al spede and vpon the waye he mette with a thousande horses which were sent vnto him for his garde by the Gianizzaries with whom when he was entred into companie they went vpon y â— spurre to the Citie where there came to encountre and receaue him not onelye the Gianizzaries but also the greatest number of the Spachi and other ordres of horsemen with a great multitude of the people and when they had broughte him into the Citie they saluted him Emperour to the vniuersall contentation and satissying of the people and when he had riden aboute all the Citie they placed him in the Imperiall seate and coroned him with all kinde of Imperiall ceremonies and fynally they swore openly to be obedient faithefull vnto him and in this sorte Selim withoute any resystance toke vpon him the state and gouernance of the Imperiall Citie and then sent to his father wlllinge him not to dismaie for anye thinge for he was not comme to vse anye force against him but beinge called by hys souldiours and by the people he thoughte it not semely to deny so generall a consent and therfoore he signifyed vnto him that he wolde not take him onelye for his father but also for his lorde desiringe him not to deny y e vniuersall requeste of his people but to confirme and approue what they had done and that he moughte with his fauour and good wyll gouerne promising that he wolde alwayes be an obedient childe towardes hym Baiazithe seinge the offers of his sonne and that there was no meanes to altere that that was done and that yf he sholde not willingly coÌ„sent there vnto he mought sone be enforced to doe it whervpon he graunted his request and especially for that he was perswaded in hys owne opinion that this greate and sodden chaunge of mennes myndes was the very worke of god to bring to passe to reuele in time secretes which then were hid den and beinge moued in this respecte contented hym selfe wolde no lenger resyste but sent into the Citye one of his Bascias to salute Selim Emperour and to promes obedience in his name the nexte morowe folowinge he went in person into the Citie and came to hys sonne and fallinge prostrate on the grounde kyssed hys fete who arose and lyfted him vp and kyssed him in the forehed and therwas great token of frinoshippe shewed on bothe partes and then they wyth drewe them into a place seperate from the reste where when they had had great conference togither Baiazithe required Selim to graunte him that he mought lyue discharged of al cares priuately and that he moughte with certaine of his familiers departe and leade his lyfe at y e Dinaotico which is a certaine house of pleasance neare vnto Andrinople wherein y â— time of his gouernance he vsed muche to lie and had buylded there sumptouse and costly lodginges Selim answered him very franckly that he shoulde not onelye haue that house but also any other house that he wolde whervpon Baiazithe caused to make prouisyon of all such thinges as he wolde carie with him and then went againe to visite his sonne and toke his leue of him then went with his companie toward Andrinople and in hi iorney he fell syke either of thought or els of poyson acording to the opinion of manye and died in the yere of the Christian â—elthe 1512 FINIS Andre Cambine of the origiNALL OF THE TVRCKES AND EMPIRE of the house of Ottomanno The fourth Booke WHEN ACOMATHE VNDERSTODE of the comming of his brother Selim to Constantinople in what sorte thinges had passed there he thoughte not hym selfe suer at Scutaro whervpon he departed from thence to Bursia and when he vnderstode of the deathe of his father he departed from thence with his armie that he had in Natolia towarde Capadotia and when he came thyther he went nere to the mounte Tauro into that parte that Caromano had possessed and fortifyed hym selfe at the fote of mounts Tauro with great rampares depe Dykes artillerye the place of it selfe beinge stronge he had made it inprenable and had furnished it plentifully with victualls and all other kynde of necessaries in suche sorte that he moughte or a longe tyme lye safely there whervpon for asmuche as he sawe him selfe suerly encamped that Selim coulde not enforce him to battayle onles he lyste he determyned not to goe forthe of his campe for any occasyon that shoulde be offered him but to lye styll there and to se what tyme wolde doe perswadinge him selfe that god wolde not permitte amongeste men suche an one longe to enioye an astate wone so wickedly on the other syde when Selim had possessed his fathers treasure whiche was thought to be innumerable he distributed a great parte therof to the Gianizzaries and to y e reste of his men of warre towarde whome he vsed great liberalitie and gaue them excedinge largely after that he began to reforme theordynances of his predecessours as touching his men of warre and gaue them to vnder stande that their great brauerie was to no purpose for it behoued good souldiours to prouide to couer them selues and their horses with good and suer armour that beinge suerly armed they moughte hazarde them selues into greater peryll and fyghte the more valantly and not encorage the enemye to enforce them selues to all peryll for the gaine of the golde Iuelles and syluer y e they dyd weare vpon them After this he established his countrey of Gretia and then passed the straite with his armie into Bithinia and then into licaonia and Capadotia meaninge firste to take awaye that impediment his brother Acomathe and broughte his armie and encamped not far from his brothers campe the nexte day he lefte his campe and with his people toke the feelde and put them in battayle redie to fyghte But for all this Acomathe wolde not once sturre nor suffer one of his souldiours to goe forthe of his campe when Selim had consumed there a great time in vaine and coulde by no maner of Iniurie procure him to
of Turchie as other princes and of his rare force and vertue worthy of memorie SCanderbeg prince of Epirto was sonne to the lord Iohn Castrioth y e which possessid y ◠part of Albania that was called Emathia and Tumenestia and the mother of Scander beg was named Volsaua she was daughter to the prince of Pollogo whiche is a part of Macedonia and also of Burgaria this Iohn was a worthy man and of great Iugement experience in the warres and hauinge warres with Amorathe Ottomanno prince of the Turckes and seing him to be wexed very stonge in Gretia and Albania in such sorte as in the ende he was not able to encountre him wherfore he made peace with him and for hostages deliuered him his sonnes which were Repossio Stanissa Constantino and this Scanderbeg whiche was then named George but when this tiran Amorathe caused him in his chyldhod to be circumcised he gaue him the name of Scanderbeg which in our speche is lord Alerandre and after that the Turcke caused him to be instructed acording to the rite and custume of the Mahometane secte Amorathe truely semed to be exceding glad when Scanderbeg being a childe but of eyghte yeres of age was broughte to his presence and seinge him beautifull and to haue a maiestie in his countenance he iugged in hym selfe that yf he shoulde lyue longe he wolde proue a worthye man wherfore he determyned neuer to suffer him to retorne home againe but to kepe him in his courte to the ende that when he was comme to y ◠state of a mā he shoulde serue him and therfore appointed him worthy masters to instructe him and to be carefull for him and to se him broughte vp in lerning and ciuilitie he alowed bothe for his table and apparell euen as yf he had ben his owne sonne After this when Scanderbeg was somethinge growen he delighted to ryde and to ronne and also with his cōmpaniones to vse the launce and y ◠rabattued sworde and he dyd excede them all bothe on horsebacke and on forte and chiefely yf it were in y ◠presence of Amorathe who had greate felicitie of se litle boyes in suche exercises and dyd maruelously reioyse to se suche force towardnes in Scanderbeg who alwaies remayned victoriouse After this whē the Turcke made warres against anye prince he commaunded to bringe Scanderbeg alwaies with him whythersoeuer he went and when so euer he soughte with his enemys Scander beg behaued him selfe so well that all the Turckes maruellyd at his doinges and wolde saye amonge them selues that yf he mought lyue tyll he came to perfecte age no man shoulde be able to continue against hem When Scanderbeg was come to y ◠age of .xix. yeres y ◠Turcke made him a Sangiacco which is as muche to saye as a conductour of sondrie bandes and gaue him y e leadinge of fyue thousand horses and some tyme the title of geuerall of an armye which in the Turckishe speche is called Bassa sending him against his enemyes accompanied with mani other Sangiachi which were appointed to be directed by him and to be at his commaundement and beinge in that parte of the lesser Asia that is called Natolia and hauing many rencountres with his enemyes he alwayes made great slaughter of them and departed from them with the victorie by meanes wherof he toke manye townes and Cities of that countre and brought them vnder the obedience of the Turcks who from that tyme forth wolde alwayes saye that Scanderbeg was his righte arme his harte and his eye and his moste assured defendour and augmentour of his dominions whervpon all the reste of the Turckes dyd marueloslye loue him and had him in great estimation After this Scanderbeg beinge of the age of .xxv. yeres and attending vpon his lorde in Andrinople beinge in the companie of many noble men there came thither a Tartare of a great stature and an exceding force and chalenged to fyghte with anye man in all the Turckes courte to y e vtterance and there was no man that durste to aunswer his chaleng for that the brute was that he neuer foughte with anye but that he ouercame him and had staine manye men in the lyke combattes when Scander beg sawe this he went to the prince and declared vnto him and to all the noble men there that he wolde encoūtre him and fyghte with him to the death but his lord with all the reste of the noble men wolde in no wyse agree vnto it but were all very sorye to see him so disposed yet for all that he made so ernest requeste and contynued it with suche Instancie that in the end with great difficultie he obtained his requeste and then made him redie and went in the presence of them all with great as to encountre this Tartarre who disdained him euen as Goliathe dyd Dauid and sayd that it greued him much to fyght with so yonge a man wherfore Scanderbeg was excedingely wrothe with him and strake at him and so behaued him selfe in the combatte that in the ende he obtained y ◠victorie slewe the Tartarre Shortly after Amorathe went to Bursia a Citie of Bithinia where two souldiours of Persia one named Iaia and y ◠other Zāpsa which made a like chalenge to that that y ◠Tartarre made sauinge that they wolde fyghte on horsbackes with launce sworde and Targe whervpon as sone as the chalenge was made Scanderbeg made redie and encoūtred with Iaia and as they were ernestly fightinge this cruell Zampsa assayled him in treason but Scanderbeg discoraged not at all for that but assured him selfe in god and put on a noble mynde and within shorte tyme he slewe them bothe for the which notable acto he was muche praysed of all those that were there present after this y ◠Hungarians came to make warres vpon the Turckes and to enuade their countrey wherfore Scāderbeg was sent Captaine generall with a greate armye against them in that enterprise he behaued him selfe so discretely and circumspectly that the Hungarians retorned againe withoute battaile He alwaies had that attended vpon him Christianes of his fathers subiectes who alwayes in structed him in the Christian faythe which he had receaued at his Baptesme wherfore he founde the meanes that the Hungarianes retorned withoute battayle and be also retorned with his armie safe to Andrinople where he was excedingly embraced of the Turcke and honored with great presentes he sayd to his most famylier fryndes that the Hungarianes feared the vertue and worthynes of Scanderbeg and therfore retorned and wolde not gyue battayle he desyred Scanderbeg to require some great gyfte of him but Scanderbeg aunsweringe very modestly sayd that he required nothinge but to dwell in his good grace and fauour wherwith he shoulde holde him very well satisfyed whē they had ended these discourses newes came that the lord Iohn father to Scanderbeg was deceassyd whervpon Amorathe in all haste dispatched a Captaine of
his named Sehalia `with an armie into Albania who as sone as he came thyther toke y â— Citie of Croia with the whole state of the lorde Iohn to the behofe and vse of the hostages gyuing the people to vnderstande that the greate Turcke wolde immediatly delyuer it to one of the soÌ„nes of the prince Iohn deceased but after that the Turcke performed noe one thinge y â— the Bassa had promised in his name to the people but kepte all y â— contre to his owne vse and caused three of the bretheren of Scanderbeg secretly to be poysoned and fedde him with goodly wordes keping him alwayes in good hope desyring him to haue pacience for a litle tyme and that as sone as he had dispatched certaine affares he wolde restore him to all that which was his righte to haue and he shoulde be alwaies assured of his good wyl and frynd shyppe but Scanderbeg lyke a wyse man and one that well knewe his determynation to be full of crueltie and wickednes declared him selfe to be wâ—ll contented with whatsoeuer shoulde be his good wyll and pleasure notwithstanding in wardly he was full of sorowe and heuynes and he thoughte on nothinge daye nor nighte but howe to fynde some meanes by the which he moughte bring to passe to enioye that patrimonie which was his fathers and to lyue in libertie of consciens as a Christian oughte to doe and the rather for that he was oute of hope to be delyuered by the Turcke and to be restored to his righte After these thinges when the yere was ended the Hungarianes at the requeste of the pope Eugenio assembled a mightye armye and went against the Turcke in the behalfe of the dispotto of of Seruia which when the Turcke vnderstode he gathered togyther his armye and sent the Bassa of Romania Captaine generall of the same beinge acompanied with Scanderbeg to the ende that by his helpe he moughte the more assuredly obtane victorie contrarily Scanderbeg praied to god that it wolde please him to gyue y â— Hungarianes the victorie And in the ende the two armyes metinge neare the Ryuer called Moraua ioyned in battayle And the discipline vertue of Iohn HuÌ„niade Captaine generall of the Hungarianes was suche by the helpe of god that the Turckes after a longe fyghte were disordered and put to flyghte with excedinge great flaughter and spoyle of them Scanderbeg dyd maruelously reioyse for this victorie and yet he fled amonge the Turckes tyll he came to a secrete place where he was safe froÌ„ peryll and afterwarde when it was nighte the Turckes chiefe secretarie came vnto him and said O Scanderbeg what doeste thou here thou whiche neuer was seen to flee or this tyme Scanderbeg descretly aunswering sayd that the power of man moughte not resyste the wyll of god wherfore there was no remedie but patience and when he had thus sayd he commaunded to laye handes on the Secretarie and to set yronnes vpon his legges where with be beinge excedingely amased sayd that it semyd straunge vnto him consydering his faithfull seruice alwaies and that he had neuer offendyd his lord y â— Turcke ne yet Scanderbeg then Scanderbeg smyling auÌ„swered that he helde him so for no cause but onely for that he shoulde not stele awaye and for that he shoulde make him a letter in y â— name of the Turcke to the gouernour of Croia that forthwith vpon syghte therof he shoulde delyuer the Citie to Scanderbeg as gouernour in the name of the Turcke and he wolde also that the Secretarie shoulde goe with him and he wolde gyue him greater place then that which he had with the Turcke and wolde euer esteme him for his deare frynd and brother The Secretarie aunswered with a troubled countenance that he wolde not make suche a letter for anye thinge in the worlde whervpon Scanderbeg drewe his sworde and threatned to kyll hym yf that forthe with he made not the letter whervpon he beinge excedingly affraied toke pen yncke and paper and wrote the letter accordingly as Scanderbeg gaue him instruction in the Turckishe language he coulde not deceaue him therin for Scanderbeg vnderstode well the Turckishe tonge the Arabian the Greeke and the Schiauon when this was done Scanderbeg wylled the Secretarie to goe w t him but he refused vtterly so to doe whervpon he caused him soddenly to be slayne to that ende that he shoulde not goe and declare the matter to the great Turcke and in this sorte he was preuented Then Scanderbeg with three hundred Albaneses valiante and faithefull men who had alwaies serued him and were well trayned and experimented in the warres toke his waye and rode very secretly and spedyly and in shorte tyme aryued in Albania where he founde certaine of the Turckes souldiours whom he caused very cortesly to souppe with him and after sondrie pleasante discourses asked them if that they had herde any thinge of the cause of his comming thyther who aunswered him no then he declared vnto them that for sondrie respectes the Turcke had sent him to chaunge the gouernour of Croia to supplie that place for a season whervpon they auÌ„swered al at once franckly that they were assured that he was sent for some greatter purpose then that consydering that they were well assured that the Turcke loued him as his brother and one of them offered to goe before w t the messager that he sent to certyfye the gouernour of Croia hereof wherewith Scanderbeg was well contentyd and sent them before to Croia with spede As sone as the gouernour vnderstode the Tenour of the letter he made redie to doe all that was commaunded him in that letter Afterward when Scanderbeg came into Croia becaused to take downe the Turckes enseigne and to set vp his w t the splayed Egle of sable in a feelde of gules and they cried in euery place longe maye Scanderbeg lyue and then he caused to sley all the Turckes that wolde not be baptised in foure dayes he recouered all his fathers countre and by that twenty daies were ended he had possessyd al that which the Turcke had woonne in Albania and cut in peces as as many Turckes as he found there in sorte y â— in an in staÌ„te he became prince of Albania where he had of yerly rent two hundred thousande ducates accomptinge hys salte pittes which he hade neare to Saincte Nicolo dela Pietra where Cesare the Dictator foughte that terrible battayle w t Pompeio his father in lawe Captaine generall of the Romane armye When the Albaneses were thus delyuered from the Tiran and from his wicked and cruell gouernement from the intollerable yoke of the infydelles they thancked god in euery place they cried thorowe oute longe maye oure prince Scanderbeg lyue and in fewe dayes Scanderbeg had an armye of .xv. M. Albaneses wel trained in the warres some on horsebacke and some on fote then ho apointed officers of se Iustice duely executed
to Scāderbeg who lyke a noble prince caused them al to be wel entertained sent them home wit houte any ransom of al those prisoners be caused to detēyne two men of acompte the one was Simone Vulcatal of the countrey of ◠cutari and the other was Andre Humoi brother to y e Captaine of Croia which he sent into his owne countrey kepte them prisoners in a forte of his y e was of great strength called Pietra Bianca where they were by his cōmaunded very wel vsed and had great prouision appointed vnto them after this Scanderbeg passed with his armye throughe al the countre which appertained to the Venetianes thinckinge to haue taken it but he coulde not whervpō he fortified a rased Citie name Balezzo which had ben distroied by Attilla Flagello di Dio he fortified it with walles trenches and bastiōnes he furnished it with al kinde of menition and valiante men and he appointed to be their Captaine one of hys Captaynes named Marino Spā a man of muche worthynes to y e ende that he shoulde with contynual courses spoyle and impouerishe the countre kepe them in continual doubte And when he had established this order he retorned to y e seege of Dagnio After this they of Scutari vnderstanding y e Marino Span was gone forthe of Balezzo they went thyther with al spede and spoyled the Citie to the very foundation wherwith Scanderbeg beinge greatly offendyd destroied al the countrey of Scutari When the Turcke venderstode that Scanderbeg had warres with the Venetianes and consydering that that countre laie betwene two mighty enemies he was excedinly glad thinckinge for that the Venetianes were of great force that they wolde sone chase Scanderbeg oute of his countrey wherefore he sent commaundement to Mustaffa which laye vpon his cōfines with xv M horsemen to goe and spoyle al Scāderbegs countre yet for al that Mustaffa cansydering the bandes that Scāderbeg had lying vpon his frontiers in redynes wolde goe no furder then that place which is called Dronich where he set vp his tentes and lying with his armie encamped there he helde the countrey in contynual feare wherof as sone as Scanderbeg had aduertizement he departed from Dagnio with two thousand souldiours and went to his other thre thousand souldiours that laye vpō his confines and whē he had exhorted them to behaue themselues valiantly he put them in order assailed y e Turckes with suche furie that within a shorte tyme he put them to flighte and slewe .x. M. of them and toke Mustaffa with .xii. others men of great acompte whom he caused forthewith to be sent where Andre and Simon was and then made a greate course into the Turckes countre broughte with him a maruelouse riche proie and distributed al to his souldiours and gaue amonge them afterwarde .xxv. M. ducates whiche he had for the ransome of Mustaffa and y e other xii When Scanderbeg had done this he retorned to Dagnio helde that countre in suche trauaile that he broughte it al vnder his obedience yet notwithstanding the Cities defended them selues and chiefely Driuazzo whyles Amesabeg Nephewe to Scanderbeg spoiled the countre about Drinazzo the worthy Andre surnamed Angelo descended of the Romanes whiche in tyme passed possessed the Empire of Constantinople beinge Captaine of Driuas tynes ysued oute of the towne with suche furie and assayled the armie of Scanderbeg so worthily that he put them to flyghte with great spoyle of them so that after that it was alwaies said that Scāderbeg was alwaies victoriouse onles it were before Driuasto but his excuse was for that he was not present at that rencoūtre In the ende Scanderbeg made peace with the Venetianes vpō condition that he shoulde restore vnto them al those places that he had taken from them and in recompence therof he shoulde haue one part of the valey or strascte of Scutari begynninge at the bancke of the ryuer Drino towarde Scutari and so stretching oute to a certaine place called Busgiarpeni which portions in dede were much more cōmodiouse for Scanderbeg then the towne of Dagnio When this agrement was made Scanderbeg spake to the ambassadour of Venise in sorte as foloweth right honorable my lorde ambassadours it is the opinion of suche as are wyse where a man louethe once in dede he must nedes loue alwaie and peraduenture the prouerbe hathe herof his begynninge whiche saythe that the discorde of frinds engendreth an increase of good wil wherfore I gyue your honours to vnderstande that notwithstanding oure difference I haue ben alwaie wel affected towarde my lordes of Venise for so muche as their state is most Christian and that they are fryndes of al kynde of vertue wherefore I wolde not suffer at the battaile of Scutari the victorie once beinge myne to sley anye moe of their souldiours and to the ende that it shall be well seen that I am their frinde in dede I shal holde me wel contentyd and satiffyed with anye thinge that maye be commodiouse to their state and for that they shall well vnderstande that I make lesse acompte of mine owne cōmodities then of thers I doe make them a presēt of al y e which is mine for the which we haue had this difference and doe holde my selfe as wel cōtented as if I had them contynually in my possession and furder I wyl them not to feare the Turcke for I truste in God to defende bothe their state and myne owne also and thus I commende me to your honours When Scāderbeg had this sayd he embraced the ambassadours retorned into hys countrey when he came thither he caused to take oute of prison Simon and Andre aforesayd and when he had delyuered them he did them great honor and gaue them great presentes in token of the goodwyl that he bare to the Senate of Venise At that same tyme Scanderbeg made a great course into the Turckes countrey and burned and spoyled al y e countre as he passed thorowe and brought a great proie from thence whervpon the Turcke called vnto him all his consellours called in the Turckishe tonge Vestri also his Bassas Sangiachi Captaines and others of his principall order of souldiours and spake vnto them in this sorte I am maruelously troubled and amased with the manifolde dāmages and dishonours that I haue receaued at the hande of Scanderbeg my mortal enemie wherfore I doe nowe determyne to be reuenged to employe al my force possyble against him and so muche the more for that I coulde neuer gyue him ouerthrowe but he hathe alwayes triumphed ouer my people and ouer the Venetianes also in one instante and nowe for that he is a Christian he hathe made peace with them and contynually maketh warres against me and maketh none acompte of me at al in so muche that he dothe not onely not determine to deliuer vnto me that which he hath taken from me but contynually threatnethe to spoyle me as he hathe al
on to the place where Scanderbeg moughte cut betwene them and the towne and so to assayle them in two sondrie places at once wherby he moughte easyly defeicte them as it came to passe for that the aforesaide Captaines were men of great Iudgment and trayned the enemyes spedyly paste the place where Scanderbeglaye in ambushe and as sone as they torned vpon them and charged they toke this custumer and immediatly vpō their charge Scāderbeg discouered him selfe and charged them on their backes and slewe x. thousande of them and toke the sonne of Seremethbeg with xii Turckes moe of acompte which were presented vnto him fearing leste they shoulde be all flayne but Scanderbeg beinge curtesie it selfe caused them to be gentylly entreated and of his great curtesie layd the greatest charge vpō y e custumer who althoughe he were very soroweful yet with a pleasant contenaunce he sent for so muche fyshe bothe freshe and salte as dyd fully satiffye the whole armie wherfore they sayde thorowe oute the armie that Scanderbeg was an Apostle of him that fedde the multitude of y ◠Iewes with v. barley loues and two fyshes After this for the ransomes of the custumer the sonne of the Bascia and the other xii Turekes there was presented vnto Scanderbeg the sūme of xl thousande ducates in Golde and money of the Turekyshe Coyne then Scanderbeg caused it all to be layde downe vpon carpettes and distributed al with his owne handes to his souldiours gyuinge euery man his offering but not as the preste dothe vpon the solempne feastes After this he suffered the prisoners to departe into the towne and he retorned into his countrey safe and with great ioye When the Turcke vnderstode this he dispatched an other fearce Captaine of his called Balaban Badera called Aga with xv thousande Turckes on horse and three thousande fotemen the which Balaban came to y ◠Citie of Ocrida or Aelcria and sent secretly to Scanderbeg dyuerse great presentes to purchase frindshyppe w t him to the ende that paraduenture he beinge taken prisoner at anye tyme moughte be assured of his lyfe as it was declared to Scanderbeg by the secret arie of Balaban which was taken by Scanderbegs souldiours in a rencountre betwyne the Turckes and him this Balaban was an Albanese borne and a coūtre man subiecte to the father of Scanderbeg and was taken in his child hed by the Turckes with dyuerse other children as they were keping of Cattell notwithstandinge hys happe was to serue men of acompte and so became a valiante man and for that he was the fyrst that entred into Constantinople when the Turckes gaue the assaulte vnto it the great Turcke exalted him to y ◠degree When he was in this sorte appointed against Scanderbeg he semyd outewardely to be muche his frynde althoughe inwardly he was the greatest enemye that he had in all y ◠worlde as by the profe it was seen for he was euer attentyue to take in hand all suche enterprises as mought tende to the distruction of Scanderbeg vnder the pretence of dissemblyd fryndshippe to the ende he moughte doe the more hurte And when Balaban vnderstode that Scanderbeg with his souldiours was in the valley called Valcal he made him redie with xv thous̄d horsemē and three thousande fotemen to goe in the nighte to assayle Scanderbeg but he beynge aduertysed hereof by his spiall went to encountre him wherof Balaban beinge certyfyed and beinge a shamed for sondrie respects and chiefely for that his treason was so discouered and also his fained frindshyppe he retorned with spede Thē Scanderbeg came ouer the valley aforesayde and encamped vpon the heighte of the same with all his people which were in number 4. thousande horsemen wel moūted and v. hundred fotemen to whom he spake in thys sorte My companions I doubte not but to morowe or the nexte daye at the fardest this moste wicked traitour Balaban wyll comme to seeke vs with all his power wherfore I thincke it good that we tarie him and when we se him comminge that we departe from hence and goe to that litle hill that is behinde vs to the ende that they maye thincke that we flee from them consydering oure number is smalle in the respecte of them and therfore maie the more boldly and assuredly chase vs and then when I shal gyue you a token euery man to make hedde and to charge them beinge so scatered by meanes wherof we maye easyly ouerthrowe them whiche yf it so happen as my truste is in God that it shall I commaunde you all vpon payne of my displeasure that you folowe the chase euen to the mounte or hill of Valcal and no furder for I am assured that they wyll leue some troupe in that valley to the ende that yf they shoulde be broken and we shoulde folowe them paste that place they moughte charge vs behinde and they whome we shoulde folowe shoulde charge vs in the face and all in an instante and by that meanes ouerthrowe vs at their pleasure for the place is very apte for an ambushe The seconde daye after that Scanderbeg had thus exhorted his souldiours Balaban with all his power came to fynde Scanderbeg who acordinge to his determynation went with his souldiours towarde the aforesayde hill then the Turckes with greate furie assayled Scanderbeg and he fled for a certaine space and then in an instante torned and charged them he beinge in very good order with suche force that after longe and terrible fyghte he enforced them to torne their backs to flee in great disorder in suche sorte that in the ende y ◠greatest number of them were founde ded vpon y ◠feelde and the victorie was folowed to the aforesayde appointed place But the aforesayde Moyses Gintrizza Musachio Dela Angelina Gino Musachio Giouaniperlato Nicolo Berisio Georgio Cucca and Gino Manesio euery one of these were able to gyue order to an armie had often tymes gouerned righte great charge These men being very ernest in executinge the enemie by meanes of the great hatred they had towarde Balaban and his Turckes dyd not remembre or els in their furie estemed not the commaundement of Scanderbeg wherfore they passed the appointed place folowing y ◠victorie fleynge and cuttinge in peces their fleing enemyes vntyll that they came to the myddest of the valley of Valcal Then the squadrone of the enemyes acording to the saying of Scanderbeg that there was layde charged wholly vpon these eighte Captaines which after longe and cruell fyght in the defence of them selues wyth the great slaughter of those amased Turckes passed of force thorowe the myddeste of that valley and clymed vp an hill vpon the heighte wherof were the Turckishe fotemen vnknowen to them wherby they were deceaued thinckinge that they had ben of their owne men they were taken by these fotemen and delyuered to Balaban who forthewith sent them to y ◠great Turcke who then was at Constantinople
felde were of great iudgement whose good order dyd not à litle preuaile in that behalfe Besyde this it was not only an armie of trained souldiours that discomfyted the Samnites not farre from the Citie Suessola where they slewe an exceding great number of them and toke 40. thousande sheldes which were of the men that were slaine and also 170. standardz Cornetts and Euseignes as wytnesseth Liuie in his vii Booke of his first decade but that also the Iudgement of the Consul dyd muche preuayle in that behalfe who when he sawe the great number of his enemies coÌ„maunded his souldiours to holde them within his campe whervpoÌ„ the Samnites presuming conteÌ„ned the enemie and neglicted order and dispersed them selues all the countrey ouer to prouyde them of corne and other victualles and lefte theyr campe vngarded in effecte which when the consul vndestode he exhorted the souldiours to behaue them valiantly and immediatly went forth of his campe and assayled the campe of his enemyes and in the first charge he slewe the greatest number of them as they were in their tentes and lodgings and then commaunded to set all theyr Cornetts Enseignes and standardz vpon the trenches of theyr campe which he had taken from them and then lefte for the gard of the campe two legions with commaundement that on payne of death no man shoulde take any thing of the spoyle of the campe vntyll his retorne whervpon he marched on with his armye in order towarde the enemy and sent his horsemen before him who charged the negligent and vnprouided enemyes being dispersed all ouer the felde and vtterly destitute of order so that they fled with great confusioÌ„ and feare not knowing whyther it were best to fle wheÌ„ this was done the counsul retorned to the campe with great victorie and then gaue the spoyle of the campe of the enemyes to his souldiours In lyke sort was the perfecte order of L. Scipion counsul no lesse helpfull to his armye when that he defeicted the mitghty army of Antioche kyng of Asia vp on the Ryuer Phrigio neare to the Citye Magnesia as wytnessyth Liui in his fourth decade and vii Booke And in lyke sorte dyd the indgemeÌ„t of AlexaÌ„dre the great helpe his souldiours iÌ„ the battayle that he fought with Darius in the which with a smale number of trained souldiours he defeicted 6. hundred thousand Persians as witnesseth Blondo in his x booke de La institution de La chose publique In the lyke sorte was the iudgment of T. Quintius Flaminius helpful to his trained atmie wheÌ„ he dyd ouerthrowe Philippe the Macedone prince besyde Scotusa in Gretia slewe viii thousands of his souldiours and toke fyue thousand of them prisoners as witnessyth Plutarck in his Boke called the seconde part of his lyues in the lyfe of the same Flaminius Besyde this it was not onely the continuall exercise and disciplyne of the souldiours of Scanderbeg that gaue vnto the Turckes so manye ouerthrowes as are declared in his Commentaries althoughe they were becomme throughe their continuall exercise as it were inuincible but his great iudgement in the arte of the warres was a greate parte of the cause therof for he knewe when and howe to take the aduantage of his enemye Also to coÌ„me to oure age in the battayle that Frauncys the fyrst of that name Frenshe king fought at Marignian with the Suysses where great skyll and valiantize was showed on both partes yet was not the victorie wonne alone throughe the discipline of the souldiours but also throughe the iudgement of the conductours The lyke may be sayd of the battayle that the Countie de Augimen fought at Serizoles wyth the Marques of Guasto in the yere of oure Lord. 1544 The lyke of the battayle of Pauie betwyne the aforesayd Frenshe kinge and the Duke of Burbone lieutenante of the Imperiall armie Also the lyke of the battayle betwyne Charles the fyrst and the Duke Iohn of Saxon the Lansgraue of â—esse in Almaigne What shulde I saye any more to proue this to be true the histories doe all affyrme that the vnderstandinge of the generall doth greatly helpe to the obtayning of the victorie and withoute it a trayned armie is but as a man mayned in comparison of a maÌ„ that hath all his liÌ„mes souÌ„d and perfecte and of all the victories that I haue here spoken of and also of all those that I haue red of besydes those that I haue seen I haue not founde one gyuen by vntrayned souldiours Wherfore no armie may be called perfecte that wanteth these two kindes of men in it which is the general of perfecte iudgement the souldiour brought vp in discipline Vigetius sayeth in his .28 chapiter of his fyrste Booke of arte of the warres that the Epirotes and Macedonines people of great power adorned with many victories and also the Thesalique nation who brought vnder theyr yoke the Persians euen to the confynes of India besydes these Lacedemonies Athenies Marsians and Samnites The Datianes Medes and Thratianes which were so warlike that it was sayd amonge them that Mars whom the hethen call the god of battayle was borne in theyr countre all these nations dyd the Romanes throughe their perfecte discipline bring vnder theyr rule Also Vigetius saithe in his fyrst Boke and fyrst chapter of the arte of the warres that the great number of the Frenshe shoulde haue denoured the smale number of the Romanes had not ben theyr discipline only besydes that it had not ben possyble for the Romanes to haue resysted the populouse mighty nations of the Germanes but only by theit disciplin moreouer they shulde not haue ben able to encouÌ„tte the lustie puisante nations of Spaine had not ben their discipline yea by what meanes preuailed they against the wise and welthy Affricanes but only throughe discipline by what meanes brought they vnder yoke the mighty and subtill nation of Grekes but only by their discipline The noble Emperour Frederick Barberouse being entred Italie with his armie to chastize the Millaneses for their rebellion wolde in no wise offer warre to his enemies vntill his souldiours had fworne vnto him to obserue the discipline of the warres Paulus Iouius saith that the Hungarians so longe as they dyd obserue discipline were well able to defende their owne gaue the Turcks sondrie ouerthrowes Valâ—ius Maximus in his second Boke calleth discipline not only the foundatioÌ„ of the Romane Empire but also the preseruatioÌ„ maintenance of the same for in dede it is a harde matter to ouerthrowe a worthy generall hauinge an armie of well choseÌ„ souldiours obedient well exercised in the feates afore meÌ„cioned doe knowe what the weapons are worthe that they beare being well furnished and well instructed in order knowing the coÌ„moditie therof so longe as in battayle they doe obserue it for it is an impossibilitie to gyue any great ouerthrowe we to meÌ„ that obserue their order in the which they are plased doe vse their weapons accordingly Wherfore
them he determnâ—ed in any wise to haue it by force wherupon he caused forthwith neare vnto the same castel another castell to be buylded of farre greater heyght then the first from y e height wherof he did so beate his enemies day and nyght without cease that in the ende with the losse of a great number of his people he toke it of force After this hauyng intelligence that in the citie of Caphia a garison towne of the Genoueses was great store of golde and siluer in the handes of the marchantes he hauynge alreadye purpofed to take that towne by force which standeth in Cheronesso Taurico not far from the Bosphono and straite Timerico and considerynge that the treasure although he wanne the towne mought easelye be buried vnder the grounde and so saued he determined to haue both the towne treasure by this meane he called to him the skynners of his countrey such as had most riche furres as Sables Armines Genettes Martirones and suche lyke and gane them commaundement for the more spedie dispatche of y e matter that they shulde not passe for the sellyng of them at a lowe price to the ende that through the meanesse of the price the marchantes mought more gredily by them this matter beyng skilfully handlded was sone dispatched and immedialy after that he denounced warres agaynst them and forthwith presented him selfe with his armie to the towne and when he had enuironed the towne wyth his campe he planted his batteries and continued them day and nyght without ceasing in such sort that in short space he possessed the towne the marchantes the furres and the money which was an inestimable treasure It is written also that this was his ordre in beseeging of townes y e fyrst daye his owne lodgings were white and if in that day the inhabitants of the towne dyd yelde vnto him they receuid no hurte nother in body nor goodes the seconde daye his lodgings were red which signifyed to them of the towne that yf then they yelded that he wolde put to death all the masters of the families And the thyrde day was his last change which was in to blacke Pauillions and tentes and then refused he all appointments and when he had in this sorte taken any Citie or towne he put all that were in it to the sworde not sparing any of whatsoeuer age or kinde they were when he had thus done then wolde he commaunde to sack the towne and when the goodes were taken oute of it then wolde he cause fyre to be set in the towne so consume it to ashes leue it deserte And there is a bruite which coÌ„tinueth euen to this daye in those partes that on a tyme a certaine populouse citie defended them selues tyll the third day and then seing a great space of the walle laid flatte on the earth and the enemie in battaile redie to gyue y â— assaulte they were discoraged and thincking to pacifie y â— wrath of this cruel proude aud victoriouse enemie by humblyng them selues sent forth all the wemen and chyldren of the towne in white clothynge wyth oliue branches in their hands offeringe him the towne calling to him with lowde voice for mercy whom wheÌ„ Tamerlano sawe a farre of comming toward him he gaue commaundement to certaine bands of his horsemen to charge vpon them and to put them all to the sworde after this he toke the citie and sacqued it and then burned it it happened at that time by meanes of traffique of marchaundeze certaine marchante a Genouese borne to be greatly in fauor with Tamerlano and being with him at that same present discoursing of soÌ„drie matters asked him why he vsed so great crueltie towardes those people which he ouercame but he torned to him with an exceding troublouse contenance with eyes flaming like fyre and said vnto him yf thou doste thincke that I am aman thou arte much deceuid for I saye to the that I â—amthe wrath of God sent to plague and punishe the worlde and I commaunde the that yf thou woldest not receue due punnishement for thy auditiouse and folishe demaunde that thou gette the hence out of my sight that thou comme lesse in my presence the pore marchaÌ„t being much feared with the words of the Tyran departed from him was neuer sene after that by him they that haue sen Tamerlano liuing haue said that he resembled much both in face and maners Anibal of Carthage acordinge to the opinion of diurse ancient wryters and before all other offenses he shewed his seuere Iustice againste thefts in punnishing theÌ„ most sharply w tout any remission And it is thought that he dyd it to that ende that the feare of punnishement shoulde cause them to refraine to y e ende that he alone mought robbe and spoile acording to his owne desire the whole world and last of all his delighte was wholly set to gouerne in so much that he emploied him selfe continually as in an exercise most vertuouse to molest and trouble other princes with warres by the which he had subdued many kings and vtterly impouerished a greate numbre of tyranes made deserte many contreis and conuerted in to ashes an infinite numbre of cities and townes then last of al he retorned into his contrey with his army in credibly enriched with the spoyle of those natyons whoÌ„ he had subdued and also he vsed to take oute of euerye towne that yeldyed vnto him certaine of the cheife housholdes with all their substances and riches and to sende theÌ„ wholly in to Parthia When he was retorned home he builded a newe Citie very bewtifull and of a greate circuite and placed their in all those housholds afore rehersed in so much y e the newe Cytie beinge inhabyted w t these riche noble men of diuerse nationes in shorte tyme increased so in welth that yt became the cheife citie of all the Orient And yf it had happened that Tamerlano had had with him some man of excellent learning and wysedome who mought w t his writings haue celebrated the great enterprises that he dyd their is no doute but that he mought haue ben numbred amonge the cheife and princypall captaynes eyther of the olde worlde orels of this present age but god gyueth not all things to one man also it semed that his great crueltye which he vsed towarde those y â— he ouercame dyd not deserue to haue his fame celebrated by writing ne yet y e it mought long remaine to his posteritie when Tamerlano died he lefteto succide him in his Empire whiche he had thus gotteÌ„ by y e sworde two sonnes which after his death fel oute maiÌ„tained ciuil warres betwene them were the cause y e the olde and ancient parthicke fame clerely extinckte brought to obliuion and after ward by Tamerlano reuiued coulde not continewe nor encrease But nowe retorninge to our Historie where we left after that the armie of Baiazith was defeicted
the councell had debated sondrie opinions they agred vpon none but were in great confusion consuming the time in discourses of none effect growing to no point at all at the last by the aduise of Calibasso here was their onely remedie they agreed to call Amorath oute of Asia and to enforce him to come yf that with good wil he wold not take in hand the enterprise for the defence of his sonnes state beinge assured at that time that the Gianizzeries wolde fighte vnder rhe conducte of none but only of Amorathe and also they thought it not conuenient to committe the fortune of the warres into the hands of anye man Amoonly exceptedvnder whose conducte they were alwaies accustomed to embrace victory this councell of Callibasso very much displaysed the yonge king Mahomethe whoe aboue all other thinges desyred to haue gouerned that iorney to get him reputacien and to giue them to vnderstand that he was sufficient to gouerne of hym slfe moreouer he suspected that yf Amorathe wcâ—â— called againe to gouerne he moughte continewe in the same for so muche as the myndes of men are mutable When the ambasssadours were come into the presence of Amorathe they perswaded him ernestly to the iourney broughte hym wyth them to Andrinople where with great diligence he assembled his souldiours and furnished them of al kinde of necessaries In this meane tyme was Vaiuoda come on toward Sophia and encamped at a place called Basylia where it was declared vnto him that Amorath was not farre of with the Turkishe power whiche when he vnderstode althoughe it were contrarye to his expertacion caused hym to put on a noble mynde determyninge not to tarie there the comming of the enemye but to march on towarde him and so to encountre with him as sone as Vaiuoda had discouered him forthe with he put his men in battayle and marched on towarde him with spede ioyned with him in battayle their began a terrible fyght which contynued y â— space of certaine houres with great obstinatie on both partes that nether gaue to the othe one fote of grounde the battayle was so doublefull that of neyther syde was there seene any aduantage for againste that corner or wingne of the battayle wherein Vaiuo da was the Turckes were not able to endure the force of the Hungarianes and for a longe tyme gaue place gyuing ouer the victorye in to the handes of their enemyes And in contrary wise wheare Amorath was in person the Hungaianes were not able to make good the place after this Vaiuoda and Amorathe mette face to face and drewe vnto them all the whole weight of the battayle in so much y â— the Christians were not a ble to endure y â— great force of y â— Turks although y â— Hungarians did farre excide y â— Turks in vertue discipline of the wars yet not w t standing being ouer laid w t nuÌ„bre and not with force but being vtterly weried were constrayned to giue place and Vaiuoda coulde nether with praier nor threating cause them to make hed but fled continually wherupon he with drewe him with a fewe of his trustie fryndes with him very skylfully from the vattaile and so saued hym selfe there dyed in that battayle many noble men cheifely of the Hungariane nation and some prelatz y â— fote men were in maner all slaine vpon the place and on the Turckes part the losse was not lesse when he came to his reuewe when Amorathe had thus with the great effusion of the blood of his people bought the victorie he retorned home againe wyth his armie and restored his sonne Mahometh againe to his place and continuing in his firste purpose conueied him selfe to Bursia and there liued priuatly euen to his death in the which he committed to the faith of Callibasso a yong sonne of his of the age of syxe Monethes which he begat of SpoÌ„derbei a noble princes in Penderacia the childs name was Calapino when he had thus done he died was buried iÌ„ Bursia in y e prouince of Bithinia which was then the seate of the kingdome of the house of Ottomanno Calibasso being desirous to gratitifie the newe kinge deliuered into his hand the child of Amorathe with the mother therof also whereupon he commaunded the chylde to be straÌ„gled and when it was done he restored the dead body to his mother and commaunded to celebrate his funerales with princelye honour in this sort dyd he consecrate the beginning of his raigne w t the death of his innoocent brother not wythstanding somme are of opinion y â— Calidasso dyd chaunge the child and presented an other in his place and that y â— frewe childe was brought vppe in Constantinople and after ward sent to Venise and that it was he that was holden prisoner in the palace at Rome by Calixto y â— bishope but we refarre the trouthe of this matter to the Iudgement of other for we wyll affyrme nothinge in this behalfe but men may wel thincke that somtime or it doth happen the sonne of a Barbor or of a Surgion of such like base condition by such subtil meanes to haue bene aduaunced to great honour yea and some tyme to succid in the seate of kings and of others of excellent titles and gouernement The seconde boke of Andre CAMBINE FLORENTINE OF THE ORIGInall of the Turckes and Empire of the house of Ottomanno AS SONE AS AMORATHE WAS DED Mahometh hys sonne caste from hym all kinde of subiection and toke vpon him absolutely to gouerne the kingdome and determining to reforme thinges that were oute of order he made newe lawes he alâ—â— corrected suche of their ancient constitutions as were â—edeful to be corrected with great diligence he dyd marâ—elouslye enriche his treasurie by augementing his reâ—enue with newe gabells impositiones he did greatâ—y increase the numbre of his Gianizzaries and horseâ—en he caused the acompte of his Bascias and such like â—s gouerned in his fathers time to be perused wherupâ—n he put certaine of them to death and from manye of he reste he toke their goodes and liuinges and hauing â—n ambitiouse hed coulde not be contented with that â—mple dominion y â— his father lefte vnto him but sought â—o take in hand somme glorious enterprise wherby he nought be thought not onely to be equall with his an â—estors but farre to excede them wherupon he fully deâ—ermined to take Constantinople by force and to make â—im selfe lorde therof perswading him selfe y â— he coulde not lawfully be called Emperour of Gretia vnto y â— time â—hat he possessed that Citie beinge the cheyfe citie and â—eate of the same Empire and more ouer by thesi meâ—â—es he thought to make his fame gloriouse with ther â—ations yf that he scarcely creapte ouer of his câ—yldâ—â—ede moughte ioyne to his Empire so mightye and famous a citie and so much the rather for that it had ben â—ttempted by certaine of his ancestours to their
as hayle from the heighte of the walles the Turckes were muche anoyed by meanes of the darkenes for that they could not see how to defende them selues from the arrowes and stones where with manye of them were slaine and hurt when it was perfit day Mahometh approched neare y e towne with al his power commaunded when he should geue a signe the towne to be assayled rounde to the end that they of the towns should not be able to defende euerye where his force he appointed to euerye colonell wyth his regiment a certaine space of the wall to assayle for that they shuld fight apart to the end the vertue of the assaylants and their worthy actes mought be sene that thereby they moughte be the more enflamed thorough desyre of honour to committe them selues to all kinde of peryll In like sorte was their order geuen to them of the Armata with commaundement that in one instant euery man should assayle that place wherevnto he was appoynted there were broughte also nere to the walles certaine towres of woode which were set vpon high groundes of aduauntage vpon the which he placed many souldiours to the end thei mought with their shot bete a longe all the circuite of the walles he had also with his artillery taken away all the defenses so that when they should come to defende the breache and walles they must stande all open against his shotte When Mahometh had done all these thynges the token of the assault was geuen with the sound of trumpettes bornes bagpipes and drummes that the ayre resounded of it immediatly herevpon the assault began the Turkes couered thir heades with roundels targes in such sort that it was like the rofe of an house ouer their heads in this sort came to y â— walles set vp theyr ladders enforsyng themselues with great corage to clyme to the height of the walles on the other syde they of the towne endeuoured them selues to defende it and threwe downe vpon them greate stones myghtye pieces of tymber and annoyed them merueylouslye wyth the shotte of their Crosse bowes Dartes and suche lyke throwen by the arme they aboue vsed theyr Mykes so well that they threwe the Turkes contynuallye from theyr ladders downe slewe and hurte a greate number of them and handled them so hardlye that they enforsed them to scatter and made them glad to abandone the assaute wherevpon Mahometh drewe neare with his company and encouraged them calling by name nowe one and then another especyally those that were moste valiaunte and worthye comfortynge them to reuiue the assaute and in y â— end some he threatened wyth cruell wordes and to other some he made great and large promises and in this sorte wroughte with them that he caused them to put on noble mindes and to begynne agayne the assaulte with farre greater furye then before and euerye man soughte to gette vp the wall one clymynge on the others shoulder and vp by theyr Pykes lyke Cattes some other wont close together couerynge theyr heades with theyr targes and roundels and they that were on the lowe steppes of the ladders vare before them euen of force those that were on the hyghest of the ladders and manye layde holde of the Pikes and punchinge staues of theyr enemies as they thrust at them and so with greate courage gate vp walles and when they were at the highest were stricken downe headlonge into the botome of the dyke by them of the towne and also they made suche spoyle of the enemies by throwynge downe vpon them huge stones artificiall fyres burnynge Piche with Dartes and Pikes of fire workes that it was very strange to behold yet not withstaÌ„ding the emperour maynteyned theassaut with great discretion and in the place of the weried and spoyled he sente alwayes newe and freshe bandes in suche sorte that he gaue them of the citie no iote of tyme to repose but styll augmented the fighte with newe men so that they of the towne were merneylouslye consumed in a shorte space but that that moste discouraged was that one Iohn Giustiniano a Genouese borne a Noble manne in hys countrey who at the tyme of the seyge happened to bee in Constantinople and behaued hymselfe so worthelye in the defence thereof that they imputed the greatest parte of theyr defence to consist in hym vntyll that at the laste as he was valiauntlye fightinge vpon the walles with the enemies through disgrace he was sore wounded and as it is sayde seing him selfe to lose much bloude woulde not discourage the multitude with callinge for a Surgion but secrently w t drewe him froÌ„ the assaute of whose departure when CoÌ„stantine y e Emperour vnderstode he feared it wouldbe the losse of the citie whervpon he went in person to him desired him not to leue y â— assaute but Giustiniano would by no meanes grauÌ„t therunto but required to haue a gate opeÌ„ to y e end he mought go to be dressed then to returne again to y â— citie al y e gates of y â— braies were shut betwene them and the towne to the end that they which fought vpon the vttermost walles shoulde determine there to obtayne the victorie or elles to die in the place for so muche as they beinge once abandoned the losse of the towne muste nedes folowe when the gate was opened Giustiniano went oute through whose absence they of the towne were merueylously discouraged and began verye coldlye to defende the assaulte whiche when the Turkes Bascias and Colonels perceyued they marched on wyth theyr bandes and regimentes serred and with greater furye then before assayled the towne and beganne to climbe the breche whiche they had made with their batterie some by their ladders and some besyde their ladders by the spoyle of the walles and beganne to waxe maisters of the vtter walles and repâ—â—sed the Grekishe souldiours enforsynge them to flye in great disorder and euerye man by fotemanshyppe soughte to saue one and to get into the citie throughe the same gate that was opened to Giustiniano When the Emperour sawe the shamefull flighte and great disorder of his people he also fled after them not regardyng his imperial maiestie nor sekynge as it became so mightie a prince rather honourably to die with his sworde in his hand then to shew such want of magnanimitie He cam on toward this same gate also wher with the force thrustinge of those which repaired thither to get in he was throwen downe to the earth and in the preasse troden to deathe And amonge so greate a number of Souldiours as then were within the Citie there were found only twayn y â— vtterly despised seruile life and lyke worthye men honorablye died with their swordes in their handes fyghtynge to the vttermoste y e one of theÌ„ was Theophilo Paleologo a Greke borne the other Iohn Stiauo a Dalmatian which men este med it to vile in such sort to flie and for a long
time defended them selues and the citie from the hands of their most cruel enmies sleiÌ„g a great number of them tyl at the last beinge ouerlayed with the encrease of the number not discoraged but weryed with ouercommyng of others fel downe and gaue vp the ghost among a number of bodies of dead infidelles whiche they had slayne w t their owne handes And Giustiniano beyng gone to Pera and from thence by sea to Scio fell sicke eyther of his hurte or els with thought and in fewe dayes after died not enioying that great honour whiche he had wonne and truely he had bene happye yf he had died vp on the walles of Constantinople In the entre of the Turckes at the aforesayde gate they cut in pieces .viii. or .ix. hundred souldiours Grekes and Italians when the Turckes were once maisters of the towne walles they chased awaye the citezins that were come to the gate to defende the entrie and with theyr arrowes and great stones from aboue they made waye for their companions to enter And when the Turckes were in thys sort entred the gate and become lordes of the citie and had slaine as many as thei found with weapon in theyr handes then they employed themselues to spoyle and sacke the towne the number of the triumphantes was in maner infinite thei had no desyrt but to robbe spoile and to accomplishe and fulfyll theyr beastly and fyltye fleshely desyres beyng much geuen to carnall voluptudusnes they pardoned neyther kinde nor age mixynge murder with theyr adulteries and fornications they made the olde men slaues and other men and women of more lustie yeres and of base condition they chayned together with great derison and scorne and so draue them on lyke flockes of shepe before them if it happened that any faire maiden or faire yonge man came in their waye by and by numbers of them woulde striue who shoulde first laye handes on them and often times woulde grow into question for them and the like wold they do when they happened vpon any bootie of greate value as well sacred as prophane for euery man would â—aye handes on it in so much that often times thei wold â—one cut another in pieces for it And this armie being of diuers nations and countreys and also of sundrie natuâ—es and speches did kepe such a sturre in Constantinople by the space of thre dayes which was theyr time of â—poile that there was nothinge vnlawefull for them to do although it were most detestable and wicked When they had spoyled the temple of S. Sophia which was buylded by Iustinian the Emperour of Constiâ—ople in the which they had a merueylous masse or treaâ—ure both of siluer and golde and precious vessel such like oruamentes they filled it with all kind of fylthyâ—es makynge it an habitation of whores a stable for their horses a place wherein no filthie exercise was left vnexercised to the like vse they conuerted all the rest of the churches and sacred places of the citie oute of the which they toke the bones and reliques of holye men women the which when thei had disgarnished of y â— gold siluer stone y â— was about theÌ„ they threw into y â— strete and canell to be troden on not onely of men but also of dogges swine and other beasts the crosses and Images of saincts were broken wyth greate hammers and such like instrumentes of yron thrownen into the dirt and when they had with sundrie tormentes compelled the seuauntes of the citizens to reueale vnto them the hidden treasure of their maisters it is sayde that they gate hidden vnder the grounde a great summe both of golde and siluer and precious Iewels whiche were by the vnwyse citezins hydden in the begynnynge of the warres the whiche if they coulde haue bene contented to haue employed in the defence of the citie peraduenture they had saued them selues bothe goodes and life and also to their countrey libertie and honour But the olde Prouerbe was veryfyed in them which saieth that couetous men haue no power ouer their golde but are subiect to it when the citie was thus spoyled of al that euer was in it The thirde day they departed out of it brought all their prisoners into their campe And Mahometh accordynge to the custome of the Turkes dyd celebrate to his Bascias and Captaines a very sumptuous feaste and when they had eaten and dronken more then sufficient he thoughte it good to honour his banket with the sheding of Christian bloude and commaunded to bryng before him all the chiefe and most noble prisoners of the citie that were on lyue and caused them al with vnspeakeable crueltie to be cutte a sunder in the middest in his presence amonge the which there was one that came before him called Rireluca the chiefe gouernour of the citie next to the Emperour whose eldest sonne he caused to be slaine in the presence of hys father and immediatly after hanged the father whose other sonne because he was yonge and fayre he reserued to his noble and vertuous vsage They had also taken diuers marchauntes of Italie Venetians Genoneses and others whome he put also to death excepte they were able presently to raunsome themselues and Isodoro the cardinal Rueteno who was sent thither along time before Legate froÌ„ y â— pope Nicholas disguised himselfe in simple habite and when the Turkes entred the towne for fewe thousandes of Aspres raunsomed himselfe They that dwelled in Pera a garrison towne of the Genoueses hearynge that Constantinople was loste layed downe their weapons and taried not the summonynge but sent to Mahometh and offered hym the towne who receyued them and shortlye after rased the walles thereof and where he had promised them sauegarde of their personnes lyues and goodes with all other their commodities contrary to his promes he toke out of the towne for his owne vertuous and cleanely vsage a number of the women and boyes that there were and also taxed the towne in a great summe of money the which he enforsed them presently to paye notwithstanding the menaging of these weyghtie affaires he kept secret w t in his breast the hatred that he had conceyued against Calibasso Bascia for that he was y e chief occasion that Amorath was called out of Asia to take in and the wars against the Hungarians finally called â—im to him caused to lay hands on him and examined â—im sundrie daies by sundrie cruell torments layinge â—o his charge that he had reueled y e secrets of those wars â—o the emperour of Constantinople and vpon this toke from him all that he had which was treasure in maner â—nfinite caused him most miserablie to be put to death When that the losse of Constantinople the death of y e â—mperour was knoweÌ„ in Morea y e Albaneses that dwelâ—ed in Peloponesso rebelled against Thomas Dimeâ—rio brethren to the late emperour of Constantinople â—hei wer a great number
determined to chose to their prince a noble man a Greke borne who pretennted title â—o it did so attempt it that they entred into warres aâ—aut it wherupon on both sides thei addressed theÌ„selues or aide to Mahometh who when he harde the matter â—horowly debated Iudged y e two brethren to haue the â—ight wherevpon he graunted them his frendshipas to â—hose that had the right on their side sent in their aide â—ertain bands of men by whose good helpe thei sone reâ—ressed the force of the Albaneses enforsed theÌ„ to dwel â—nder y e rule goueruance of Thomas Paleologo there Dispotto who agreed w t Mahometh to paye him yerely â—euentine M. ducates in this sort commended himself â—nd his state to his protection for asmuche as y e ryght was descended vnto him by the death of his brother the â—mperour he mought lawfully haue called himself emâ—erour of Gretia in the which his auÌ„cestors had coÌ„mauÌ„â—ed many yeres but fearing to offend Mahometh he abâ—tained from that title contented himselfe w t the only â—itle of the Dispotto of Morea But shortly after when â—e vnderstode that Calixto the thyrde a Spaniarde â—ucceded Nycholas the fyfte in the Romyshe seate who forthe wyth sente hys Legates and Cardynalles â—o all the Prynces of Christendome to perswade â—heym to make warres agaynste the Turckes for â—he recouerye of Gretia And also vnderstanâ—ynge the greate preparatyon that was made in â—talie for the Sea and the leauiynge of the armye in Hungarye denyed flattelye to paye anye Trybute vnto Mahometh and also ouer rashly refused his frendship and protection being deceyued in his imagination perswadiuge himselfe that forthwith the Turkes shoulde haue bene chased out of Gretia but after when he sawe the bishoppes preparation toke none effect he was enforsed with great gyftes and paiment of the tribute for two yeres before hande at one paiment to reconcile him selfe to Mahometh and to renewe the league betwene them wherevpon Mahometh dessemblynge for a tyme the iniurie that he had receyued at his hande receyued him agayne into his fauour and protection but within fewe yeres after when he perceyued himselfe to be assured in his seate in Gretia he called to mynde the foresaide rebellion and sente his armie into Peloponesso and toke the walle of Esmilia that was buylded vpon the straite called Isthmos which shutteth vp that strait of lande beynge fyue myles in breadeth stretchynge from the sea Ionio to the sea Egeo of the which seas all the rest of Morea which aunciently was called Pelâ— ponesso is enuironed And when the Turks had wonne the walle they entred into Morea and toke the citie of Corintho and made bothe the Dispotts his vassalles the one being deuided from the other and toke froÌ„ them their state and patrimonie The prouince of Peloponesso is the chiefe parte of Gretia for the commodiousnes thereof and also for the great wealth and power of the nobilitie and commons that in the olde worlds inhabited the same that piece of grounde well considered will declare it selfe to be the foundation of the Greke Empyre for as muche as in it there are manye godlye goolfes many large and great caues and promontories manye manifique and sumptuos cities and they saye that the forme of the platte therof is like vnto that of the leafe of a platane the length and breadeth therof are almost equall and from the one ende to the other it conteyneth a hundred seuentie and fyue miles and in circuite accordyng to the opinion of Pollible it conteyneth fyue hundred myles and Anthemidoro addeth vnto it fyftye miles and and we haue declared it is enuironed with two seas sauynge that piece of lande called Isthmos which confyneth vpon the seas afore sayd and containeth in lengthe v. miles nere where vnto is the noble and famous citie Corintho and their is contayned in y â— same Peloponesso nowe called Morea Achaia Messenia Licaonia nowe called Lacedemonia Largolica and Arcadia which lieth in the middeste of them but nowe retorning to the declaration of our historie beginning where we lefte when Mahometh was becomme lorde of Constantinople and beinge determined there to appoint the seate of his Empire the firste thing that he toke in hand was to amend and repare the walles of the citie and to make them defensyble also to repare the spoyled buyldings of the towne and also to furnishe it with inhabitants for that it wanted a great number by meanes of y â— great slaughter that there had ben wher vpon he caused inhabitants to come oute of all partes and gaue to them greate priuileges and liberties to vse what traffique and also what religioÌ„ they wolde wher vpon within shorte space there came thither an infinite numbre of inhabitants namely of Hebrues or Iues which were chased oute of Spaine besyde thys he vsed the custume that the princes of the easte partes of the worlde doe vse which is that when soeuer he toke anye Citie or Towne after that tyme he woulde take oute of them the chise and most noble housholdes and families with al their treasure and substance and send them to Constantinople to inhabite there he vsed the matter so that at y e tyme of his death he lefte it a Citie of great traffique and also maruelously replenished with inhabitants as sone as he was become Emperour of Constantinople he determyned in him selfe the warres against the hungarianes Iudging it a great assurance to his state of Europe yf that he mought bring to passe to subdue Hungarie and make it subiecte to him which he greatly defired consideringe the propinquitie thereof also the valiantize of y â— people he determined to prouide him of aptaines of great Iudgement and of good soul diours and to assure him in his seate of Gretia whervp on he deferred the enterprise for thre yeres and began to make warres vpon the citie of Athenes which onelye rested oute of his handes of all the prouince of Attica which Citie althoughe it were then of no great circuite ne yet anye thing in comparysson so Populouse or riche as it had ben in tyme before yet notwithstanding thei had builded a forte vpon the walles that were lefte of the ancient Temple of Minerua whiche was thoughte inprennable bnt the lorde therof which was a florentine borne and of the noble house of Acciauolli seing no waye howe to defende it for so much as he had attempted the princes of Italie in sondrie sorte for aide but all was in vaine wherupon he fel to composition w t him and agreed to delyuer him the Towne in exchauÌ„g of certaine houses and yerly rentes that y e Turcke had promised him for the maintenance of him felfe and his familie and herupon yelded the Towne to the Turcke when the Turke had recompensed him he toke froÌ„ him two of his sonnes and brought them vp in his Seraglio to serue him of the which
not depresse that desire of glorie which then was in him Althoughe some man moughte saye vnto me y ◠Caprestano cared not for his owne glorie but for the glorye of god declaringe his incomprehensyble power by aiding the Christians and gyuing them victorie by the aduise and industrie of a symple poore and vn armed freer to the whiche obiection I am content at this present to gyue place when Mahomethe had receuid this great bastonade and was retorned home it is said that he became more temperate and modeste and began to consider mannes astate and to depresse his arrogance and pride and he neuer happened afterwarde to heare anye talke of the iorney of Belgrado but it wolde put him in Cholere and make him to shake y ◠hed notwithstanding that he coulde wel dissemble his cause When Calixto was ded there succided him in his seate Enea Picolhuomini a Sienese borne whoe being desyrous to prouide for the defence of Christendome wente in person to Mantoa a citie in Lombardie where he had appointed a generall councell and at the daye appointed their came manye princes and the ambassadours of all the Christian potentates and the matter being there examined and debated for the space of eighte monethes in what sort they should make warres for the recouerie of Gretta and chasing of the enemies oute of Europe and hauing there a great nūbre of Christian princes which were verie colde in that behalfe and dyd slenderly satisfie the expectation of the pope whervpon when it was decreed that y e warres shoulde be taken in hand against the Turcke he licensed the Councell and departed towarde Rome determining to goe this iorney in person with his Nauie by the sea on thother syde Mahomethe hauinge intelligence of the greate preparation that the Byshope of Rome made determining to cut of all occasyones that mought trouble his state in Gretia and calhys enemyes thyther whervpon he sent hys armye againe into Morea aboute the yere of our saluation a thousand foure hundred and thre score and in a shorte space became lorde of the greatest parte of that contrey and hauing alredie takē the Dispotto therof dimetrio and sent him prisoner to Constantinople Thomas his elder brother being then prince of Acaia was maruelously in doubte of him selfe whervpon he toke with him oute of Acaia the hed of Saincte Andre the apostle and fled oute of his contrey into Italie with the afore sayde hed and manye other reliques of Sainctes came and presented bothe the reliques and him selfe to the pope Whoe receued the reliques and caused them to be placed with great solenpnitie in the churche of Sainte Peter prince of the Apostles in a certaine Chapell whiche he had buylded with great sumptuositie to Thomas prince of Achaia he appointed such promisiō as mought honorably maintaine his state duringe his lyfe in that same yere Mahometh went with his armie against the Emperour of Trebisonda and entred into Ponto with an exceding great Nauie and beseged Trebisonda both by sea and land and the Emperour making no great defence nether of him selfe ne yet of his citie was taken and brought on lyue to Mahometh whoe sent him prisoner to Constantinople and became not onely lord of Trebisonda but also of Sinopi the reste of the townes and cities that the Christians possessyd with in the contrey of Pontho whē he had thus done he returned with his Nauie into Gretia the yere folowing he put his Nauie againe to the sea and sent it to assaile the Isle of Mitelleme in the olde worlde called Lesbo which was possessyd at that tyme by the lorde frauneys Gattalusio a Genouese borne When he had brought his Nauie thither and landed his people in shorte tyme he toke al the fortes and townes of the Isle and then he brought his armie y e to Citie of Mitilleme wherin was the lorde of the Isle with all his power the Turckes beseged the towne bothe by sea and land in suche sorte that they of the towne coulde nether receaue into the towne men ne yet victuales then planted they theyr batteries and in shorte space made an exceding greate breache and yet they contynued it daye and night without gyuing anye tyme at all to the defendantes to repose them and after manye assaultes gyuen the defendantes were maruelously consumed by death and hurtes whervpon they assayled it rounde with al their force and in the ende entred after longe fighte the repares that the defendants had made and first became masters of the walles and then of the citie they put al the men of the towne to the sworde excepte the lorde of the Isle whom they toke prisoner they deflored all the Virgines of the towne and forced all the women of the same thei spoiled the towne of all y e riches that therein was and they lefte nothing nether sacred ne yet profane vndefiled and in this sorte they obtained an exceding riche spoyle both of treasure and prisoners of all kindes and ages which they lad with Gatalusio their lorde to Constantinople and solde them in their marcketes by companies lyke herdes of swyne for slaues a piteouse spectacle to beholde a certaine people of the Isle of Scio called Manoesy vnto whome the Isle of Scio dyd apartaine in y e right of their auncestours whoe at their owne charges wanne it notwithstanding they dyd owe sertaine homage to the citie of Genoa of the which they were citizenes when they vnderstode of the losse of Mitilene fearing leste the victoriouse Nauie should be emploied against thē thought it good to make the matter suer whervpon they sent an ambassade to Mahometh and agreed to gyue him yerely ten thousand ducates in the name of tribute and thus comitted them selues to his protection When the Venetianes vnderstode of y e taking of Morea the losse of Mitilene and Trebisonda they began to be in doubte of their Isles and townes that they possessyd in Gretia and sawe then their owne folie in that that thei had not in the begynninge aided those princes and people but suffred them to be denoured one after an other Mahometh to possesse their states and contreis whervpon they thought it better to assaile then to be assailed and therfore preuented the enemye being in good hope that the popes enterprise shoulde goe forewarde and take good effect by meanes wherof Mahometh shoulde haue ynought to doe to defende his owne dominions and contreys whervpon they put to the sea a greate Nauie of Galleys of diuers ordres of ores and manye greate shippes in whom they bestowed agreate numbre both of fotemen and horsemen Italians and so sayled on towarde the Archipelago or myddle sea when they had landed their people in Morea the fyrst thinge that they toke in hande was to make againe the walle of Esmilia and to make it as stronge as they coulde after that they marched on with their armie to y ◠citie
meanes of the aforesaid diuisioÌ„ he began at Viterbo which was then holden by one of the factions by his auctoritie called home againe those that for feare were fled reconciled them w t their aduersaries in this sort lefte them al in good peace vnder his protection gouernance after this he sent his legates into y e duchie into the contrey of Marca and finding these prouinces infected w t the afore saide Maladye one citie being in armes againste the other and diuerse citie beinge deuided in them selues the one part of the Citie against the other some were of the Colonese factino other of the Orsius and nowe had the one the better and then the other tyl at the laste by the great prouidence and industrie of the legates they were all pacified and lefte vnder the regiment and gouernaunce of the popes officers in perfecte tranquiletie and quietnes after this when the pope behelde y â— miserable state of his contrey the great spoyle therof that had ben made throughe the Ciuile disorder and warres y â— had ben amonge them by meanes wherof they had consumed a great numbre of their people also were brought into extreme pouerty it was a great griefe vnto him and then gaue he order that they which gouerned shoulde by common consent restore againe to their firste degres and honours the orders of gentlemen and the twelue and shoulde cal from exile certaine worthie citizens and in this sorte he enlarged his regiment and state and lefte it quiet and in peace tyll at the laste in the contre of Marca their arose the lord Sigismonde Malisti and gatherid an army and encountred with the popes Legate and gaue him a great ouerthroe by meanes wherof all the Contre of Marca was in armes and folowed this Sigismonde wherupon the pope sent thither his legate the Cardinall of Tiano apistolese borne with the Duke of Vrbine and the lorde Napoleone Orsino which gaue to Sigismondo such an ouerthroe not farre from Sinigaglia that they enforced him to leue y â— feelde and so repressed his furie y â— in a shorte tyme they toke from him Sinigaglia Fano and a good pece of the countie of Arrimino and after diuerse encouÌ„tres in the kingdome of Naples the kings Ferrante remained victoriouse and the Duke Iohn with his Angionme faction was retorned into Fraunce when Ferrante was well established in his kingdome and that the pope sawe him selfe deliuered of two great warres and had established the temporal state of his church and brought it to perfecte quietnes he then called againe to minde y â— enterprise of Asia against the Turckes and being confederate with the kinge of Hungarie the Duke of Borgonie and with the state of Venise they then consulted and determined in what sorte they woulde make these warres the pope sent forthe his letters with his messagers to al the princes of Christendome exhorting and requiring theÌ„ to coÌ„me ayde him in this iorney against thâ— infidels and appointed the tyme that in the yere of our helthe a thousand foure hundred threscore and foure the xv daye of Iune all the armie shoulde be redie in y â— contre of Marca not farre from Ancona where they shoulde fynde the Nauie reddie to receaue both y â— popes hollynes and them also who wolde in person goe to so glorious an enterprise and when the pope had thus determined he passed on for the recouerie of his helthe to Siena meaning the nexte spring folowing according to his custume to goe to the baines at Petriuolo and wheÌ„ he was there arriued newes came to him that Philippe Duke of Borgonie seing the great tumultes and emotiones that were in Fraunce betwene the king and the nobilitie wolde prouide for y â— securitie of his state wherfore he wolde not deale at all in the enterprise againste the Turckes but emploied all his force vnder the conducte of his sonne Charles against Loys king of FrauÌ„ce whereupon he changed his purposed iorney to y e baines and retorned to Rome where he was maruelously troubled with the goute and also with the feuer wherupon he was enforced to contynewe there a longe tyme contrarie to his determination which was the cause that he coulde not be at his daye appointed at Ancona according to his proclamation that he had made of the iorney in the meane tyme their came to Rome seuerally ambassadours both from Loys the frenshe king and also from Philippe Duke of Borgonie excusing ether of them for so muche as beinge troubled with domesticale warres they coulde not at that tyme gyue anye aide toward the iorney when the pope was some thing recouerid of his disease he called the Cardinales to the Consystorie there discoursed of the heresies that then were in y e kingdome of Bohemia wherupon he graunted forthe his citationes and then with his Cardinales and other Cortigianes he departed from Rome and passed throughe y â— contre of Sabina into the Duchie and from thence into the contre of Marca and beinge caried in a horse lytter in consyderation of his weakenes passed so on to Ancona and as he passed on y â— waye he mette with a great numbre of men â—â—ich came oute of Almanie Fraunce and Spaine of tâ—â—ir owne good willes to goe that iourney against the infidels of the whiche numbre the greatest parte and chiefely those that came oute of Almanie brought with them no prouision wherwith to susteine them in that iorney wherupon he gaue them his bene diction and absolued them clearely from al the offences that euer they committed vntyll that present and in this sorte licensid them to retorne into their couÌ„treys againe and being in Ancona he loked for y e Nauie which was made redie in diuers places of Italie and shoulde repare thither to vnite them selues and also he loked for the Duke of Venise with his armata to arriue there in this meane time the feuer dyd so growe and encreas vp on him that the same daye that the Duke of venise landed in y e hauen of Ancona accompanied with xii galleys and a great numbre of gentlemen he yelded vp his soulâ— to god which was the yere of our helth 1464. and the â—iiii of August immediatly vpoÌ„ his death y â— Cardinales retorned to Rome to electe a newe Byshoppe and the Duke of Venise retorned againe to Venise with his armata and in this sorte the Nauie was deuided and all the preparation that was made for the iorney into Asia was but in vaine and when the Duke was come home to Venise the Seniours thoughte it not good to losse al that which they had bestoed in furnishing their Nauie and their armie where upon they made Nicholas de Canale general of their Nauie and sent him with their Nauie to the sea who sayled alonge the coaste of Gretia landed in Romania and sacqued the Citie of Euia and toke oute of it a great
spoile and after that he entred into the golfe of Patrasso whiche is in Morea and there landed and beinge encountred with the Turckes that were there lefte for the garde of the conutrey he flewe two thousande vpon the place and gaue them a greate ouerthowe he toke the Castle of Vesticio fortified it and lefte in it a garnison of his people there succided pio y â— seconde Paulo the seconde a venetian borne who semed not to abandone the enterprise that his predecessor had determined against the infidels wherupon he ioyned in league with the Venetianes against y â— Turckes which had made there courses into Almaignie and had taken a waye a great proye both of men and cattell Mahometh determining alwayes to banishe the Christians oute of Gretia aboute the yere of our helthe 1470. dyd put to the sea a Nauie of 400. sayle where of they saye there were 200. gaylles and fustes and when he had embarcked a great number of horse men and fote men he sent them vnder the gouernance and coÌ„ducte of Mahometh Bassa to the seege of the citie of Calcide which standeth in the Isle that was anciently called Euboica and nowe is called Negroponte as sone as the Bassa was arriued at the Isle he landed his people and beseged the towne and planted his batteries and when the had contynued it for a longe space they had done in maner nothing for they of the towne be haued them so well that whatsoeuer breache was made in the day they made it vp in y â— nighte and rampared it in as great strengte as before wherfore it semed to Mahomethe that his enterprise toke no greate effecte and that his batteries dyd not greatly preuaile he sent for a newe supplie of men and went thyther in person and when he behelde the greate breaches that his men had made he thoughte that they mought easily enter y e towne wherupoÌ„ he embattailed all his armie and appointed certaine Colonelles with their regimentes to the assaulte and appointed to euery of them the place that he with his regyment shoulde assayle when he had thus done he called al the captaines of his armie vnto him perswadinge them with goodly wordes to shewe them selues worthie of that good opinion that he had of them and that they wolde approche the towne with purpose that dai to be victoriouse or els there to ende their liues and also he gaue vnto them the whole spoyle of the towne more ouer he promised to suche as shoulde firste enter the towne great rewardes with these exhortaciones and promises he dyd greatlye incorage his souldiours wherupoÌ„ he continued his batteries with great furie for a space with the noise wher of and with that of drommes trompettes and cornetts the aire the earth and the sea dyd tremble Mahometh gaue order that when the Colonelles of y e first assauite had continued it for a certaine time that then other Câ—lonelles with their regymentes shoulde take their place and so contynewe the assaulte by the whiche meanes he had alwayes freshe assaylantes and thus contynued he the assaulte withoute intermission two dayes two nightes and suffred not them of the towne in any wise to repose and althoughe that the Christians who were appointed to y e garde of the towne defended it with rare vertue and noble myndes and vsed their fiers artificial shotte great stones and casting speares wherwith they had flayne a great numbre of the infydels and when the infydels had twyse chased them from the breache had entred the towne the Christians serred them selues and charged them and for with chased them fort he of the towne making great slaughter of the aforesaid enemies but in the ende for asmuche as the greatest parte of the defendantes were staine and the reste being but fewe in numbre and greatly weried with the longe fyghte that they had endured and being consumed in this sorte not being a sufficient number to defende the whole circuite of the towne certaine of them repared into the market place determininge there to dye honorably with theyr swordes in their hand and such as were not of so noble a minde as they were for soke the towne among the whiche numbre was the gouernour of the Citie with manye of the cheife officers and gentle men Venetians which fled into the forte or Citadell wherupon y e Turckes entred the Citie and after a longe fyghte became lordes of the market place and them of the Citie and with inspeakable crueltie they put to death all the Italianes that they coulde laie handes on inpalinge them vpon longe stakes of others they plucked the skyn ouer their eares and some others thei cut a sonder in the middest in such sorte that all y e stretes of Negroponte were fylled with dede boddies and washed w t christian bloude and after that they toke all the inhabitants of y e towne as wel men as wemen that then were liuing and made them slaues and when they had thus done they began to sacke the towne both houses and Churches in suche sorte as they lefte nothing in the towne suche as were fled into the sorte made an appointement with him it was agreed that they shoulde departe safely with their lyues and goodes whervpon they delyuered the Castle before that anye one pece was planted against it in dede the Turcke helde not his promes with them for in dede be put them all to y e sworde And in this sorte y e famous Isle of Eboica aboute the middest of y e monethe of Iune was takeÌ„ by Mahometh and when Nicholas de Canale was retorned to Venise the Senate laid to his charge y e he had not done his duetie in that that he had not succoured Negroponte whiche he moughte haue done if he had dursâ—â— as they sayde wherupon they layde him in chaines and then condempned him to perpetuall exile created in his place their general Petro Moranigo who departed oute of the golfe with a Nauie of lx galleys xx greate shippes and sailed on towarde y e Isle spoiled and destroied all the sea coast of Gretia and Asia In those dayes the Genoueses fearinge leaste the Turcke shoulde bringe his armie to the Citie of Capha whiche standeth beyonde the straite of Bosporo vpon the sea called Eusino which at this daye is called the greater sea and seing no waie howe they mighte sende any succours thyther for somuch as the Turcke had his Castles very well furnished which he had buylded vpon both the straites and they thoughte it a matter impossyble to sende anye bandes thyther by lande considering that the iorney was great and the passage perillous throughe the contreys of so many barbarous nations and beinge in this greate extremitie there was a Constable which offerid for a certaine sume of money to goe into Caffa w t his bande which was of the numebr of 150. souldiours or there aboute vnto whome
they gaue such some as he demaunded wherupon he toke his iourney and passed throughe y e contrey of Friule in Italie after through the contrey of Hungarie then throughe Polonia from thence throughe Scithia whiche at this daye is called Tartarie and in this sorte conueid him selfe into Caffa while these thinges were doinge Mahomethe had put a great Nauie to the sea to passe into Candie where mē supposed he had alredie framed certaine practizes with the Candiottes that he should be receyued by them whēsoeuer that he came and vnderstandinge the Venetian armata to be alredie ariued there and that the chiefe conspiratours were taken and put to death immediatly he chaunged purpose and directed his Nauie into the greater sea and commaūded a great number of horsemen to passe into Valachia and to spoyle destroye there what they coulde as they were doinge of this he beseged the Citie of Caffa both by sea and lande he planted his batteries and began to tormente them ercidingly with his shotte the Genoueses which there were whoe were many in number possessid great riches bothe of marchandize and treasour whoe being amased by this sodden assaulte and seing them selues oute of al hope of succour after that they had defendyd it nobly by the space of certaine dayes thoughte it not good there to loose bothe lyfe and goodes wherupon they practized an appointement And agreing vpon the same delyuered the towne vpon condition to enioye al their goodes which promis was but euell obserued for somuche as they toke from thence manye of the principall families with that they had and sent them to Constantinople and constrained them there to dwell and made the Citizens of Caffa his tributaries and forbadde them vpon paines of lyfe to departe from thence or to send away from thence any of their substance or riches And in this sorte the Citie of Caffa standing vpō the sea called Eusino which had ben of a longe tyme possessyd by the Genoueses became subiecte to the tiranouse gouernance of the Turckes when Mahomethe acordinge to his determination had clearely banished y e Christians oute of Gretia he leuied an armie of a hundred thousand men and sent them into Albania to beseege the towne of Scutarie which standeth neare the riuer called Buiana not farre from the ancient Citie Appollonia which then was possessyd by the Venetianes and furnished with dyuers Constables and bandes of Italianes bothe fotemen and horsemen when the infydels were comne before Scutarie they enuironned the towne with their campe and planted their batteries contynewing them daye and night with oute cease with maruelouse furie and they of the towne dyd w t no lesse corage defend them selues And throughe the noble myndes and discipline of the Christian Captaines all the Turckes preparationes and attemptes were renderid vaine and of none effecte they were enforced to consume all that sommer in vaine before that towne and when the Autoume drewe on the Turckes throughe the sharpnes of the aire and y e pestilent winds which bette vpō them contynually throughe the mouth of the ryuer fell into diseases in such sorte as they were enforced to abandone the seege and to with drawe themselues into those mountaines of Macedonia that were nearest to Scutarie in intention to retorne thyther againe as sone as the infection of the aire shoulde cease and whileste they wintred there the lieutenante of the armie toke with him certaine of his chosen bandes and made warres vpon Iohn Gernoi whiche possessyd dyuerse townes in the mountaines of Albania he toke frō him the towne of Sabiaco and when he had by force taken the Citie of Diuastro and Lisso he put to death all the men that were within them with sondrie torments and tiranouse deathes he made the wemen and chyldren slaues which he there founde and went in y e spring folowing againe to the sege of Scutarie althoughe he were oute of hope to take it by force yet he thoughte in time throughe famine to possesse it whervpon he cnnironned the towne with his campe in such sorte y e they coulde nether send forth to their fryndes anye aduertise ment nor receaue from them anye in telligence or relife on the other side the Venetianes coulde neuer perswade the pope to abstaine from the warres which he had begone in Tuscane againste the Florentynes to vnite hys force with them and so to enuade the infidels for so muche as they alone withoute the ayde of any other had borne the whole charge of the warres in Gretia by the space of 25. yeres being w t the intollerable charges therof weried for that they were enforced to holde contynually a greate Nauie vpon the Coaste of Gretia for the defence of suche fortes and townes as they possessed there and beside that they dyd contribute very largely to y e pope for y ◠manitenance of his warres in Tuscane against the Florentines whervpon lyke wise men they Iudges that yf the Florentine shoulde happen to be subdued the enemie moughte also easyly take frō them all suche places as they possessyd in the maine lande of Italie wherfore they thought it good to disbordē them selues of so greate a charge and by meanes of certaine Greekes practized an appointemente with Mahometh and concluded a peace with him for manye yeres vpon conditione that for his honours sake they shoulde be contented to delyuer into his hands the towne of Scutarie and besydes that that they shoulde paie vnto him in consideration of the charges that he had ben at acording to the entreatie had bytwene his and their commissioners two hundred thousand ducates within the space of two yeres then nexte ensuing and in consideration of this he gaue vnto them she libertie to haue in Constantino ple a Bailo to determine the differences that shoulde happen betwene y ◠Venetianes there when Mahometh had in this sorte concluded peace with the Venetianes he deuided his armie sending the one parte therof into Hungarie which made a great course there and the other whiche was his Nauie he sent to lande in Pulia where they raised a great proie both of men and catell after that he made warres againste them of the Isle of Rhodes sent thyther one of his Basrias with a great power and when he had landed his people which was y e xxi of Maie in the yere of our helthe M. CCCC.lxxiiii he proied and spoyled all the circuite of the Isle whiche is a hundred and twentie myles and when he had thus done he presented his campe to the Citie of Rhodes assayled it bothe by sea and lande planted his batteries and ceased them nether daye ne nighte the great master of y e order wyth his kinghtes and souldiours and other Christianes that there were defended the towne so nobly repaired it with such industrie as it was a maruel they salied forth daiely and scaramoshed with them the enemies vsed all
to abandone the seege then otherwise and finally conueyd their artillerie and monitions aborde their Nauie and abandoned there seege the xvii of Auguste sayled towarde the straite of Gallipoli and in this sorte was Rhodes delpuered froÌ„ the seege of the Turckes In this mean time Mahometh sent Acomath one of his Bascias with a Nauie of an hundred sayles beinge furnished w t xv thousand souldiours towardes the Golfe and vpon the sodden he assayled the Isle called Saincte Maura anciently called Eucadia and toke it and from thence he passed on towarde Cephalonia and Hiacinto â— in shorte space became lorde of them bothe and he determined to sayle backe againe by the Golfe and from thence into Pulia in intention as diuers men thoughte but to land and spoyle the contrey consideringe the greate riches y â— â—here was bothe of men treasure and catell and cheife â—y for that he had intelligence that y e contrey was lefte withoute garde of men of warre and also that the king was where he coulde not annoie him when the Nauie of the infideles was come within fighte of that pointe of â—ande that the Italianes call Cauo de Ottranto they made towarde the lande and came into the hauen of Ot â—ranto and seinge them of the towne to make no resysâ—ance but beinge afearde showed moste shamefull Cowardize and shutte the gates of the Citie holding them â—clues within the walles therof and durste not once to â—okevpon him in the feelde whervpoÌ„ he landed his men â—andhorses and firste he proied all the contre aboute Ot â—tranto and then spoyled it and broughte to his shyppes â—an excyding great proie without any resystance at all wherevpon he was the more bolde presuminge vpon the Cowardize of them of the towne and thoughte to attempte to take it whervpon he fortified his campe to defend him from outwarde inuasion and enuironed the towne in suche sorte that they of the towne coulde nether receaue in nor sende forthe anye thinge oute of it wheÌ„ this was done he planted his batteries and began to batter the walles and tormented them with his batteries daye and nighte he arriued at Ottranto xxviii of Iulye in the yere of our helth M. CCCC.lxxix and the xi daye of Auguste nexte folowing he gaue an assanlte to the towne and chased them of the towne from the breaches and toke the towne by force master frauncis Zurlo who was there for the kinge being fled with the Arche byshoppe of the Citie into the Cathedrale church where vnto all the the chiefe of the citie were fled also for succour was with the reste cut in peces and all the reste of the people with the wemen and children were sent into Gretia to be sold as slaues when the king Fer rante vnderstode that the Turckes were arriued at Ottranto he caused to arme all the shyppes and gallyes of the realme with maruelouse celeritie and sent also for his sonne the Duke of Calabria into Toscane who at that tyme had made peace with the Florentynes was in Siena making great preparation for solemne Iustes and triumphes to celebrate the feaste of our ladie not withoute greate suspition y e he was procured by diuerse noughtie Citizenes of his faction that daye to take the citie and to vsurpe it when the Duke had receauid this commaundement from his father he departed forthe w t oute of Tuscane with all his armie and marching on w t great spede broughte them into Pulia and entertained also as manye fotemen as he coulde gette and appointed them to Captaines he gathered togyther also all the men at armes and horsemen of all sortes that were in the kingdome and then marched on with his armie encamped not farre froÌ„ Ottranto the Nauie was made redie with maruelouse expedition by the great industris of the countie of Sarni and was alredie departed from Naples towarde Pulta the Duke of Calabria fortified his campe with stronge rampares depe dikes douting the furie of the enemie and durste not to approche the towne so neare as he moughte laie batterie vnto it but laie some things farder of and presented him selfe dayly to the towne and they of the towne sorted forthe contynually and scaramoshed with him and often tymes repulsed them and made great slaughter of them And one daie they attached a scaramoshe and it was maintained in suche order from tyme to tyme with freshe bandes y â— the whole power of the campe was at it and it grewe to a battaile coÌ„tinued by the space of certaine houres there was great slaughter and it was foughte w t great assurance on bothe sydes in that battayle was slayne the countie Iulio de Aquaiua one of the kinges chiefe conductours of his men at armes the fotemen being discoraged fled Loys de Capua beinge generall of them with certaine of his companie thincking to saue him selfe fled to a certaine towre whiche was of some force not farre from Ottranto the Turquyshe horsemen folowed him and when they came to the towre they deter myned to assayle it and prepared pitche and towe and other necessaries to let fire vnto it the afore saide Loys being destrous to lyue yeldyd him with all his companie to the Turckes and was caried prisoner into Ottranto after this there was daily scaramoch betwene them of y e campe y e towne but they of y e campe had alwaies y e worse there was slaine before Ottranto Mattheo de Capua y e counte Iulio de Pisa and diuers other Captaines officers of y e Italian armie y e king bycause he wolde make the iorney the more famous went w t his courte to Barletta he sent for aide to al y e ChristiaÌ„ princes y e king of Hungarie Mathia sent him a Colonell w t a regimeÌ„t of eight huÌ„dred HuÌ„garian horsemeÌ„ y e king of Portugale sent him manie Carauelles well armed and furnished there came also oute of Spaine Arragone and Catalona many gentlemen of their owne charges and good wil to aide the kinge notwÌ„standing these aides y e Turckes dismaied not at all but assured them selues fortisied their towne did not only defend it but went forth of y e towne dayly scaramoched w t y e Christians slewe many of them also brought of them to y e towne prisoners And when they had thus in vaine consumed both y e soÌ„mer y e Autome winter approched constrained them to abandone their seege to laye them selues in garnisonnes in y â— townes nearest about eit and in y â— same winter y e Nauie of y e Turcks spoiled al y e coaste of Pulia eueÌ„ to y e veri mouÌ„te of S. Agnolo for that y â— Acomathe Bassa desired to speake w t his lord Mahometh before y â— coÌ„ming of y â— springe of y â— yere he lefte in Ottran to for y e defence therof eight thousand choseÌ„ souldiours furnished theÌ„
came messagers oute of al the cities and townes of the prouince and he sate in the myddest of the market place with dyuerse graue and discrete councellours aboute him whiche he vsed alwaye when he gaue audience openly and there he herds and determyned many controuersies and when he had appointed gouernours and officers to euery towne and citie and had abolished dyuerse of the custumes of the ancient Soldanes as vniuste and intollerable to the people he dyd moderate them with newe lawes and when he had contynued in Damasco a longe tyme aboute the reforming of the countre and had well reposed his armye he then determyned in him selfe to make warres a gainst Egipte for so muche as he vnderstode that al the Mamalukes that were dispersed abrode into al the coūtres were comme to Cairo to create a newe Soldane beinge once togyther they chose Tomombeio the great Diadaro a man of great reputation and credite and of great experience and excellent in the discipline of the warres Selim being vpon the pointe of his departure sent before him to make suer the waye Sinan Bassa gaue him in commissyon to passe on to the Citie Gaza and there to tarie hym and he in person departed from Damasco with the reste of his armie and folowed and beinge desyrous to visyte that most famous temple of Ike rusalem toke with him his garde of Gianizzaries and a certaine number of his horsemen and entred into Iudea and passed on to Iherusalem and when he had visyted y e temple and other holly places of the Citie he retorned agayne to his armye the nexte waye And Sinan Bassa with his companie which was .xv. thousand horsemen hauinge ouerthrowen the Arabianes and repulsed their inuasyones whiche often tymes they had attempted against him and had made the passage free with much a doe and was comme on to Gaza which stode neare vnto the sea vpō the confynes of Egipte in y e place where men enter into the sandie deserte passinge from Iudea to Eairo and when he came before the Citie with his armye they of the Citie willinge to auoide the sacke spoyle therof gaue place to tyme and yelded y e Citie vnto him where he contynued and taried for commissyon from his lorde to directe him in those affaires As sone as Tomombeio had receaued the gouernement he determyned forth with to supplie the bandes of Mamalukes which were maruelously spoyled and consumed wherfore he caused to enrolie all their slaues y e were of lawful yeres and apte to vse armes he prouided armour and weapō for them and also horses also he had entertained in his paie a great number of Arabianes and loste no tyme but contynually prouided artillerie and Monition with all other necessaries and beinge aduertized by those of Gaza whiche dyd very well affecte the Mamalukes of the comminge of Sinan Bassa and in what sorte he lodged there The Soldane at their request de termyned to send a power to encountre him hauinge great hope in the good wyll of the Citizens whervpon he dispatched Gazele and sent him with syre thousande horses and a greate number of Arabianes and as sone as Sinan Bassa was aduertized of his comming by his bandes that he had alwaie vpon the feelde not trusting them of the Citie he determyned to goe against hym to encountre him and when he had rydden xv myles he staied at a village where he mought well lodge for that that in the vilage their was a fountaine very plen tuouse of pure watter whervpō he commaūded to lodge there and began to appointe the quartiers and before that they had done the alarme was gyuen and he was aduertized by the scoultes of his vantgarde y ◠they sawe afarre of a great duste wherfore they Iudged the enemy to be there cōming toward them Sinan Bassa had scarcely tyme to put his people in order before that Gazele was cōme with his began to assayle his vantgard and after that they had foughte a certaine space Gazele seinge his peopble ouerlaide with uumber and a rtillerie and that they began to recule and seing y ◠they of Gaza apeared not in his fauour in hope of whose ayde he had taken in hand the battayle with his sworde in his hand dyd make his waye thorowe his enemyes so retorned to Cairo with the losse of his cariage and a great number of his souldiours and when Selim was departed from Iherusalem he came to his armye and broughte them to Gaza where he founde Sinan Bassa retorned with great victorie and had put to deathe many of y e Citizens which had procured y e Soldane to send his people thyther when Selim had reposed his souldiours for a tyme in Gaza he determyned to marche on towarde Cairo and wolde not gyue the newe Soldane time to furnishe him selfe of newe bands and to put him selfe in good order wherfore he made great prouision of hogges hedes to carie watter with him and sent Sinan Bassa before him with his bandes of Europe and he folowed him alway within one dayes iorney w t his whole armye aud in this sorte passed on throughe the deserte and came neare to Cairo within fewe myles a lytle frō a villadge named Macharea where the Soldane had a garden where that most precious licour called Balsme dyd growe which is a certaine goome that distillethe throughe certaine clestes made in the barcke of y e trees in the tyme of the gathering therof by the gardeners which cut them with exceding fyne knynes made of yuorie Tommobeio determyned to tarie the enemye in y ◠village whervpon he entrenched it very stongly wyth great rampares and depe Dykes and had bent al his artillerie vpon the waye where the Turcks shoulde cōme and as sone as he herde of the comminge of the Turckishe armye he departed from Cairo with twelue thou sand Mamalukes and a great number of Arrabianes other souldiours on horsebacke and on fote and came lodged in his lodginge that was fortified for him of purpose where whē he had put his people in order he taried the comming of the enemye and as sone as Selim vnderstode of the Soldanes order he refused the waye that the Soldane had bent all his artillerie vpon and wolde not assayle hys enemye vpon the frounte of his battaile but determyned to assayle him on the flancke where he was not so well prouided whervpō he disvanded agreat nūber of shotte sent them to assayle the trenches of y ◠Soldane immediatly the Soldane marched forthe w t his people in order and there began betwene them a notable fyghte and a furious and hauing fought from the fourthe houre of the daye to the sunne goinge downe in very doubtfull sorte euen to the darcke nighte Tommabeio caused to sounde the retreicte and lefte the village and marched to Cairo and the Turckes as victoriouse entred into the Soldanes lodginges and their lodged that nighte
there were slaine of y e partie of y e Mamalukes the great Diadaro strycken with a falconete and of the Turckes partie Sinan Bassa and when the Soldane was retorned with his armys he lodged them betwene the Citie and the ryuer Nilo and determyned to supplie his armye with newe bandes and to defend him selfe and therfore sent for all the Mamalukes y t were appointed to the garde of other contreys and commaunded them to repaire to Cairo with all spede he toke oute of the Monition house of the Castle all the furniture of armour and weapon that there was and distributed it to the children of the Mamalukes and to twelue thousand slaues which they toke vp in that Citie besydes that he sent into Iudea and Arabia his Captaines to leuie and enrolle all suche horsemen and fotemen as they shoulde fynde that were trained and experimented in y e warres and for that he wolde as muche as in him was saue his people from the force of the artillerie he determyned w t all his power to assayle his enemye in the darckest of y e nighte for that he was assured that in the nyghte they coulde not well vse their artillerie withoute the slaughter of their owne people as well as of their enemyes discouering his opinion to certaine of the cheife of y e Mamalukes he prouided to put it in executioÌ„ but he coulde not vse the matter so secretly but y t amonge those fewe with whom he had debated the cause their were some traitours whiche dyd aduertize Selim therof who caused to make greate fyres withoute his campe rounde aboute it whiche made all the partes aboute the campe to be as well seen as in the myddeste of the daye and in this sorte prouided that he moughte well vse hys artillerie and then put hys armye in battayle lookinge for his enemyes Tommobeio in the nyght â–ª approched neare to the Turckes campe and when he sawe all these fires he was then assured that hys enterprise was discouered yet wolde be not so retorne but assayled his trenches in suche sorte that he entred them and synding them very well furnished be retorned agayne to his lodging froÌ„ whence he came and after that beinge enforced by the Mamalukes he was constrained to lodge within the citie and to defende it and for that he wolde prouide in euery respecte he caused with all spede to fortifye it and when he had made stronge the principall places therof he put stronge garde into them Selim as sone as he herde that the Soldane with his armie was lodged w t in the towne he marched with his armye into the towne which he moughte easyly doe for that the citie was not enuironed with walle nor rampare beinge within the Citie with his armye he foughte three dayes continually with the enemye and when he had slayne a great nuÌ„ber of them he became lorde of the greatest parte of the Citie and the Mamalukes seinge their force daily to de caie and that they were no longar able to contynue in the Citie went from thence to the ryuer Nilo and toke the boates that they founde there and passed all their armie with the Soldane ouer the ryuer into the Region Segesta which is a parte of Affrica that liethe towarde Cirene and Tomombeio for that he wolde not gyue ouer the matter sent for those Mamalukes that were appointed to grade the Citie of Alexandria and for y â— there came dayly into his campe Arabianes Affricanes and other Mores of y e prouices there abouts he began to be agayne in good hope to defende his owne whylest the matters of Cairo passed in this sorte Gazzele whome y e Soldane had sent into Thebaiade to leuie as manye bandes of both horsemen and fotemen as he coulde was coÌ„me neare to Cairo and had brought with him a gerat number of Arrabianes with their Captaines also and when he vnderstode of the losse of Cairo and that hys lorde was fied beyonde the ryuer Nilo and beinge oute of all hope of the preseruation of his countre vnder the gouernement of the Soldane seinge it paste all remedie determined to obserue time and to pronide for his safety by yelding him selfe to the victour and when he had in this sorte debated the matter with the Captaines of the Arrabianes which he had brought with him had per swaded them in that behalfe he came to the gate of Selim and required to be broughte to his presence when he came before him he fell prostrate to the grounde and ryssed his fete sainge for so muche as he had done for y â— preseruation of the Mamalukes state and of his lorde all that was possyble for him to doe and neuer brake his fait he so longe as there was any token of hope lefte for the preseruation of this same and nowe seinge his high nes possessyd of the Citie and placed in the Imperiall seate and his lorde to be fled and to haue lefte his kingdome wherfore he had determyned with him selfe no lenger to respste but trusting in his clemencie and goodnes was coÌ„me wholly to committe him selfe into his hands w t oute any maner of condition at all but to be well contentyd with all that that shoulde please his highnes to deteremyne of him Selim receuid him very corteously and willed him to be of good comforte and to assure him selfe not to wante place with him mete for a man of his worthines he caused him to be writen amonge y e reste of his chiefe Captaines appointed vnto him an honorable prouisionin lyke sorte he caused y e Captaines chiefe officiers of the Arrabianes to be broughte vnto him and gaue them very good wordes and entertained them in his ordinarie After this he vnderstode of a certaine man of Segesta which was comme to seke him of manye of the purposes of Tomombe is and howe he was contynually solycited by certaine Mores the principall and chiefe of Cairo in suche sorte as he was fully determyned to retorne thyther agayne when Selim vnderstode of these preparationes he thought good to pre uent it whervpon he determined to passe the ryuer Nilo and to seke him and to the ende that he moughte the more spedyly passe his armye and artillerie he prouided a great number of botes and fastened them to bothe the shores and then laide his bridge made of bordes and called into the Castle suche Citizens as he suspected and â—caused them to be safely kepte when Tomombe is vnder â—tode that Selim was makinge redie to passe the Nilo with his armye fearinge the inconstancie of the people and seing no way howe by flyghte he mought prolonge the warres determyned to proue what fortune wolde doe once more in battayle wherfore he thought it good to assayle the bridge and to se yf that he coulde synding his enemyes occupied in their passage ouer take them vnprouided and so to onerthrowe them whervpon he vsed greats celeritie departing
suche force that in maner in one instante in dispite of them he made them to leue of sauinge that one part of them contynued styl the chase which so kyndled Scanderbeg and his worthye souldiours that the force of the Turckes coulde by no meanes stand against them but as they were wonte torned their backes fledde towarde the Citie to their greate shame Then Scanderbeg lyke a worthye Captaine thoughte it good no furder to folowe them iudgeinge it to be a great grace of God y ◠he had so at an instante delyuered his people from deathe and therfore sounded the retreicte and passed into his countre safe w t honor and whē he made a reuewe of his armie he foūde that there were flayne of his souldiours 2. thousande horsemen and. 3. thousande fotemen whiche for the more parte were comme oute of Apuglia with the aforesayde Musachio his cosyn and Captaine generall and there were of them taken foure score which dyd muche offende the mynde of Scanderbeg within fewe dayes after he supplied his armie and went againe to y e seege of Belgrado but the Citizens and Turckes that were within sent an ambassadour to Scanderbeg who behaued him selfe so wysely that he contented Scanderbeg in suche sorte that he retorned suddenly backe againe dissolued his armie After this Scanderbeg with his 3. thousand horse men one thousāde fotemen retorned to his confynes to his acustumed places and when he came there he licensed the. 2. thousand souldiours which there were vnder y e conducte of y e aforesaid Moyses This Moises for his vertues and worthynes was so muche embraced and fauored of Scanderbeg as anye man that was with him in token wherof Scanderbeg had gyuen him many townes and great possessyones armours weapones horse aparell Iuelles clothe of golde and sylke with great summes of money notwithstandinge after this ouerthrowe of Scanderbegs people this Moyses was oute of hope that euer Scanderbeg shoulde be able to defende his countre whervpon he began to contemne him and lefte his seruice and went to the Turcke aforesayde and offered him to chase Scanderbeg oute of his countre so that he wolde delyuer him xv thousand chosen Turckes with this condition that when he had banished Scāderbeg that then he mought remaine lord of the contre painge yerely to the Turcke such tribute as he shoulde thincke good to appointe him to paie This offer pleased the tiran maruelously and he gaue vnto him very attentiue eare and aunswered Moises that yf he coulde bringe that to passe he wolde furnishe him in euery respecte and graunte him all his demaundes and for that that Moyses sayde that he wolde fley Scanderbeg and wolde challenge him openly to fyghte with him vpon the feelde in synguler battayle y e Turcke promised him to gyue vnto him a hundred thousande ducates so that he broughte vnto him the head of Scanderbeg and also he wolde haue no tribute at all of him for Scāderbegs countre but it shoulde suffise him to haue him obedient faythefull and his good frynde for the greater assurance he commaunded to put al these conditiones in writinge Then Moyses toke his iorney passed on w t his xv thousand chosen Turckes well monted came against Scanderbeg thorowe Thracia and Macedonia As sone as Scanderbeg vnderstode of this practise he did vnite his armie to the number of r. thousande men on horse and fote and went to tarie the comminge of Moyses in the plaines of the base Dibra When Moises was cōme into those playnes and sawe the armie of Scanderbeg in so good order he became euen amased went forthe from his people and with lowde voice challenged Scanderbeg to fyghte with him in syngular battayle vsynge against him manye villanouse wordes but Scanderbeg with more sharpe voice aūswered saying o thou rebelle mete for the gallowes tarie and I wyll sone make the to repent thee of that wherof thou thinckest not to repent the at all then manye of Scanderbeges souldiours were muche offended with him and wolde haue gone forthe oute of their squadrone to fyghte with him man to man but Scanderbeg with incredible furie spurred his horse towarde him so that they were bothe oute frō their people and as sone as Moises behelde the troubled there and furiouse countenance of his lorde he began forthewith to flee and retorned into his squadrone and Scanderbg folowed with great furie but he coulde not ouer get him wherfore he retorned to his people Then when all thinges were in that order that he wolde he commaunded them with a lowde voice to folowe him and they all being alredie excedingly wrothe folowed him but he being in a greate furie was y e fyrste that strake vpon them and the Turckes were excedingly amased to see that most shamefull flyghte of Moyses their Captaine and almost with the fyrst charge were put to flight so that a fewe of them euer retorned home Moyses went againe to the Turcke but he was not only suffred to comme to his presence but also was greatly laughte at and skorned and estemed to be a vile māand of no worthynes Then Moyses became almost desperate and began to discourse in him selfe what he were best to doe he could finde no meanes wherby he mought remedie his euell in suche sorte as he mought with his honor shewe him selfe in anye place of the worlde consyderinge that he had in this sorte purchased the name of a traitour in the ende beinge moued in conscience he called to god for mercy and then he was fully perswaded to put his truste in God and in Scanderbeg who had dyuerse and sondrie tymes pardoned penitent offendours Then he disguysed him selfe and came into Albania secretly with a corde aboute his necke casting him selfe downe at the feete of Scanderbeg with tremblinge and teares demaunded mercy Then Scāderbeg forthe with put forthe his hande and toke him vp and began to discourse with him euen as thoughe there had ben neuer anye offence made against him discoursing of the practizes that the Turcke had framed against hym Then Scāderbeg commaunded to apparell him honorably and when they had supped he restored him to all his liuinges goodes that before were confiscate in token that he had franckly pardoned him After this when Scanderbeg sawe Moyses faithfull and diligent in all his affares he receaued him into hys faueur as before and accepted him better When the Turcke vnderstode the contynuall victorie of Scanderbeg against him and against his father in his lyfe tyme he gathered a great armie and sent Isaahe Bassa of Romania Captaine generall wyth xl thousand men against Scanderbeg as sone as they were comme into his countre Scanderbeg semed to be in great feare and fiedde into Alessio a Citie of the Vene tianes Then the Turckes were oute of doute of Scanderbeg and so ran ouer his countre at their pleasure euen to the very sea but they coulde rayse no proie great nor
Captaines broughte in foure squadrones of souldiours which they had taken prisoners and presented them to Scanderbeg Then the countie began to be affraied suddenly fayned a Iollitie and sayde he doubted not at all but trusted wholly in the prome◠of Scāderbeg who aunswered beholde I gyue them all to you notwithstandinge that they were all taken before the commaundement was giuen to the armies and then he caused them to be set at libertie in the ende When Scanderbeg had vnderstode the opinion of the coūtie in certaine pointes he aunswered that it was nedefull to take good aduise vpon these matters and to vnderstande the kynges pleasure in that behalfe and to giue aunswere the nexte day folowinge when he had thus sayde they toke leue the one of the other for that it was very late In y e meane tyme as Scanderbeg made hym redye to goe towarde Barletta a souldiour of the counties came to Scanderbeg and showed him that all the parliament that the countye helde with him was but very disceite onely to to delyuer his armye which was so wery that of necessitie they must haue ben ouerthrowen and also for that he had practized with some of his souldiours to se yf y ◠they coulde betraye Scanderbeg and take him lyuinge and this was the onelye cause why he came forth in person oute of his squadrone for yf Scanderbeg had not gyuen eare to him but contynued styll the battayle there is no doubte but that he had ouerthrowen all the armie for they were all redie so wery that they were determyned to yelde them selues Then Scanderbeg more furious then anye Lion cried oute with a terrible voice sayinge O y ◠moste wicked murderer thou countie Iames thou traitour Ganio was it not snfficient for the with crafte and subtilitie in this sorte to auoide the distruction of thy flugguyshe and vnproffitable armie but that thou muste vnder pretence of so poysoned a frindshippe seke to betraie me whiche am innocent Wherfore loke well to thy selfe for to morowe thou shalte be recompensed for thy well doinges when he had thus sayde he departed with his people and went to Barletta and when he had supped he commaunded to gyue his horses prouender and rewarded the souldiour that reueled this matter and departed in the night by the mone lighte w t all his souldiours with him towardes the enemye and whē he came to the place where they encamped y e night before he founde all the armie gone for Zachuria Groppa one of the countes souldiours declared vnto y e coūtie euen as it came to passe wherfore the counte with hys armye departed with spede and went to enrampe to a place that was farre of Then Scāderbeg retorned and the nexte morninge he toke the kinge in companie with him and myngled their souldiours to auoyde strife and then went on folowinge the tracte of the enemie and in shorte tyme they discouered them he caused to marche on the one syde Frederick Duke of Vrbine lieutenante of the popes armie and Alexandre Sforza lieutenante brother to the Duke of Milane who desyred ernestly y ◠they mought so passe ouer then whē they had al things in order they marched on to a Citie called Troia The Duke Iohn with the countie Iames and all his armye were in a Citie called Nucera from Troia viii myles acordinge to the mesure of Apulia betwene whiche two Cities their was a moūtaine called Segiano frō Troia two myles and from Nucera viii myles Scanderbeg therfore knowinge that y e armies must fighte betwene those two Cities rose vp in the nighte and w t his souldiours went and toke that hill and furnished it w t men sufficient to defende it to the ende that yf peraduenture the kings power shoulde be ouerthrowen they mought take that hill and defend them selues the coūtie Iames who in dede was skylfull and of greate experience in warres ment also to take the same hyll and therfore he departed also in the morninge betyme to take the hill when he founde that Scanderbeg had alredye taken it where with he was very sorie and sayde to certaine of his most trustie frinds that he was then oute of al hope of victorie notwithstandinge he lefte not of for that but dyd in euery respecte the office and duetie of a good Captaine exhortinge and encoraginge his souldiours puttinge them also in order acordinge to the tyme place The nexte morning they determyned to gyue battayle and made them redie on bothe sydes enbattayled their people and encountred the fyghte was betwene them most terrible and contynued tyll the euening in y e ende the Dukes armie was so ouerthrowen and spoiled that he was glad that he moughte retorne into Fraunce w t shame and dishonor and with the losse in maner of all his Frenshe bandes in lykewyse the countie Iames w t all the infortunate noble men of Apuglia fled thorowe most difficulte passages euery man his waye and it was the greate grace of god y ◠they escaped with their lyues Then the kynge was deliuered from his enemies with great glorie and triumphe throughe the worthynes of the magnanime puissante and victoriouse prince Scanderbeg After this the aforesayde king Ferrante rode w t Scanderbeg to see yf that he coulde recouer his Cities and townes which he had loste he entred into Naples in great triumphe and afterwarde wente on their iorney notwithstanding manye Cities and townes continued in their former purpose and wolde in no wise obey the king Ferrante but sayde that they wolde rather dye with their weapones in their handes then to yelde them into his wycked handes for they were wel assured that he wolde be reuenged on them and wolde obserue no promise with them but they were contented to yelde them to Scanderbeg vpon his faithefull promes in the ende when the kyng and Scanderbeg had talked togyther it was agreed that the kyng shoulde swere to performe all promes that shoulde be made in his name and that Scanderbeg shoulde promes his subiectes and assure them therof otherwyse they wolde not yelde but wolde fyghte it oute to the vttermost for it semed vnto him a thinge most vnsemely for a Christian prince to breake his faythe which is the seale of his saluation euery Christian is bounde to obserue it euen to his enemyes Then the kyng swore openly that he wolde performe in euery respecte what so euer hys good father Scan. shoulde promise when this was done Scanderbeg wente and assured them all that the kyng shoulde performe his promes in euery respecte and shoulde vse them all as his very fryndes and louinge subiectes by meanes wherof al places whersoeuer he came yelded vnto him but as sone as Scanderbeg entred into any place he caused to set vp the enseignes of the kinge Ferrante and made them swere fidelitie and obedience to y e king In this meane tyme Fusano a Sicillian a man of great prowes a
is good and is the best thing that is vpon the earth and in this sorte thou maiest haue of me what thou wylte Otherwise vnderstande that I wyll defende my selfe and that not withoute thy hurte and shame for I fyghte for the honor of him that wyll helpe me from oure campe the xxv of Iune 1463. As sone as Scanderbeg had sealed this letter he went to horse with al his armie and caried with him the aforesayde ambassadour and went into the Turckes couÌ„trey and raised a great proie and assayled Sfetigarde which of righte shoulde haue ben his and toke the towne and set fire on it notwithstandinge the citadell which stode on the heighte of the hyl was in expungnable wherfore be retorned and toke his leaue of the ambassadour very cortezely declaring to him by mouthe besyde his letter wylling him to saye vnto the Turcke from him that at the comming of the great preest of Rome with the Croisade he wolde comme to satiffie his desyre that he had so greatly to see him and when the ambassadour had taken his leue he rode on of his iorney Then Scanderbeg retorned with his armie into his countrey and distributed the proie vnto them and then gathered them together and sayde My felowes in armes I beseche you be of good chere for yf the Croisade be but as many in nuÌ„ber as the iiii parte of the Turckes power we w t theyr helpe wyll chase him vndoubtedly oute of his domynyons notwithstanding I hope that the Croisade wylbe of farre greater power then his armie shall be and so much the sonner for that that God is with vs and the souldiours are Italianes Frenshemen Spaniardes Englishmen Almaignes HuÌ„garianes Pollonianes Vallaques Schiauoneses Greekes Albaneses besydes oure people and others by whose meanes and by the grace of God I hope that the Turcke shalbe vtterly ruynate and chased oute of his dominiones and his tyranny cleane plucked vp by the rotes and the churche of God to be at rest yf it be the pleasure of God In this meane time y e ambassadour Mustaffa brought Scanderbegs letter to the great Turcke who when he vnderstode the tenour therof was fylled with great furie not withoute excedinge great feare whervpoÌ„ he sent forthewith to all his townes of force and fortes that he thoughte were of most importance and fortifyed then by all meanes possyble then called to him Seremeth beg his Bassa and sent him with xiiii thousande Turckes against Scanderbeg to lye vpon the confines of his countrey for the garde therof and of his Citie that he 〈◊〉 muche estymed called Orchride or els Aeleria which is not farre from Scanderbegs countrey and is neare vnto a certaine lake oute of the which y e ryuer Drino doth ryse in y â— which lake their is great abondance of carpes Trowtes other delicate noble fyshes When Scanderbeg vnderstode of the comming of those Turckes he determyned to seke them althoughe it were a harde matter to deale with them for so much as the one parte of them were lodged within the Citie and the rest w toute not farre from it in this meane tyme their came newes vnto them howe that the pope Pio y e seconde was coÌ„me in person with the Croisade to the Citie of Ancona meaning as sone as the Duke of Venise shoulde comme thy ther to take shyppe and to sayle towardes the Turcks notwithstandinge he fell syke there and in shorte space dyed beinge poysoned acordinge to the opinion of many by certaine hipocrites and false Christianes throughe y â— which the noble Duke of Venise which was then there not onely with his owne armata but also with the aide of dyuerse Christian princes was excedingly amased retorned to Venise much discomforted and in this sorte was the great Croisade frustrate When Scanderbeg contrarie to his expectation vnderstode of this he was stricken with very great sorowe forsomuche as in that was his onely hope Then wyth teares he lifted vp his eyes to the heauens sayinge O most mercifull lorde Iesu Christe very God I doe see y e thyne omnipotent and diuine maiestie fountaine and springe of all goodnes wyll not send forthe this Croisade to the distruction of bothe thine and oure enemies And I feare it is for oure offences which are Christians for that we haue greatly prouoked thee to wrathe wherfore I humbly beseche the for thy mercyes sake by the which thou pardonedst the these hanging on the Crosse thou which arte onely comme to call synners to repentance that it maye please thee to defende vs thy seruantes which doe fyghte daye and nighte in the defence of oure moste Catholique faythe to the ende that the enemyes saye not where is the God of Chrystyanes becomme notwythstandynge thy wyll be done and not oures When Scanderbeg had thus ended his praier he tâ—ned him to his souldiours who w t teares also had praied with him and to comforte them he said My deare frinds feare nothinge but be of good chere for God doth neuer leaue those that put their whole truste in him and doth all thinges for the commoditie of both bodie and soule of his faithfull wherfore we humbly render thanckes vnto his diuine maistie and to morowe we wyll goe to seke the Turckes oure enemyes with whome we wyll fyghte and deale with them acordinge to oure wonte Thre houres before the breake of day Scanderbeg rode with xii thousande horse men and fote men and came neare vnto the Citie of Orchrida aforesayde and spake to his souldiours in this sorte This daye is the vigile of the assumption of the virgine Marie Quene of heuen in honor of whom and for the obedience of the commaundement of holly churche euery faythfull Chrystian dothe fast or at the leaste doth eate fyshe but I doe vse alway to fast and for that confidence and faithe that I haue in her I wyll assuredly promise you that at dyner tyme you shall haue to dyne with as great abondance of good fyshe as euer you sawe wherfore consider that the custumer of this towne is a man of greate welthe stronge lustie and valiante and he wylbe the fyrste that shall comme against vs wherfore see that you giue him place and in no wyse stryke him nor doe him anye hurte but take him for after oure victorie the which I hope we shall obtaine throughe the grace of Marie the Quene of heuen we shall haue plentie of ducates of the same custumer and also as muche fishe as shall suffise you wherfore be of good chere When he had thus sayde he called vnto him Peiche Emanuell and Pietro Agenlo brother to the Arche-Bushope Paulo and appointed to their conducte v. hundred chosen horsemen and gaue them commission to goe neare the towne of Aeleria to prouoke the Turckes to comme for the and as sone as they shoulde come neare vnto them he willed them to flee and to seme to be greatly affraied to drawe them
which made an armie of .13 thousand and .4 hundred chosen men with whom Scanderbeg marched toward Croia and when he came neare y ◠towne he spake in this sorte My lordes and you my good souldiours althoughe oftē times good wordes doe comforte weried and troubled myndes yet I wyl at this present as well encorage you by my dedes as by my wordes for that I doe knowe you to be of noble myndes desyrous to put oure enemie to the flighte wherfore my truste is in god that yf the Turckes whiche doe besege my Citie were as manye moe in number as they are we shall vndoutedly ouerthrowe them and put them to the sworde When he had thus sayde he deuided his armie into two partes committing the one to Nicolo Moneta Vaiuoda of Scutari and sent him ouer thorowe a playne certaine woodes to a certaine stronge place called Gionenemi not far from that place where the Turckes laie in campe before Croia he commaunded the aforesayde Nicolo not to departe from thence in anie wyse vntyll that he herde him shote of certaine Cannones which he dyd acording to his promes In this meane tyme Scanderbeg went with the reste of his armye and vpon the sudden toke the heighte of the moūte Canino in dispite of the enemies and determyned to councell with the aforesayde Nicolo of what sorte to procede Balaban hauing intelligence of the comming of Scanderbeg went forthwith to Croia requiringe them to yelde the towne vpon Conditiones making them of the towne greate promesses in the behalfe of his Maister perswading him selfe that hy these meanes he shoulde obtaine victorie acording to the intelligence that was gyuen him whervpon he had exhorted his armie to be of good chere declaring to them that yf they moughte haue the towne delyuered vnto them that then he wolde with his armie lodge in the towne and wolde not care for the comming of Scanderbeg yf that he shoulde happen to comme but yf that it so chansed y ◠they dyd not obtaine it he wolde leuye his campe and departe thence whyles Balaban loked for aunswere there sorted forthe of the towne certaine souldiours to scarmoche with his people Then he beinge exceding wrothe and oute of al hope of recouerie of the towne with his souldiours that were then with him gallopped towarde them to gyue a charge on them but the Christianes perceauing it drewe neare y ◠towne vnder the defence of the shotte whervpon George Alesy an Albanese discharged his harquebuze and strake Balaban vnder the chin into the throte and gaue him hys deathes woonde not withstanding this great blowe Balaban fel not but put spurres to his horse and gallopte to his tente when the Turckes vnderstode of this and also that the mounte Crina was alredie taken they abandoned the seege and beinge greatly affraied conueid them selues spedylye in to the feelde named Tiranna Then Scanderbeg fynding no man to resyste hym went downe into Croia and caused to bringe into the towne all the meale barly and other victuales that were lefte in the Turckes campe whiche were sufficient to sustaine them of the Towne for one whole yere when he had this done he lodged in the Citie and sent certaine bandes to take the passages and straites thorowe the which the Turckes must passe for he determyned to seke them and to gyue them battayle That same very euening came two Turckes of acompte to Scanderbeg desyring him in the name of their whole armie to gyue them their lyues and that they wolde with one consent gyue him willingly all that they had and excused them saying that they were enforced to comme to that seege by the commaundement of their prince whose breade they dyd eate so that with great humiletie they desyred Scanderbeg to graunt them that which he neuer denied to their fathers when Scanderbeg had herde y ◠requeste of the Turckes he commaunded them with a fryndly contenaunce to be well lodged in a faire pauillion and to be honorably entertayned After this the aforesayde Scanderbeg called to him the aforesayde lieutenante w t the noble lordes Ducagini and other lieutenantes mē of great vertue vnto whom he declared the request of y ◠Turckyshh armie requiring their aduise and aunswere Iosaphat Barbaro which the Venetianes had sent into Albania to be contynually in company with Scanderbeg spake fyrste and sayde that he wolde doe nothinge but what shoulde please Scanderbeg to commaūde him wherfore he wolde doe as it shoulde seme good to Scanderbeg in this matter After this spake Leche Ducagino very franckly saying Embetha which in oure tonge signifieth vpon them for that he thoughte it not requisite to vse mercy towardes infydels but to cut them in peces of the same opinion were dyuerse other noble men and Captaines of great value Then Scanderbrg spake vnto them saying you noble men and you worthye Captaines I truste in the lorde and am well assured that yf we shall happen to encountie the Turckes we shall sone defeicte them Notwithstanding for that they are y e choyse of all the Turckyshe armie and nowe becomme desperate and determined in dede to emploie their hands and for that also that the ende of warres is doubtefull and that god for oure offences shoulde permitte them to haue the victorie as it maye well comme to passe It shoulde be the ruyne of vs all Wherfore to plaie suer it semeth to me reasonable that we respecte the attempte vntyll suche tyme as Croia be supplied with victualles and other necessaries for manye yeres and then to goe on to encountre them with assurance of mynde and to ouerthrowe them for so muche as they can escape in no wyse for that the passages are alredie taken The opinion of Scanderbeg was wel lyked of many and of others not lyked at all and chiefely of suche as were subiectes to the Venetianes who desyred ernestly to be reuenged of the Turckes and of some others which had not experimented the force of y ◠Turckes very often Then Scanderbeg called for the two Turckes aforesayde and wylled them to declare vnto the whole armie that as they came not with his license to besege his Citie no more shulde they departe oute of his countre with his license In this meane tyme be sent his armie to y ◠Ryuer Isimi where he had a great number of shippes loded w t corne meale biskete and other victuales and caused all to be vnloded with spede so that in thre dayes he furnished Croia for syre yeres And then went with all spede to encountre the Turcks but he had taryed a longe for they in these thre dayes seinge them selues so assayled wyth famyne went to the passages and passed of force not w t oute greate slaughter and spoyle of their mē and in this sorte fled Then euery man in maner was sory and murmored against Scanderbeg and layd the whole faute of their escape vpon him but he with his great cortesye
baÌ„des encountred the enemy and chased them home to theyr very lodginges flewe a great number of them the bruite of this came fleeing to Rome and forthewith it was holdeÌ„ for a great victorie immediatly the people woldâ— nedes that the gouernement shoulde be equally deuided betwene Fabius and Minurius a thinge or that tyme neuer seen Fabius endured al these thinges patiently and retorned to his campe they were then two dictators Minutius throughe this lytle sparke of good happe dyd clene forget him selfe and toke vpon him withoute the aduise of Fabius to giue battaile which Anibal being often victorious durste scarcely doe Minutius being an arrogante ambitious and prowde man and not of great iudgment in the discipline of the warres caused Fabius to stand in great doute lest that he being thus excidingly puffed vp in pride shulde take in hand some matter that mought greatly hurte the coÌ„mon welth wherfore he came to Minutius and deuided with him the armye thinc king it better for him to gouerne only some parte of the army then coÌ„fusedly with his insolent companion to gouerne the whole WhervpoÌ„ he toke to him the first and fourth part of the Romane souldiours and gaue to Minutius the second and third part the lyke dyd he by the souldiours that they cal aydes when Minutius sawe him self dictator equal with Fabius and that he had an armie at his commaundement he was in great triumphe Fabius badde him to take hede and to confider that nowe it was not with Fabius that he must haue to doe but with Aniball and vpon this Fabius caused his drommes and trompetts to sound and marched oute of the campe and went to a grounde that he lyked and there encamped with his people Anibal vnderstanding of this approched neare to them both and encamped in a ground of strength and had betwene him and his enemies grounde very apte to ambushe his people in and when he sawe Minutius deuided from Fabius he thought it good to present the battayle to Minutius and in the night ordained and placed his ambushes and appointed them a signe at the which they shoulde salie When the daye came he sent certaine bands to take a hill not far from Minutius to prouoke him to battayle Minutius forthwith sent forthe his lighte armed men and attached the scaramoche and seing Anibal to supplie froÌ„ tyme to tyme with freshe bandes those souldiours that he had sent to take the hâ—ll he put his whole armie in order and marched forth and ioyned with the enemy in battaile the fyght was cruel the Carthaginenses retired and fought contynually vntyll such time as they had drawne him past their ambushes then Aniball gaue his sygne wherâ—pon the ambushes discouered them selues and assayled the Romanes behinde them with great rumor noyse and slaughter when Minutius torned him and sawe the disorder that was amonge his people and his Captaines fleing he soughte to saue hym selfe also by flyghte whervpon the Numidan horsemen folowed the chase and made great slaughter of the disorderid Romanes When Fabius sawe the Romanes in this extremitie the which he suspected in the begynning of the battayle he went to a certayne place from whence he mought beholde the whole mattet and seing the Romanes gathered in the middest of their enemies strake his hand vpoÌ„ his thyghe and with a great sighe sayd in the presence of al those that were with him O Hercule soÌ„ner then I wolde haue wished not so sone as he him selfe wolde Minutius hath vndone him selfe and his whervpon he commaunded his armie to marche and said O souldiours whosoeuer doth nowe thincke vpon Minutius let him make hast and consider that he is a worthy man one that loueth his countâ—e and although it hath not happned acording to his desyre that he moughte put the enemies to flyght we shall here after haue time to blame him for it Then he encountred the Numidianes charged them and put them to flyght and marched on and encountred those that were laide in ambushe in the nyght and assayled the Romanes behynd them in the battayle he slewe them that the reste of the Carthagtnenses seyng this began to fle When Anibal sawe his people fle and Fabius a farre of very fiercely amoÌ„ge the Carthagynenses he left of any furder executing of the Romanes and commaunded to sound to the standard and then retorned to his lodginge and suffred the Romanes to passe to their campe withoute any further slaughter it is said that beiÌ„g at his lodging talking of Fabius he said haue not I often times told you that yonder mist that laie alway vpoÌ„ the hill wolde make vs one day very foule wether I haue this day ouercome Minutius and Fabius hath ouercome me When the battaile was ended Fabius coÌ„mauÌ„ded his souldiours to take the spoyle of the ded enemyes and then retorned to his campe and notwithstanding this great victorye he neuer caste in the tetle of his companion his euill gouernement When Minutius came to his campe he spake to his souldiours in this sorte My companions in armes there is nothing more peryllous to a man then to fayle in gerat matters and wheÌ„ he seith his owne default it is the part of a wise maÌ„ to obey vnto him that hath giueÌ„ him good admonition althoughe that I haue good occasioÌ„ to be offended with fortune yet I must confesse that I am much bounde to her for that she hath gyuen me to vnderstand eueÌ„ in an instante that I not beyng able to commaunde others shoulde submitte my selfe to the rule of others Wherfore let vs goe to the fyrst dictator and render hym thancks and I promyse you that I wyll be the fyrst both to thancke him and to yelde him obedience when he had thus spoken he commaunded to take downe the Egles which were the banners of gouernement and marched with them to the lodgings of Fabius and being comme to the market place he went streight to his tent and there dyd set vp the Egles with great noyses and when Fabius came forth of his tent he came called him father and his sâ—uldiours saluted the souldiours of Fabius by the name of patrones or Maisters When silence was commaunded Minutius sayd to Fabius thou hast in one instante obtayned two victories thou hast ouercomme thyne enemye by force and thy companion by counsell and cortezie wherfore I maye iustly call the most worthy father who hath saued both me and my people then serued vnder him as generall of the horsemen as before Hereby it appereth that where thinges shall take good effecte â–ª it must nedes be that the souldiours be broughte vp in discipline and that the generall be able to iudge of discipline as for example liuie in hys thirde Boke of his fyrst decade dothe well declare that it was not onely an armie of trained souldiours that dyd ouerthrowe the people called Volsci and Equi but that also the consules chiefe officers of the
greate pece of the daye withoute anye aduantage of eyther side but at the laste a certayne number of the Mamalukes marched on so closely in order that they were as stronge as a mightie walle and charged the Turckes with such force that they not beyng able to endure the force and power of the Mamalukes and their horses were enforced to disorder and breake their ranckes and by meanes therof gaue them waye to enter their squadrone when they were comme to the Gianizzaries they disordered them also and passed on vntyll they came to their enseig nes where the Turcke was in person and he seinge his people thus in disorder and that there was no meanes to holde them togyther and to kepe them in order he cōmaunded his maister Cannoniers to discharge all their artillerie at one Instante vpon them the noyse of the artillerie was suche that the horses of the Mamalukes coulde not endure it but retorned backe and ran awaye scattering all ouer the feelde in dispite of those that rode them and thus by flighte lefte vnto their enemyes that victorie which they had all redie in their handes they had not loste of their people before the discharge of that volee of shotte scarcely one thousand The souldiours of Scilin seinge the flyghte of their enemyes began to encorage them selues and folowed them making great flaughter of them The Soldane behaued him selfe that daye lyke a worthie man and dyd not omitte any thing that appertained to a worthy Captaine and had sondrie tymes that daye supplied with great discression where nede was and where his people were in disorder and began to flee whervpon he was enforced to vse both sayre wordes pro messes and threatinges by these meanes had dyuerse tymes that day staied them from roning awaye and putting them in order agayne soughte to renewe the fyghte but he founde them so amased stonied by meanes of the noyse of the artillerie to the whiche they were not acustomed that they lainge a syde all reuereuce dyd not once hercken to any worde y e he speake but contynued styll their flyghte and disorder and when the Soldane sawe that he was lefte of his souldiours and alone vpon the feelde he wolde not comme on lyue into the handes of his enemyes wherfore he folowinge after his people soughte to saue him selfe by flighte but being ercedingly hote and faintie in his armour for so much as he had taken vpon him y e day great trauaile and had continued the hole day on horsebacke withoute receauing meate or dryncke in the ende beinge vtterly weried and with the force of the presse of those y e came after him who being so affraied that they flede continually in a confused sorte hauing no regarde to their duetye but euery man made shyste for one amonge them he was ouerthrowen both horse and man and beings once downe being an aged man his armour of great weyghte he coulde no more ryse and hauinge loste hys force sensses gaue vp his spirite amonges their horses fete and this was the end of Campsone Cairo Soldane of Babilone a noble personage and of greate vertue who founde the kingdome of Egipte and Soria so consumed and spoyled by cyuyll dissention and warres y ◠in shorte tyme their were staine amonge them selues in these esmotiones foure Soldanes when this man had accepted the gouernance he so reformed it by his great wysdome and Iustice encreasyng it both with reputation and obedience in such sorte that he brought it to an exceding great quietnes and tranquilitie so that for y ◠space of .xvi. yeres wherein he had gouerned they had not onely not experimented what the warres were but also not herde them once named amonge them in all y ◠kingdome of Egipte and Soria After this when the nighte came the enemyes fled faste towarde Aleppo lefte the feelde and also their campe withoute defence in proie to the enemies but Selim mistrusting y e fynesse of the Mamalukes wolde not that nyghte enter into their campe but encampted where the battayle was soughte and helde a great pece of his armye all y ◠nyght in battayle and when it was day he sent certaine vante corriers to vewe the campe of the enemyes who fynding it withoute defendantes gaue suche aduertizemēt whervpon Selim marched with his armye and entred y ◠campe and founde the lodginges of the Soldane full of riches and gaue it in proie to his souldiours and when he vnderstode that Gazzele with the rest of y e Soldanes Captaines were departed from Aleppo in the fourthe watche and gone to Dammasco he marched on to Aleppo and when he came thyther Caserbeio whiche was gouernour there for the Soldane withoute making any resystance at all went forth to hym and yelded hym the towne and being maruelously embraced and honoured by Selim confyrmed the opinion of many which was y e he had alwaye ben a traitour to the Soldane and had in telligence with Selim and also that he had aduertized him of the comming of the Soldane into Soria and exhorted him to leue the enterprise of Persta and to take in hand that of Soria against the Soldane when Selim was entred into Aleppo he graunted y e Citizens many liberties and being greatly oppressyd by the impositiones and taxes which the Soldane laid vpon them he meaning to gratifie them and to preserue the great traffique and encourage the marchantes that there were others also to comme thyther with their marchandize he released dyuerse of the impositiones and also diminished a parte of the custumes of the marchandize when he had contynued there certaine dayes he receaued aduertizement that all the Mamalukes that were lefte liuing at the ouerthrowe of Aleppo with Gazzele which was y e cheife Captaine amonge them then considering that the lorde of Damasco was slayne in the battayle were determyned to goe and to create a newe Soldane whervpon they departed from Soria and rode towarde Cairo Selim departed from Aleppo and marched on to warde Damasco and when he was comme before the Citie with hys armye they of the Citie thought it not good by resystance to put bothe them selues and y ◠they had in peryll whervpon they sent forth to Selim Oratours and graunted him the Citie vpon condittion to enioye bothe their lyues and goodes when Selim had accepted their offer he entred into the Citie beinge accompained onely with his garde leuinge all the rest of his armye withoute in campe bycause the Citie shoulde not by molested nor greued nor the straunge marchantes that there were oute of all partes of the worlde the Cities of Soria which stande vpon the sea coaste folowed the example of Aleppo and Damasco and the principall of them were Tripolli Sindonia Baruti and Tolemarde which yeldyd and receaued dyuerse bandes of the Soldiers of Selim into them Selim determyniing to establishe the gouernement of Soria called a coū cell in Damasco and thyther
lesser for that he commaunded them before hand to flee with their goods and cattell into places of force and securitie so that the Turckes founde them selues greatly deceaued and abused the same nighte they lodged vpoÌ„ the syde of the ryuer called Mathia and rested them as thoughe they had ben at home in their countrey but Scanderbeg enemye of all sluggishenes the daye folowinge aboute nonne came with his 7. thousand horsemeÌ„ to a mountaine whiche ioyned to the plaine where they encamped then with certaine of his Captaines went vp to the toppe of the hill to consyder and beholde in what strengthe his enemyes dyd lye and whether he moughte haue anye occasyon to assayle them vpon the sudden When Scanderbeg was vpon the heighte of the mountaine he sawe the Turckes lying withoute garde vnder the trees in shodowe and in their tentes for it was in the hotest tyme of the sommer and in the myddest of the daye wherfore he departed from the mountaine and went to horse with all his souldiours and began to ryde in greate hast towarde the Turckes met with their scoute and slewe them immediatly al sauing one who with the spede of his horse escaped to y e campe crying in this sorte Scanderbeg is bere Scanderbeg is here But ScaÌ„derbeg in person folowed him and coulde not ouergett him for that he had so muche grouÌ„de before him at the first Then ScaÌ„derbeg coÌ„maunded to sownde the alarme with all suche instrumentes as they had and then gaue in vpon them with suche force vnprouided as they were that in the fyrst charge he put them in suche disorder and flyghte as was meruelouse to se so that he slewe of them there 30. thousaÌ„d vpon the place and all y e euer y e Sangiacho Amesabeg neuewe to Scanderbeg rebelle against him coulde doe or saye coulde not staye them from ronning awaye wherfore in the ende thys same Amesabeg with Mesithebeg bothe Sangiachi w t 500. Turckes moe were taken prisoners and Isaach the Bassa with suche scatered Turckes as were lyuing fled and was folowed for a certaine tyme and great execution done vpon his people After this Scanderbeh deuided the spoyle to his souldiours acording to his acustumed order there were slayne of his souidiours 60. This done he retorned to his confynes and made acourse into the countre of his enemies and sacaged it burned a greate parte therof and retorned into his countre with an exceding great boutie safely gaue thancks to God for his great victorie The Turcke rested not for this but sent newe bands to garde his confynes with two other Captaines y e one of them was named Hannebeg and the other Sinanbeg with expressed commaundement not to deale with Scanderbeg nor to enter his countre onles they receaued froÌ„ him other commissyon and this he dyd for that he sawe he coulde not ouercome Scanderbeg and therfore he determyned to proue yf he moughte preuayle against some other princes wherfore he toke in hand fyrst the enterprise against the Imperiall Citie of Constantinople in shorte tyme toke it flewe the Emperour therof with an infinite number of Citizens and other Christians then conquered al his state in the yere 1453. After this he went against the afore named Dispotto of Seruia a prince of great welthe possessinge a maruelous masse of golde and siluer by meane of certaine mines that he had not withstandinge he chased him oute of his countre in the yere 1459. After this he went against the kinge of Bossina and toke him caused him to be sawed a sonder in the middest and toke his state Then Scanderbeg beholdinge the great prosperitie of his enemye in the preiudice and subuersion of the Catholique faithe threating also to take the countres of dyuerse Christian princes determined to goe and encouÌ„tre with the two Captaines aforesayd In this meane tyme the ambassadours of the pope Pio the. 2. and of the kinge Ferrante kinge of Puglia and of Scicile passed the Fero and went to Scanderbeg saying moste noble prince we gyue thyne excellentie to vnderstande in the behalfe of oure lordes and Masters that the Duke Iohn soÌ„ne to the king Renato of FrauÌ„ce is comme with a great power of Frenshe men into the kingdome of Sicille against your deare frinde the king Ferrante and there are reuolted against the kinge takinge parte with the aforesayde Duke the princes of Taranto and Bossano with the greatest part of the nobilitie of that kingdome and he hathe entertained in his paie y e CouÌ„tie Iames Piocinino with all his regiment so that his armie is very great and stronge and he hath alredie conquered the whole kingdome sauinge onelye Napls Capua Auersa Gaieta Troia and Barletta where the king is nowe straitely beseeged and in daunger to be taken and the power of the pope and y e kinge can not passe ouer to succour him wherfore the popes hollynes and oure kinge also desyre your highnes in most ernest wise that it maie please you to comme into Puglia in his fauour and when the ambassadours had this sayde they presented vnto him the popes bulles w t the kinges letters wherin there was conteyned y e lyke of that which they had declared by mouthe Then Scanderbeg beinge greatly affected towardes the popes hollynes and the holly catholique churche of Rome and for that also he was entred into great fryndshippe with the kinge Alfonso father to Ferrante fermer and tributarie to the aforesayde Byshoppe he determyned to ayde him with all his power possyble and so after great entertainemeÌ„t made to the ambassadours he licensed them in very cortese sorte and forthe w t sent one of his chiefe Captaines his Nephewe named Cairo Stroisio a man of great vnderstandinge and worthines with 500. chosen horsemen who passed the sea and landed in that parte of the countre that yet helde for the kinge Ferrante where he dyd great good by meanes of his worthines In the meane tyâ—e Scanderbeg made a treues forone yere with the Tâ—â—cke by meanes wherof he had as good oportunitie as he coulde haue wyshed for so muche as shortely before the ariuale of the ambassadours aforesayd there came a messager from y e Turcke to demauÌ„de peace of Scanderbeg but he was departed w toute grauÌ„t therof for he was fully determyned to deale with the Turckes Captaines that laie vpon the confynes but as sone as he vnderstode of this he sent his curreuers after the ambassadour and caused him to retorne and then concluded the aforesaid trewse After this he committed his state into the handes of his welbeloued wife and others his most faithful frinds and appointed to defend them a worthie Captaie with sufficient number of souldiours and when he had hired a greate number of shyppes and galleys and other vesselles for y e sea he caused his armie to embarcke in them beinge well furnished of horses and coursers of greate price and with aboundance of virtuall