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A37386
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A letter to the most illustrious Lord, the Count of Hohenlo one of the imperial generals. Written by a gentleman in the army of Count Serini before Canisia. Concerning the renegades amongst the Turks. Put into English by a person of quality. With allowance, June 10. 1664. Roger Le Strange.
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N.R.D.
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1664
(1664)
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Wing D73; ESTC R216708
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3,444
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11
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A LETTER To the Most Illustrious Lord The Count of Hohenlo One of the Imperial Generals Written by a Gentleman in the Army of Count Serini before Canisia Concerning the RENEGADES amongst the TURKS Put into English by a Person of Quality With Allowance June 10. 1664. ROGER LE STRANGE LONDON Printed by John Redmayne 1664. My LORD SInce your generous Humor leads you to oblige without either hope of desire of a return finding my self in the number of those whose obligations can never be cancelled I have endeavoured by this paper Mercury to testifie to your Lordship how willingly I would catch at any opportunity to shew my self grateful though I cannot quit scores I remember when I had last the honour of your converse you were lamenting the fate of Christendome that nothing should be so destructive of her interest as a sort of people that falling into the hands of Infidels either through cowardize or ambition quit the reverence they owe to the blessed Iesus and renounce a Religion as glorious in its Author as eternal in its Verity and surely the complaint was so just that I dare say upon the strictest enquiry into the many Enemies that continually watch for the ruine of Europe we shall finde no such Arguses as the Renegades who having once become banquerout in Religion account it glorious to shew their passion for their new embraced in pieties and in their hatred to their once fellow Christians out-vie ever natural Turks The truth of this I have sufficiently experimented since my coming before Canisia in which place a considerable number of these monsters are amongst some of the prisoners we have taken I have met with here and there one of good judgement in affairs who have assured me that the most considerable persons and such as are able to give Christianity the most deadly blow are the Renegades now in pay with the Turk Italians French Germans Spaniards English c. who being well skill'd in the military part of the Mathematicks of which and all other Species of good Learning the Turks are wholly ignorant have ever the charge of the Artillery are the Daemons that shew them the Modern way of attaquing places and the newest mode of regulating Armies amongst us and indeed teach them all the Warlike Inventions which the most refined Wits have studied and happily brought to perfection Nay one of them in pursuance of a large discourse he made me of the damage and injuries these Vipers do to Christendome did not stick to affirm that a Renegade in high esteem with this Prime Visier was the grand Springe that put the Turks in motion now against the Emperour and besides the allegation of the differences Christian Princes foment amongst themselves by other arguments more pleasing to the Turkish Gusto pleaded the Necessity in point of Honour and Facility in point of Success if the War were once commenced Neither is it my Lord incredible that the Turk with so great a power should like a flood come in upon us at the perswasions of these kinde of men for upon the same account he formerly undertook such expeditions Sultan Soliman would rather have contented himself with the delights of his Seraglio then ever attempted to besiege Malta with such a numerous Army had not the charms of the Renegade Piali pusht him upon that designe Yea Mahomet the second would not have besieged Rhodes where it pleased God to signalize the bravery of the Christians in raising that siege had not the Renegades perswaded him and in particular one Anthony Meligabi a Native of that very Isle the perfile whereof he gave to the Sultan And I must needs say they have rendred the Ottoman Family and Empire so many meritorious services that a great part of their Grandeur must be acknowledged the effect of their Counsel and Courage I shall take liberty to look back into former times and give your most Excellent Lordship a summary account of their Enterprizes I will beginne with Ibraim Bassa so fatal to our Hungary This grand Personage heing a Child of Tribute for the Turk all over his Dominions takes one in three from the Christians was a Native of Parga a Village of Greece betweene the City of St. Maur and Corfeu and being a youth of a comly presence and noble spirit was sent to the Service of Solyman the Second in the life of his Father Selim this young Prince being then at Adrinopolis the Turkish Emperours having a Custome to bring up their Children out of the Seraglio and Briantine Port whether they are never brought untill the decease of their Father Ibraim grew not so fast in years as he towred up in the favour of Solyman and seemed to be the Soul that gave life and motion to this Prince who no sooner mounted the Emperial Throne but he heaped so many honours and favours upon this Creature of his that the world might easily judge he intended him for that Colosse on whose shoulders he resolved to lay the burden of that vast State Now he is Grand Vizier and Lievtenant General of the Empire who being a great Souldier and incomparable Statesman put his Master upon those heroick actions that made our Hungary and the Isle of Rhodes the just subjects of his Magnificent triumphs To whose courage doe the Turks owe the Cities and Kingdomes of Tunis and Algier but to Ariadeno Barbarossa a Greek Renegade and Native of Metelin and who so bravely defended the City of Algier in the year 1541. when the glorious Emperour Charles V. besieged it but Assan Aga a Native or Sardignia It was close begirt by Sea and Land with a potent Army and yet he had the fortune to repel all the Impressions made by so many excellent Cavaliers and see them sent to their last home I might here mention that famous Captain Scipio Cigale son of the Viscount Cigale who passing out of Sicily into Spain was taken prisoner and carried to Constantinople where renouncing his Religion he grew into so great esteem with the Sultan that he raised him to the Dignity of a Bassa and made him General of divers great Armies with which he enlarged the Ottoman Territories and his own Reputation But I shall content my self with the Actions and Fortunes of that great Renegade Nasuff so famous in this Century and nigher your Lordships memory this Nasuff was the son of a Greek Priest about Salonica who being brought young to Constantinople so well managed his Fortune that at 25 years of Age he was employed in the overseeing a Mosque which the Sultaness caused to be built and having fortunately performed that office by her had the charge of the Seraglio given him and all her domestick affairs But here he stopt not for being the childe of Fortune and destined to the highest Honours and Employs she quickly brought him to the knowledge of Sultan Hohmet the first who from Offices in his Seraglio advanced him to be Bassa of Aleppo and dignified him with the Government of Mesopotamia yea the Emperour finding him to be one of a designing spirit ambitious to undertake great things after the death of Serdar Bassa gave him his Estate and made him grand Vizier and that he might have opportunity to shew his address and courage in Military expeditions made him General of his Army against the Persians who were so beaten by him that they were enforced to sue for a Peace as dishonourable to themselves as advantagious to the Turks Thus encircled with the beams of glory and honour he enters Constantinople receiving the plaudit of the Grandees of the Port and as a further accession to his felicities one of the Sultans daughters in marriage but in fine this Ingrate hoping to make himself Soveraign of Mesopotamia in reward of his perfidiousness had all his greatness choaked with a Bow-string Thus my Lord I have given you some small remarques of the services formerly perform'd by these Renegades to the Ottoman Empire and can we think they are less active now No no the same maximes that lead them in the last Age to the prosecution of the most infamous designs survive in the breasts of these who conscious to themselves of the highest crimes think there is no safety but in continuing to be still worse We had been masters of Canisia before now had these serpents left their hissing and continual sollicitings to endure the utmost extremity rather then yeild yea the most Intelligent persons I can any where encounter assure me the last year the Turks had not been so cruel where they came had not these devils like so many Mufties perswaded the natural Turks and for that no great store of Rhetorick was requisite that Christians were the best Victimes they could offer up to their Prophet Mahomet The truth is that Impostor having taught in his Alchoran that his Law was to be planted with Sword in hand there are no such people in the world to put that doctrine in practise as these Renegades who having quitted a Religion innocent and pure and such as bids the Sword to be sheathed are the readiest to commit all kind of cruelties and murders having a religious pretence to justifie them So that my Lord it will concern all Christian Princes to watch narrowly these Phaetons that have already fired so great a part of Christendom and will undoubtedly endeavour to proceed further if by severe animadversions they be not frighted from joyning with those profest enemies of Christianity for it is certain many of these Renegades now in Command are such as voluntarily and at years of discretion espoused that Interest To conclude That God Almighty would favourably shine on the Empire and give all Christian Monarchs a resolution to combine against the common Enemy and amongst the many brave persons that fight under the Banner of the Cross preserve your Excellency shall be the prayer of From Canisia May 15th Stil Nov. 1664. Most Illustrious Lord Your most humble and faithful Servant N. R. D.