in great loue and estimation of the people he was in his owne person of a Princely presence full of affability Court complement yet neuerthelesse ambitions cruell a great dissembler not letting to kisse whom he meant to kill sparing no mans death whose life withstood his purpose He was heard once say to a secret friend of his that that man was to be held vnworthy the stocke of all Noblenesse that yéelded his honour to vassalage whose fortunes might attaine to Soueraignty whereby discouering his owne affections he made himselfe transparant thinking that if his words were brought in question his power was able to defend them This Vansusces greatnesse gane principall matter for the Emperours distrust knowing well that his ambition once ioyned with the peoples hate against him whose natures are euer wout to follow Nobility there might be raised a dangerous faction for the preuention or méeting whereof his friends councelled him to strengthen his vnassured estate by mariage in the alliance of some forreine Prince for the furtherance whereof there was a young Lady at that time of Princely birth and admirable beauty as yet vncontracted in the Court of Poland Thither with great preparations were Embassadors with great expedition sent the principall of whom was a young Nobleman and kinsman to the Empereur called Tragus that bare chiefe place and honor who being honorably entertained in Poland found their dissignes happely succéede to their desires for in short time this young Lady was withall solemnity affianced to this yong Prince a great ioynture granted a rich dowry constituted and the Embassadour richly rewarded withall spéed richly returned into Rushia The Emperour embraceth the newes and his kinsman for them kisseth the Ladies picture confirmes the Articles exhausteth his treasure holds himselfe poore in the riches of his hope makes great preparations for his iourney into Poland still languishing in his desire to sée the substance of that beauty whose shaddowe onely had so incenced his fancy that that séemed to be true in him which was written by Plutarch vpon the languishments of Marcus Anthonius to Cleopatra Quéene of Egypt that the soule of a Louer liues not in his owne but in anothers bodie CHAP. 2. The Emperour Demetrius descends in person into Poland with an honorable traine and is there with all solemnity espoused to the Polish Princesse returneth into Rushia bringing with him sixe thousand Poles for his guard ALL things being in sumptuous manner prepared the Emperour Demetrius setteth forward towards Poland committing the gouernment of his Empire in his absence to certaine of his Noblemen whom he especially trusted constituting his Kinsman Tragus for his Vicegerent The people stocke from all parts to sée him but neither with outward acclamations nor inward desires of ioy which neuerthelesse he little respected supposing that this new alliance with Poland had so strengthned his estate as he should not need to feare any intestine innouasion and from forreine inuasions he was secured howbeit there were some that iudging of future centingents by the present times condition foresaw that this mariage and disposings of it might hereafter proue his confusion as indeed it did Howbeit we will not now mingle his present pleasures with vnseasonable feares of future troubles but bring him in all honorable and delightfull manner out of his owne territories into the Kingdome of Poland where in all places he found his entertainment to answer his estate and to excéed his expectation After many honorable stayes and méetings with many Princes and Nobles of Poland he came at last to Court the King lying then at Craccow the chiefe City in Craconia and the principall Seate of the Kingdome here he found all the honors that his heart could desire and sawe the rarest beauties that his eyes could behold but that which most pleased him was the sight of her whose beauty at first sight did so rauish him with astonishment that his eyes and other parts with outward complements were driuen to executs his tongues office in discouering his inward thoughts for he wanted words to expresse his Ioye Here feasting the time and his owne desires with banquets imbracements dances and other amorous delights at last the long wisht for day appeared wherein the solemnity and authority of the Church should consumate their hopefull longings with those happy imbrasings and that true touch of ioy that languishing Louers féele in the heigth of pleasure which then is at the full when with simpathy of affection that swéete is mutually tasted betwéene them with reciprocall desire as it was betwixt these two Louers in whom no compulsary consent did enforce mariage neither was there any incompacible bloud betwéene them to ouer-sway or dull affection for they were both of equall yéeres and both of them the most perfect and absolute frames of nature that liued at that time in that part of the world But at last all things being finished with the time for this Princely mariage they begin to prepare for their departure a new desire therein stirring them both him to reuiew his natiue Kingdome and her to behold that land whereof she was now stiled Empresse The King and Quéene of Poland a great part of the Nobility and the richest beauties of the Court accompany them to the Frontiers of Rushia the high-wayes townes and villages being strewed with flowers and swéet smelling herbes as if the ground had seemed too base to carry these Princely personages the people flocking from all parts to sée the blazing Comets of these two kingdomes whose beauties attracted all mens eyes with wonder to behold them At last the day of parting came wherein these two yong Louers hauing taken their leaues with seuerall tokens of ioy and sorrow held on their way by their appointed Iournals first to Smalensco the chiefe City in the Dukedome of Seueare where the Emperours Kinsman Tragus in honorable manner met them here staying awhile to rest and solace themselues within few dayes they departed holding on their conrse from thence to the great City of Mosco where by the directions of the Prince Tragus they were with all State and Magnificence entertained Here they liued a while in all delights and pleasure Who would haue thought that this Sunne thus shining but in his morning beauty could so suddenly haue found an Eclipse in this Horizon euen in the high-way of his ascending glory But O the incertainty of terrene pleasures this light that brought so great a luster to so great a Nation was by the same people whom it beheld with so faire an aspect suddenly extinct by the malignancie of Fate and opposite Enuy as you shall further heare The Emperour Demetrius brought with him out of Poland six thousand Souldiers well appointed to whom he gaue the guard of his person distrusting the ūdelity of his owne subiects which the rather did incense the Muscouite against him and in short time proued the cause of his vtter ouerthrowe CHAP. 3. The Emperours guard of Poles abuse his
also in the change of Vansusces fauour and countenance for it is commonly so with Vsurpers when their turnes are serued by such Ministers whohauing made all the vse of them they can they conuert their seruices done into iniuries especially where there is an expectation of rewarde aboue merit for benefites with tyrants are of no longer pleasure than they can with ease restore them that once transcended they study not how to reward but to kill for Glasco supposed that his seruices to Vansusce were of such woorth and greatnes that halfe the Empire had béene scarse his recompence Demetrius therefore striuing to worke vppon this his discantent and that by him some meanes might be wrought for the surprise of the Citty sent secretly his Lecters vnto Glasco wherein after hee had touched but in gentle termes his disloyalty he willed him to consider that there was no way for him to recouer the loue and opinion both of God and man but to vntreade againe those steppings of treason which from a corrupt minde his guiltie féete had before trodden promising him in the word of a Prince that if hée would find meanes for him to enter the Citty hée would not onely pardon what was past but restore him againe into his wonted place and fauour These Letters being intercepted were brought to Vansusce who presently caused this traytour to be committed to prison where hauing a long time endured much miserie hée was at last arraigned and condemned and finally were he faulty were hée faultlesse hée was executed in the Mosco a fit death for such a life There were many others of his confederacie which because I knew not their names I would not mention their actions but this I deliuer from report that none of them all died their naturall death onely one excepted that yet liues in a pelting Village in Ruscia poore wretched miserable and hated of all the world CHAP. 10. King Charles of Swethland sendeth an army of twelue thousand Souldiers into Ruscia vnder the command of Pontus de la Gard a French Coronell the Ruscians ioyne with them and remooue the Leager the Emperour Demetrius flees againe into the Dukedome of Colloge NOw must the miseries of Ruscia be augmented by the comming of this Armie compounded of so many Nations English French and Scots For though they came as a friend and for their aide yet who can stay an Armie from spoile and rapine which the vnhappy Ruscian found true in the pursuite of this bloudy warre not onely in their goodes and cattelles but euen in their wiues and daughters which in all places were made a prostituted prey to the lustfull appetite of the Souldiers It was about the beginning of Summer that this Army of King Charles descended into Ruscia vnder the commaund oâ— the aforenamed French Coronell Pontus de la Gard who with all spéede marched with this Armie to the Cittie of Mosco encamping in the most commodious place they could find neare to the Polish Leager Demetrius was before aduised to remooue by them who fore-iudged the proofe of that which the sequel manifested foreséeing that it would be a hard matter for Demetrius to resist both the Forces of the Mosco and this new raised power for being much wearied with a long siege being now also with this fresh Armie in a manner beleagerd themselues they seene found the want of victualles and other necessaries which in a short time brought them to great miserie and to increase the Swethen Army Demetrius the brother of Vansusce aduaunceth himselfe forward with twentie thousand Russians to ioyne with the Swethen forces Now are all places sorestalled that might bring in succours to the Polish Leager The Emperour Demetrius was now in greater miserie than euer before for besides the wants which he endured the Poales themselues beganne to murmure and muteny against him insomuch as he was often times enforced to heare many contumelious words and reproaches pronounced against him that he was an vnhappie Prince borne to a disastrous fortune and not onelie for himselfe but also for such as should take part with him The Councells that were daily held were continually diuided some aduise to make their way thorow the Swethen Armie others to continue the Leager the most to parlée the last was the worst that Demetrius liked knowing well that there would be no composition made without his deliuery either aliue or dead into the hands of Vansusce which though the Poales knew it was for their best safety so to do yet they did abhorre it as an execrable déed to betray a Prince whom they had vndertaken to protect and to yéelde him to his enemies hands whom they had vowed to defend To continue the Leager was without all possibilitie of effecting victualles growing so scarce in the Campe that all prouision was deuoured so farre as they were enforced to eate their horses and from this scarcitie followed a great mortallitie The Poale being so straitly ingirt that they wanted ground to bury the dead the vnhappy Prince sits alone in his tent all desolate and dismayed wanting both courage and councell in these extreames in the Campe he fées his dignitie decreased and his commaund not respected in his Tent he feares murder in his Cuppe poyson and though the causes of these feares were false there being no such in tendments yet to a troubled minde ouerwhelmed with sorrow oppressed with care distracted with opinion what comfort or conceit can assure his friends being a few noble men of Russia that were about him comfort him and councell him that he would aduenture with those companies of Russians hée had yet in his commaund which were faithfull to him in all fortunes being neuerthelesse not aboue the number of a thousand men make an attempt in the dead of the night for their escape euen through the Swethen Armie the necessitie of the time and place say they vrge you to this dangerous resolution or to die there being no third way for you to take you shall not néede to feare our loyalties because our owne liues lies in the same hazard and if wée line or die it shall be our glories that we haue either fréeâ—d you from this danger or that we haue communicated our seruice to the fortunes of our Prince For the attempt it selfe it may happily not prooue so full of perill as it appeares to be for that the darkenesse of the night the suddennesse of the action and the aduantage of the place wherein we are quarterd being but against the skirtes of the Swethen Armie may happily make our way with more safety and lesse losse than you imagine howsoeuer it falles out the greatest danger dwells héere where to remaine there is nothing more certaine than certaine destruction These words together with the desperate condition of their estates made him suddenly to apprehend the plot and to entertaine with courage the resolution of this attempt which was done so closely and so secretly as it was not discouered till the
that Common-wealth and where from such a mind there be acts committed though but criminall and feares depending of greater consequence in this case it is more then a politicke or nationall Lawe it is Religious Iustice and the seruice of our God to take away the life of such greatnesse and make it the peoples sacrifice and therefore with your consents since things cannot otherwise stand or be established I giue him ouer to the rigour of the Law and the ministers thereof All this while this captiue Prince although he saw how closely and indirectly euery thing was carried and had heard during the time of his imprisonment the supposed death of the Emperour the murther of the Poles and many of great place and office in the Palace actions so bloudy and so fatall that albeit be knew the world to be full of mischiefe and the pathes thereof troden with vnsanctifyed féet yet he thought there wanted that venemous matter in the minde of man to beget bréed and bring forth such hideous and horred murders he doth yet neuerthelesse neither in the conceit of these inhumane massacers past nor in the iudurance of his owne vnauoidable miseries present shew tokens of any feare or affrightment but with the same countenance he held before in his prosperous estate he now beheld the tiranous authors and bloody actors of his tragedy so nobly had the inward vertues of his minde framed and composed the outward actions and gestures of his body And thus with words as bould and as vndanted as his lookes he spake in this manner vnto them I haue strained withall my best within me to heare and beare patiently all your vnkind handlings vniust presumtions furious Inforcements your malicious and manifold appliments foule wrestings and impossible constructions and all to make me séeme to be a member dangerous to the state to take away my life as a common enemy which onely must be remoued to make smooth the way to your present ends and intendments for this cause was the true noble bloud of my royall Lord and kinsman shed to make you grow vp in this false greatnesse I speake to the Vansusce whose inward saule knowes my innocence in all my accusations and that al this shew of Law is but a form a méere ingine or deuice to set a glosse vpon your horred murders past and to take away my life by a pretext of iustice which you persue in mallice haue I showne my selfe dangerous to my Country when in the last wars with the Tartars I so little regarded mine owne life that I spent most of her bloud in that action and returned victorious against the eie and opinion of all that saw and knew the danger of that day did I wrong my Country when with your consents and allowances I made that honourable contract with the Polish Princes was that the Treasure I exhausted in that expedition when mine owne priuate Coffers are yet empty with that charge For the Polish guard it was rather my enforced consent then my voluntary counsell or approuement for the title of the Dukedome with the rest of the Articles which I scorne to repeate the great God of my hope knowes me to be as frée either in action or intention as he knowes the Vansusce to be guilty of these horrid treasons I doe not plead mine innocence to saue my life for that is foredoomed by an vnchanged decrée but only to ease my heart of an ouerburdening wait of griefe which your base wrongs and false wouen iniuries haue contracted there and it is one comfort yet that I am suffered to speake I doe not raile either against thy tyranny or the maleuolence of my starres there is no man greater then his destiny neither haue I set the gard of vertue so weakly within me against the spight of Fortune or your malice but that my spirit and resolution can suffer either in thy inhumaine cruelty Vansusce or thy vnnatural treachery vild Glasco or all your hates you vnkind Muscouites or what else is precious vnto mée as the losse of wife and children depriuation of lands and honours or torment or death or whatsoeuer can happen in humanity All these or what else is in the power of enuy hate malice or tiranouse oppression is beneath me Life is not my Paramour I stand not inamourad of her pleasures the world hath to me adulterated his faire protestations of loue and respect with the foule prostetucions of the times mischiefe I haue séene an end of my fortunes and haue set an end to all my desires all the ambition that is left in mée is the hopefull enioyment of a far more glorious kingdome thether doth my soule aspire and thither shall my spirit mount before your time prefixt if there be any therefore in this assembly that either is at this time or shall happen héereafter to rome into the like danger and would know how to mocke Vansusces tyranny let him learne it thus by my example And with that word hauing closly drawne a short dagger hid of purpose for this houre he stabbed himselfe to the heart an a◠though in it selfe séeming desperate and full of horror yet in circumstance and considerate respects truly noble and ful of honour that would not suffer his opposite and mortall enemeies to triumph ouer his vertues and the freedome of his spirit in his end The sudden and voluntary death of this Noble man put them all into amasement and some there were present and those not of the meaner sort did for the time so inwardly sorrow for the hard disaster of the Prince his innocence and iniuries that they made outward manifestation thereof by there teares which Vansusce perceiuing and in their generall silence a generall sadnesse that from thence his Plots and Proiects might be more narrowly looked into with considerate eies began to looke about and to gather his wits together to draw this inward créeping suspition from the heart of the Muscocite vpon whose loue and opinion did principally depend the hope and meanes of his procéedings hée therefore spake againe vnto them so fully for the times condition so colourable against the guilty life and rash death of the Prince and so carefully for the security of the state together with all their safties that hée soone turned the gentle currant of their passionate sorrowes into the vast Ocean of their wonted rage crying out against the house of Demetrius his name and family and in this new humour like the flattering Iewes to Herod after his Oration to the people they falsly guild his words with an Angels eloquence crying out after their wonted manner Vansusce God saue Vansusce such a turning Phane is the peoples breath with these much looked for acclamations the Court was presently dissolued the dead body of the Prince carried backe to Prison from whence the next day it was brought forth againe and poorely buried making the world to stand at amasement that the earth which neuer failes of meanes in
Poales verily beléeuing that the maine Armie of our Forces to be at hand and our troups supposing the Enemies strength to be as great on that side the riuer as on the other though vndescried howbeit they kept on their march towards the Towne with resolution to doe some notable seruice eyther by death or victorie when they came within halfe a league of the Towne they espied fiue hundred horses of the Enemie aduanced against them where on the sodaine both sides awhile stood in gaze one of an other at last fourty of the Enemies horses were drawne foorth with proffer of a charge after the manner of a Brauada a twelue or sixetéene of our horses gaue an onset to answer them slew some and beat the rest backe into their maine strength so that both partes againe stood in gaze one of an other Some doubted that it was the policie of the Pole to draw our Forces néerer to the Towne and so to encompasse them with their Armie on the other side of the riuer But La Vile whose courage ouercame all feare séeing no third way to be taken but eyther that night to die or to be Maisters of the Towne out of a braue and honourable minde with a few words in Dutch did after this maner encourage his Souldiers Wée haue come saith he thus farre my louing friends and followers with purpose and resolution to doe some speciall seruice or other in the honour of our Countries and profession for aduauncing the successe of the maine action for this Land against the Poles tyranny in the behalfe of the King of Swethen This place of Commaund which at this time I enioy with your consents I will striue with all my power to discharge as well for your safeties and contentments as mine owne honour and reputation and though we be of seuerall Nations Languages and Customes we are in this businesse tyed together in an indissoluble band of loue and partnership eyther to liue or die together the best hope is wée haue one God to defend vs all whose out-stretched arme ouer-swayeth all let not then eyther our owne weakenesse or our Enemies strength affright vs for besides the atchiuements of Honour that pricketh forward euerie worthy minde there is a necessitie to put vs forward for backe we cannot goe without certaine dishonour and destruction all places being harried and spoiled by the Pole and no reliefe to be found the riuers also and the champian fields will giue them aduantage with their numbers to heamme vs in and cut vs in péeces and if I be not deceiued they stand in more doubt of vs than we of them as I iudge by the vncertaine wauing of their colours on the other side the riuer and it may be all their feare hath giuen them false Intelligence that wée are to receiue seconds from our maine Armie which they suppose to be at hand From this feare of theirs springeth my hope that in spight of the Poales Armie wée shall rest in yonder Towne this night and with that crying out with a high voyce and spirite Ihesus met ounce which in English is Iesus be with vs with a braue courage they aduanced forward Captayne Cosmorre with the Englishmen gaue the charge and was seconded by the French men The Pole séeing the charge thus made with such resolution fearing as it was afterward knowne the approach of our maine Armie turned their backes and fled Notwithstanding they had a second of foure hundred horses more our troupes followed with all spéede slew many with the sword the most of them tooke the riuer of Vollga thinking to recouer their maine Army but the greatest numbers of them were drowned Our troupes thus entred the towne of Arioua without any other resistance and found the castle abandoned at which they maruelled that a Towne and Castle of such strength and import hauing eight thousand men to defend it should be thus forsaken CHAP. 12. Vansusce sends his forces to ioyne with the strangers to the number of thirty thousand Pontus de la Gard Generall of the strangers attempts to rayse the Poles Leager from Smalensco but in a set battell is fought withall and ouerthrowne by the Pole ARioua being thus taken in our Troups rested there thrée dayes till our maine Armie came vp in which time the Pole stayed in the Towne on the other side the riuer But when they saw the approach of all our forces they hastned their departure and because they supposed the Inhabitants had betrayed them they set fire on that side of the Towne in the dead of the night onely to reuenge suspition where after a most cruell and barbarous maner they burned and slew man woman and child a lamentable sight it was to beholde the flame and to heare the confused cries of the people which was the more miserable because as there was no pittie in the Pole to respect them so there was no way in our Troups to reléeue them by reason of the riuer which for want of boats they could not passe The Poles hauing thus satisfied their rage vpon the poore Russian with blood fire like incarnate diuells without remorce leauing this miserable people of all sortes and sexes from the impotencie of Age to the innocence of Infants burning in that earths hell of horror they marched away with drummes beating trumpets sounding colours displaying as if they had effected some notable atchieuement Early in the morning La Vile perceiuing them marching away hauing had the night before many boats brought vp the riuer by the Russe carried his principall Forces ouer and with all spéede followed them The first night they ouertooke them in their quarters slew many of them tooke many of their colours and forced the rest to flée who still burning and spoyling the Country as they went left no reliefe to helpe our Forces in the pursuite so that in thrée dayes hauing cléered all that part of the Countrey they returned to Arioua where our Armie rested some fouretéene dayes and as contraries are euer best knowne by their contraries they sound the excellencie of rest after their labour and of plenty after their wants For héere they found all things in aboundance that in many places before they wanted Not long after La Vile with Cosmer the Moore and lieutenant Conisby a very resolute Souldier tooke in a Towne called Pogrilla together with a strong Skonce manned by the Pole taking it vpon a sur prize in the night putting them all to the sword onely the Gouerneur and some few other reserued La Vile within a while after went to the Mosco accompanied with many Officers English Scottish and French where Vanscusce entertained them with liberall gifts and rewards to euery one Héere they met with Pontus de la Gard and found a great power of the Russians in a readinesse for seruice Sigismond lying all this while before Smalensco vnderstanding of the frée passages that the strangers had made thorow the Countrey euen to the Mosco And