great Spirit and yet exceeding proud which was the cause that he was both the less beloved and feared of his Subjects in general but especially of the Janizaries and other his Souldiers and men of War who scorning his loose Government and griev'd to see even the greatest Affairs of his State not only imparted to Women but by them managed and over-ruled also as by his Mother the Sultaness his Wife and others not only rebelled against him but were oftentimes in their Rages about to have deposed him He was altogether given to sensuality and voluptuous pleasure the marks whereof he still carried about with him a foul swoln unwealdy and overgrown Body unfit for any Princely Office or Function and a Mind thereto answerable wholly given over unto Idleness Pleasure and Excess no small means for the shortning of his days which he ended with Obloquy unregarded of his Subjects and but of few or none of them lamented He had Issue four Sons and three Daughters married unto three of the great Bassaes. His first and eldest Son was called Mahomet after his own Name whom he caused to be strangled in his own sight upon suspicion of aspiring to the Empire and conspiring with the Rebels in Asia but afterward finding him guiltless caused his Body to be buried in his own Sepulchre and hanged the Bassa that had misinformed him His second Son died a natural Death being yet very young His third Son was Sultan Achmat who succeeded his Father and came to the Empire by the untimely Death of Mahomet his eldest Brother His fourth Son being then a Youth of about sixteen Years old was carefully kept within the Seraglio with such a strait Guard set over him as that his Name was not to be learned even by a good understanding Friend of mine of late lying above three Months together at Constantinople who most curiously enquired after the same having very good means to have learned it He was reported to have been long since murthered howbeit that he of late lived but looking every day to be by his Brothers cruel Commandment strangled which is accounted but a matter of course and a Death hereditary to all the younger male Children of the Othoman Emperours the Policy for the maintenance of their great Empire entire and whole so requiring His dead Body lieth buried at Constantinople in a fair Chappel of white Marble near unto the most famous and beautiful Church of S. Sophia for that only purpose by himself most sumptuously built about fifty foot square with four high small round Towers about the which are certain small round Galleries of Stone from which the Turkish Priests and Church-men at certain hours use to call the People every day to Church for they use no Bells themselves neither will they suffer the Christians to use any But the top of this Chappel is built round like unto the ancient Temples of the Heathen Gods in Rome In the midst of this Chappel being indeed nothing else but this great Sultan's Sepulchre standeth his Tomb which is nothing else but a great Urn or Coffin of fair white Marble wherein lieth his Body covered with a great covering of the same Stone over it made rising in the midst and stooping on each sidâ— not much unlike to the Coffins of the ancient Tombs of the Saxon Kings which are to be seen on the North side of the Quire of S. Paul's Church and in other Places of this Land but that this Coffin of the Great Sultan is much greater and more stately than are those of the Saxon Kings it being above five foot high at the end thereof and by little and little falling toward the feet covered with a rich Hearse of Cloth of Gold down to the ground his Turbant standing at his Head and two exceeding great Candles of white Wax about three or four Yards long standing in great brass or silver Candlesticks gilded the one at his Head the other at his Feet which never burn but there stand for shew only all the Floor of the Chappel being covered with Mats and fair Turky Carpets upon them And round about this his Tomb even in the same Chappel are the like Tombs for his Wives and Children but nothing so great and fair Into this Chappel or any other the Turks Churches or Chappels it is not lawful for either Turk or Christian to enter but first he must put off his Shoes leaving them at the Church or Chappel Gate or carrying them in his hand Near unto this Chappel and the great Temple of Sophia are divers other Chappels of the other great Turks as of Sultan Selim this Man 's Grand father with his seven and thirty Children about him of Sultan Amurath this Man's Father with his five and forty Children entombed about him Anâ— in other places not far from them are the Chappels and Sepulchres of the rest of the Great Sultans as of Sultan Mahomet the Great of Sultan Bajazet Sultan Selim the first Sultan Solyman all by these great Mahometan Emperours built whose Names they bear And being all of almost one form and fashion have every one of them a fair Hospital adjoyning unto them wherein a great multitude of poor People are daily still relieved Some others of the great Bassaes have their Chappels and Sepulchres with their great and stately Alms-houses also not much inferiour unto those of the great Sultans as namely Ibrahim Bassa of all the Bassaes that ever were amongst the Turks the most magnificent hath his stately Chappel Sepulchre and Alms-Houses near both in Place and Beauty unto that of Solyman's The Turks bury not at all within their Churches neither are any at all buried within the Walls of the City but the great Turkish Emperours themselves with their Wives and Children about them and some few other of their great Bassaes and those only in Chappels by themselves built for that purpose All the rest of the Turks are buried in the Fields some of the better sort in Tombs of Marble but the rest with Tomb-stones laid upon them or with two great Stones the one set up at the head and the other at the feet of every Grave the greatest part of them being of white Marble brought from the Isle of Marmora They will not bury any man where another hath been buried accounting it Impiety to dig up another man's Bones by reason whereof they cover all the best Ground about the City with such great white Stones which for the infinite number of them are thought sufficient to make another Wall about the City But not to stand longer upon the manner of the Turks Burials leaving this great Sultan to rest with his Ancestors let us now prosecute the course of our History Christian Princes of the same time with Mahomet the Third Emperours of Germany Rodolph the Second 1577. Kings Of England Queen Elizabeth 1558. 47. Of France Henry the Fourth 1589. Of Scotland James the Sixth 1567. Bishops of Rome Clement the
so for that time he retired a little from the Walls But night being come certain busie heads among the common people and they not a few secretly meeting together gave him knowledge that about midnight when as all the Citizens were asleep and the Watchmen in security he should come unto the Walls where they would be ready with Ropes to draw him up unto the top of the Bulwarks which done the matter as they said was as good as dispatched for that they were perswaded that the Citizens so soon as they should once see him in the midst of the City amongst them would forthwith all revolt unto him So he according to this appointment about midnight approaching the Walls found there no such matter as he had well hoped for the receiving of him into the City But contrariwise the Watchmen carefully watching all alongst the Wall and calling one unto another Wherefore finding there no hope he with Catacuzenus and Synadenus his chief Counsellors leaving the South side of the City in a little Boat rowed softly all along the Wall that is toward the Sea if happily they might there find their Friends and so be received in but there the Watchmen also descrying them from the Walls and calling unto them but receiving no answer began to cast stones at them and to make a noise so that deceived of their purpose and out of hope they were glad to get them further off and to depart as they came But the evil success of this Exploit was shortly after with his better Fortune recompenced for by and by after secret Letters were sent unto him from Thessalonica requesting him with all speed to come thither assuring him in the name of the Bishop with divers of the Nobility and the good liking of the people in general at his coming to open the Gates of the City unto him Whereupon he leaving a great part of his Army with Synadenus to keep short the Constantinopolitans he himself with the rest of his Power set forward towards Thessalonica where he in the habit of a plain Country man entred the City unsuspected but being got within the Gate and there casting off that simple attire wherewith he had covered his Rich and Royal Garments and presently known to be the young Emperor the people came flocking about him and with many joyful Acclamations received him as their Lord and Soveraign yet some few more favouring the old Emperor fled into the Castle and there stood upon their Guard which after they had for a space notably defended was at length taken from them Thessalonica thus yielded Demetrius Andronicus and Asan Michael the old Emperors chief Captains then lying with their Army not far off and not well trusting one another fled most of whose Souldiers presently went over unto the young Emperor who departing from Thessalonica came to Serre which by composition was delivered unto him also but not the Castle for that was by Basilicus Nicephorus the Captain thereof still holden for the old Emperor This Basilicus was a man honourably descended but of no great Capacity or Wit as the finer sort supposed and therefore not of them much regarded or thought fit for the taking in hand of any great matter whom yet the old Emperor for his plain sincerity more than for any thing else had made Captain of that Castle and Governor of the Country thereabouts which he yet still held and in these most troublesome times shewed himself wiser than all that had so thought of him of whom some died in despair some fled some were taken Prisoners and so suffered a thousand evils the rest with the loss of their Honour traiterously revolting from the old Emperor to the young whereas he alone looking but even forward upon his Allegiance with his trust in God so long as the old Emperor lived opposed himself against these troubles and stood fast for him and was not to be moved with any fair Promises or cruel Threats of the young aspiring Emperor whereof he lacked none But having strongly fortified the Castle committed to his Charge there kept himself until that hearing of the death of the old Emperor he then reconciling himself to the young as unto his right Soveraign delivered up unto him the Castle who in reward of his Fidelity gave it him again to hold for him in as ample manner as he had before held it for his Grandfather For wise men honour Vertue even in their Enemies as did King Philip in Demosthenes when as he said If any Athenian living in Athens doth say that he preferreth me before his Country him verily would I buy with much money but not think him worthy my friendship but if any for his Countries-sake shall hate me him will I impugne as a Castle a strong Wall or a Bulwark and yet admire his vertue and reckon the City happy in having such a man. And so in few words to conclude a long discourse the young Emperor in short time having roamed through all Macedonia and without resistance taken all the strong Towns and Cities therein he there took also Demetrius the Despots Wife and Children with all his Treasure as also the Wives of Andronicus and Asanes and of all the Senators that followed them after whom the great Commanders their Husbands were also for the most part taken and cast into prison some at Thessalonica some at Didâ—motichum some of the rest afterward most miserably perishing in exile Wherewith the old Emperor discouraged was about to have sent his Embassadors unto his Nephew for Peace whilst he was yet thus busied in Macedonia and had indeed so done had not another hope arising in the mean time quite altered that his better purpose It fortuned at the same time whilst the old Emperor was thus thinking of Peace that Michael the Bulgarian Prince in hope of great profit thereof to arise secretly offered his Aid unto him against the young Emperor his Nephew of which his Offer the old Emperor gladly accepted and Embassadors were sent to and fro about the full conclusion of the matter no man being acquainted therewith more than two or three of the Emperor his most secret friends and trusty Counsellors Yet in the mean time disdaining to be so coupt up as he was by Synadenus one of his Nephews Captains even in the Imperial City sent out one Constantinus Assan with the greatest part of his strength against him who encountering him at the River Maurus was there by him in plain battel overthrown and taken Prisoner the rest of his discomfited Army flying headlong back again to Constantinople All things thus prosperously proceeding with the young Emperor and the Countries of Macedonia and Thracia now almost all at his Command he returned in hast with all his Power unto Constantinople to prevent the coming of the Bulgarians thither as fearing lest that they finding the City weakly manned should treacherously kill the old Emperor with such as were about him and so seize upon the City themselves
from the fair young Lady and took charge of her himself As for Demetrius her Father he gave to him the City Aenum with the Custom arising of the Salt there made as a Pension for him to live upon Thus this most famous and populous Country of Peloponnesus fell into the Turkish Thraldom about the year of our Lord 1460. seven years after the taking of Constantinople Which I have here together set down as it is reported by them who lived in that time and in the same Countries omitting of purpose other great Occurrents of the same time which shall in convenient place be hereafter declared to the intent that the fall of that great Empire with the common misery of the delicate Grecians might appear under one View which otherwise being delivered by piece-meal as it did concur with other great accidents according to the course of the time would but breed confusion and require the Readers great attention The Christian Princes especially such as bordered upon the Dominions of the Turkish Tyrant were no less terrified than troubled with the subversion of the Constantinopolitan Empire for they saw by the continual preparation of the Turk that his ambitious Desires were rather increased than in any part satisfied with so great and late Victories Wherefore they with all carefulness fortified their frontier Towns and provided all things necessary for the defence of themselves and for the repulsing of so mighty an Enemy Among the rest George the old Despot or Prince of Servia whose Dominions of all other lay most in danger of that Tempest speedily mustred his Men of War fortified his strong Cities placed his Garrisons and left nothing undone that he thought needful for the defence of the Country for he had many times before to his great loss indured the fury of the Turkish Kings although he were joyned to them in the bonds of nearest Alliance And having thus politickly set all things in order at home in Person himself took his Journey into Hungary from thence to procure Aid against such time as he should have need But the Hungarians and especially Huniades who at that time bare greatest sway in that Kingdom having before had sufficient trial of the uncertainty and light Faith of that aged Prince who had so often fashioned himself according to the occurrents of the time that he was counted neither right Turk nor good Christian refused to promise him any Aid but left him to his own Fortunes wherewith he returned discontented and full of Indignation But shortly after he was come home he died of a hurt received in a Skirmish with Michael Zilugo Governor of Belgrade whose Brother Ladislaus he had but a little before treacherously murdered as he was travelling by Waggon to Belgrade with his said Brother Michael who at the same time hardly escaped This was the end of the Despot of Servia when he had lived 90 years in which time of his long life he had plentifully tasted of both Fortunes A man assuredly of great courage but of a marvellous unquiet nature by Profession a Christian yet a great Friend unto the Turks whom he many times stood in great stead a deep dissembler and double in all his dealings whereby he purchased unto himself that Credit that he was not of any his Neighbour Princes whilst he lived either beloved or trusted and after his death of his Subjects so detested that the people of that Country even at this day in their Country-Songs still term him the Faithless and Graceless Despot Lazarus his youngest Son after his death succeeded in his place having deprived both his elder Brethren Stephen and George of the Government for Amurath the Turkish King had long time before put out their Eyes of purpose to make them unfit for the Government of so great a Country yet these blind Princes found means to fly away from him to Mahomet carrying with them a great mass of Money and so incited him against Lazarus their younger Brother that to keep Friendship with the Tyrant he was glad to promise unto him a great yearly Tribute and so to become his Tributary But within few months after Lazarus died the last Christian Prince that reigned in Servia after whose death great Troubles arose in Servia for the Soveraignty the blind Brethren still craving Aid of Mahomet with whom they then lived and the desolate Widow of Lazarus putting her self with her three Sons Iohn Peter and Martin into the Protection of the Hungarians by which means she with much trouble held her State for a season Until such time as the Servians seeing small assurance in that manner of Government and weary of the harms they daily received of the Turks yielded themselves with their Country unto the Obedience of the Turkish Emperor Mahomet who for ever united the same unto his Empire as a Province thereof and so it remaineth at this day Now was Mahomet by the continual course of his Victories grown to that height of mind that he thought no Prince able to abide his Force neither any Enterprise so great which he was not of Power to bring to pass wherefore he ceased not on every side continually to vex and trouble the Princes whose Countries bordered upon his But above others his heart was greatest against the Hungarians for that by them the Turkish Kings his Ancestors had been more troubled and their State more endangered than by any or all other the Christian Princes Wherefore he resolved now to take them in hand which thing he had from the beginning of his Reign greatly desired And because the City of Belgrade standing upon the great River of Danubius was accounted the Key of that Country he determined there to begin his Wars and by taking thereof to make an entrance into the heart of Hungary Hereupon he levied a great Army of an hundred and fifty thousand 〈◊〉 his best Souldiers in whom he reposed such an assured trust and confidence that he accounted the City already as good as taken and a fair way made into Hungary so ready are we to promise unto our selves the things we earnesty desire For the better accomplishment of these his Designs he had provided in readiness a Fleet of 200 Ships and Gallies which he sent up the River of Danubius from Vidina to Belgrade to the intent that no Relief or Aid should be brought unto the City out of Hungary by the great Rivers of Danubius and Savus whereupon the City of Belgrade standeth With this Fleet he kept both those Rivers so straitly that nothing could be possibly conveyed into the City by water and not so contented sent part of his said Fleet farther up the River of Danubius and so landing his Souldiers in many places spoiled the Countries all alongst the River side Shortly after he came with all his Forces by Land and encamped before the City whereunto at his first coming he gave a most fierce Assault thinking to have taken them unprovided but finding greater
but indeed fearing the Citizens of Alba and the Men of War who exceedingly favoured the Sons of Huniades for their Fathers sake For all that Ladislaus returning into Bohemia caused both the Sons of Huniades upon the suddain to be apprehended and most cruelly executed Uladislaus being then about six and twenty years old Mathias the younger Brother was kept in Prison expecting nothing else but to be partaker of his Brothers hard Fortune as undoubtedly he had had not Ladislaus the young King upon the suddain as he was upon the top of his marriage with Magdalain the French Kings Daughter by untimely death been taken away After whose death the Hungarians for the love they bare unto the remembrance of Huniades by a military Election chose this Mathias his youngest Son then in prison at Prague to be their King. Whereof Pogebrach who after the death of Ladislaus of an old Governor had made himself the young King of Bohemia having speedy intelligence as he was sitting at Supper sent for Mathias his Prisoner and when he was come commanded him to sit down at the upper end of the Table whereat the young Gentleman being then but about eighteen years of age and sore abashed began to crave pardon But when the King would needs have it so and that he was set the King to quiet his troubled thoughts willed him to be of good chear for that he had good news to tell him Good news said he if it would please your Majesty to grant me liberty Yea that said the King and more too and then saluting him by the name of the King of Hungary brake unto him the whole matter how that he was by the general consent of the Hungarians chosen their King. And so in few daies after married to him his Daughter which done he furnished him with all things fit for his Estate and Royally accompanied him into Hungary where he was with great joy and triumph received of the Hungarians over whom he afterwards gloriously reigned for the space of eight and thirty years In which time he notably enlarged the Kingdom of Hungary and became a far greater terror unto the Turks than ever was his Father Huniades And therewithal which is not to be accounted in the least part of his praises was alwaies a great favourer and furtherer of good Letters and ingenious Devices But to return again unto our purpose Mathias having well considered of that the Venetians had requested answered them that they had many times before in like case refused to give aid unto the Hungarian Kings his Predecessors yea and that more was thought it a thing not reasonable that any such thing should be requested at their hands forasmuch as they then received no harm from the Turk but were in League and Amity with him so that the Hungarian Kings wanting their help had many times received greater loss from the Turks than otherwise they should have done if they had been by them aided Yet for all that he was content to forget all such unkindness and to grant them what they had requested promising the next Spring to invade the Turks Dominion and according to their request to take into his protection all their Territory betwixt the Rhetian Alpes and the Adriatique which thing he most honourably performed For with the first of the Spring he passed over Danubius at Belgrade with a puissant Army and rased the Forts which the Turks had built thereabouts and so entring into Servia laid all the Country wast before him and afterwards laden with Spoil returned home carrying away with him twenty thousand Captives Neither so rested but with great good Fortune maintained great Wars against Mahomet during all the time of his reign and afterwards against Bajazet his Son also wherein he most commonly returned with Victory so that it is of him as truly as briefly written That no Christian King or Chieftain did more often or with greater fortune fight against the Turkish Nation or had of them greater Victories Mahomet delivered of the great fear he had before conceived of the general preparation of the Christian Princes against him determined now to work his Will upon such as were nearest unto him and afterward not to forget them that were farther off The proceeding of Scanderbeg with the late overthrow of Seremet with his Army in Epirus stuck in his Stomach in revenge whereof he now sent unto Balabanus Badera a most valiant Captain with fifteen thousand Horsemen and three thousand Foot to invade Epirus This Balabanus was an Epirot born a Churles Son of that Country and being of a Boy taken Captive of the Turks as he was keeping of his Fathers Cattel and of long time brought up in servitude amongst them framing himself both to their Religion and Manners after long service got the credit of a good common Souldier But when as at the taking of Constantinople it was his fortune to be the first man of the Turks Army that gained the Top of the Walls and entred the City he was for that piece of Service ever afterwards of Mahomet greatly esteemed and beside his other great Preferment now sent General of his Army into Epirus Who as soon as he was come to Alchria a City upon the Frontiers of that Country sent many rich Presents to Scanderbeg making shew as if he had been desirous peaceably to lie upon the Borders committed to his Charge without farther purpose to trouble his Country yet indeed waiting nothing more than some notable opportunity suddainly to do him the greatest mischief he could But Scanderbeg well seeing into the malice of the man rejected his feigned Friendship and Gifts and in derision sent him a Spade a Mattock a Flail with other such Instruments belonging to Husbandry willing him to take in hand those Tools and to follow his Fathers trade of life and to leave the conducting of Armies unto men of greater skill and better place Which disgrace Balabanus took in exceeding evil part purposing in himself if ever it lay in his power to be thereof revenged Wherefore knowing that Scanderbeg with a small power lay not far off upon the frontiers of his Kingdom he determined suddainly in the night to set upon him before he were a ware of his coming and so if it were possible to overthrow him but Scanderbeg having knowledge thereof by his Scouts set forward in good order to have met him When Balabanus perceiving that he was discovered staid upon the way and encamped within two miles of Scanderbeg who had then in his Army but four thousand Horsemen and one thousand and five hundred Foot but all choice men and most expert Souldiers and then lay in a large pleasant Valley called Valchal At the farther end whereof Balabanus lay also encamped near unto a rough and woody Hill which enclosed that part of the Valley Whilst both Armies thus lay within view one of another Scanderbeg well considering the ground the Enemy had taken and that it
eleven Sons namely Mahamet the eldest of an infirmity in his eyes sirnamed Codabanda a man of a peaceable and quiet disposition more delighted with the sweet pleasure of a contented Life than the careful Honours of so great a Kingdom Ismahel the second Son of a more fierce and troublesome nature so much abhoâ—ring quietness that not regarding the League hardly concluded betwixt his aged Father and the Tuâ—kish Emperours Solyman and Selymus he would now and then without his Fathers knowledge upon a youthful heat break out into the Frontiers of the Turks Dominions and there make great spoil for which doing although he was both of his Father and the People the more regarded yet was he by his Fathers commandment who in outward shew seemed to mislike of those his youthful pranks tending to the breach of the League restrained of his liberty and sent to the Castle of Cahacha betwixt Tauris and Casbin where he remained at the time of his Fathers death Aidere the third Son no less ambitious than was his Brother Ismahel but not of like valour kept by Zalcan Pyry Mahamet and other his Kinsfolks all men of great Power and Authority The other eight were Mamuâ— Solyman Mustapha Emanguli Alichan Amet Abrahim and Ismahel the younger The old King before his death had by his last Will and Testament solemnly appointed Ismahel his second Son to succeed him in the Kingdom as of all his Sons most fit to take upon him so great a charge Which thing Mahamet his elder Brother seem'd not much to dislike contenting himself with such Honours as his Father had before bestow'd upon him Tamas thus dead Ismahel was by the Sultans sent for to Cahacha to take upon him his Fathers Kingdom at Casbin when in the mean time there arose a great tumult in the City yea even in the Kings Palace for Aidere the third Brother who in the time of his Fathers greatest sickness had entred the Chamber where he lay drawing towards his end and in his sight most presumptuously set the Royal Crown upon his head to the manifesting of his ambitious desires for which he was then worthily reproved now after the death of his aged Father carried headlong with the same aspiring humour and supported by Zalcan and other his mighty Favourites had so effectually dealt with the great Lady Periaconcona his eldest Sister and the other Sultans Counsellors of Estate put in trust to see the Will of the dead King put in execution as that the Succession could not be any longer kept from him and preserved for Ismahel but by the help of some fine and secret deceit This Lady Periaconcona elder than all the young Princes the Sons of Tamas her Brethren a Woman of great spirit and deep conceit left in great trust by her Father seeing the proceedings of her Brother Aidere durst neither openly to move any thing unto the Sultans prejudicial to his designs neither could she in her heart indure so great an injury to be done to her Brother Ismahel appointed by his Father to succeed him Wherefore in this perplexity she cast in her wily head how to satisfie her ambitious Brother present how to save the right of Ismahel absent the honour of her dead Father's Will and Testament and the safety of the Kingdom For having thorowly debated the matter with the Sultans she resolved that Aidere invested in Royal Apparel and setled in the great Gallery should attend the acclamation of the People an be theâ—e openly inthronised as the very elected King. With which vain shew the unwise youth blinded with Ambition suffered himself to be led year 1576 and being set in his Majesty verily persuaded himself that he should now be honoured both of his Friends and Foes as King. But unto these his so hasty and prosperous designs the Success that sprung from the subtilty of those Counsellors and his dissembling Sister were nothing conformable for that she by their advice took order for the gates of the Palace to be presently lock'd leaving at every passage a sure Guard and only one wicket open safely warded with a company of most faithful and valorous Captains and Souldiers wholly devoted to Tamas and Ismahel with straight charge to suffer every man to enter in saving only the known friends of Aidere In this sort did she think to have entertained the young man until such time as Ismahel should arrive at Cahaca and so put in execution what he thought best for the honour of himself and the general quiet of the Kingdom Who joyeth now but Aidere in conceit a King replenished with unwonted joyes receiving honour from all men but his best Friends By means whereof perceiving now the prohibition of them and moved also with the great stir of Zalcan his greatest Favourite who discovering the deceit and crying upon King Aidere threatned the Lady the Sultans and the rest that waited upon the feigned Succession indeed ordained but for the scorn and despight of the ambitious man strucken with an exceeding fear and full of sorrow he withdrew himself closely amongst certain Women in the Court hoping so to find some way to escape with life In the mean time so greatly increased the cries and threatnings of the Friends and Favourites of Aidere who now had all of them prepared themselves for some dangerous and pernicious attempt that the Counsellors with consent of the Lady his Sister were inforced to take order That to bereave this tumultuous and seditious People of all their hope and courage Aidere should be deprived of his Life Whereupon Sahamal the Georgian Uncle to Aidere by the Mothers side by the appointment of the Lady Periaconcona and the Sultans after long search made for him at last found him hidden amongst the Women and without further delay taking him by the locks struck his head from his shoulders and in the place where Zalcan and the rest of his unfortunate Favourites stood crying and threatning amongst the thickest of the prease of the proud Conspirators flung the Head all bloudy and as it were yet breathing for heat crying aloud to them Behold there your King enjoy him at your pleasure At which sudden and horrible Spectacle every man burned in rage and anger neither for the present wanted there many a rash head that vainly threatned most cruel revenge but in the end when they perceived the neer Succession of Ismahel inevitable and the death of Aidere irrevocable every man betook himself to his own private Affairs and so at last divided themselves one from another and so departing from the Palace scattered themselves some one way some another every man as he thought best for his own safety Shortly after Ismahel the desired King arrived at Casbin where he was of his Sister and the Sultans joyfully received as their lawful and undoubted Sovereign and with the great acclamation of the People saluted King who as soon as he saw himself possessed of the Royal Seat and his power
loves to slide not stand And leaves fortunes ice vertues firm land Honour had rather be with danger driven Than stay with vertue on the hand of Heaven THE REIGN OF MUSTAPHA The First of that Name Ninth Emperour of the Turks year 1617 OSMAN the eldest Son of Achmat being not above twelve years old Mustapha Brother to Achmat being five and twenty was drawn out of a Cell where he lived as it were religiously and in Contemplation and proclaimed Sultan Mustapha Chan. They write of him that he grew cruel causing young Osman to be kept under sure Guards putting to death his Brethren He also did many indignities unto the Christian Ambassadours and to confirm him in his Throne he gave great Sums of Money to the Janizaries and Spahies and sent a Messenger to Vienna to the Emperour to assure him that he would maintain inviolably whatsoever had been concluded betwixt him and his deceased Brother Achmat. But growing odious by reason of his Tyranny the Grand Visier came out of Persia with an Army and deposed him forcing him to return to his Cell setting Prince Osman at liberty and seating him in the Imperial Throne But for that it may seem strange that Mustapha should be preserved alive during the Reign of his Brother Achmat contrary to the custom of the Othoman Emperours who do usually kill all their Brethren at their first coming to the Crown thinking thereby the better to assure their Estates it shall be fit to make mention thereof Mahomet the third of that name dying in the year 1602 and leaving Achmat and Mustapha his Sons by the Sultana Flatra a Lady of Cyprus some say of Bosna Achmat the eldest was sent for speedily out of Magnesia by the Bassaes to take possession of his Father's Crown being the first Emperour of that Name And for that the custom of the Turkish Emperours was as we have said to have neither Brother nor Nephew alive unless they could save themselves by flight yet the Visier Bassaes and other Officers of the Court concluded in Council that it was not fit that Mustapha Brother to Achmat should dye grounding their opinion upon a good reason of State for that their Emperour being but fifteen years old they feared that dying in his Nonage without children able to govern the Empire might fall into Combustion and ruine it self by reason of Civil Wars Whereupon they decreed that Mustapha's Life should be preserved but with that caution and restriction that he should remain still a Prisoner in some Chambers of the Emperour's Seraglio at Constantinople During Achmat's minority and before he had Children there was no cruel Decree made against Mustapha but he only continued in his Contemplation without any liberty But when as the Emperour saw himself fortified with Issue and remembring the cruel Custom of his Predecessors year 1617 he many times propounded the putting of his Brother to death to his Council the which may seem very strange it took not effect having been often concluded Among others it is written that his Death was concluded one Evening and that it should have been put in Execution the next day But Achmat was so frighted in the Night with Apparitions and fearful Dreams as day being come he said Seeing that the only Resolution to put his Brother to death had so terrified him he did believe that his Torments would much increase if he should put it in Execution and therefore he commanded his Brother should live more in regard of the Terror of his Mind than for any brotherly Affection Another time Sultan Achmat being in one of the Windows of his Seraglio he beheld his Brother Mustapha who by his permission was walking in the Gardens with his Guard Some one of his Bassaes or other Officer that was near unto him and willing to flatter his Humor told him that it was a matter of dangerous Consequence to suffer him to have so great Liberty Achmat move with jealousie and distrust grew into rage at his Words whereupon he suddenly took his Bow and Arrow being a very expert Archer as all the Turkish Nation generally are and aimed at his Brother to kill him but at that very instant he felt so great a pain in his Arm and Shoulder as not able to let loose his Arrow nor to perform what he had intended he said with a loud Voice That Mahomet would not have Mustapha to dye This Prince had three Chambers in the Seraglio where he ramained a Prisoner fifteen years and spent his time in a Contemplative kind of Life after the manner of the Musulmans his whole delight was to read the Arabian Books of their Doctors in divers Sciences The Grand Seignior gave him leave sometimes to take the Air of his Gardens with his Guard and called him to consult with him of Affairs of Estate taking his Advice many times knowing him to be of a sound Judgment After a long imprisonment and a daily apprehension of death the Emperour Achmat falling grievously sick in November as you have heard his Bassaes and other Counsellors about him seeing the danger he was in perswaded him to take some good course for the succession of his Empire He had Children by the Sultana but they so young as they were not capable to govern the Empire Moreover this Sultana was dead and the Children left Friendless and none to speak for them But on the other side the Sultana Flatra Mother to the Emperour Mustapha was yet living who thought that if the Bassaes should undertake to govern the State during the minority of the Emperour's Children her Honour would be much eclipsed wherefore she favoured Mustapha and persuaded the dying Emperour to make him his Successor On the fifteenth of November Achmat seeing his End grow near he called for his Brother and told him That seeing Death approached he desired to provide for the Preservation of the Empire and therefore had made choice of him to succeed him intreating him to take the Government upon him presently after his death Mustapha was much amazed at his Speech and answered him with Words full of Fear and Humility That he might not accept of the Honour which he did him seeing that the Empire did rightly belong unto his eldest Son. Achmat disabled his Son for so great a Government both for his Age and Capacity being necessary for the maintenance of so great a Monarchy that he who was of ripe years and deep judgment should take upon him the managing thereof recommending the Children he had by the Sultana unto him intreating him to use them in the same manner that he had used him leaving the other Children which he had by Concubines being his Slaves to his Discretion Soon after these Words Achmat dyed and Mustapha was generally acknowledged for Successor to the Turkish Empire who at the first was so amazed as he thought he had been in a Dream to see himself advanced to so great a Power and Sovereignty from a straight Prison and
do answering That compassion and regard was to be had of the just sorrow of the Christians his Subjects for that they had lost such a King the like was hardly again to be found in the World. But leaving the Kingdom of Ierusalem with the greater part of Servia thus victoriously gained from the Infidels let us for the orderly continuation of our History again return to see the proceedings of the Turks at the same time in the lesser Asia also wherein they yet held the state of a Kingdom though not so great as before the coming of the Princes of the West into those Countries After the death of Sultan Solyman with whom Duke Godfrey and the other Christian Princes had much to do as they passed into Syria as is aforesaid one Muhamet succeeded him betwixt whom and Masut Sultan of Iconium great discord arose which at length broke out into open War to the further weakning of that late shaken Kingdom For the maintenance of which Quarel as profitable for his State Iohn Comnenus the Greek Emperor gave Aid to Masut against his Enemy Muhamet Nevertheless in short time the two Infidels professing both one Superstition became Friends and joyning their Forces overthrew the Emperor with his whole Army as he lay at the siege of Iconium at which time he himself with much ado escaped by flight Masut afterwards having got into his hands the whole Kingdom of the Turks at the time of his death divided the same among his three Sons unto Clizasthlan his eldest Son he gave Iconium his chief City with the Towns and Provinces subject thereunto unto Iagupasan his other Son or rather as some will have it his Son in law he allotted Amâ—â—â—a and Ancyra with the fruitful Country of Cappadocia and the places adjoyning but unto Dadune his other Son or Son in law he gave the great Cities of Caesarea and Sebastia with the large Countries thereabouts all sometime a part of the Greek Empire but then the portions of the Turks Long it was not after this division of the Kingdom but that these Brethren after the manner of ambitious men forgetful of the bonds both of Love and Nature fell at discord among themselves the Sultan seeking the destruction of Iagupasan and he likewise of him and that not by secret means but even by open force of Arms. Emanuel the Greek Emperor in the mean time wishing the destruction of them both heartily rejoycing thereat and by his Embassadors secretly animating the one against the other yet in open shew more favouring of the part of Iagupasan than of the Sultan by whose Aid he obtained against him many notable and bloody Victories insomuch that the Sultan weary of the Quarrel was glad not only by his Embassadors to seek the Emperors favour but even in person Himself to go and meet him as he came with his Army out of Syria and so to accompany him unto Constantinople where he was together with the Emperor most honourably received with all the signs of Joy and Triumph that could possibly be devised The Emperor no less rejoycing to be sued unto by so great a Prince than did the Sultan at his so honourable entertainment Among other queint devices of many for the solemnizing of so great a Triumph there was an active Turk who had openly given it out That against an appointed time he would from the top of an high Tower in the Tilt-yard fly by the space of a furlong the report whereof had filled the City with a wonderful expectation of so strange a novelty The time prefixed being come and the people without number assembled the Turk according to his promise upon the top of an high Tower shewed himself girt in a long and large white Garment gathered into many pleits and foldings made of purpose for the gathering of the Wind wherewith the foolish man had vainly perswaded himself to have hovered in the Air as do Birds upon their Wings or to have guided himself as are Ships with their Sails Standing thus hovering a great while as ready to take his flight the beholders still laughing and crying out Fly Turk fly how long shall we expect thy flight The Emperor in the mean time still disswading him from so desperate an Attempt and the Sultan betwixt fear and hope hanging in doubtful suspence what might happen to his Country-man The Turk after he had a great while hovered with his Arms abroad the better to have gathered the wind as Birds do with their Wings and long deluded the expectation of the Beholders at length finding the Wind fit as he thought for his purpose committed himself with his vain hope unto the Air but in stead of mounting aloft this foolish Icarus came tumbling down with such violence that he brake his Neck his Arms his Legs with almost all the bones of his Body This foolish flight of the Turk gave such occasion of sport and laughter unto the vulgar people always ready to scoff and jest at such ridiculous matters that the Turks attending upon the Sultan could not walk in the streets underided the Artificers in their shops shaking their Arms with their Tools in their Hands as did the Turk and still crying out Fly Turk fly whereof the Emperor hearing although he could not chuse but thereat smile Himself as not ignorant of the scoffs and taunts of the vulgar people yet in Favour of the Sultan who was not a little grieved therewith he commanded such their Insolency to be restrained The Solemnity of the Triumph overpassed which by an ominous Earhtquake at the same time hapning was somewhat obscured the Emperor to shew his Wealth and to gratifie the Sultan gave unto him many rich and Royal Presents with such a Mass of Treasure as that he much wondred thereat In requital whereof and in token of his Thankfulness he again honoured the Emperor with the name of his Father and terming himself by the name of his Son promised to restore unto him the City of Sebastia with the Territory thereunto belonging then part of Dadune his Inheritance Nevertheless all this was nothing else but meer dissimulation as afterward by proof appeared for returning home he thrust Dadune indeed out of Sebastia which he spoiled with the Country thereabout but forgetful of his promise kept it wholly to himself and by force took also from him the City of Caesarea with the Country of Amasia by him before but lately possessed In like manner he bent his Forces also upon Iagupasan his other Brother who in the very preparation of those Wars died by whose untimely death the City of Ancyra with all his Dominions in Cappadocia fell into the Sultans hands Who now possessed of all his Fathers Kingdom and swelling with Pride forgetting all former courtesies invaded the Emperors Territories and took from him the City of Laodicea in Phrygia where he did great harm as also in the Country thereabouts killing the people as he went or else carrying them away with
Children altogether following his pleasure his Mother with his Fathers Kinsmen and Friends who above all things ought to have had an especial care of his Education neglecting the old Emperors trust in them reposed followed also their own Delights without the regard of the Ruine of the Commonweal Some enamoured with the Beauty of the young Empress gave themselves all to bravery and the courting of her othersome in great authority with no less desire in the mean time with the common Treasures filled their empty Cofers and a third sort there was of all the rest most dangerous who neither respecting their sensual pleasure nor the heaping up of wealth looked not so low aiming at the very Empire it self As for the common good that was of all other things of them all least regarded Among these third sort of the ambitious was old Andronicus the Cousin of the late Emperor Emanuel a man of an haughty and troublesom Spirit whom he the said Emperor Emanuel had for his aspiring most part of the time of his Reign kept in prison or else in Exile as he now was being by him not long before for fear of raising new troubles confined to live far off from the Court at Oenum who now hearing of the death of the Emperor Emanuel of the Factions in Court of the Childishness of the young Emperor Alexius given wholly to his Sports and the great men put in trust to have seen to his bringing up and to the Government of the Empire some like Bees to fly abroad into the Country seeking after Mony as the Bees do for Hony some others in the mean time like Hogs lying still and fatting themselves with great and gainful Offices wallowing in all Excess and Pleasure to have no regard of the Honour or Profit of the Common-weal thought it now a fit time in such disorder of the State for him to aspire unto the Empire after which he had all his life-time longed That he was generally beloved of the Constantinopolitans yea and of some of the Nobility also he doubted not for them he had long before by his popular behavior gained together with the distrust of the late Emperor jealous of his Estate which as it cost him his Liberty so missed it not much but that it had cost him his Life also but now that he was dead wanted nothing more than some fair colour for the shadowing of his foul purpose Among many and right divers things by him thought upon was a clause in the Oath of Obedience which he had given to the Emperor Emanuel and Alexius his Son which Oath he had delivered unto him in Writing That if he should see hear or understand of any thing dangerous or hurtful to their Honor Empire or Persons he should forthwith bewray it and to the utmost of his power withstand it which words not so to have been wrested as best serving for his purpose he took first occasion to work upon And as he was a stout and imperious man thereupon writ divers Letters unto the young Emperor his Cousin unto Theodosius the Patriarch and other such as he knew well affected unto the late Emperor Emanuel wherein among other things which he wished to be amended in the present Government he seemed most to complain of the immoderate power and authority of Alexius then President of the Council who in great favour with the young Emperor and more inward with the Empress his Mother than was supposed to stand with her honour ruled all things at his pleasure insomuch as that nothing done by any the great Officers of the Empire or by the Emperor himself was accounted of any force except his approbation wâ—re thereunto annexed whereby he was grown unto such an excessive pride having all things in his power as that no man could without danger as upon the venemous Basilisk look upon him Of which his so excessive and insolent power Andronicus by his Letters now greatly complained moved thereunto as he would have it believed with the care he had of the young Emperors safety which could not as he said long stand with the others so great power which he therefore as in duty bound wished to be abridged aggravating withall the infamous report of Alexius his too much familiarity with the Empress which first muttered in Court afterwards flew as he said throughout the whole World. The reformation of which things as tending to the danger of the Person of the Emperor and Dishonour of the State he forsooth as one in conscience bound with great Gravity and Eloquence being a very learned man both in open Speech and Writing most earnestly desired and thereby so wrought as that he was generally accounted for a man of great experience as indeed he was and a faithfull Counsellor to the State a thing much to have been wished Wherefore leaving Oenum the place whereunto he was by the Emperor Emanuel in a sort banished travelling towards Constantinople he gave it out in every place where he came what he had sworn and what he would for his Oaths sake do unto whom men desirous of the change of the State and such as gave credit unto the report long before given out That he at length should become Emperor flockt in great numbers as Birds about an Owl to see him and with vain praises to chatter about him In this sort he came as far as Paphlagonia in every place honourably received as if he had been a deliverer of his Country sent from God. And in the Imperial City he was not longed for of the Vulgar People only as their Light and Load-Star but divers of the Nobility also by secret Messengers and Letters perswaded him to hasten his coming and to take upon him the Government assuring him that there would be none to resist him or to oppose themselves against his shadow but all ready to receive him especially Mary the young Emperors Sister by the Fathers side with her Husband Caesar who being a Woman of great spirit and grieving much to see her Fathers Empire made a prey unto Alexius the President and the Empress her Step-Mother whom she naturally hated had raised a great and dangerous tumult in the City against them both which was not without much bloodshed appeased and now ceased not by often and most earnest Letters to her own destruction and her Husbands as it afterwards fell out to prick forward Andronicus and to hasten his coming who by Letters and Messengers daily coming unto him from the Court still more and more encouraged leaving behind him the Country of Paphlagonia came to Heraclea in Pontus and still on towards the Imperial City with great cunning and dissimulation winning the hearts of the People as he went. For who was so stonie hearted whom his sweet words and abundant tears flowing from his gracious eyes as from two plentiful Fountains down by his hoary Cheeks might not have moved All that he did or desired was as he said for the
the Relief thereof he raised his Siege and retired as he did also next year after having in vain attempted the strong Castle of Mont-Royal on the further side of Iordan In like manner also the third year he came again into the Holy Land and spoiled the Country beyond Iordan but hearing of the Kings coming against him he forthwith returned again into Egypt All these light Expeditions this politique Prince made not so much for hope of Victory or to prove his Enemies strength as to train his Souldiers especially the effeminate Egyptians and to make them fitter to serve him in his greater designs year 1173. Shortly after died Noradin Sultan of Damasco and in his time a most notable Champion of the Turks after he had reigned nine and twenty years Upon whose death Almericus forthwith besieged the City of Paneale in hope to have again recovered the same but he was by the Widow of the late dead Sultan for a great sum of money and the delivery of certain noble Prisoners intreated to raise his Siege and depart So having sent away his Army and traveling with his ordinary Retinue to Tyberias where he had the Summer before been sick of the Flux feeling himself not well he returned on Horse-back by Nazareth and Neapolis to Ierusalem where his old Disease increasing upon him he was also taken with a Fever wherewith after he had been some few days grievously tormented he requested his Physitians with some gentle potion to loose his Belly which was now somewhat stayed which they refusing to do he commanded the potion to be given him upon his own peril hap thereon what hap should which being given him and his Belly again loosed he seemed therewith to have been at the first well eased but his wonted Fever with great vehemency returning before his weak and spent Body could be with convenient meats refreshed he suddenly died the tenth of Iuly in the year 1173. when he had reigned about ten years His dead Body was with the great lamentation of all his Subjects solemnly buried by his Brothers He was a most wise Prince and withall right valiant amongst many most fit for the Government and Defence of that troublesome Kingdom so hardly beset with the Infidels if it had pleased God to have given him longer life Four days after the death of Almericus was Baldwin his Son then a Youth about thirteen years old by the general consent of the Nobility chosen King and by Almericus the Patriarch in the Temple with great Solemnity Crowned in the year 1173. unto whom as not yet by reason of his tender age fit himself to manage the weighty Affairs of the Kingdom Raymond Count of Tripolis was by the whole consent of the Nobility appointed Tutor to supply what was wanting in the young King. Noradin Sultan of Damasco dead as is aforesaid left behind him Melechsala his Son yet but a Youth to succeed him in his Kingdom Whose Government the Nobility disdaining sent secretly for Saladin Sultan of Egypt unto whom at his coming they betrayed the City of Damasco the Regal Seat of the Turks in Syria Whereof Saladin possessed and entring into Coelosiria without Resistance took Heliopolis Emissa with the great City of Caesarea and in fine all the whole Kingdom of Damasco the City of Arethusa only excepted But thus to suffer Melechsala the young Prince to be wronged and the Kingdom of Damasco to be joyned to the Kingdom of Egypt was of the wiser sort thought not to stand with the safety of the Kingdom of Ierusalem lying in the middle betwixt them both Wherefore the Count of Tripolis Governor of that Kingdom made out certain Forces to have hindred his proceedings At which time also Cotobed Prince of Parthia and Melechsala Uncle sent certain Troops of Parthian Horse-men to have aided his distressed Nephew who were by Saladin overthrown and almost all slain near unto Aleppo where Melechsala lay As for the Count of Tripolis and the other Christian Princes with whom Saladin in the newness of his Kingdom had no desire to fall out he appeased them with fair Intreaty and Rewards unto the Count he sent freely the Hostages which yet lay for his Ransome at Emissa unto the other Princes he sent rich Presents and therewith so contented them all that they returned without any thing doing against him After which time three or four years passed in great quietness to the great strengthening of him in those new gotten Kingdoms At length upon the coming over of Philip Earl of Flanders the Christian Princes of Syria encouraged consulted of an Expedition to be made into Egypt whereof Saladin having Intelligence drew down into that Country the greatest part of his strength But Philip disliking of that Expedition and the rather for that he saw no great chearfulness in the Count of Tripolis and the rest thereunto they with one consent changed their Purpose for Egypt and turning their Forces a quite contrary way miserably and without resistance wasted the Country about Emissa and Caesarea Whilst the Christians wâ—re thus busied in Coelosiria Saladin on the other side took occasion out of Egypt to invade the Kingdom of Ierusalem of whose coming King Baldwin having intelligence with such small Forces as he had left hastned himself to Ascalon In the mean time Saladin with a great Army was entred into the Holy Land where burning the Country before him and raging in the blood of the poor Christians he came and encamped not far from Ascalon and struck such a fear upon the whole Country that they which dwelt in Ierusalem were about to have forsaken the City as for the King himself he lay close within the City of Ascalon not daring to adventure upon so strong an Enemy Wherewith Saladin encouraged and out of fear of his Enemies dispersed his Army some one way some another to forrage the Country Which the King perceiving secretly with all his Power issued out of the City if happily so he might overtake the Sultan unawares neither was he deceived in his expectation for coming suddenly upon him and secretly charging him he had with him for a good space an hard and doubtful battel until that the Victory by the Power of God at length inclining to the Christians Saladin with his Turks fled overthrown with a great slaughter most part of his great Army being either there slain or lost afterward with hunger and cold This Victory fell unto the Christians the 25 th day of November in the year 1177. not without the Almighty Hand of God year 1177. the Turk having in his Army above six and twenty thousand Horse-men and the King not past four hundred Horse with some few Foot-men After which Victory Baldwin in great Triumph returned to Ierusalem and there shortly after with great care and diligence repaired the decayed Walls of the City Saladin in revenge of this Overthrow made divers Incursions into the Frontiers of the Christians and did great harm specially in
gave the most hearty thanks that possibly he could unto the Latine Princes for that by their Bounty Charity and Valour the Greek Empire had been delivered out of a long and miserable Servitude and for his own particular that he had received of them so great good that albeit his sight could not be restored to him again nevertheless he acknowledged his Life his Liberty his Empire his Country his Son to have been unto him by them restored and he likewise to them for which their so great Deserts he could not as he said render them condign Thanks or devise Rewards or Honours answerable to their Demerits and Valour and that therefore he did ratifie and confirm whatsoever his Son had before promised unto them for his deliverance and not only that but further promised That if they were not therewith contented he would of his own bounty give them better contentment not meaning they should go discontented that had saved his life and otherwise so highly pleasured him Hereupon this good old Emperor began to consult with his Friends about the means whereby he might satisfie and content the Latines in such things as the young Prince his Son had unto them promised And to the intent that the Citizens of Constantinople might the more willingly do that he was to command them and the more chearfully pay such Impositions as he was to lay upon them he intreated all the Latines to retire themselves out of the City into their Camp or about their Ships which they accordingly did But the Imposition being set down and what every man was to pay seemed unto the Greeks as men of long accustomed to receive Tribute of others and not to pay Tribute to others a matter most heavy and intollerable In this very instant that this Exaction was required died the old Emperor Isaac who having of long been kept in a dark and stinking Prison in continual fear of death and now deliveâ—ed and restored to his Empire could not indure so sudden and unexpected a change both of the Air and of his manner of living but so suddenly died At this Exaction imposed for the contentment of the Latines the light Constantinopolitans grievously murmured and exclaimed saying That it was a villanous thing to see the Greek Empire ingaged and bound by a young Boy unto a covetous and proud Nation and so to be spoiled and made bare of Coin That the great and rich Island of Crete lying in the midst of â—he Sea was by him given as a Gift unto the Latines That the City of Constantinople and the Greek Church had by him been enforced and constrained to yield unto the See of Rome to receive the Opinions of the Latine Church to submit it self unto the Obeysance of old Rome from whence it had once happily departed ever since the time that the Empire was by Constantine the Great translated thence to them Thus every one said for himself in particular thus all men said in general And thereof the Noblemen in their Assemblies and the vulgar people in their meetings grievously complained whereupon a Sedition and Tumult was raised in the City Some presently took up Arms and the common people all enraged ran furiously disordered unto the Palace with a purpose to have committed some great Outrage upon the Person of the young Emperor Alexius who in that so sudden an Insurrection as might well have troubled a right constant man without longer delay resolved upon a most wholsome and necessary point for the appeasing of the peoples fury unto whom assembled in a wonderful multitude he shewed himself from above in his Palace promising them to remain in their Power and not from thenceforth to do any thing without their advice and liking but wholly to depend upon them with which good words the people held themselves well content and so was the tumult for that time appeased But forthwith the young Emperor considering the injury done unto him began to burn with the desire of Revenge and to change his purpose He could not together satisfie the Citizens and the Latines for if he would keep his promise with the Latines he must of necessity offend his own people neither was there any means to be found to satisfie both the one and the other But thinking himself more bound to keep his promise with the Latines whose Forces he knew not how to withstand he sent secretly to request the Marquess of Mont-Ferrat General of the Army to send him about mid-night certain Companies of Souldiers unto the City assuring him to receive them in by a Gate near unto the Palace which should be opened unto them by certain of his trusty Servants there left for that purpose Of this Plot Alexius Ducas of his bittle brows sirnamed Murzufle whom of a base Fellow the Emperor Isaac had promoted unto the greatest Honours of the Court was not ignorant who being a man of an aspiring mind and in those troublesome times having long thirsted after the Empire took now this occasion to work upon The night following he by his Agents men instructed for the purpose raised a tumult in the City not inferior unto that which had hapned the day before and at the same instant as if he had had nothing to do in the matter came suddenly to the young Emperor in the dead time of the night which he might at all time do by reason of the great confidence the Emperor had in him and with a sad countenance told him That the People were up again in an uprore and especially they of his Guard and that they were coming toward him to do him some violence for the love he bare unto the Latines With which unexpected news the young Emperor terrified demanded of him as of his most faithful Counsellor What were best in that case for him to do Who presently embracing him in his Night-gown led him out by a secret door into a Tent he had of his own in the Court as if he would there have kept him safe but far was that from his traiterous thoughts who departing from him as if he had gone to appease the Tumult had before taken order that he should presently after his departure be cast into Bonds and so be clapt up into a close stinking Prison which done the false Traitor openly shewing himself made an Oration to the People wherein he shewed himself to have great compassion of the Greek Empire and of the Greeks his Country men themselves especially in that they were governed by a youth unfit for the government who suffred himself to be misled according to the pleasure of the Latines And that it was high time for the City of Constantinople the seat of the Greek Empire to look about it and to have an Eye unto it self sith it was betrayed and sold by them which ought to preserve and keep the same that they had now need of a man that loved his Country and Country-men before that which yet remained of the
Wrath but struck as it were to the heart with a remorse of Conscience and oppressed with heaviness with tears running down his Cheeks and fetching a deep sigh said Why provoke you me to punish so just a man Whereas if I would my self have lived without reproach and infamy I should have kept my Imperial Majesty unpolluted or stained But now sith I my self have been the cause both of mine own disgrace and of the Empires I may thank mine own deserts if of such evil seed as I have sown I now reap also an evil harvest After the death of this good Emperor Theodorus his Son born the first year of his Fathers Reign being then about three and thirty years old was by the general consent of the People saluted Emperor in his stead who in the beginning of his Empire renewed the League which his Father had made with Iathatines the Turkish Sultan And so having provided for the security of his affairs in Asia he with a puissant Army passed over the Straight of Hellespontus into Europe to appease the troubles there raised in Macedonia and Thracia by the King of Bulgaria his Brother-in-Law and Michael Angelus the Despot of Thessalia who upon the death of the old Emperor began to spoil those Countries not without hope aâ— length to have joyned them unto their own by whose coming they were for all that disappointed of their purpose and glad to sue to him for peace But whilst he was there busied he was advertised by Letters from Nice that Michael Paleologus whom he had left there Governour in his absence was secretly fled unto the Turks with which news he was not a little troubled The cause of whose flight as Paleologus himself gave it out was for that he perceived himself divers ways by many of his Enemies brought into disgrace and the Emperors Ears so filled with their odious complaints so cunningly framed against him as that they were not easily or in short time to be refelled and therefore fearing in the Emperors heavy displeasure to be suddenly taken away to have willingly gone into exile if so happily he might save his life from the malice of them that sought after it At his coming to Iconium he found Iathatines the Sultan making great preparation against the Tartars who having driven the Turks out of Persia and other the far Eastern Countries as is before declared and running still on did with their continual incursions spoyl a great part of their Territories in the lesser Asia also and now lay at Axara a Town not far off from Iconium against whom the Sultan now making the greatest preparation he could gladly welcomed Paleologus whom he knew to be a right valiant and worthy Captain commending to his charge the leading of certain Bands of Greeks whom he had retained to serve him in those Wars as he had others of the Latines under the conduct of Boniface Moline a Nobleman of Venice and so having put all things in readiness and strengthened with these forreign Supplies of the Greeks and Latines set forward against his Enemies the Tartars who at the first fight of the strange Ensigns and Souldiers were much dismaied fearing some greater force had been come to the aid of the Turks nevertheless joyning with them in Battel had with them at the first a most terrible and bloody conflict wherein that part of the Army that stood against Paleologus and his Greeks was put to the worse to the great discomfiture of the Tartars being even upon the point to have fled had not one of the greatest Commanders in the Turks Army and a nigh Kinsman of the Sultans for an old grudge that he bare unto the Sultan with all his Regiment in the heat of the Battel revolted unto the Tartars whereby the fortune of the Battel was in a moment as it were quite altered they which but now were about to have fled fighting like Lions and they that were Victors now glad to turn their Backs and flie in which Flight a great number of Turks fell the fierce Tartars most eagerly pursuing them Paleologus with the General of the Turks hardly chased by the Tartars and glad every hour to make a stand and to fight for their lives with much ado after many days flight recovered a Castle of the Generals neer unto Castamona and so saved themselves The Tartars after this so great a Victory wherein they had broken the whole Strength of the Turks and brought in hazard the whole State of their Kingdom without resistance forraged all the Countries and Provinces subject unto the Turkish Sultan making Spoil of whatsoever they light upon insomuch that the Sultan discouraged and having now no Strength left to oppose against them fled unto the Greek Emperor Theodorus for aid who most honourably entertained him with all his Train and comforted him with such small aid as he thought good then to spare him which for his more safety he sent home with him under the leading of Isaacius Duâ—as sirnamed Murtzufle a man in great credit with him In recompence of which kindness the Sultan gave unto the Emperor the City of Laodicea whereinto he presently put a strong Garrison Nevertheless it was not long before it fell again into the Hands of the Turks being a place not to be holden by the Greeks Yet for all this the Sultan finding himself still to weak to withstand the continual invasions of the Tartars and weary of the harms he dayly stustained by the advice of his chief Councellors made a League with them yielding to pay them a certain yearly Tribute thereby to redeem his peace From which time the Tartars accounted of the Turks as of their Tributaries and Vassals Not long after this Michael Paleologus was by the Emperors kind and gracious Letters called home with his faithful promise also before given for his security who before his return bound himself also by solemn Oath to be unto the Emperor and his Son always loyal and from thenceforth never to seek after the Empire or give cause of new suspect for such matters as he had been before charged with but for ever to yield unto the Emperor his Son or other his Successors in the Empire his dutiful Obedience and Fidelity Upon which conditions he was again made great Constable and so received into the Emperors Favour and lived the rest of his Reign in great honour and credit with him Now Theodorus the Emperor having reigned three years fell sick and died leaving behind him his Son Iohn then but a Child of six years old to succeed him in the Empire whom he upon his death bed together with the Empire commended to Arsenius the Patriarch and one George Muzalo his faithful Councellor as to his trusty Tutors to see him safely brought up and the Empire well and peaceably governed This Muzalo was a man of mean Parentage but for his familiar Acquaintance and civil Behaviour of a Child brought up in the Court with the
parts of the Turkish Kingdom in Europe Amurath to repress this so great and dangerous a Rebellion sent Bajazet Bassa a man of great Authority in his Court with a strong Army into Europe This great Bassa passing over Hellespontus found all the Country revolted unto their new found King Mustapha but marching towards Hadrianople with purpose to have given him battel he was first forsaken of the European Souldiers which he brought out of Asia and afterwards of all the rest also and being left alone with his Brother Hamze Beg was for safeguard of his life glad to yield himself to Mustapha of whom he was graciously entertained and upon promise of his Loyalty sworn one of his Privy-Council Mustapha thus now possessed of the Turkish Kingdom in Europe and entertaining great thoughts the better to maintain his credit levied a great Army to make War upon Amurath in Asia And as he was upon his way at a place which the Turks call Saslidere or the place of Willows his other Counsellors repining at the great Honour he gave to Bajazet Bassa advised him to beware that he trusted him not too far of whose small Faith he had sufficient trial already and was like enough when occasion should serve to revolt from him to Amurath and to draw after him some great part of his Army to the great peril both of himself and all them his faithful Servants and Followers Upon which jealous conceit this great Bassa Bajazet was there forthwith as a Traytor apprehended and without further trial executed at which time his Brother Hamze was with much ado spared This done Mustapha proceeded on his Journey and passed over with his Army at Callipolis into Asia Amurath understanding of the proceedings of Mustapha in Europe and of his preparation made for his Invasion of Asia created three new Bassaes Omer Uruge and Alis all three the Sons of Temurtases these he joyned with his old Bassaes Ibrahim and Eivases All these five he used as Counsellors for the Wars by whose advice he sent for Mahomet Beg sirnamed Michael Ogli who in the time that Musa reigned was Vice-Roy in Europe and therefore a man well known to most principal men in Mustapha his Army but had been kept Prisoner in the Castle of Amasia from the time that Musa was deposed and put to death by his Brother Mahomet until now that he was after eight years imprisonment for this special purpose inlarged and received into Favour About the same time that Mustapha set footing in Asia Amurath having gathered his Army set forward from Prusa to meet him yet with such distrust in his Forces which were thought to be much inferior to the European Souldiers that followed Mustapha that he was glad upon a superstitious opinion or zeal to prostrate himself at the feet of an Emir one of the false Prophet Mahomets Posterity to receive at his hypocritical Hands a graceless Blessing for his better speed by whom he was made to believe that after two Repulses he had with much ado at the third time obtained grant of the great Prophet Mahomet that he should prevail in that War and thereupon had his Sword girt unto him with the Emir his holy hands with many other vain and superstitious Ceremonies Yet for all these Charms he marched on with his Army in fear enough until he came to the River of Ulibad otherwise called Rindacus where having Intelligence of the approach of Mustapha he for fear caused the Bridge over the River there to be broken down and incamped himself on that side the River Not long after came Mustapha and finding the Bridge broken incamped at the foot thereof on the other side so that nothing parted the two Armies but the breadth of the River only Whilst they lay thus near incamped together that the Souldiers might on both sides take the full view one of another and also talk together Mahomet Beg sirnamed Michael Ogli but lately delivered out of his long Imprisonment as is aforesaid came to the River side and with a loud Voice called by name upon the great Captains and old Souldiers that were in Mustapha his Army asking by name for many of his old Friends and Acquaintance many of them being there present rejoycing to see that honourable Man whom they supposed to have been dead in prison many years before came gladly to the side of the River to hear what he could say Then with a loud Voyce he began to perswade them that the man whom they followed was not the honourable Mustapha but some base high-minded fellow set up by the Grecians abusing the obscurity of his Birth as the Vail under the covert whereof he went craftily about to intrude himself into the honourable descent of Bajazet and so masking in the counterfeit Titles of stoln Honour had misled them from their Duty to their natural King and Sovereign to follow him a meer Deceiver And further assured them that Mustapha Bajazet his Son was dead and buried in the Bed of Fame 22 years before honourably ending his days in defence of his Country in the great battel of Mount Stella against Tamerlane wherefore they should do well to forsake that supposed Mustapha and again to yield their dutiful Obedience unto their undoubted Soveraign Amurath These words delivered unto them by Mahomet whom they generally both reverenced and trusted wrought such effect in their minds that some presently adventured to swim over the River and joyned themselves unto him and many others that stayed still began now to doubt lest they had worshipped a wrong Saint At the same time also Eivases Bassa to terrifie Mustapha sent unto him Letters as in great secret advertising him that Amurath had the next night purposed with his Army to pass over the River above the broken Bridge at which time the chief Captains of his Army being as he said corrupted had promised to deliver Mustapha into his hands and with his Head to pay the Ransom of them all This he coloured with such fair glosses that Mustapha partly believed the same So when the dead time of the night was come Eivases with certain Troops of Horsemen passed over the River at the very same place he had in his Letters named and that with such a noise and tumult as if Amurath with his whole Army had been coming Mustapha seeing things begin thus to work according as Eivases Bassa had before written and with this doubting also to be presently betrayed and carrying about him a guilty Conscience the Mother of Fear and Distrust took Horse slenderly accompanied but with ten persons of his whole Army and fled in hast no man pursuing them until he came to the River of Boga and there with a great Sum of Money obtained passage by corrupting the Captain that dwelt in the Castle upon the passage of the River and the third day after passing over the Strait of Hellespontus landed at Callipolis The flight of Mustapha once known in his Army they all yielded
thou didst murther my Brâ—thren and my self thou didst most wickedly vow to death when I little feared any such Cruelty and doth it now seem strange to thee O Amurath that an invincible mind desirous of Liberty should seek to break out of the bonds of so great and insolent Slavery How long at length didst thou think I would endure thy proud Bondage which for all that I many years endured and refused not thy command I exposed my self to publique and private dangers both voluntarily and by thy designment speeches were given â—ut dayly by thy self and the admonition of my Friends concerning thy deep Treachery was rife in mine Ears Yet for all that of long time I simply believed both thy words and deeds to have been devoid of all Fraud until thy cankered malice began too too apparently to shew it self then began I also to glose with thee wholly metamorphosed into thine own conceits until I found occasion to recover my Liberty Wherefore there is no cause thou shouldst now grieve if thou be well beaten with thine own rod. But these are but Trifles Amurath in comparison of those things which I have laid up in hope and resolution of mind Therefore hereafter surcease thine angry threats and tell not us of the Hungarian Fortune every man hath his own resolution and every man a particular Governor of his actions and so will we with patience endure such Fortune as it shall please God to appoint us In the mean time for direction of our Affairs we will not request Counsel of our Enemies nor Peace of thee but Victory by the help of God. Farewel From our Camp. When Amurath had read these Letters and further conferred with Ayradin he was filled with wrath and indignation wondering at the great resolution of so small a Prince presently casting in his mind as was thought the difficulty of that War. Yet because he would give no token of Fear oftentimes stroaking his white Beard as his manner was when he was throughly angry with a dissembled chearfulness of countenance said Thou desirest wicked man thou desirest the title of some honourable death We will give it thee believe us we will give it thee we our selves will be present at the burial of our foster Child and in person though unbidden honour the funeral Pomp of the great King of Epirus that thou shalt never complain among the damned Ghosts that thou didst die a base or obscure kind of death And because at that time by reason of many great occurrents he could not convert his whole Power into Epirus he sent Ferises one of his best Captains with nine thousand choice Horsemen to keep Scanderbeg in doing and to spoil his Country so much as he could Which was with such speed done as it was thought Ferises would have been in the heart of Epirus before Scanderbeg could have had knowledge of his coming But for all his hast he could not so prevent the flying fame but that Scanderbeg hearing thereof and having his men always in readiness placed fifteen hundred good Footmen in ambush upon the rough Mountains leading into the Valley of Movea whereby the Turks must needs pass into Epirus placing also two thousand Horsemen as he thought most fit and convenient for his purpose Ferises descending from the high Mountains full of Woods and Bushes by the broken and stony ways leading into the Valley was in that troublesome and intricate passage fiercely set upon by Scanderbegs ready Footmen suddenly arising out of ambush where the Turks having no use of their Horses but rather by them encumbred were slain as Deer enclosed in a toyl In this conflict seven hundred and sixty Turks were taken Prisoners and a great number slain and Ferises himself with the rest enforced to flie crying still out as he fled Better some saved than all lost Scanderbeg having thus overthrown Ferises pursued him into Macedonia and with the Spoil there taken rewarded his Souldiers as he had also many times before done Amurath grieved with the overthrow of Ferises presently sent Mustapha a politick and hardy Captain with a new supply of six thousand Souldiers to take the charge from Ferises commanding him in no case nor upon any occasion to enter far into Epirus but only to burn and spoil the frontiers thereof saying That he would account it for good service if he might but understand that the Trees and Fruits of that Country had felt the force of his Anger Mustapha having received his Charge when he began to draw near the Borders of Epirus continually sent out Scouts before his Army to see if the passages were clear and so warily entred the Vally of Movea where Ferizes not long before was overthrown In this fruitful Valley being the Frontiers of Scanderbegs Dominion Mustapha intrenched his Army upon the rising of a Hill and placed Espials upon the top of the high Mountains round about by them to discover the coming of the Enemy and to have notice thereof by signs into the Camp then reserving four thousand Horsemen with himself to keep his Camp he sent forth the rest of his Army about nine thousand Horsemen to forrage and spoil the Country giving charge before That every man upon pain of Death should presently retire to the Camp upon sign given from thence as to a place of Safety and Refuge The Turkish Army ranging over that rich and pleasant Vally burnt the Villages cut down Trees spoiled the Vineyards and made havock of all things that Fire and Sword could destroy in that point executing Amuraths command to the full At length Scanderbeg drawing near to this Vally with four thousand Horsemen and one thousand Foot was advertised of all the Enemies doings by an Epirot Souldier who grievously wounded had hardly escaped from the Turks of him he understood what number of Turks were burning and destroying the Country of the Camp also kept by Mustapha and how Espials were placed upon the Mountains Scanderbeg having well considered Mustapha his wary proceedings and seeing no Policy to be used against so careful an Enemy resolved to vanquish him by plain force by assaulting him suddainly in his Trenches before his dispersed Souldiers could repair to the Camp and having to this purpose with effectual perswasions incouraged the minds of his valiant Souldiers ready of themselves to follow him through all dangers when he had set all things in order for the assaulting of the Enemies Camp speedily entred the Vally and was presently discovered by the Enemies Espials from the tops of the high Hills and a sign given to the Camp from whence also the appointed sign was given for the dispersed Souldiers to retire but most of them being straied from the Camp and busied in taking the Spoil of the Country heard not or saw not the sign given Those which were within the hearing thereof retired to the Camp and at their Heels followed Scanderbegs Souldiers terrifying them with calling upon the Name of Scanderbeg Many of the
wonderfully even to the astonishment of the World increased and extended their Empire But of them more shall be said hereafter This great King was whilst he lived of his Subjects wonderfully beloved and no less of them after his death lamented He was more faithful of his word than any of the Turkish Kings either before or after him by Nature melancholy and sad and accounted rather politick than valiant yet was indeed both a great dissembler and painful in travel but wayward and testy above measure which many imputed unto his great Age. He had issue six Sons Achmetes Aladin Mahomet Hasan otherwise called Chasan Urchan and Achmetes the younger of some called Calepinus three of whom died before but the two youngest were by their unnatural Brother Mahomet who succeeded him in the Turkish Kingdom even in their infancy in the beginning of his Reign most cruelly murthered Christian Princes of the same time with Amurath the Second Emperors Of the East John Palaeologus 1421. 24. Constantinus Palaeologus 1444. 8. Of the West Sigismund King of Hungary 1411. 28. Albert the Second King of Hungary and Bohemia 1438. 2. Frederick the Third Arch-Duke of Austria 1440. 54. Kings Of England Henry the Fifth 1413. 9. Henry the Sixth 1422. 39. Of France Charles the Sixth 1381. 42. Charles the Seventh 1423. 38. Of Scotland James the First 1424. 13. James the Second 1436. 29. Bishops of Rome Martin the V. 1417. 13. Eugenius the IV. 1431. 16. Nicholas the V. 1447. 8. Qui riâ—i inÌ„uumeros populos tot regno lot urbes Solus eâ— immensi qui timor orbis â—ram Me 〈◊〉 quaecunque rapit mors improba sed sum 〈◊〉 â—xcelsa duclus ad astra tamen 〈◊〉 Aleâ—â—â—nder non me suit Anibal et non Eâ—deriâ— Auâ—oniâ—s tot licet ille Duces 〈…〉 Danaos domuique feroces 〈…〉 populâ—s Sauromatas que truces Pannonius sensiâ—â—â— antum surgebit in armis Vis meaâ—quâ—e latio cognita nuper erat Arsacidae sensere manus has sensit Arabsque El mea suâ—t Persae cognita tela duci Mens fueral bellâ—re Rhodum superare superbam Italiam sed non fata dedere modum Hei mehi nam rapuit mors aspera quaeque sub alto Pectore â—onâ—ideram rertit et hora brevis Sic hominum faâ—lus perâ—unt sic Stemata Sicque Imperium atque qurum quicquid et Orbis habet I who to kingdomes Cities brought their fate The terrour of the trembling world of late Yield to the greater Monarch Death but am Yet proud to think of my immortal fame Greater than Alexander once was I Or him that Camps of Romans did destroy I vanquisht the victorious Greeks and I Destroyd Epyrus and fierce Tartary From mighty Me th'Hungarians had their doome And the report reacht y e proud walls oâ— Rome Th'Assyrian and Arabian felt my hand Nor could the Persian my dread power withstand Ore Rhodes and Italy I designd to ride But fate the progress of my aimes denyd Ai me grim Death and one unlucky houre Has baffled all my thoughts and boundless power So haughty man and all his hopes decay And so all sublunary gloryes pass away The LIFE of MAHOMET The Second of that NAME The Seventh KING and First EMPEROR of the TURKS For his many VICTORIES sirnamed The Great THE report of the death of old Amurath the late King was in short time blown through most part of Christendom to the great joy of many but especially of the Greeks and other poor Christians which bordered upon the Tyrants Kingdom who were now in hope together with the change of the Turkish King to make exchange also of their bad Estate and Fortune and the rather for that it was thought that his eldest Son Mahomet after the death of his Father would have imbraced the Christian Religion being in his Childhood instructed therein as was supposed by his Mother the Daughter of the Prince of Servia a Christian. But vain was this hope and the joy thereof but short as afterward by proof appeared For Mahomet being about the Age of one and twenty years succeeding his Father in the Kingdom in the year of our Lord 1450. year 1450. embraced in shew the Mahometan Religion abhorring the Christian but indeed making no great reckoning either of the one or of the other but as a meer Atheist devoid of all Religion and worshiping no other God but good Fortune derided the simplicity of all such as thought that God had any care or regard of worldly men or of their actions which graceless resolution so wrought in him that he thought all things lawful that agreed with his lust and making conscience of nothing kept no League Promise or Oath longer than stood with his Profit or Pleasure Now in the Court men stood diversly affected towards the present State the mighty Bassaes and others of great Authority unto whom the old Kings Government was never grievous inwardly lamented his death doubting lest the fierce Nature of the young King should turn to the hurt of some of them in particular and the shortning of their Authority in general as indeed it shortly after fell out But the lusty Gallants of the Court weary of the old King who in hope of preferment had long wished for the Government of the young Prince were glad to see him set upon his Fathers Seat. And the vulgar People never constant but in unconstancy and alwaies fawning upon the present exceedingly rejoyced in their young King. The Ianizaries also at the same time according to their accustomed manner took the Spoil of the Christians and Jews that dwelt amongst them and easily obtained pardon for the same whereupon he was by the same Ianizaries and other Souldiers of the Court with great Triumph saluted King. Which approbation of these men of War is unto the Turkish Kings a greater assurance for the possession of their Kingdom than to be born the eldest Son of the King as in the process of this History shall appear so great is the power of these masterful Slaves in promoting to the Kingdom whichsoever of the Kings Sons they most favour without much regard whether they be the eldest or not This young Tyrant was no sooner possessed of his Fathers Kingdom but that he forgetting the Laws of Nature was presently in person himself about to have murthered with his own hands his youngest Brother then but eighteen Months old begotten on the Daughter of Sponderbius Which unnatural part Moses one of his Bassaes and a man greatly in his favour perceiving requested him not to embrue his own hands in the blood of his Brother but rather to commit the execution thereof to some other which thing Mahomet commanded him the Author of that counsel forthwith to do So Moses taking the Child from the Nurse strangled it with pouring water down the throat thereof The young Lady understanding of the death of her Child as a Woman whom Fury had made past fear came and in her rage reviled the Tyrant to
proceed in his honourable Enterprise assuring him of the good Success thereof and with all the reasons he could devise impugned that which Caly-Bassa had said And of the same opinion with Zoganus was also the third Bassa rather of purpose to cross Caly-Bassa and withall to sit the Kings humor than for any great hope he had in the good Success of that he so much desired Howbeit the Speech he and Zoganus delivered so well agreed with the Kings affection that he resolved to continue the Siege and thereupon gave full Authority to Zoganus to appoint a day for a great and general Assault to he given resolving at once to engage all his Forces upon the winning of the City Which charge Zoganus gladly took upon him and with his good liking appointed the 29 th day of May for the general Assault being then the Tuesday next following In the mean time he sent one Ismael the Son of Alexander Prince of Sinope Embassador unto the Emperor to offer him Peace but upon such hard Conditions as were no less to be refused than death it self Which thing he did partly to satisfie the minds of his Turks who are for most part of opinion That God will not prosper them in their Assaults except they first make unto their Enemies some offer of Peace how unreasonable soever it forceth not and partly to make proof what confidence the Enemy yet had in himself for the holding out of the Siege But that dishonourable Peace so offered together with the intollerable Conditions was by the Emperor honourably refused who no less feared the Turks Faith if he should have accepted thereof than he did the hardness of the Conditions Three days before this fatal Assault was to be given the Turks according to their manner kept their Solemn Fast eating nothing all the day until night and then making the greatest chear and joy they could devise and in the winding up of the same took their leave one of another with such kissing and imbracing as if they should never have met again At the same time Mahomet to encourage his Souldiers caused Proclamation to be made through his Camp That he would freely give all the spoil of the City for three days unto his Souldiers if they could win it and for confirmation thereof solemnly swore the Turks great Oath By the Immortal God and by the four hundred Prophets by Mahomet by his Fathers Soul by his own Children and by the Sword wherewith he was girt faithfully to perform whatsoever he had to them in his Proclamation promised Whilst these things were in doing Caly-Bassa disdaining that his counsel was rejected and the Opinion of his Adversaries followed by secret Letters advertised the Emperor of the day appointed for the general Assault together with all the preparation made against him peswading him not to be afraid of them who were themselves no less afraid of him but carefully to provide to have all things in readiness for the defence of his City and valiantly to withstand the rash and last Attempt of his Enemies This woful Emperor had already done what he could to the uttermost of his Power for defence of the City all the time of the Siege but such was the disloyalty of the Citizens his Subjects that many times they could hardly be drawn from their private Trades and Occupations unto the Walls to withstand the Enemy foolishly affirming That it was to no purpose for them to sight against the Turks at the Breaches and to starve for Food at home in their houses For which cause the Emperor commanded a View to be taken of all the Corn in the City which then began to grow very scarce but upon diligent search made such store was found in many Mens hands which was by them either altogether kept in to sell afterwards at unreasonable prizes or else so sparingly uttered as if they had none to spare as that it appeared the death and scarcity which then began to increase to proceed rather of the covetousness of men than of any true want of Grain this store the Emperor caused to be proportionably divided unto every Family at reasonable prizes according to their spending and so eased the great murmuring and grudging of the common people for Bread. The Grecian mercinary Souldiers also regarding more their own private Profit than the Publick Service refused any longer to go to the Walls than they were sure of their daily pay which the poor Emperor otherwise unable to give them was glad to convert the Church-Plate and Jewels into Money to content them For he had many times before with tears in vain requested to have borrowed money of his covetous Subjects to have been employed in the defence of the City but they would still swear that they had it not as men grown poor for want of Trade which in few days after their Enemies found in such abundance that they wondred at their Wealth and derided their folly that possessing so much they would bestow so little in defence of themselves and their Country But this had been their usual manner of dealing with their Emperors in that declining State of the Empire as well appeared in the time of the Emperor Baldwin who for lack of money was glad first to sell away many of the goodly Ornaments of the City and afterwards to Pawn his own Son unto the Venerian Merchants for Money to maintain his State as in the former part of this History is declared But to return again to the course of our History The Emperor certainly advertised of the Enemies purpose for the general Assault shortly to be given first commended the defence of himself and the City to the Protection of the Almighty by general fasting and prayer and afterwards appointed every Captain and Commander to some certain place of the Wall for defence thereof which was done by the direction of Io. Iustinianus his General in whose valour the Constantinopolitans had reposed their greatest hope But the City being on every side now beset with the Turks great Army and the Defendants in number but few for so great a City in compass eight miles the Walls could but slenderly in many places be manned and especially on both sides toward the Sea where indeed least danger was The greatest strength and best Souldiers were placed for defence of the utter Wall where the Breach was and the Assault expected by Land. Iustinianus the General himself with three hundred Genoways well armed and certain chosen Greeks undertook the defence of that part of the battered Wall near unto the Roman Gate where the fall the Tower Bactatina had filled the Ditch as is aforesaid against which place Mahomet himself lay encamped with his Janizaries and best Men of War. Near unto Iustinianus lay the Emperor himself for defence of another part of the Wall and so other Captains orderly with their Companies all alongst the utter Wall and because the Defendants should have no hope to save their
Religion and changing his Name of Stephen to Achomates and Cherseogles he married one of Bajazet his Daughters a Princess of great Beauty and deserved to have a place amongst the Bassaes of greatest honour in the Court. Yet still retaining the remembrance of his former Profession with a desire to return thereto again insomuch that he kept in his secret closet the image of the Crucifix which he shewed to Io. Lascaris as to his trusty Friend as he himself reported This man at such time as the City of Modon was taken by the Turks and a multitude of poor Christian Captives cruelly put to death in the sight of Bajazet by earnest intreaty saved the Venetian Senators there taken and afterward by earnest sute delivered Andreas Gritti being Prisoner at Constantinople and condemned to die who not many years after was chosen Duke of Venice He was the chief means whereby the Venetians to their great good obtained Peace of Bajazet He also by his great Authority and of his own charge redeemed innumerable Christians from the servitude of the Turks and set them at liberty Neither is his kindness towards the furtherance of good learning to be forgotten for at such time as the foresaid Io. Lascaris the notable and learned Grecian by the appointment of Leo the Tenth sought ancient works of famous Writers he procured the Turkish Emperors Letters Patents that he might freely at his pleasure search all the Libraries in Grecia to the great benefit of good Letters Now Bajazet encouraged by this mans perswasion as is aforesaid and hearing as he lay in his Pavilion the Alarm of the Enemy with the tumult and clamor of his own Souldiers as if they had been men afraid and sundry Messengers also at the same time coming unto him with news That Selymus with his Tartarian Horsemen had almost inclosed the Rearward of his Army and already taken some of his Baggage grinding his Teeth for very madness and grief of mind with Tears trickling down his hoary Cheeks got him out of his Pavilion in his Horse-litter for he was at the same time so troubled with the Gout that he was not able to sit on Horseback and turning himself unto the Pensioners and Janizaries standing about him as their manner is said unto them Will you Foster-Children valiant Souldiers and faithful keepers of my Person who with great fortune have served me in Field above the space of thirty years and for your faithful and good service have both in time of Peace and War of me received such rewards as by your own confession and thanksgiving far exceeded your own expectation and the measure of our Treasures Will you I say suffer the innocent Father to be butchered by his graceless Son And your old Emperor tormented with age and diseases to be cruelly murthered by a company of wild Tartars little better than arrant Rogues and Theeves Shall I be now forsaken in this my heavy old age and last act of Life And shall I be delivered unto mine Enemies by them by them I say who many years ago with great faithfulness and invincible Courage defended mine Honour and Right against my Brother Zemes And have many times since not only valiantly defended this Empire against most warlike Nations but also most victoriously augmented the same But I will not so lightly believe that which to my no small grief is brought unto mine ears concerning the revolting of mine Army neither if I did believe it am I so fearful as to be therewith discouraged or to seek to make shift for my self For to what purpose should I think of Flight as though I could in any other place find more faithfulness or surer defence than with you And concerning your selves what should be your hope by this so infamous Treachery If any of you for I cannot believe that you are all so mad without regard of faith of worldly shame or the fear of God have polluted your minds with the pernicious conceit of so foul a Treason do you think to gain greater Rewards and preferments by your Treachery and Villany than by your Fidelity and Constancy There be many which careful of my Person perswade me to reserve this my sick and feeble Body unto my better fortune and to commit my self to flight so rather to save my life with shame and infamy than to end my days with honour and glory Which is so far from my thought for the apprehension of any fear to do that I will to the contrary forthwith give the fierce Enemy battel and in this my last danger make proof of all your Fidelity and Valour and of every one of your good Wills in particular and so by conduct of the Highest either defeat the power and break the strength of this graceless man or else having reigned above thirty years an Emperor end my days together with them which shall unto the end continue with me in their Faithfulness and Loyalty although I should be most shamefully and dishonourably betraied and forsaken of some of mine own Guard which thing though lying Fame would make me believe yet will I not fear it until I see the proof thereof The common sort of Janizaries unto whom the great Commanders and Captains corrupted by Selymus had not for their levity and multitude communicated their purpose of transferring the Empire to Selymus began to cry out as if it had been with general consent That he should not doubt to joyn battel with his Enemies and so to make proof of their constant Fidelity and wonted Valor Which was done with such a cheerfulness and desire expressed by great Shouts clapping of Hands and clattering of Armor that it seemed they would play the parts of resolute Souldiers and that as guiltess men they took it grievously to be once suspected of Treason or Infidelity Others also who secretly and in heart were well affected to Selymus for fashion sake followed them with like cry but especially the great Commanders both of the Army and of the Emperors Court now changed their affection whether it were for shame of the Fact or for fear of discovering themselves out of season is uncertain Wherefore according to the manner of such men which through their mutability and mischievous disposition fearing to be convinced and discovered add unto the present a second and new Treason or Treachery to cover the former so Mustapha and Bostanges not daring now to shew themselves for Selymus to make a great shew of their feigned Loyalty towards Bajazet departed themselves out of his Pavilion to encourage the Souldiers and to martial the Battel Bajazet sick in his Chariot by the advice of Cherseogles the faithful Bassa placed his Battel in this order The Sanzacks which are the Governors of Provinces with their Horsemen in number about six thousand he set in the Front of the Battel the Spachi-oglans and Siliphtars which are the chief Horsemen of the Court and as it were the Emperors Pensioners were placed as two
part Mariners able Bodies who in the time of the Siege did great service encouraged by their Sea Captains the Island People which repaired into the City served to little other purpose but to dig and carry Earth unto the Rampiers and the Citizens except it were some few of the better sort were for the most part weak and of small Courage not able to indure any labour or pains and yet hardly to be kept in order and governed great speakers but small doers greater in shew than in deed The Great Master having carefully provided and ordered all things needful for the defence of the City and fearing nothing more than the faint Hearts of the Citizens caused them all to be called together for incouragement of whom he spake unto them as followeth Valiant Gentlemen and worthy Citizens we hear that the Turk our mortal Enemy is coming against us with a huge Army raised of divers Nations from whose natural cruelty and wonted perjury except we defend our selves by force one and the self same danger is like to befal me my Knights and you all For we have with common consent and hand grievously spoiled him both by Sea and Land and you are by booties taken by strong hand out of his Dominions inriched and at this day we keep his People in grievous servitude and he ours but he injuriously and we most justly For his Ancestors weary of the dark Dens and Caves of the Mountain Caucasus their natural Dwelling without Right Title or Cause incited only with Covetousness Ambition and the hatred of our most sacred Religion have driven the Christians out of Syria and afterwards oppressed the Grecians in Grecia where not contâ—nted to have destroyed the People with one simple kind of death as Barbarism is ever cruel and merciless they have with most exquisite and horrible Torments butchered many thousands of that Nation All whom this wicked proud youth whose mischief exceedeth his years an evil Neighbour to all men not contented with the Dominions of Arabia Syria Egypt the greatest part of Asia and of many other places more seeketh in Tyranny Murther Spoil Perjury and Hatred against Christ and Christians far to excel and forceth himself to the uttermost of his power to take from us our Islands and to subdue the Christian Countries that so at length being Lord of all and Commander of the World he may at his pleasure overthrow the Christian Cities kill the Christians and utterly root out the Christian name which he so much hateth For the repulsing of which intollerable injury we have especially chosen this Island of the Rhodes for our dwelling place because the same seemed more commodious than any other for the annoying of this barbarous Nation We have done what in us lay holpen by you we know by proof your great Valour and Fidelity which we now have not in any distrust Wherefore I will not use many words to perswade you to continue in your Fidelity and Loyalty neither long circumstances to encourage you to play the men sithence worthy minds are not with words either encouraged or dismayed But concerning my self and my Knights of the Order I will speak a few words I with them with whom as I hope the Christian Princes and other my Knights of the West will in good time joyn their Forces are most ready and prest to defend your selves your Children your Wives your Goods the Monuments of your Ancestors and sacred Temples dedicated to the service of our God. Which opinion that it may remain firm and fixt in your minds if nothing else my Faithfulness in your Wars my Body not yet altogether spent but able enough to endure pains and travel the Nobility of these worthy Knights of the Order their Love towards you and their Hatred towards your Enemies were sufficient to confirm but beside this the strength of this City which this noble Order hath with infinite charges so notably fortified with Ditches Walls Towers and Bulwarks against all the force and fury of Artillery is such as that no City may worthily be compared much less preferred before the same It is wonderfully stored with all kind of Weapons and Warlike Provision we have laid up plenty of Wine Flesh and Corn in vaults so that neither wet Weather nor Worms can attaint the same of Wood and wholesome Water not to be taken from us things necessary for men besieged we have plenty and able men enough for the defence of the City All which things promise unto us assured Victory and such end of the War as we wish for Besides this Necessity which giveth Courage even unto Cowards will enforce us to fight Yet standeth on our side true Religion Faith Conscience Devotion Constancy the Love of our Country the Love of our Liberty the Love of our Parents Wives Children and whatsoever else we hold dear Whereas they bring with them the proud command of their Captains Infidelity Impiety Unconstancy a wicked desire of your Bondage of your Blood and the Blood of your Parents Wives and Children Out of doubt beloved Citizens our good God will not suffer so many good vertues to be overcome by their foul vices Wherefore be you in mind quiet and secure and trouble not your selves with forboding fear of your Enemies only continue in the Fidelity and Loyalty which you have always kept inviolate and unspotted toward this sacred and honourable Fellowship in most dangerous Wars and hardest chances of Fortune and if need shall so require with couragious band shew your Valour against your Enemies and make it known unto the Spaniards French Italians Hungarians and English That the Rhodians are of power to daunt the Turkish Pride and to avert their Fleets and Armies from Italy which they have so many years threatned with Fire and Sword and will no doubt thither with all speed hasten and come if that which my mind abhorreth to speak they should here prevail Neither will his ambitious youth in Courage Falshood and cruelty exceeding Hannibal imitate him in that that having overthrown the Romans in the great Battel at Cannas knew not to use his Victory but he will presently with more than Caesars celerity bring forth the Treasures his Father got in Egypt and with great Fleets and huge Armies invade Apulia Calabria and Scicilia from whence he will forthwith break into France and afterwards into Spain and other Christian Countries raging through them with all kind of cruelty But I am carried away further than I purposed and than need is For your Fidelity and Valour most worthy Citizens to endure the Siege and repulse the Enemy is such as needeth not my perswasion and of greater resolution than that it can be shaken with the dangers incident to men besieged yet the greatest and most forcible miseries of all which is Hunger and Thirst I assure you you shall never feel which pinching calamities for all that some People in Faithfulness Courage and Valor nothing comparable to you have nevertheless most
and thirty Paces hindred by the Blocks we have laid in his way and will not cease continually to lay if we be wise Men and mindful of our former Valour Destroy me you heavenly Powers before I see with these Eies these sacred Knights to yield up this famous City of the Rhodes the ancient Bulwark of Christian Religion unto our merciless Enemies polluted with the infamous Superstition of Mahomet who besides the insatiable thirst they have of our Blood how faithless and mischievous they are by Nature if we know not we need not make example of our selves but we may take example by the calamity of Constantinople the late misery of Euboea and that which later was of Methone as also by the Mamalukes at Caire miserably slain contrary to the League contrary to the Faith and Promise by the Turkish Emperor himself before given What do you â—ot remember how the Death of the most noble Captains at Belgrade was of late procured by the falshood craft and deceit of the same faithless Miscreants Let us then being Men of Wit and Understanding trust these mad Beasts let us give our selves into their power which hâ—ve no regard of right or reason of Religion or any thing else whose Covetousness and Cruelty it is hard to say which it greater which for these many years have plotted and laboured nothing more than how by policy or force they may utterly root out the Name of the Rhodians which they so deadly hate They keep us shut up and besieged now the sixth Month feeling together with us extream dangers and endless labour slain by heaps before our Walls and Fortresses and cannot be removed hence with Thunder Lightning Storms Tempâ—sts and all the Calamities of Winter a time which giveth intermission to all War both by Sea and Land so desirous they are of Revenge and greedy of our Blood and that not altogether without cause for we have also shed theirs and gladly would still so do if it lay in our power But seeing it seemeth good unto God otherwise and that we are surprized with inevitable necâ—ssity yet let us whilst we are at liberty and have power our selves by honourable death amongst the Christian Ensigns eschew the Torments and Reproaches which our cruel Enemies hope to inflict upon us so shall we enjoy eternal Fame and Glory prepared both in Heaven and Earth for such as honourably die in defence of their Prince and Country which Honour it becometh not them to envy unto thy most noble Name and Vertue worthy Grand Master which having for many years enjoyed the commodity and profit of Peace and greatly enriched by Bounty of this sacred Military Order refuse now to bear this last burden of War. At these words an ancient Greek for his Wisdom and Discretion of great Reputation both with the Greeks and Latins perceiving his Countrymen wrongfully touched and the desperate holding out of the City vainly perswaded took hold and interrupting this young Gallant in answer of that he had said spake as followeth That grief of mind and desperation can make Men rather Eloquent than Wise as you have many times heard before this so you might this day perceive also most valiant Gentlemen for advised modesty never falleth into obloquy neither confoundeth falshood with truth it desireth not the slaughter of the Citizens it perswadeth not fury nor exhorteth Men to madness but it is by nature so engraffed in many that when they cannot by their own Wisdom and Policy deliver themselves from their troubles they yet seek to draw others into the fellowship of the same danger so greedy have malice and misery always been of company But if you worthy Commander will give me also leave to speak a Man amongst his Countrymen not of meanest Place and Authority which thing both the present Calamity and urgent Necessity might of you easily obtain I would alledge such reasons and lay down such matter as should not only refel the copious and glorious words of this sharp witted Orator scrap'd together of purpose to flourish out the matter but also such as might stir your mind to that which is honest profitable and necessary expulsing hatred fear trouble or despair This Gentleman whom we all know not only to be a vehement Orator but somtime a Man most terrible whereas for all his great words he is by nature mild and so mild that he never had the heart to kill nay not so much as lightly to wound any one of them whom he calleth barbarous mad cruel whose perfidious dealing he detesteth whose cruelty he accurseth whose manner of living he exclaimeth against as altogether without Law without Reason without Order without Regard and now in time of Truce and whilst the Showers of Arrows Iron Bullets Fire and Stones doth cease creeping out of his Cave maketh much ado and keepeth a great stir and not knowing in what danger he is doth now with glorious words call upon death whereof he hath hitherto shewed himself too much afraid and all forsooth as he said lest he should be enforced to endure the mocking and scorning of the Enemy But this is meer Pride not Christian Fortitude or Humility But our Enemy neither threatneth nor purposeth any such matter nothing so perfidious or cruel as he would make him rubbing up the slaughter at Caire Euboea Methone and Constantinople Cities taken either by Force or warlike Policy and not yielded by composition upon faith given betwixt the besieger and the besieged who because he would spare us will not suffer us to do that whereby we should undoubtedly perish But whereof proceedeth this new found Clemency This unwonted favour toward the People of the Rhodes I am not of the Tyrants Privy-Counsel neither ever curiously sought after the reason of another Mans Bounty but am glad to receive it when I need it Yet for all that I will not dissemble w hat I think in a matter so doubtful he is willing as I suppose in this Siege and Conquest of the Rhodes to shew unto other Nations whom he purposed to invade both his Power and his Patience lest always satisfying his cruel Nature he should make desolation in places he would Reign over and so for ever alienating the Minds of Men he inforced to fight with all Men with Fire and Sword by which Rigour he hath not so much hurt his Enemy as himself For this cause as I suppose he leaveth unto us life and goods lâ—st whilst he in going about to take them from us by force and we seeking to keep them by desperatness we should both fall into great destruction no less lamentable unto the Conqueror than to the vanquished Besides that if he should kill all here truly he might then enter the Breaches of the City on the Bodies of the dead no Men now left alive to resist him But Lerus is shut up Arangia is strongly Fortified Lyndus is by Situation impregnable here he knoweth are Weapons Armor and Men here he must begin
if it had been but to look to his charge when he was come as near as he could to Alis without mistrust thought good to assay if he could by policy bring that to pass which he was otherwise with great danger to attempt by force Wherefore feigning himself to be extream sick he sent Embassadors to Alis requesting him as a friend to vouchsafe to come unto him being at the point of death unto whom he had many things of importance from the great Emperor to impart and would if he should die leave with him all his charge until Solyman should otherwise dispose thereof Alis who from his youth had always honoured the Turkish Emperors and faithfully served them mistrusting no harm came to the Bassa accompanied with his four Sons whom the faithless Bassa without regard of infamy caused presently to be put to death with their Father and so reducing all that Country into the manner of a Province under Solymans obeisance came to him with twenty thousand Men about the time that the City of the Rhodes was yielded up This is the faithless dealing of the Turks not with the Christians only but with them of their own superstition also using it as no small policy utterly to extinguish the Nobility of all Countries subject to their servile Tyranny Solyman after he had thus subdued the Rhodes and disposed of the Island as he liked best returning to Constantinople brake up his Army and for the space of three years after followed his pleasure not doing any thing worthy of remembrance During which time and many years after the rich and flourishing Country of Italy sometime Mistress of the World was miserably afflicted and rent in pieces by Charles the Fifth then Emperor and Francis the French King the one envying unto the other the glory of the Empire and he not content therewith seeking with immoderate ambition to make himself Lord of all Italy most of the other Christian Princes and States being at the same time either by the one or by the other drawn into the fellowship of that War to the great trouble and sore weakning of the Christian Common-weal Whereupon Solyman waiting all occasions that might serve for the enlarging of his Empire and annoying of the Christians thought it not a fit time for him to set his foot into Hungary whereunto he had already laied open a way by the taking of Belgrade He knew right well that Lewis then King of Hungary was but young altogether unacquainted with the Wars commanding over his headstrong Subjects especially his rich Prelates and Nobility no otherwise than pleased themselves being himself rather by them altogether overruled besides that he was in good hope that the other Christian Princes near unto him either carried away with regard of their own Estate would not or else before unto himself by League fast bound could not afford unto him any great aid or succour the Germans he knew would make small hast unto such Wars as should yield them much danger and but small pay As for the Princes of the House of Austria Charles the Emperor and Ferdinand his Brother although they were joyned unto the young King with the nearest bonds of Alliance Lewis having Married Mary their youngest Sister and Ferdinand Ann King Lewis his Sister yet was there as he thought small help to be expected from them Charles having his hands full in Italy and Ferdinand altogether careful of himself and that Sigismund King of Polonia would for the young Kings sake break the ancient League he had with the Turkish Emperors he could hardly be perswaded As for other Christian Princes farther off he stood not in any great doubt year 1526. Thus having with himself singled out this young Prince the Hungarian King whom he had in his greedy mind already devoured he set forward from Constantinople and was come on his way as far as Sophiâ— in Servia with a mighty Army of two hundred thousand men before that the Hungarians had any knowledge of his coming so blind and senseless was that State which now sleeping in security had long before lost those Eies which ever watcht and never spared cost or pains to keep the same in safety in stead of whom were others come in place sharp of sight and too too provident for that concerned their own advancement but blind as Beetles in foreseeing this great and common danger wherewith they were shortly after all quite overwhelmed until it was now brought home unto their own Doors The young King of himself but weak by reason of his youthful years and nothing strengthned by them for whom he had most done and should have been his greatest stay was wonderfully dismaied with the fame of the approach of so mighty an Enemy yet the better to withstand him he sent Embassadors with all speed unto the Christian Princes his Neighbours requesting their Aid against the common Enemy but all in vain In the mean time after the ancient manner of his Country he gave out general Summons for the Assembly of his Counsel for the Wars whether his great stipendary Prelates of duty bound to appear came with their Troops of evil appointed Horsemen and not half full who also delivered in less sums of Mony by far than of right they should have done towards the maintenance of the charge of that common War. And the temporal Nobility forgetting the warlike Discipline of their famous Ancestors as fresh-water Souldiers which had seen the Turkish Emperor in his strength and but little acquainted with some light skirmishes or small invasions in their vain bravery made light account of the Turks proudly vaunting That although they were in number but few yet they would easily overthrow the great numbers of them if ever they came to handy strokes But above all the rest one Paulus Tomoreus Archbishop of Colossa sometimes a Minorite who had before been in divers light skirmishes against the Turks with great insolency did so confidently brag and boast of the Victory he vainly dreamed of that in his Sermons unto the Souldiers and in open talk with the Nobility if he could have done so much as he vaunted of it should seem that he himself had been enough to have overthrown the Turks whole Army But when all the Kings Army was assembled and a general muster taken there was hardly found five and twenty thousand men in all horse and foot So that the foolish hardiness of Tomoreus and others so forwards to give the Turks battel was of most wise men disliked The old Souldiers and men of great experience said plainly That it was meer folly and madness with such a handful of men to give battel unto the Enemy who would bring eight times so many more into the Field as they were Wherefore some wished that the young King should be withdrawn from the eminent danger among whom Stephanus Verbetius a noble Captain of all the rest best acquainted with the Turkish Wars gave Counsel
upon pain of death take any Turk Prisoner although he yielded himself or charge himself with any spoil before the Battel were fully ended forasmuch as the Captains would afterwards divide the Spoil of the Enemy among the Souldiers This proclamation thus made through the Camp they set forward towards Exek and the third day they came to a certain Valley about three miles from Exek where they encamped The next day a Company of Turks shewed themselves which was by the great Ordnance repulsed The day following the Enemy sallied out of the Town and skirmished oftentimes with the Christians in which Skirmishes many were slain on both sides but more wounded of the Christians for that the Turks had politickly mingled certain Janizaries Harquebusiers and Archers with their Horsemen who used to that manner of fight sore gauled the Christian Horsemen For which cause the General forbad all such light Skirmishes as purposing to keep his strength whole against the general day of Battel commanding his Canoniers so to place the great Ordnance as might most annoy the Enemy if he should shew himself by Troops within the danger of the Shot which was so well performed that the Turks sallying forth received thereby great hurt the deadly shot flying through the midst of their Companies The same day Symon Bishop of Zagrabia came into the Camp with his Horsemen and a certain provision of Victual whereby the fear of the want before conceived was well eased Mahometes perceiving that the Christians were not longer to be drawn to those harmful Skirmishes but that he must bring his Men in danger of the great Shot to annoy them by another means sent many small Boats manned with Harquebusiers and small Pieces of Ordnance into the Lake near unto the Camp so to keep the Christians from watering there and with those small Pieces shot oftentimes into the Camp. Near unto the Valley where the Christians lay was a Hill whereupon stood a Village wherein were placed certain Companies of Turks to Skirmish as occasion should serve with the Christians for placing of whom the whole Army was put in order of Battel and the great Artillery bent upon them that they should not with their light Skirmishes after the manner of the Turkish fight touble the order of the Army Which thing the Turks perceiving and that they were not able to hold the place set fire on the Town and so retired to Exek The Christians keeping on their march came to the top of the Hill from whence they might see Exek stand about two miles off in a fair Plain near unto the Bank of Dravus all which low ground betwixt the Hill and Exek was so subject to the Castle that it was thought a matter too full of danger to attempt that way to batter the Castle and expose the Army to the inevitable fury of the Enemies shot Wherefore descrying a rising ground on the further side of the City equal with the top of the Walls they thought it best to remove their Camp thither and on that side to plant their Battery against the City But to come to that place was thought a matter of no small trouble for they must set a compass three miles on the right hand through a Forrest by a foul and troublesome way before they could come to the place they desired for the Army was not so great as to besiege the City round wherein were not as is reported above sixteen thousand Men neither was there such store of Victuals in the Camp but that the Army was like soon to feel the want thereof without a continual supply which would hardly be had the Enemy still besetting every passage and with their light Horsemen scouring about all the Country of purpose to keep them from Victual For which cause some were of opinion That it were best for them there to stay where they were until such time as both more Aid and better store of Victuals were come unto them but others of contrary mind said the Enemy was but barely stored with Victual himself and therefore could not long hold out which they said they understood by certain Christian Fugitives and that Mahometes had put his chief substance into certain Boats to be conveyed down the River as purposing to flie and would not hold out the Siege above three days as for the Forrest they thought it would well enough be passed through if they would couragiously set forward beside that the time of the year suffered no delay Winter coming so fast on that except some notable thing were done quickly they should be enforced by the very time of the year to return with shame without doing any thing This opinion was best liked of as more honourable and better beseeming Men of Valour than to lie still in one place whereupon the next day the Army removed and in good order marched through the Forrest Which thing Mahometes quickly perceiving presently sent forth a thousand light Horsemen and certain Companies of the Janizaries and Harquebusiers to trouble the Christians in their passage who by a nearer and well known way overtaking the Army suddainly charged the Rereward wherein the Italians and Bohemians marched The Bohemians quickly fled and the Italians with much ado endured the charge but being relieved by the Carinthian Men at Arms they notably repulsed the Turks and put them to flight So the Army with small loss passed the Forrest and came to the place they desired where after they had encamped themselves and in good order placed all things needful for the Siege they in seemly order offered unto the Enemy Battel but he keeping himself within the Town shot at the Christians with his great Ordnance and they to requite him with two great Pieces which they had placed upon the rising of a Hill shot through both the Walls of the Town and the Bulwark also to the great terror of the Defendants The Christians in the mean time having stood almost all the day in order of Battel in sight of the Enemy vainly expecting when he should come forth to give them Battel returned at night into their Camp for Mahometes upon great consideration kept in his Souldiers although they were most desirous to fight understanding right well of the want of Victual in the Christian Camp and beside that as the Fugitives reported being straitly commanded by Letters from Solyman that he should not upon pain of a most shameful death forsake the place but to defend it to the last Now the Christians desirous of Battel being thus delayed and deceived of their expectation had in a few days spent the small store of Victual they had and began to feel a general want neither was there any apparent means how they should be relieved so that every Man began to fear some general mischief to ensue When Balthazer Pamphilus a noble Hungarian and a Captain of great experience sitting in Counsel with the rest entred into this Speech Captains said he we do
and that it was a most dangerous thing or rather impossible to get into the Haven of Malta as they had before purposed nevertheless to conduct Salazar with his little Boat they kept on their course But as they were sailing they descried two Gallies and one Galliot going before them who seeing the Gallies coming after them made with all speed to Malta and were no doubt those Gallies from whence those five Turks came which had done those things which the wounded Maltaese reported For all that these Gallies kept on their course as far as Pozalo from whence they certified the Vice-Roy by Letters all that had hapned and not daring to put to Sea the South-wind blowing with a stiff gale against them they returned back again to Syracusa expecting there farther direction from the Vice-Roy For which cause they forthwith sent one of the Knights to him to Messana by whom they received answer That they should go on farther but to stay for the coming of the whole Fleet ready in short time to pass over to Malta But Salazar brought by the Gallies to Pozalo resolved with his little Boat to go on and although the day he departed thence the Air was troubled with great Wind Thunder and Rain yet the day following proving more calm he in short time arrived in the Island of Malta and came in safety to the City Melita and there disguised himself in Turkish Apparel and taking with him one Companion who could also speak the Turkish Language by night got into the Enemies Camp where diligently marking all things they perceived that there was in all the Turks Army of Land-Souldiers scarce 14000 and of them many wounded and sick and that the rest was but an unserviceable and feeble multitude for that the course of Wars had as commonly it doth consumed their best Souldiers When they had thus viewed the Camp they returned again to the City from whence Salazar with one Petrus Paccius a Spaniard a venturous and valiant man went to a certain place near unto the Watch-Tower of Maleca which when they had curiously viewed Paccius was there left that observing the signs from the Island of Gaulos and the City of Melita he might give knowledge of all things to the Vice-Roy at his approach as he was by Salazar instructed As for Salazar himself he in his little Boat which at his coming into the Isle he had there left happily returned to Messana and there declared unto the Vice-Roy all that he had seen constantly affirming amongst other things That the Turks Fleet was but weak lame and disfurnished both of Men and Munition far unable to encounter with 10000 Christians About which time also one of the two Frigots which were before sent to Malta returned with another Spaniard and a Fugitive from the Turks Camp and four Gallies before gone from Messana were also come in with fourteen Turks taken about the Island of Malta who all confirmed the same that was by Salazar reported Which was That the Turks Army was with often assaults wonderfully weakned both in number and strength so that they could not with stripes be enforced to the assault for which the Bassa had with his own hands slain divers of them and that which more encreased their fear they saw none of their men wounded but that they died thereof Besides that they saw the Christians with invincible courage to defend their strong places and not to spend one shot in vain Wherefore they were sorry and repented that they ever took in hand that Expedition they detested such a War shrinking as much as they could from the Assault and as they might stealing quite away which many of them did specially such as before abjured the Christian Faith. For which cause diligent Watch and Ward was kept and Commandment given by the great Bassa that they should resolve with themselves either to win the Town or there all to lay up their bones for that the great Sultan Solyman had so commanded whom to gainsay was in it self death These and such like perswasions caused the Vice-Roy somewhat the sooner to think of the bringing forth of his Fleet the besieged in the mean time did what men might for defence of the place and themselves There was in the Castle one Franciscus Giâ—ara Captain of the Vauntgard a noble and valiant Gentleman of a great conceit he about ten foot from the Town Wall which the Enemy had with their great Ordnance beaten down caused a Curtain to be drawn 50 foot long and five foot thick with Flankers at both ends which in two nights was brought to perfection and was afterwards a great help to the besieged The Enemy in the mean time began a Mine under the corner of the Town-Ditch where Boningsegna a Spaniard and a most valiant Knight had the Charge which the besieged perceiving by a countermine defeated the same It hapned in the mean time that a Fugitive was swimming to the Town he was taken by the Enemy which much grieved the besieged desirous to have understood something of the state of the Enemies Camp and of their purposes Now when the former Mine had taken so evil success part of the Turks assailed the Castle of St. Michael and part with Gunpowder thought to have blown up the Castle-Bulwark but by the carefulness and courage of the Defendants all their Attempts were disappointed for many of the Turks were in both places slain and certain bags of Powder taken from them in the Mine With these and other such difficulties Mustapha and Piall the Turks Generals disappointed of their hope consulted with the other great Captains of the Army Whether they should there still continue that desperate Siege or depart Where most were clear of opinion That it was best betime to depart Yet for all that the old Bassa said He would there stay until the Galliot which he had before sent to Constantinople were returned with answer from Solyman and in the mean time both by force and policy to seek after Victory which thing he oftner did than stood with the broken estate of his Army or of the besieged neither resting himself nor suffering others to take rest for one while he battered the Walls another while he wrought Mines or else made Bridges sometime he cast up Mounds and then again filled the Ditches and ever and anon gave one assault or another In all which doing he used such industry that whatsoever he took in hand was in short time brought to such perfection as might have carried a stronger place had not the valour of the Defendants far exceeded all his strong and politique devices It fortuned that as Robles the Camp-Master and Governor of the Castle St. Michael was by night viewing the ruines of the Wall he was struck in the head with a small shot and slain leaving behind him to his Fellows the great desire of himself for why he was a man for many his good parts wheâ—ewith he had many times
Leo the X. 1513. 8. Hadrian the VI. 1522. 1. Clement the VII 1523. 10. Paulus the III. 1534. 15. Julius the III. 1550. 5. Marcellus the II. 1555. 22 days Paulus the IV. 1555. 4. Pius the IV. 1560. 5. Pius the V. 1566. 6. Dissimilis patri Selymus regalia Sceptra Corripit et dira concutit arma manu Faedus cum Venetis frangit quid faedera prosunt Armataque manu Cypria regna rapit Instravit tumidum numerosis classibus Aequor Ut Naupactiacas nobilitaret aquas Unlike his Father Selymus fills the Throne Breathing where e're he march't Destruction His sacred League with Venice basely brakes And arm'd with power the Syrian kingdomes takes With a stupendious Fleet covers the Sea To be a Witness to his Infamy Muldavum faeda mulctavit morte Dynasten Et magni fines prorogat imperij Obruit Hispanos multa vi Punica regna Destruit et regnis adijcit illa suis. Sed nimis in venerem pronus vinoque sepultus Extremum properat praecipitare diem And to his Throne to add Moldavia Their noble Vayvod butcherly do's slay And when the Spanish powrs were overthrown They and the Tunis Scepters were his owne But spent with wine with women and with play Th' effeminate Prince Spur'd on his fatall day The LIFE of SELYMUS The Second of that NAME Fifth Emperor of the Turks SElymus the only Son of Solyman then left alive by Letters from Muhamet Bassa understanding of the death of his Father hasted from Cutai a City of Galatia not far from Ancyra towards Constantinople and coming to Scutary was from thence by Bostanges Bassa of the Court conducted over the Strait to Constantinople where by him and Scander Bassa Selymus his Son in law and then Solymans Vicegerent he was conveyed into the Imperial Palace the three and twentieth of September in the year 1566. and there possessed of his Fathers Seat was by the Janizaries there present saluted Emperor He was about the age of forty two years when he began to Reign a man of an unconstant and hasty disposition wholly given to wantonness and excess so that he never went to Wars himself but performed them altogether by his Lieutenants contrary to the charge of Selymus his Grandfather given by him to his Father Solyman whereof he was never unmindful The next day he came abroad and shewed himself in his Majesty and in the Temple of Sophia after the manner of the Turkish Superstition caused solemn Prayers and Sacrifices to be made for his Father which done he gave unto the Janizaries a Larges of 100000 Sultanines with promise to augment their Wages And all things being now in readiness for his intended Journey he with a goodly Retinue set forward from Constantinople the seven and twentieth of September and the twentieth of October a little from Belgrade met the Army coming from Sigeth gallantly marching under their Ensigns with the dead Body of Solyman whom the Souldiers generally supposed to have been yet living but troubled with the Gout to have kept his Horse-litter as his manner was to travel Selymus alighting came in his Mourning Attire to the Horse-litter looked upon the dead Body of his Father kissed it and wept over it as did all the other great Bassaes also And that the death of Solyman might then be made known to all men the Ensigns were presently let fall and trailed upon the ground a dead March sounded and heavy silence commanded to be kept through all the Camp. Shortly after Selymus was with the great applause of the whole Army proclaimed Emperor his Ensigns advanced and every one of the great Commanders of the Army in their degree admitted to kiss his hand So marching forward he returned again to Constantinople the two and twentieth of November but thinking to have entred his Palace which they commonly call The Seraglio he was by the discontented Janizaries but now come from the Wars prohibited so to do they with great Insolency demanding of him a greater Donative together with the confirmation both of their ancient and new Priviledges before they would suffer him to enter Against which their great presumption the Visier Bassaes together with the Aga opposing themselves and seeking by all means to appease them were by them fouly entreated and well rapped about the Pates with the stocks of their Callivars but especially the two great Bassaes Muhamet and Partau as the chief Authors that their Lord had dealt no more liberally with them With which so sudden and unexpected a Mutiny of his best Souldiers Selymus not a little troubled and calling unto him the Aga or Captain of the Janizaries demanded of him the cause thereof who with tears trickling down his cheeks for grief told him That it was for mony Which by Selymus noâ— promised unto them together with the confirmation of their Liberties and the Aga with fair words and heavy countenance most earnestly intreating them not to blemish the ancient Reputation of their wonted Loyalty with so foul a disorder nor to oppose the life of him their loving Captain unto the heavy displeasure of their angry Sultan and farther assuring theâ— that he would not fail them in the least of his promises but content them to the full of their desires the Mutiny was at length appeased the insolent Janizaries again quieted and Selymus into the Seraglio received Howbeit Muhamet chief of the Visier Bassaes for certain days after went not out of his Palace neither came as he was wont into the Divano but kept himself close for fear of some greater mischief from them This Tumult thus overpassed and all again well quieted Selymus with all Royal Solemnity buried his Father in a Chappel which he after the manner of the Mahometan Kings had in his life time most stately built with a Colledge and an Hospital Where fast by his side is to be seen the Tomb of Roxolana his best beloved Wife and of certain others his murthered Children and by him hangeth his Scimiter in token thaâ— he died in Wars an Honour not otherwise â—ranted to the Mahometan Princes The Reveâ—â—es arising of the Country about Sigeth of late â—on â—â—om the Christians at the time of his deâ—â—h were given to the Maintenance of his Hâ—â—â—es by him built of devotion which for 〈◊〉 Magnificence thereof exceed all the rest â—efore bâ—ilt by the Mahometan Kings and â—â—perors except those which were the Buildiâ—â—s of Mahomet the Great and Bâ—jazet the Sâ—cond It was by many thought that Solymâ—â— was in good time by death cut off as purposing that year to have wintred in Hungary and the year following to have done great matters against the Christians both by Sea and Land. year 1567. The great Army of the Turks thus drawn out of Hungary by the death of Solyman in some part asswaged but altogether appeased not the endless Troubles of that unfortunate Kingdom Maximilian the Emperor on the one side and Iohn the Vayvod of Transâ—â—vania with the Turks Captains on the
Army All those Captains were resolute men and led with them ten thousand Souldiers which being joyned with them of Georgia amounted to the number of thirteen thousand who arriving at Genge gave knowledge to Simon of their coming and that in his behalf they were ready to do great Matters Now was the Persian Ambassador with all due honour received at Constantinople where he was honourably entertained by the great Bassaes of the Court but especially by Mustapha who within two days after suddenly died of a surfeit taken of eating too much of Musk-melons and immoderate drinking of Zerbet a kind of pleasant drink which the Turks use made of Water and Sugar but most men thought him to have poisoned himself as fearing the former indignation of Amurath to be again inflamed by the new complains of the Persian Ambassador against him for that he in the time of his Generalship had dishonourably suppressed certain Ambassages sent from the Persian King which he now fearing to be called in question for the former storms as yet scarce well appeased made himself now away After his death it was commonly reported that if he had longer lived he should have been undoubtedly strangled which to prevent he became the worthy Executioner of himself that had most unjustly caused others to be most shamefully murdered Which was the more like to be true and the rather believed for that the infinite Wealth he had of long time scraped together was immediately after his Death taken into the Kings Treasuries some small portion thereof being left unto his Nephews a most certain token of Amuraths Indignation against him The Persian Ambassador having audience the seventh of August with many lively Reasons and much Eloquence perswaded the Turkish Emperour to desist from the War begun as contrary to the Will and Pleasure of their common Prophet Mahomet as also to the Peace which was so royally and with so many Capitulations not long before concluded between Tamas and Solyman his Grandfather and was not to have been broken and Wars raised but upon some great Quarrel or Injury done which the Persians had not at any time offered but had always wished unto him all Happiness as they had manifestly declared by sending unto him an Embassage to that purpose by Sultan Tocamac whereby he might plainly perceive the good mind and zeal the Persian King had for the maintenance of the Peace And although in the short reign of Ismahel there was some Rumor raised that he meant to go unto Babylonia and some such like News yet that was but a youthful part and an effect of that heat which is commonly proper to such as being kept long in strait Prison cannot use their Liberty with Moderation and had therefore received due Punishment for it by sudden and unexpected death But as for the King that now is he did above all others imbrace amity with his Majesty and therefore did most earnestly desire that it would please him to temper his Anger conceived which had incensed him to take up Arms against a King so much his Friend being of the same Religion and better affected towards him than all the rest of the Nations in the World. This Ambassador the Turkish Emperour dismissed without any Resolution at all but onely gave order that whatsoever he had to say touching this Peace he should communicate it with his Visier Many were the Discourses which hapned for that the Turk required all those Cities and Countries which till that time he had conquered with the Sword or as their proud manner of Phrase is whereon his Generals Horse had trod to be yielded again unto him and the Ambassador on the other side had no warrant from his King to yield any more than that part of Georgia which is on this side the River of Araxis Whereupon the said Ambassador began to fear lest he should be suspected for a Spy and so be evil intreated wherewithall he did find himself too manifestly charged by the hard speech that the Visier used towards him Being thus doubtful whereupon to resolve perceiving himself strained to the grant of these demands and receiving also some threatnings withall he determined with himself to inlarge his Speeches with the Visier in divers and sundry particularities and to give him good hope that he should be able to perswade with his King the yielding up of so much as Amurath had and did demand Hereupon was Maxut Chan the Ambassador in friendly manner and without any outrage sent from Constantinople to Chars and Commission given to Sinan then at Chars that without delay and with all fidelity he should cause the Ambassador to be conducted to Van and from thence into Persia wheresoever he did desire all which was faithfully performed But to return again to Sinan the General who from Sivas had sent the said Ambassadour to Constantinople as is before declared and being departed thence arrived at Erzirum where he took a Survey of his Army and other Provision necessary for this Expedition and so from thence was now come to Chars from whence he dispatched the Persian Ambassadour much discontented that no other Conclusion for Peace could be wrought Maxut Chan at last arriving at the Persian Court reported unto the King all that had happened in this his Ambassage the sum whereof was That Amurath would not condescend to any condition of Peace unless the whole Country of Siruan might be yielded unto him for that he had once as he said conquered the same Neither did the same Ambassador forbear to tell the King the Suspition Amurath had conceived of him to have been a Spie rather than an Ambassador and of the large Promises he was fain to make to the Turk to avoid the manifest danger of Imprisonment or Death all which for all that now lay in his Majesties Power to perform or not The King for the present remained well satisfied with that Maxut had done and in reward of his great travel and expences gave him the charge of the Chamber at Tauris naming him the Chamberlain of that rich and great City Of which new Office though very honourable and of great importance he took small Pleasure for that one Emir Chan his ancient Enemy was chief Governour of that City from whom he feared some dangerous treachery wherefore he appointed his Deputy for the Execution of the Office and withdrew himself from Tauris to Cassangich a place of his own there to pass away the time untill it should please the King otherwise to dispose of him But Emir Chan who still nourished in his mind the ancient hatred he had conceived against him took this as a most fit occasion to bring him into disgrace with the King certifying him That Maxut not contented with the great preferment it had pleased him to bestow upon him had in contempt of his rewards abandoned Tauris and substituted in his place a most base Person to represent the King's Majesty and to manage his Treasure and that
both to the one and to the other Ebrain would needs have Gomeda himself to return again with like Message to trouble the Drusian Whereunto although he went in great fear of some Mischief by the hands of Man-Ogli yet was there no remedy but needs he must follow the command of him in whose Power it was to take from him both his Honour and Life and therefore on he went. But as soon as Man-Ogli saw Gomeda thinking as truth was that he came again about his wonted Request he was with the very sight of him so far moved as that he was even at the point to have thrown a dart at him and so to have dispatched him had not the regard of more dangerous effects staid his fury yet spared he not with ignominious words and deadly Threats to disburden his Choler Notwithstanding Gomeda could do no less but accomplish the effect of his fraudulent Requests and so wrought with him that he drew from him four Burbens more of Harquebuzes ten Swords and ten gilt Daggers certain silver Belts ten packs of Silk and some few pence causing him withall to protest unto him never to suffer himself to be perswaded to come again unto him for if he did he threatned to kill him happen after what might of it With exceeding Joy and Triumph did Ebrain receive this Present and thinking now with himself that he had gotten a sufficient booty from him he determined to rise with his Army and to sack all the rest of Man-Oglies Country Which he performed accordingly and being conducted by Emir Ebne-frec burnt Andrea the place of Man-Ogli's Residence and in two days burned and destroyed nineteen other of his Towns with unspeakable Cruelty committing all things to Fire and Sword. After all this sacking and rasing Ebrain sent divers Messengers to Man-Ogli to try whether he would yet be perswaded to come unto him but nothing could move the resolute Drusian to commit himself into his hands but rather increased his Constancy to avoid a most certain Death Now the great Bassa still thirsting after Blood and Revenge understanding by a Spie that the Captain of Andrea being one of the Factors of Man-Ogli with three hundred and fifty Souldiers was got up to a certain Hill into a Place of great Security he sent Emir Ebne-frec to entice him and to tell him That seeing his Lord Man-Ogli would not come and yield himself he should come unto him which if he would do he would assuredly in despight of Man-Ogli make him a Sanzack of some of those Places which he most desired The ambitious and unheedy Macademo suffered himself to be easily perswaded and being accompanied with his three hundred and fifty Followers went with the said Ebne-frec and came at last to the Pavilion of Ebrain having first caused his aforesaid men to stay being in a Valley two or three Miles off But Ebrain would not so much as see the Macademo although both in respect of the nimbleness of his Person and also the fierceness of his Looks he was worthy to be looked upon but commanded him to keep in a several place from Serafadin and in the mean time devised how he might with least loss of his own men put to death those three hundred and fifty the Macademoes Followers which was by training them by means of the said Ebne-frec into a certain Vine-yard and so having brought them into a Straight suddenly to set upon them and kill them Which was accordingly performed for being by the treacherous Emir brought into the place appointed for their slaughter fearing nothing less they were suddenly inclosed by the Turks Sanzacks or Ianizaries and slain every Mothers Son. This Massacre thus finished Ebrain commanded the Macademo to be brought before him and without delay to be stripped and flaied quick who being come stoutly upbraided Ebrain with his Promise and his Oath and amongst other Speeches which he uttered whilst they stripped him said Cut me off my Members and first putting them into the Privities of that infamous Ebrains Wife put them afterwards into the Mouth of himself for so I trow he will be contented and satisfied with my Flesh. And to them that were the Executioners of his plainful Death he said It is your great good Fortune indeed that with such Violence and needless Deformity you are now able to spill my Blood and to take my Life from me whereas none of you all had been able or once durst man to man to have drawn one drop of it from me no nor to have indured by Countenance But go too proceed in your wicked and unsatiable desire of my Blood and fulfil the cruel command of your Visier for in the end there will also light upon you the just reward of this so villanous a Fact. With these and other such like Speeches the miserable wretch was stripped and three great slashes made on his Back where they began to flea him he in the mean time not ceasing to blaspheme their Religion and to curse their King and their false Prophet also But the barbarous Souldiers proceeding in their cruel Action made other like gashes upon his Breast and Stomach and so drawing the Skin downward could not bring it to his Navel before he was with the Extremity of the Pain dead After this Ebrain caused the Followers of Serafadin in number about a hundred and fifty to be cruelly slain and all his Country to be most miserably wasted he himself still remaining in Chains Whilst the Fire and Sword thus raged in the Drusian Country Ebrain by speedy Posts sent to Sidon where his Gallies lay at rode commanded That disbarking four thousand Souldiers they should sack all those Countries along the Sea-coast even as far as Caesarea in Palestine sparing neither Age nor Sex nor any Person of Condition whatsoever Which his cruel command was presently put in Execution and three thousand Souls brought away Captives great Booties made of much rich Merchandise many Towns burnt sundry Castles rased and laid even with the Ground and to be short all the whole Country of Serafadin and Man-Ogli laied utterly waste and desolate Ebrain was now in readiness to depart for Constantinople where he was by Amurath expected as well for his Gold as the accomplishment of the Marriage But bethinking himself that whatsoever hitherto he had done would be accounted either little or nothing unless he provided in some sort for the quieting of those People under the Turkish Obedience he determined to nominate one of the three Drusian Emirs that came to him to Ierusalem to be Bassa of all those Regions And because Emir Aly Ebne-Carfus was the richest and most obedient of them all he thought good to commit that charge unto him and honoured him with that Dignity yet not without a Bribe but for the price of an hundred thousand Duckats Wherefore he apparelled him in Cloth of Gold gave him a Horsemans Mase and a Sword all gilt and delivered unto him the Kings Commission
to the Arch-duke in the time of his siege declared unto him that there was Treason in his Camp and that he but three days before by the Commandment of his Master had delivered two bags full of Duckats unto two Christians of whom the one had a notable scar in his Face and was afterwards known to have been one of the Counties Servants Upon this and such like Proofs the County was after many days hearing in open Court by the Judgment of seven and forty Noblemen and Captains of Name condemned of Treason and adjudged to be hanged his dead Body to remain upon the Gallows by the space of three days and all his Lands and Goods to be confiscate the rigour of which Sentence was afterward by the Emperour mitigated and the Traitor by him adjudged to have his right Hand by him before given unto the Emperour in pawn of his Faith and his Head struck off upon a Scaffold at Vienna and so buried Which severe Sentence was afterwards accordingly put in Execution for the tenth of Iune following the Traitor being brought to the Scaffold built of purpose in the high Street of Vienna after the Sentence of his Condemnation there solemnly read commending himself upon his knees to the Mercy of God with his Eyes covered and his right Hand laid upon a Block covered with black had both his Hand and Head so suddenly struck off by the Executioners as that the Beholders could hardly judge which of them was first off His dead Body with his Head and Hand was presently by his Servant wrapped in a black Cloth and layed in his Coach which stood there by of purpose covered with black and was afterwards buried amongst his Ancestors The Tartars but lately before departed from Sinans Camp passing over Danubius at Strigonium had purposed through the upper part of Hungary and by the Borders of Transilvania and Moldavia to have again returned into their Country of whom two Companies falling into the hands of the Lord Palfi were by him cut off and utterly defeated the rest coming unto the Borders of Transilvania and finding the Passages so beset by the Prince and the Vayvod of Valachia as that they could not without most manifest danger pass that way returned again the same way they came and having rifled and burnt certain Towns and Villages in the upper Hungary about Tockay passed the River again at Strigonium and wintering at Vesprinium Palotta and other Places in the Country which is about Rab lived upon the spoil of the poor distressed Christians uâ—on the Frontiers of Austria even as far as Meinersdorf These Tartars of whom we have so often spoken at their first coming to the Aid of Sinan by direction from the Turkish Sultan stayed upon the Frontiers of Transylvania of purpose to have surprised that Country and either to have thrust Sigismund Bator the young Prince out of the Government thereof or else to have sent him in bonds to Constantinople for it was commonly reported That he weary of the heavy Tribute which he yearly payed unto the Turk and had now after their greedy manner been divers times enhaunsed had purposed to revolt from the Turkish Sultan and to enter into Confederation with the Christian Emperour Which Innovation and Change certain of the Nobility and chief States of Transylvania sought by all means to hinder and acquainting Amurath with the matter and entring into Conspiracy with the Tartars undertook to deliver the whole Country into their Hands and to send the Prince Prisoner to Hust where the Tartars then lay upon the Borders encamped Wherefore dissembling their purpose they cunningly perswaded the Prince that Samosche the great Chancellor of Polonia in the Confines of his Country lay with a great Power expecting his coming to consult with him of matters of great Importance and the better to colour this their Treachery they had counterfeited Letters to that effect from the Chancellor to the Prince and had wrought so effectually that the Prince not suspecting any such Treason gave credit to their Perswasions and so put himself upon his way towards the Chancellor as he supposed but by the way he was advised by some of his Friends which had got some suspition of the matter not to go any farther for that his coming was not intended by the Polonians his Friends as he was perswaded but by the Tartars his Enemies who lay in wait for him at Hust to bereave him of his Life and Government The Prince astonied with the novelty of the matter listned unto their Perswasion and retired with his Train to the strong Fort of Kehwere where he stayed fourteen days as if it had been only for fear of the Tartars In the mean time he gave notice to the Nobility and Governours of the Country his Friends of the imminent and common danger who forthwith repaired unto him in Arms. But the Traytors proceeding in their purpose ceased not to perswade Bornemissa who had the Leading of the Princes Army That to fight with the Tartars was a matter of no small danger and that therefore if he wished well to his Country he should not have to do with them but only shew himself near unto them and that he was not unprovided for them which was accordingly done and the Transilvanian Army brought so nigh unto the Tartars as that they might hear the noise of their Drums and Trumpets Whereby the Tartars as by the Watch-word perceiving themselves discovered and nothing to fall out according to their Expectation as had been unto them promised for the betraying of the Prince they removed thence and by another way breaking through the midst of Transilvania and so into Hungary rifled and burnt five hundred Villages slew all the Males that were above twelve years of Age and carried away the rest unto the Turkish Army then lying at the siege of Rab. In the mean time the Traytors when as this first Plot served them not conspired to set up one Balthazor Bator the young Princes nigh Kinsman and with the good favour of Amurath to prefer him to the Sovereign Government of their Countrey Which their purpose the Prince perceiving and doubting altogether to trust unto the fidelity of his own Subjects writ to his Neighbours the Rascians and other his Confederates praying their Aid in this his so dangerous and doubtful Estate Which after he had received he appointed a general Assembly of all his States to be holden at Clausenburg and that upon a great pain to be inflicted upon all such as should not there personally appear so at the prefixed day all came except the Cardinal Bator and Stephen his Brother who guilty of so foul a Treason against their own Blood were now before fled into Polonia Being all thus met together the Prince Commanded the Gates of the City to be shut and diligent Watch and Ward to be kept forbidding by open Proclamation That any man upon pain of death should so much as speak of any imagined
his Turks put him to flight and took the spoil of his whole Camp. Neither yet so contented marched presently to Nester Alba where he put the Turks in a great fear and afterwards burnt the Suburbs of the City and so retired How Amurath the late Sultan in the beginning of these Troubles had at Constantinople shut up in Prison Frederick Krecowitz the Emperour's Ambassador is before declared This Ambassador Sinan Bassa brought with him the last year when he came into Hungary who after many Indignities by him suffered both upon the way and at Belgrade there died five of whose Servants the false Bassa caused to be kept in straight Prison as guilty of their Master's Death so to avert the Infamy thereof from himself But now lying himself at Belgrade for the better managing of this years Wars upon the coming of a new Treasurer from the Court he caused the five poor Prisoners to be brought before him and most impudently charged them with the Death of their Master saying that they should answer for the same unto God and their Emperour and that his purpose in bringing of him from Constantinople was to no other end but to have used his help in concluding a Peace between the Great Sultan and the Emperour and so to have set him with all his at liberty but now that he was dead he would send them his treacherous Servants to the Emperour to be by him examined and withal to tell him That he was sent from the Great Sultan whose Power was not by any but God only to be withstood to besiege Vienna which he could as he said the last year have taken with less labour than he had done Rab and that therefore it were best for him betime to seek for Peace before so great a Power had taken the Field and that for farther Instructions he would refer them to his Son the Bassa of Buda to whom he sent them from Belgrade together with the new-come Treasurer Being come to Buda they were forthwith brought before the Bassa and amongst them the late Ambassador's Secretary unto whom after he had said somewhat of the hard dealing with the Ambassador and his Followers he declared That he had always disliked of that manner of proceeding and oftentimes intreated his Father for their Liberty and now at last to have obtained That the Ambassador being dead his Servants might be set free and so put them in good hope that they should in short time be restored to their wonted Liberty in the mean time that one of them should go unto the Emperour's Court and there speak with one of his Secretaries whom he had before advised to bethink himself of Peace unto whom also he afterwards writ upon what Conditions he thought Peace might be at the Sultan's hand obtained Which were If all the Castles and Strong-holds taken by the Emperour's Forces in these Wars as Filek Setchine and Novigrade with their Territories should be restored Siseg in Croatia surrendred if the Emperour should from thenceforth refuse to aid or protect the Transilvanians Moldavianâ— and Valachians and leave them to the Great Sultan to be chastised as Rebels if finally the Emperour would at once send unto the Turks Court his wonted Tribute for the years past and so yearly afterwards so he could be content by the mediation of his Father to attempt to appease the fierce and inveterate Displeasure of the Sultan and to further the Treaty of Peace This he commanded the Secretary to write and to send it by the young Lord Perling and to require Answer thereof yet that he should go with this Condition That if the said Perling within the space of five and twenty days returned not with Answer all the rest should for his default lose their Heads A subtil Device and full of deceit wherein the crafty Bassaes both the Father and the Son sought for nothing else but to see what confidence the Christians had in themselves and to break the Confederation made between the Emperour the Transilvanians Moldavians and Valachians and that other Princes whom God had stirred up in defence of so just a cause hearing of a rumour of Peace might grow cold and defer to send their promised Aid For now the Turks had found by experience how hurtful and dangerous the Revolt of the three Countries of Transilvania Moldavia and Valachia was unto them as they which brought ten hundred thousand Duckats yearly into the Great Sultan's Treasury besides that those People now become their Enemies were of all other fittest to intercept all manner of Provision to be brought by Land either to or from Constantinople were it Victual or other warlike Provision Notwithstanding this motion of Peace made by the two Bassaes Sinan the old Bassa in the mean time with great Diligence at Belgrade prepared all things necessary for War and caused three Bridges to be made whereby he might in divers Places as he thought best transport his Army over Danubius and at the same time sent for the Garrisons round about and other Souldiers before billeted in the Country and put in readiness all things necessary for a most mortal War. Within the appointed time came Perling from the Emperours Court with answer to the Letters written by the Ambassadors Secretary at the Commandment of the Bassa the effect whereof was that he had received his Letters by Perling and did thereby understand what had passed between the captive Servants of the late Ambassadour and Sinan Bassa at Belgrade and also between them and Sinan Bassa's Son at Buda and that the Emperours Mind was never other but that a firm Peace might have been made between him and the Sultan and that the Emperour had done nothing else by his Ambassador at Constantinople or by others in other Places but that such reasonable Conditions might have been found out as might have ended those Wars and have on both sides delivered their innocent Subjects from their great and daily Calamities which might easily have been done if Sinan the Author and Fautor of this War had with like desire furthered the Peace But that it was manifest unto the whole World that all Complaints of infinite Grievances being by the Ambassador yea and by the Emperour himself by his Letters laid open unto the Sultan and his chief Bassaes had not only nothing prevailed but also to have been with great Contempt rejected and the Treaty of Peace once begun to have by the Insolency of the Bassa of Bosna been interrupted That the Emperour because the matter should not break out into open War had sent his double Tribute into the Confines of Hungary which was a great while laid up at Comara until the Sultans Mind was known But when all his Designs tended to War and the Christian Provinces were by his Robbers on every side spoiled the Inhabitants led away into most miserable Captivity the Towns and Villages burnt yea whole Countries laid desolate and all manner of Outrages were upon a mere Pride and
belong unto the Kingdom of Polonia which the Transilvanians took to be no other but mere and open wrong This supposed Title such as it was the Chancellor had so fashioned out unto the King and the States of that Kingdom that they referred it to his Discretion to invade the Country and removing the Vayvod placed by the Prince to place another in his stead and the rather to perswade them laboured by many forced Reasons to shew the Power of the Transilvanian Prince to be so far inferiour unto the Turks that it was to be feared he should at length be thrust out of all his Dominions and so they together with Moldavia become subject to the Turks which if it should so come to pass then should the Polonians have an untrusty and troublesome Neighbour and that therefore it were better that Moldavia were possessed by them that were better able to defend it than was he that so the Turk might be kept farther off from Polonia Which occasion he said was not longer to be delay'd but now betime to be laid hold upon perswading himself to find such Grace and Favour with the Turkish Emperour as that he should be therewith right well contented which was like enough for a time to be for that the Transilvanian should thereby be much weakened By these and such like Reasons framed to serve his own turn the Chancellor so prevailed with the King and the States of the Kingdom that he received as I said full Authority to proceed in the matter as he did and as is before declared to the great trouble of the Prince and benefit of the Turk the late chosen Vayvod not long after opening a way in three places for the Tartars into Transilvania one by the Country of Siculi another by the way that leadeth to Alba-Iulia and the third by Valachia The Transilvanian Prince seeing the Country of Moldavia by the practice of the Chancellor thus taken from him and dissevered from the other united Provinces to the great weakning of his Estate after the flight of Sinan sent â—ertain Companies both of Horse and Foot to Stephen the late Vayvod but now driven out by the Polonians to prove if haply he could by that means drive out the Polonians again and recover his former Dignity With this aid sent from the Prince and others that favoured his Quarrel he joyned a bloody Battel with the Polonians but being therein by them overcome and taken and for a space kept as the Prince feared to have been delivered unto the Turk he was by them as is reported cruelly afterwards put to death This foul dealing of the Polonian in Moldavia much grieved many good Christians as tending to the general hurt of the Christian Commonweal For which cause the Emperour by his Ambassadors sent for that purpose unto the Polonian King sought to perswade him to desist from such Invasion of the Transilvanian Prince by his Chancellor as nothing standing with his Honour and that some good Reconciliation might be made between the Prince and the Cardinal Bator and his Brother the Princes Uncles Authors of all these Troubles To which purpose also the Pope sent a Messenger with like Instructions and Letters unto the King perswading him not so to prosecute his Wars against the Prince but to turn his Thoughts unto a more peaceable and Christian-like course especially with him with whom he was so near linked in Marriage To the like effect he writ also unto the Cardinal Bator and after many grave Admonitions peremptorily cited him to Rome But forasmuch as the Proceedings of the Polonian against the Prince are more plainly to be gathered by the Pope's Letters unto the King it shall not I hope be mistaken if I here set them down thus as I find them by others reported POpe Clement the Eighth to our best beloved Son in Christ Sigismund by the Grace of God King of Polonia with the Benediction Apostolical sendeth greeting By how much greater affection of fatherly Love we embrace your Majesty in the Lord so much the more fervently we wish all your Actions to be adorned with the greatest commendation of true Godliness and Wisdom both before God and Men whereof it proceedeth that we are so much the more vehemently and grievously moved if we hear any such thing of you as may seem not agreeable to your Vertue and approved Zeal toward the Catholick Religion or tending to the obscuring of the Glory of your Name as is now brought unto us concerning the Affairs of Moldavia whereof not without great grief we write unto you And to rehearse things a little before past with what earnestness and fervency dealt I with you that for God's Cause and the defence of the health and liberty of the Christian Commonweal against the Tyranny of the Turks you would combine your self with our most dearly beloved Son Rodolph the Emperor and divers other Christian Princes and that you should not let slip so notable an occasion so worthily to deserve of God of the Catholick Faith and of the Christian Commonweal in general And albeit we then thought as well for many your own private respects as also of your Kingdoms That you were to be borne withal and excused if you did not now openly descend into this Confederation of the Christian Princes against the most mortal and common Enemy neither apertly joyn your Forces or give aid for the repressing of his Insolency yet we always assured our selves that no let should in any case proceed from you whereby either theEmperour or the other Christian Princes should be the rather hindered justly to prosecute their Injuries or to cast off from their Necks the heavy yoke of the most cruel Tyrant whose desire of Sovereignty is not comprised within the compass of any bounds But that you should in favour of the Turks impugn the Catholick Princes and Defenders of the Christian Faith and so joyn hands with the Enemies of the Cross of Christ as that by your help their force and fury should be encreased and ours not only weakened but in the very course of Victory hindered and cast into most grievous perils this we have not only not thought of you but not so much as once suspected yea and can now scarce be persuaded to believe those things to be done by you which are reported unto us as most true and undoubted For the report goeth That you having Intelligence with the Turks and Tartars have with them conspired and namely against our well-beloved Son Sigismund Prince of Transilvania who with invincible Courage fighteth the Battels of the Lord and lest he should be able to abate the force and attempts of the most proud Enemy which by the singular mercy of God he hath hitherto above his own power performed but rather be enforced much to fear his own Estate a new Vayvod and Prince as it were by a triumvirate Authority and compact to be placed in Moldavia and him by the Turks You and the
the filling up of the Ditch of the old Castle with Faggots Earth and such like matter for the hastening of which work Mahomet himself spared not to ride up and down in all places of his Army with his Presence and cheerful Speech encouraging his men in that desperate Work. But whilst the Turks are thus busie in fulfilling his Command the Christians sallying out upon them made great slaughter of them and put to flight Ibrahim the great Bassa with such as were about him after whom they so eagerly followed that he in the flight lost his Tulipant for haste and was there very like to have been taken Nevertheless the work went still forward and was now at length with the restless labour of so great a multitude brought to such perfection that the Turks thought it now no great matter by assault to enter the Castle and thereupon the tenth of October gave unto it four desperate Assaults one upon another being still with greater slaughter of his men repulsed But coming on again the fifth time with fresh Supplies and greater fury than at the first they prevailed and so entring put to the Sword all they found in the Castle in number about eight hundred four hundred of whose Heads one of the Turks Captains caused to be carried unto Mahomet in the Camp in the beholding whereof he is said to have taken great Pleasure as in the undoubted Signs of his Victory The old Castle thus taken nothing remained but the new Castle against which the Turks converted their whole Forces wherein they reposed not so much hope altho their Battery were very terrible and their Power great as in the secret Mines wherewith they had in fourteen places undermined the Castle and were now almost ready to be blown up Which the besieged perceiving and withal considering the state wherein they stood and not hearing any thing of relief resolved amongst themselves without the consent of their chief Commanders no longer to hold out but to yield And thereupon altogether as if it had been but one man rise up in a Mutiny against their two Governours Paul Niari and Tersky who at the first by all the reasons they could devise dissuaded them from such Cowardise putting them in mind of the Oath they had taken which not prevailing they afterwards upon their knees requested them as men to hold it out yet a while in hope of speedy relief yea Tersky with his hands cast up intreated them that if they would no longer hold it out but needs yield then they should first kill him with their own hands that he might not live to see so great a Dishonour But what availeth Persuasion with men possessed with so great fear And in the mean time 250 of the common Souldiers among whom were many Italians secretly escaping out of the Castle fled into the Camp of whom divers became Renegades and turned Turk which added to the former fear so much discouraged the minds of the rest that they forthwith required to come to parle with the Enemy and so agreed That they might with Bag and Baggage and their Swords by their sides in safety depart the great Sultan giving his Faith for the performance thereof with Hostages delivered on either side So the thirteenth of October about Noon the Garrison Souldiers came out of the Castle in number about 2000 but they were not gone far but that they were in a great Plane set upon by the Turks and Tartars and there cut in pieces some of them were flain quick and some other of them otherwise shamefully dismembred the Turks in the mean time upbraiding them and saying That Faith was not to be kept with them that had so cruelly before dealt with them of Hatwan This perfidious dealing much offended divers of the better sort of the Turks insomuch that some of them complained thereof unto the Sultan who as is reported caused some of the chief Authors thereof to be put to death and afterward by open Proclamation commanded that if any of the Turks or Tartars had taken any of them Prisoners they should forthwith set them at liberty Thus is the famous City of Agria of long time a Christian Bishops Seat now become a sure Receptacle for the Turks and Infidels Whilst Mahomet thus lay at the Siege of Agria the Bassa of Bosna with certain other of the Sanzacks thereabouts having raised a great Army came and besieged Petrinia in the Borders of Croatia which he at his first coming so furiously battered by the space of seven days that it was of many thought not possible for it to hold out two days longer In the mean time the Lord Herbenstein and Leucowitze with all the Power they could make out of Croatia and Windismarch came towards Petrinia but having no means in so great haste to make a Bridge over the River of Kulp they retired towards Siseg there to pass over The Turks hearing of their retire and supposing them to have fled for fear put six thousand Horsemen over the River to pursue them upon whom the Christians turning and charging them home overthrew them and having slain many of them drave the rest headlong into the River where most of them perished The Christians nevertheless keeping on their way to Siseg there the next day by a Bridge passed over the River and so marching towards Petrinia and being come near unto the Town were encountered by eight thousand Turks whom they also put to flight and by certain Prisoners there taken understood that the Bassa the day before was risen from before the Town and gone which they at the first believed not but coming thither found it so to their own good Contentment and the great Joy of the late besieged Maximilian the General marching on fair and softly from Strigonium at length the seventeenth of October came to Cassovia four days after that Agria was lost and there met with the Transilvanian Prince who was come thither with eighteen thousand men and forty Field-pieces to aid him of whom eight thousand were mercenary Horse-men fifteen hundred were of the Nobility of his Country and the rest Foot-men The next day after they setting forward from Cassovia joyned themselves with the rest of the Army led by the Lord Teuffenbach and Palfi and so of all their united Forces made one Army consisting now of 32000 Horse-men and 28000 Foot who drew with them an 120 Field-pieces and 20000 Waggons wherewith they every night enclosed their Army as with a most sure Trench So orderly marching they kept on their way towards Agria with a full resolution to give the Turks Battel whereof the whole Army seemed to be very desirous By the way at length they came to a fair Heath two miles long and four broad where they were to pass over a certain River the Passage whereof Giaffer Bassa had before taken with 20000 Turks and Tartars the rest of the Turks Army lying still not far from Agria Now the purpose of
the rest of his Army prosecuting the Victory came to the Cardinals Camp now by the Transilvanians and Turks quite forsaken wherein he found forty five pieces of Artillery with great store of Coin and Wealth beside a number of Tents and Horses all which became unto him a Prey From thence he marched unto Alba-Iulia where he was with great Joy received of his Friends and Confederates there for though the greater part of the Transilvanians especially the Nobility had together with the Cardinal submitted themselves unto the Turks Protection and followed his Ensigns yet were there divers others also who still favoured the Emperour and therefore rejoyced not a little of this Victory The Vayvod after that sent his Lieutenant to Claudiopolis to see if they would yield also which they willingly did with many other Cities and Castles in divers parts of that Country which having none to rest upon now yielded also in such sort that shortly after all Transilvania submitted it self again unto the Emperour's Obeisance and swore unto him Obedience most of the Nobility of that Country being either slain in the Battel or afterwards put to death by the Vayvod amongst whom were five which corrupted by the Cardinal had before undertaken to kill him Now the fourteenth of November after divers Reports of the Cardinal's Escape his ungracious Head was for all that presented to the Vayvod which to the terror of others being for a while set up in Alba-Iulia where he but a little before had commanded as a Prince was afterwards taken down and sent for a Present from the Vayvod unto the Emperour and the Arch-dukes his Brethren his headless Body being afterward by the Commandment of the Vayvod honourably buried in a Monastery at Alba-Iulia in the same Tomb he had before made for his Brother beheaded by his Cousin Sigismund Bathor The Cardinal's Treasure also fell into his hands which was said to have been three millions of Gold. Thus the Country of Transilvania lately before by the Cardinal yielded unto the Obeisance of the Turk year 1600 was again by this worthy Vayvod recovered and restored unto the Christian Empire the proud Cardinal cast out and brought to Confusion having not yet possessed these his new Honours full eight Months His Cousin Sigismund the late Transilvanian Prince who almost all this while had staied at Borusia and in disguised Apparel seen Danske and divers other the free Cities thereabouts Now hearing News of the Cardinals overthrow secretly got him away from thence into Polonia to seek again his new Fortunes The Lord Swartzenburg at the same time uniting his Forces in the lower Hungary with them of Stiria and now twenty thousand strong sought by all means to reduce so many places upon those Frontiers as he could unto the Emperours Obeisance and so took in above 200 Villages but afterward thinking to have surprised the strong Castle of Capisuar and by Night secretly approaching one of the Gates with a Petard which took not the expected effect he was discovered by the Watch and so by the Garrison Souldiers now raised with the alarum repulsed and enforced to retire with the loss of about an hundred men and divers others wounded all men of good account in revenge whereof Swartzenburg afterwards sent out divers Troops of Horsemen which scouring all over the Country as far as Sigeth burned it also and so returning carried away with them a great Booty Ibrahim Bassa hearing of this overthrow of the Cardinal with all the Forces he had sent him much troubled therewith sent News thereof in post to Constantinople the brute whereof brought a general fear upon the whole City also insomuch that Commission was forthwith sent unto him from the great Sultan giving him Power if it might be to come to some honourable Peace with the Emperour and to bring it with him to Constantinople whither he was shortly to return being now no longer time to keep the field with his Army which beside the cold season of the year suffered great want of Bread the Plague also then raging therein with the death of many of his best Souldiers both Horse and Foot beside the wonderful Mortality of their Cattel also in such sort that the Souldiers not able longer to endure the famine and wants increasing fell to robbing of one another and so at length into mutiny wherein divers of them being slain and cut in pieces by their Fellows the rest for the most part brake in sunder of themselves and so by divers ways returned home not well trusting one another So that nothing more was now done with the preparation of the Turks their Army being discomfited with wants and the evil Success of their Affairs as well in Hungary as in Transilvania Neither did Ibrahim the great Bassa for the relief of those Evils at his return bring any conclusion of Peace unto his great Lord and Master as was commonly expected Now beside these Troubles of Transilvania and the other revolted Countries Cusahin or as some call him Cassan the Son of one of the Sultanesses brought up in the Seraglio according to the manner thereof and having long served in the Wars of Persia and Hungary and so at length made Bassa of Caramania a man of great Spirit and not able to indure the Imperfections he daily saw in the Othoman Empire and the Cowardise of the grand Seignior upon the report of the evil Success of the Affairs of Hungary on the one side and the desire he saw in the Persians to recover their lost Fortresses on the other and grieved also with more particular wrongs concerning himself as a man altogether discontented resolved to take up Armes and calling unto him his Souldiers and as he was a well spoken man laying before them the deformities of the present state gallantly persuaded them with the promiâ—e of Honour Sovereignty and rich Rewards what an easie thing it were to chase the grand Seignior out of Asia and to set themselves with all that part of the Empire at Liberty And so even at the firsâ— having won unto him 3000 Harquebusers and 5000 Horsemen took the field to the great hurt of the Turks and trouble of the State. A strange matter in that tyrannical Empire The News whereof comming in post to the Court Commission was forthwith directed unto four of the Sanzacks of Asia nearest unto him for the speedy suppressing of that Rebellion but even then arising Whereof Cusahin understanding and that they with ten thousand Horse and Foot were coming to suppress him without further slay went couragiously to meet them and so encountering of them overthrew them with a great slaughter and took from them their Baggage with six pieces of Ordnance And after with his People seised upon all the Castles thereabouts giving whatsoever he found therein for a Prey unto his Souldiers who also much enriched themselves with the spoil of the Iews as the People whom they most hated and never rested until he had made
not their best course to stay any longer there with so great a Power but with the greatest part thereof to go to Presburg to reform that City and some other Places by the way persuading themselves That the Captain of this Castle so shut up and on every side beset with his Enemies would at length of himself yield up the Castle But while the Rebels thus lay at the Siege of this Castle certain Companies of them went to have taken the Spoil of a Religious House there by but coming thither and breaking open the Doors and searching every secret Corner of the House they found therein nothing worth the reckoning of but so returned almost empty handed for the Priests had for feat of them before carried away with them all the best of their Goods and Substance into the besieged Castle And so likewise the rife Report of their coming to Presburg flying abroad almost all the Priests and Jesuits in Presburg and the Country thereabout leaving their Churches and Colledges fled with their Substance to Vienna scarcely accounting themselves safe there until that the Garrison of that strong City was increased with a new supply of six hundred good Souldiers And now the Rebels their Number still more and more increasing and having set all the upper part of Hungary on a Broil were besieging divers other Castles and strong Places yet holden for the Emperour when as Basta in the mean time coming from the Siege of Strigonium came and with his Army incamped about three miles from Filek Of whose coming the Rebels hearing and thereupon retiring he forthwith followed after them toward Budnoc which Castle they also left and so near unto Ramosambat the place of their Rendezvous gathered together in great number with an intent to have given Basta Battel whereof Basta having knowledge to spare the effusion of more Christian-blood by an Herald sent unto them in friendly and courteous manner advised them to change their Minds and to return again unto their former Allegiance but finding them obstinately set down in their former purpose for the maintaining of their Rebellion and the giving of him Battel he marching forward with his Army with great Force charged certain Companies of the Rebels appointed to keep the Passage of Filek who at the first right valiantly received the Charge and defended the Passage until that at length with number oppressed and above four hundred of them slain they were put to the worse and inforced to fly in which flight amongst others there taken Prisoners Blase Nemet their Captain was taken also whom Basta caused to be hanged up by the heels with the Ensigns set up about him which he had taken from the Rebels in the late Fight and after he had for a time so hung made him to be taken down and his Head to be struck off from his Shoulders In this Conflict fifty of Basta's Men were slain also and many more hurt and amongst them Collonitz hurt in his Shoulder and his Foot with a small Shot Basta after this Victory marching on with his Army by the way met with certain other Companies of the rebellious Haiducks as he was going to St. Peters with whom he had many an hot Skirmish for the space of three days together being by them still put to the worse insomuch that having burnt many of his Carriages Tents and other Luggage he was of nothing more careful than how well to get out of their hands Nevertheless seeing no other remedy he with great Courage not only endured the often and fierce Assaults of his Enemies still more and more increasing upon him but the fourth day after so many unfortunate Skirmishes being the eight and twentieth of November putting his Men in order of Battel right valiantly again charged the Rebels who by reason of the darkness of the Weather it being then a very thick Mist being not able to perceive where the Enemies Attempts were most to be feared or what way to turn their own Forces as men dismayed were easily by them overthrown and put to flight whom so flying Basta with his Souldiers fiercely pursuing made of them a great Slaughter so that in the space of less than three hours fifteen hundred of them were in this thick and dark Mist slain with some few also of Basta's Souldiers and amongst them Frederick Earl of Solmes and the County of Erbach wounded Upon the report of which Overthrow the Rebels which yet lay at the Siege of the Castle of Zipze in hope there at length to have taken Belgiosa forthwith rose and retired themselves to Leusta But Basta after this Victory removing to St. Andrews and having recovered that Town from the Rebels and thereinto put a new Garrison and so by this means somewhat daunted and repressed the Insolency of the Haiducks in those Quarters and being not well able longer to keep the Field with his Army in so unseasonable a time of the Year and so to maintain War as it were both against his Enemies and the extremities of Nature sought by Letters to have reclaimed them of Cassovia again unto their Obedience offering unto them Pardon for all their Offences past â—o that they would now at last acknowledge their fault and receive into their Town a Garrison of the Emperours To which purpose he writ also to them of Eperia in hope that if he might so have gained those two strong Towns to have in them wintered in safety with his Army But they of Cassovia having in the City a strong Garrison of six thousand good Souldiers and out of fear to be by Basta besieged at that time of the Year and withal in hope if need were to be by Botscay relieved who was then reported to be forty thousand strong utterly refused to hearken unto Basta's Motion for their Reconciliation or at all to submit themselves again unto the Emperour Which caused him with his Army to come nearer unto the City yet still seeking rather by fair means to have persuaded the Citizens to have returned unto their Loyalty than by force to have constrained them But finding them obstinately set down and by no Persuasions to be removed but with their great Ordnance in what they might to trouble his Camp he sent before the County Hohenloh and Rotuitz with part of his Army to Eperia to command them upon their Allegiance to receive the Emperour's Souldiers into the City and to relieve them with such things as they were able and within a few days after viz. the fifth of December followed himself with the rest of his Army But being come thither after much Talk had with the chief Men of the City it was at length contrary to all Mens Expectation agreed That Basta assuring them of the free Exercise of their Religion of the good Behaviour of the Souldiers towards them and to defend them from the Injury and Incursions of their Enemies they should open their Gates unto the Imperials and relieve
Bassa of Tauris and that the Magistrate and Judge of that City called the Cady should be sent from Constantinople We shall see in the following year the Effects of these Propositions by the Ambassadour of Persia whom Nassuff shall bring to Constantinople in the mean time let us return to the Mediterranean Sea to take a survey of the valiant Exploits of the Knights of Malta against the Turks On the twenty sixth day of April a Turk having lent a good Sum of Money to a Christian to be paid at a certain day he came before the appointed day with another Turk and willed the Christian to pay the Money to that other Turk when the day came which the Christian promised to do and performed it accordingly but the Turk denied the receit thereof whereupon he to whom the Money was properly due came and demanded it to whom the Christian answered that he had paid it to that Patty to whom he had assign'd it whereunto the Turk replied that if it were so he was satisfied but yet the other Turk denied it whereupon the matter was brought before the Judge and the Turk who had received the Money taking an Oath to the contrary the Christian according to the Turkish Justice was enforced to pay the Money again the which he did but withal he praid God to shew some publick sign which of them had done the wrong And thereupon the Turk going forth to repair home to his House fell down dead in the Street The Great Master Vignancourt continuing his generous Designs to ruine the Turk had an Enterprise against Navarrin a place importing this common Enemy of Christians for the Execution whereof he sent the five Gallies of his Order under the charge of Vaqueras great Commander of the Order and chief of the Nation of Provence They came within some miles of the Shore but found their landing very difficult for that they had been discovered by one of the Castles of Navarrin which had given the alarm unto the whole Country so as they were forced to pass on to some more easie Conquest to the end their Voyage might not prove unprofitable wherefore they sailed into the Archipelague and came near to the Coast of Morea ten Leagues from Corinth where in the Night they landed 800 Men under the Conduct of the Commander of Cremeaux General at Land this Troop marched towards Corinth and an hour before day were at the Town Gates to force them Some Turks took Arms but their weak resistance could not stay the Knights from entering with their Troops they sack'd the Town and having taken what spoil was portable they carried away with them 500 Slaves After this Triumph the Christians made a happy retreat and in good order notwithstanding all the attempts of the Turks Horse and Foot who were drawn together in great numbers making 10000 Souldiers for the Country is very populous in view of whom they imbarked their Spoil and Slaves Hereby it appears that this was one of the most desperate Enterprises that hath been of long time seen For to attempt a Place so far from their retreat in so populous a Country which upon the least alarm may draw together ten or twelve thousand Turks and to make their retreat with so small a number against such great Troops which pursued them doubtless we must confess that as they shewed great Valour and had good Fortune so they undertook a very dangerous Enterprise Thus the Knights of Malta vanquished whom we might term the Masters of the Mediterranean Sea if the Revenues of their Order would suffer them to set forth Shipping and Forces equal to their Valour But to follow the variable course of the History let us observe the different Occupations of Christians At Prague the Germans entertained themselves with the consideration of a Crown which appeared in the Firmament over that City about the midst of October giving a very great Light and about it Armies of Men fighting who should have it At that time the Emperour Rodulphus was upon the West or declining of his days and Matthias who succeeded him in the Empire then King of Hungary was upon the Sun-rising of his Triumphs Many expounded this heavenly Apparition as a Presage of Happiness and good Fortune to Matthias he enjoyed the Crown of Hungary already and by Designation that of Bohemia and now they did prognosticate unto him that of the Romans Doubtless men which aspire after great Fortunes do rather adorn the Sun-rising than the setting and Mans Life when it declines tasts of the Lees. The flourishing Glory of Matthias his Age and his Actions in the Wars did add nothing to the Authority of other Men in the Country but did mightily settle his own Three Suns which were seen in the Firmament over Vienna the chief City of Austria confirmed the Germans more in this their hope that he should have the third Crown of the Romans This last Apparition happened the year following About the end of the year some of the English Ambassadors Men entering into quarrel with certain Iamoglans of the next Serail from words they fell to blows during which tumult one of the Ambassadors Men threw a Stone and smote a Iamoglan on the Fore-head whereof he died within few hours after The Aga of the Serail complained hereof to the Grand Visier who presently sent the Subbasâ—a of Galata to make inquiry of the Fact the Ambassador went himself to the Serail and sent for his Men which had been in the quarrel willing the Turks to design the party which had thrown the Stone who all with one shout ran upon one Simon Dibbius a man that was newly come from Candy where he had served in the Venetian Garrisons and was now entertained into the Ambassadors Service This Simon was not he that threw the Stone notwithstanding the Turks would none but him on him they laid hands and dragged him away The Ambassador interposing himself and offering to pledge for him was thrust away by them his Men Beaten and one of his Pages wounded whereupon he complained to the Grand Visier but prevailed little for to Prison they dragged this Simon and there kept him a whole Month neither could he be released albeit the English Nation offered great Sums to ransom his Life for the Turks would needs have Blood for Blood The day of Execution being appointed the Ambassador sent his Chaplain to the Prison where this Simon was to prepare him for Death unto whom examining him how he had formerly lived he confessed that in England some few years before he had killed a Man for which fact he fled thence into Candy from whence he came to Constantinople where he was to suffer for that which he did not the just Judgment of God pursuing him to the shedding of his Blood in Constantinople among Turks undeservedly for the Blood which he had shed in England wilfully He was hanged at the Ambassadors Gates his Head and Heels the next Night were stolen
Pensions to maintain them during their lives The least hath five Aspers a day and there 's none have above eight and the Spahies ten They are attired in long blew Gowns girt with a broad Girdle and on their Head they have long yellow Caps without brims and sharp like unto Sugar-loaves and of these Aiamoglanes there are always above twenty thousand which serve to supply his Armies The other sort of Youths which are bred up in the Turks Seraglioes or Nurseries are called Ich-Oglani that is to say Chamber-Pages being the choice of all the Christians Children for Proportion and Favour and these Ich-Oglani are better bred up than the Aiamoglani and come to better Preferment of whom we have formerly made mention for the meanest Places these young Men attain unto at the first is to be Spahies or to attend upon the Grand Seignior as his Chamberlains and Pages And many of them having extraordinary Parts are suddenly advanced to Places of great Dignity Of these the Prince hath ever five thousand who until they come unto the Age of twenty years are never suffered to go out of their Seraglio nor to see any Person but such as instruct them and attend upon them The Ianizaries who are the Grand Seignior's chief strength on foot are raised out of Christians Children bred up in these Nurseries as we have said where they are taught to shoot with their Bows and Arrows to use the Harquebuse and all other Weapons fit for Service and are at length inrolled among the Ianizaries and are held the most valiant and resolute Souldiers among all the Turks There are commonly resident in Constantinople and thereabouts twenty four thousand of these Ianizaries whenas the Grand Seignior is there for in his whole Estate he hath a far greater number under their Aga or Captain General which is a Place of great credit but not like unto any of their Bassaes the Great Turk fearing to joyn Power and Authority together Being once Ianizaries they are either sent to the Wars or put in Garrison or else they remain at the Sultan's Court which they call Port where they have certain spacious Places for their Dwelling like to religious Houses where they live under their Commanders and the younger serve the ancient with great respect All the Ianizaries of one Squadron eat together at one Table and sleep in certain long Halls and if any one chance to be absent all Night he shall the next Night be beaten with a Cudgel which he takes so patiently as he kisseth his Hand that hath thus corrected him They are much respected and feared of all men and are diversly imployed in the City as to see the Peace and good Orders kept to look to the prices of things to arrest Malefactors and to guard the Gates If they buy any thing they will have it at their own rate they cannot be judged but by their Aga or Captain There is seldom any one punished with death by the course of Justice without danger of a Mutiny and therefore they execute them very secretly They have many means to get money for some attend upon Ambassadours and keep their Houses others go with Travellers to guard them safely through the Turks Estate They have a great power in their Princes Election so as to win their loves every new Emperour at his first coming to the Crown gives them a Donative and increaseth their Pay presuming upon their Valour and Multitude They many times commit strange Insolencies upon any Discontents as in firing of Houses braving the Bassaes and sometimes bearding the Sultan himself as you may read in this History The chief strength of the Turks Forces consists in the Ianizaries and yet there are other sorts of Foot-men whereof some are called Acovizes which is a forlorn Hope and receive no Pay but march before the Army and have leave to spoil so as they give the fifth part of their Booty to the Prince There is another kind called Azapi these are Souldiers of small effect and serve rather with the Pick-axe and Spade than with the Sword they are fitter to tire an Enemy with their numbers than to vanquish them with their Valour and they are accustomed to fill up Ditches with their dead Bodies to make a Passage for the Janizaries to ascend unto a Breach The Grand Seignior hath ever six thousand Gunners in pay whom they call Topagi And for the Guard of the Powder and Shot when the Army marcheth there are always twelve thousand Men in pay whom they call Iebegi The Grand Seignior hath also certain Officers attending on him to the number of three thousand whom they call Chiaus which are as it were Sergeants at Arms. These are Men well esteemed and are often imployed in Embassies to foreign Princes They also carry Letters and Commendations from the Prince or his chief Visier and they apprehend Offenders These never go to the War but whenas the Sultan is there in Person They are commanded by a Chiaus Bassa who is of so great credit with all men as Sanzovino writes that when he is sent by the Grand Seignior to any Bassa Sanzack or Cadi with order to have any Mans Head cut off he is obeyed although he have no Warrant in writing as if the Prince were there himself and commanded it Thus we have set down the Grand Seignior's Forces at Land whose numbers are so great as in shew they should breed confusion and ruine themselves but they keep very good Order and Discipline so as in that point they yield not to any They live of a little Bread baked in the Ashes with Rice and the powder of Flesh dryed in the Sun They may drink no Wine and there are no Women seen in their Armies they observe a wonderful Silence and all the Souldiers are governed by the beck of the Hand or any shew of the Countenance Quarrels and Thefts are severely punished When they March they dare not enter into any Corn Fields nor Vines The Valiant are assured of Preferments and Cowards of Punishment Having spoken sufficiently of their Land Forces let us see what strength he hath at Sea they have great store of Forests for the building of Ships neither want they good Shipwrights for that Covetousness hath drawn many Christian Carpenters into the Grand Seignior's Arsenal And he hath great numbers of Men trained up in Marine Affairs in regard of the Gallies which he hath at Mitilene Rhodes Cyprus and Alexandria and for the retreat he gives Pyrates at Tunis Bona Bugia and Algiers from whence he draws Commanders and his best Mariners as hath been seen by Experience in the Enterprises of Malta Gulette and elsewhere To maintain these great Forces it is requisite he should have the sinews of War yet his ordinary Revenues considering his large Dominions are not so great as in reason they should be for some are of opinion that he hath not above eight millions of Gold
Marquess Villa presented him with a Bason of Gold valued at six thousand Ducats together with a Patent recounting at large the many famous Exploits which he had performed in their Service which they expressed with a stile so generous and obliging as may serve for a Record to transmit the Fame of his Merits to all Posterity Marquess Villa being departed from Candia the Captain-General recalled all his Forces from divers parts of the Archipelago which he had sent thither with the Soldiers wounded in the last Battle and being returned they brought with them great numbers of Pioniers and Workmen to labour in the Fortifications and Mines at the same time also the Captain-Pasha arrived at Canea bringing two thousand Janisaries withhim The Marquess St. Andrea Montbrun a Gentleman of the French Nation was transported to Candia by the General Proveditor Cornaro where being entred into the Charge and Office of Marquess Villa wanted nothing of the vigilance and circumspection of his Predecessour And therefore in the first place having visited all the Forts Out-works and Retrenchments of the Town ordered what was necessary for repair of the breaches and amended what was deficient in the most distressed Fortifications And though the Turks fired a Mine the 22 th of August at the point of the Fort St. Andrea which made a most dangerous breach yet it was so valiantly defended and so speedily repaired that the Enemy gained little or no advantage and all by the extraordinary diligence of this Marquess St. Andrea who passed whole months without uncloathing himself and as his nights were without sleep so his days consumed without repose applying himself personally to all places where was most of danger especially at the Fort of St. Andrea where he took up his constant Quarters The Turks now daily pressing the Town more nearly than before Skirmishes and Sallies were more frequent and more bloody so that about this time the Proveditor General Bernardo Nani applying himself with all earnestness in the performance of his Charge was slain by a Musket-shot in his head his death was much lamented by all being a Gentleman who was born as may be said in the Fleet having had his Education there and passed his youth in Wars and dangers for the safety and honour of his Country Girolamo Bataglia was elected by the Republick to succeed him in the Office whose death was also seconded by that of Francesco Bataglia Brother of the Duke of Candia being shot in the breast with a Musket-bullet and though he was sent thither to administer Justice to the People yet his zeal and courage carrying him to Martial Acts beyond his duty made a grave for him amongst the other Heroes and Worthies of that place The Turk approaching daily nearer with their Works infested very much the passage of Vessels to the Town and shot so directly into the Port that no Ship Galley or Bark could remain in any security from their Cannon to remedy which a small Redoubt was raised at Tramata which being well and strongly fortified served for a small Port under the shelter of which the lesser Vessels found some protection and was of great relief to the distressed City About this time the Popes Gallies with those of Malta arrived commanded by Fra. Vincenzo Rospigliosi the Popes Nephew who having not brought a greater number of people than what served to man their Gallies they were not able to spare many for defence of the Town The long continuance of this Siege and the same thereof noised through the whole World moved the heroick and gallant Spirits of our Age to descend into this Campus Martius this Field of War and give proofs of their Prowess and Valour in defence of the Christan Cause some being moved by a principle of vain-glory proceeding from the briskness of a youthful and aery Spirit and others from the sense of Devotion and fervour towards Religion amongst which none were more forward than some Gentleman of the French Nation as namely Monsieur La Fueillade alias Duke of Roanez with the Count St. Paul a young Cavalier to forward which design taking first the Licence and Benediction of their King they appointed their Rendezvous at Tolon where they listed two hundred Gentleman Cadets or younger Brothers who went in quest of Honour and not of Pay with four hundred ordinary Souldiers who expected their maintenance from the bounty of their Leaders The chief of whom was Monsieur La Fueillade and his Lieutenant the Chevalier De Tresmes Their whole Body was divided into four Bridgades The first commanded by Count St. Paul. The second by the Duke Dâ— Cardâ—â—ousse The third by the Count De Villa Maur. And the fourth by the Duke De Cheateau Tiery When these Persons of Honour and Courage arrived at Candia they found the City hardly beset and reduced to a strait and difficult condition for the Turks were advanced so near to the Fort of St. Andrea that the Souldiers within and without could cross their Muskets and reach Tobaco one to the other howsoever this breach was so well repaired with a good Palissado fortified with several Bonnets and a double Retrenchment on the Bastion it self and a third Retrenchment of squared stone withal that the courage of the Besieged being nothing abated by the many and furious assaults of the Enemy the Town still remained in a defensible posture and still capable with good Succours and Supplies to yield matter of imployment for several years to the Ottoman Forces These worthy Champions as I said being arrived moved with the sense of Religion and desire of glory to themselves challenged the priviledge of mounting the Guard of St. Andrea but that being already prepossessed by the Knights of Malta and other Officers of the place was refused to them Howsoever the Captain-General Morosini was pleased to gratifie them with the Guard of a small Chapel over that Bastion on the right hand of the breach a place of no less danger and therefore of no less honour than the other with which the Cavaliers being satisfied Monsieur St. Paul mounted the Guard one day at six a clock in the morning and continued there â—â—til the same hour of the day following during which time he lost his Major Dupre and Monâ—ieur De Marenval the latter of which had his brains knocked out with so violent a blow of a great shot that some pieces of his skull dangerously wounded the Sieurs De Chamilly and De Lare who were near to him and more maliciously did the Turks ply the stations of these new-come Guests than any others throwing Bomboes Granadoes Stink-pots and other sorts of artificial Fire without cessation into their Quarters notwithstandiug which this young Prince and Monsieur La Fueillade exposed themselves like common Souldiers animating their men more with their example than their words And now by this time by so many Works and removals of Earth by so many Traverses and Mines under ground and throwing up the
the Transylvanian Prince placed Vayvod of Moldavia 745 b. thrust out by Zamoschy Chancellor of Polonia 756 a. taken Prisoner and put to death ib. b. Stephen Vayvod of Transylvania upon the commendation of Amurath chosen King of Polonia 652 a. Stephen made Vayvod of Moldavia 910 a. his Tyranny and troublesome Government 927 b. c. turneth Turk 936 a. Strigonium in vain besieged by King John 415 b. besieged by Solyman 497 b. divers times by the Turks in vain assaulted 498 a. the strength thereof by a fugitive Christian discovered ib. a. yielded unto the Turk ib. b. besieged by the Christians 726 b. five times in vain assaulted with the loss of five thousand men 727 b. the Siege by Matthias the Archduke given over 729 a. besieged by County Mansfelt 747 a. twice in vain assaulted ib. a. the lower Town taken 750 a. yielded unto the Archduke Matthias 751 b. Strigonium besieged by the Turks 850 a. shameful Treason of the Haiducks there in Garrison 852 b. the Siege given over 853 a. again attempted to be surprised 858 b. again besieged 867 a. the insolency of the Garrison-Soldiers inforce the Governor to yield the Town 870 b. Styria and Austria spoiled 864 a. Styria forraged by the Turks 791 a. Suguta by Sultan Aladin given to Ertogrul 93. b. Samuchia taken by Osman Bassa 662 a. recovered by the Persian Prince 665 a. Swartzenbourg by two Italian Prisoners flying out of Rab informed of the state of the Town 770 a. consulteth with the Lord Palfi 771 a. surpriseth that strong Town ib. b. in vain attempteth to have surprised Buda 776 a. cometh to Pappa to appease the French and Wallons there in mutiny 780 b. besiegeth the Town 781 b. slain 782 a. Syrgiannes appointed by Andronicus the Emperor to observe the doings of young Andronicus his Nephew treacherously discovereth the same unto him 111 a. cunningly coloureth his Treason ib. b. contemned of the younger Andronicus revolteth again unto his Grandfather 113. b. apprehended imprisoned and his House rased 115 a. T. TAmas the Persian King hearing of the coming of Solyman to Tauris flieth into Hircania 438 b. in fear of Bajazet killeth his Followers and imprisoneth him with his Sons 527 b. sendeth Ambassadors with Presents to Solyman 528 a. the cause why he would not by any means let Bajazet go out of his hands ib. b. his Answer unto the Venetian Ambassador persuading him to take up Arms against the Turk 584 a. Tamerlane his reasonable and modest Answer unto the other Mahometan Princes craving Aid against Bajazet 145 a. in their behalf sendeth Ambassadors with Presents to Bajazet ib. b. provoked by the proud answer of Bajazet the sollicitation of the oppressed Princes and the perswasion of Axalla resolveth to make War upon him ib. b. his honourable Parentage and Ancestors 146 b. the causes why some report him to have been a Shepherd or Heardsman 147 a. he himself not delighted in Blood ib. a. marrieth the Daughter and Heir of the Great Cham of Tartary the ground of his Greatness ib. a. setteth forward against Bajazet 148 a. his great Camp still like unto a well govern'd City ib. b. the number of his great Army 149 a. he taketh Sebastia and burieth all the People quick 194 b. stayeth the coming of Bajazet 150 a. disposeth of the order of his battel 151 a. fighteth a great and mortal battel with Bajazet 151 b. taking him Prisoner causeth him like a wilde Beast to be shut up in an Iron Chage 152 b. refuseth the Empire of Constantinople offered him by Emanuel the Emperours Ambassador 153 a. goeth privately himself to Constantinople 154 a. much delighted with the scituation and Pleasures of that City ib. a. spoileth the Turks Dominions in Asta ib. a. restoreth unto the poor Mahometan Princes oppressed by Bajazet all their antient Inheritances ib. b. in a great battel overthroweth the Sultan of Egypt near unto Aleppo ib. b. winneth Damasco ib. b. cometh to Jerusalem 155 a. taketh Damiata ib. a. assaulteth Caire 155 b. driveth the Sultan out of Caire 156 a. pursueth him to Alexandria ib. b. chaseth him into Lybia ib. b. leaveth Calibes to govern the Countries of Egypt and Siria 157 a. conquereth Mesopotamia and Babylon with the Kingdom of Persia ib. a. returneth to Samarcand 158 b. the great power he continually kept 162 a. his death ib. a. Tangrolipix the Turk sent to aid the Persian Sultan 3 b. by consent of the Soldiers chosen Sultan of Persia ib. b. first Sultan of the Turks ib. b. having slain Pisasiris Calyph of Babylon in battel joyneth his Dominions unto his own ib. b. invadeth the Greek Emperors Dominions 4 a. putteth to death his Brother Habramie ib. b. Tancred created Prince of Galliley winneth Apamea and Laodicea 18 a. after the death of young Bohemund created King of Antioch 19 a. Tarsus in Cilicia yielded unto Bajazet 304 a. Tartar-Han's Letters unto the King of Polonia 758 a. Tartar-Cham why so ready to serve the Turk in his Wars 846 ib. dieth 887 b. The Tartars spoil many places in Hungary 813 a. repressed by Count Serini 813 b. defeated by the Hussars 814 a. defeated by the Cossacks 928 b. defeated by the Troianoski 935 b. Tauris taken from the Turk by the Persian 825 a. Tauris yielded to Selymus 548 b. who contrary to his promise exacteth a great sum of Money from the Taurisians and so departeth ib. b. sacked by Solyman 438 b. taken by the Turks 698 b. hath a new Castle therein built by the Turks in six and thirty days 699 a. miserably spoiled ib. a. Taurica Chersonesus with the Tartars Praecopenses and Destenses subdued by the Turks 281 b. Techellis invadeth the Turks Dominions 319 a. oveâ—tâ—roweth Orchanes and Mahometes Bajazet s Nephews 321 a. discomfiteth Caragoses the Viceroy of Natolia ib. b. killeth Alis Bassa 323 a. flyeth into Armenia 324 a. robbeth a Caravan of Merchants and therefore burnt at Tauris ib. a. Temeswar taken by the Turks 511 a. Temurtases Bajazet's Lieutenant in Asia taken Prisoner by Aladin the young King of Caramania 144 a. again set at liberty hangeth the Caramanian King ib. a. Teuffenbach taketh Sabatska 722 a. winneth Fileck ib. b. beâ—iegeth Hatwan 725 b. overthroweth the Bassa of Buda ib b. giveth the same Bassa a second overthrow 729 b. Theobald King of Navarre maketh an unfortunate Expedition into the Holy Land 70 a. with Lewis the French King goeth against the Moors 83 a. in his return dieth of the Plague in Sicilia ib. b. Theodorus Lascaris flieth into Bythinia and possessing himself of many Countries taketh upon him the Name of the Greek Emperour at Nice 59 b. he killeth Jathatines the Turkish Sultan 61 a. Theodorus Lascaris Son to John Batases chosen Emperour 76 b. aideth the Sultan of Iconium 77 a. falleth sick and dieth ib. a. Theupulus Earl of Paphos unworthily hanged by the faithless Bassa Mustapha 587 b. Thracia spoiled by the Turks 173 b. Tockai taken by the Rebels 875 b. Tomombeius
License of Converse and Communication by the Officers of Health and next Day being the 17th of December Anchors were weighed and the Doge proceeded on his Voyage towards Venice where he arrived about the end of this Month with which the Year expiring we shall not need to describe the glorious Reception of the Doge into the Palace of St. Mark with all the Pomp and Magnificence which the Riches and fervent affection of this celebrated City and Wise Senate could confer on a Prince so famous and deserving as this And so let us proceed to the following Year Anno 1690. THUS far had the Affairs of Christendom succeeded prosperously against the Turks for tho' the Venetians had for the two last Years performed no great Feats yet the Imperial Arms under the Conduct of Prince Lewis of Baden had been Prosperous even to a Miracle but now the German Empire being furiously Attacked within the Bowels of it by the Arms of France there was a necessity to look homewards and for the several Princes to provide for their own Safety and guard their own Countries for which reason many of the German Troops being called out of Hungary the main Burden of the War fell upon the Emperor and was carried on with various Success tho' for the most part Prosperous whilst his Affairs were under the Auspicious Government of that Valiant and Renowned General Prince Lewis of Baden This Month of Ianuary began not very favourably on the Christian side for the Prince of Holstein hearing that the Turks miserably destroyed the Countries round about he marched to Prisseren with some Troops to meet them and thence not being able to spare many Forces he detached the Prince of Hanover and Colonel Strasser to relieve the Pass of Casseneck which was said to be Besieged by the Turks On the the 1st of Ianuary when they decamped from before Prisseren or Prissina their Troops consisted of 120 Foot drawn from the Regiment of Aspremont 80 of Aversperg's five Companies of Dragoons of the Prince of Hanover's Regiment eight Troops of Horse of Holstein six Troops of Horse of Hanover four Troops of Horse of the Regiment of Stirum all which did not amount unto more than 1600 Men with which they marched so diligently that the next Day they arrived near Casseneck in sight of the Enemy their Orders were not to approach too near nor advance too far until they had well observed the true strength of the Enemy and discovered whether they were so strong as had been reported Accordingly they at first posted themselves with their Backs to a Morass and planted four Field-Pieces against the Enemy who durst not Attack them in that Place but keeping within the Hills and Woods they detached 1000 Tartars into the open Fields upon sight of which Colonel Strasser quitting his Advantageous Post forced them to retreat with the Death of some of them but the Germans being now in the open Field and not able to retreat they found themselves surrounded on all sides with 30000 of the Enemy against which having sustained a Battle from Nine in the Morning till Three in the Afternoon and having spent all their Powder and Ammunition they were at last totally defeated In this Fight the Prince of Hanover Colonel Strasser Count Solari with most of the Officers and many of the Common Soldiers were killed on the Place most of the Prisoners being wounded died all their Colours Kettle-Drums c. were taken by the Enemies nevertheless 6 or 700 Men by help of the Night and of Woods and Mountains came safe to Belgrade from whence they were dispatched to their Regiments This News being brought the same Night to the Prince of Holstein unto Prissina he retreated from thence to Nissa leaving behind all the Forage and Baggage of the Regiment of Stirum On the 4th the Regiment of Piccolomini which was to joyn with Strasser having no Advice of the Defeat came near to Casseneck under the Command of Lieutenant-Colonel Count Montecelli so soon as he came in sight of the Tartars they immediately Invested him but he very prudently retreated towards a Morass over which there was a Bridge on the other side whereof he commanded a Lieutenant with 30 Horse to guard that end of the Bridge until he put himself in a Posture to fight on the other side After some time the Tartars Attacked them on both sides the Lieutenant with 30 Men defended himself for a good while until being over-powered he was relieved by two Companies sent to his Assistance and on both sides defended themselves so valiantly until Night that under shelter of the Darkness they made their Retreat the Tartars followed them with great noise for the space of an Hour but could not put them into disorder so about Midnight they arrived at Prissina which Place they found Abandoned but having refreshed themselves and their Horses there for a while they proceeded to Procopia with the loss only of about 30 Men and one Captain and some wounded their Baggage was not with them they having sent it to Poza and Novibassa which afterwards fell into the Hands of the Enemy with most of those which accompanied it the rest saved themselves in the Woods By this time Veterani who was appointed General in the Place of Piccolomini deceased arrived at Nissa from Transilvania with some Troops which being a Place open to the Attack of the Enemy and much feared they caused the Garrison and Inhabitants to work Night and Day upon the Fortifications Veterani also provided Pyrot Procopia Mustapha Palanca being Passes with all Necessaries and demolished Cossova Albania and some other little Places from whence he withdrew the Soldiers to strengthen Places of greater moment The Pass Casseneck which was Besieged wherein was a Garrison of 180 Men and before which the Turks had raised a Battery of seven Guns defended it self several Days and at length surrendred on Conditions one of which was that they should be conducted to Belgrade Whilst things were acting on this side Colonel Corbelli who commanded the Blockade of great Waradin received Advice that the Turks at Bellingesh had provided a great Number of Cattle and 100 Waggons with Provisions under a strong Convoy to be put into Waradin for relief of the City whereupon making a Detachment of 200 Horse 300 Dragoons 300 Hussars and 200 Heydukes he marched therewith towards Bellingesh but those of the Place having received early notice hereof from Waradin withdrew all their Provisions into the Castle so that the original Design of Corbelli was defeated yet not to return empty he stormed and entered the Palanca where after the Slaughter of several Turks he plundered and carried away every thing that was in it He could not Attack the Castle which was well fortified for want of Cannon and therefore having destroyed the Palanca with the Gardens thereabouts he returned back with good Booty On the 15th Tekeli with his Men and 2000
Prusa besieged by Othoman Michael Cossi turneth Turk Alteration of Religion in the Greek Church Persecution in the Greek Church for matters of Religion Andronicus spariâ—g to maintain his Navy weakneth his Empire Immoderate bounty in great men dangerous Alexius Philanthropenus aspireth Libadarius opposeth himself against the proceedings of Philanthropenus Andronicus the Greek Emperor reposing more trust in foreign aid than in his own Subjects greatly hurteth his State. Ronzerius what he was Ronzerâ—us for want of pay spoileth the Emperors Subjects Ronzerius slain The Turks first called into Europe by the Catalonians The Turcopuli The unfortunate battel of Michael the Emperor against the Catalonians and Turks Cassandria The Catalonians shut out of Macedonia A notable stratagem of the Catalonians The Turks divided into two Factions The unfortunate battel of the Emperor Michael Paleologus with the Turks in Chersoneâ—us Thracia spoiled by the Turks Philes Paleologus requesteth of the Emperor that he might go against the Turks The Battel betwixt Philes and the Turks The Turks overthrown The causâ—s of the decay of the Greek Empire Syrgiannes his craâ—ty Seditious Speech unto young Andronicus Young Andronicus cometh secretly armed to his Grandfather Thracia revolteth unto Andronicus Articles of agreement betwixt the old Emperor and his Nephew The Greek Empire in Europe divided whilst the Grecians are at discord amongst themselves Othoman layeth the foundation of the Turks Empire and the other other Turks incroach upon them also The Island of the Rhodes was by the Knights Hospitalers recovered from the Turks in the year 1308. Andronicus the old Emperor seeketh for Counsel of the Psalter as of an heavenly Oracle and so seeketh to make peace with his Nephew Psal. 68. vers 14. A treacherous meeting The young Emperor sendeth Embassadors unto his Grandfather The Speech of the young Emperor to his Grandfathers Embassadors The Speech of the old Emperor unto the Patriarch and the rest of the Bishops and Nobility concerning the young Emperor his Nephew The Patriarch with divers of the Bishops conspire against the Emperor Thessalonica yielded unto the young Emperor Constantinople bâ—â—râ—yed unto the young Emperor The pitiful Supplication of the old Emperor to his Nephew Niphon incenseth the young Emperor against his Grandfather The old Emperor becometh blind Andronicus the old Emperor against his will made a Monk and called Anthony The notable answer of the old Emperor to the catching question of the proud Patriarch The death of the old Emperor The Turks Kingdom founded by Othoman in Asia at such time as the Greek Emperors were at variance betwixt themselves in Europe Prusa yielded unto the Turks The death of Othoman Othoman buâ—ied at Prâ—sa The wealth that Oâ—homan leâ—t unto his two Sons Orchanes and Aladin when that barbarous manner of murthering their Brethren first began among the Turkish Sultans The City of Nice with divers other Castlâ—s recovered from the Turks after the death of Othoman The Emperor wounded The City of Nice surprised by the Turks Abydus besieged by the Turks Nicomedia yielded unto Orchanes Orchanes remoueth his Court to Nice Orchanes invadeth the Country of Carasina The Country of Carasina yielded unto Orchanes The Castle of Maditus tâ—â—en by the Tâ—rks The death of Solyman Bassa Orchanes his eldest Son. The death of Orchanes Amurath succeedeth his Father Orchanes in the Turkish Kingdom Didymotichum yielded unto the Turks Hadrianople yielded unto the Turks Rhodestum surprised by the Turks Hadrianople thâ— Royal Seat of the Tâ—rkish Kings in Europe Boga taken by Amurath and recovered again and rased by the Christians Boga new built by the Turks Amurath invadeth Servia Nissa taken by the Turks Appolonia won 〈◊〉 the Turks Amurath and Aladiâ— prepare themselves for War. The death of Chairadin Bassa The great battel in the plains of Caramania betwixt Amurath and Aladin Aladin flieth to Iconium Iconium besieged by Amurath Lazarus the Despot by his Embassador craveth aid of the King of Bosna Amurath marrieth the Emperor of Constantinoples daughter The Castle of Sarkive with the City jâ—yning unto it taken by thâ— Christians and rased Lazarus slain Amurath slain Amurath buried at Prusa Bajazet invadeth Servia Servia the second time invaded by Bajazet Thessalia invaded by Bajazet Constantinople eight years besieged by Bajazet Constantinople the second time besieged by Bajazet Bajazet marrieth Despina the fair Daughter of Lazarus the Despot Temurtases Bâ—jazet his great Lieutenanâ— in Asia taken Prisoner by Aladin the younâ— King of Caramania Amasia yielded unto Bajazet Sebastia delivered to Bajazet Bajazet invadeth Isfendiar Prince of Castamona The Mahometan Princes of Asia oppressed by Bajazet disguised flie unto Tamerlane for aid Tamerlâ—ne his opinion concerning the diversity of Religions The base opinion some have concerning the Birth and Rising of Tamerlane Tamerlane honourably descended The cause why some have reported him to have been a Shepherd or Herdsman Tamerlane marrieth the Daughter and Heir of the great Cham of Tartary Prince Axalla in great credit with Tamerlane The number of Tamerlanes great Army Sebastia besieged by Tamerlane Sebastia yielded to Tamerlane A Shepherd more happy than Bajazet The Prince of Ciarcan dealeth politickly with the Forerunners of the Turks Army The great and mortal Battle betwixt Bajazet and Tamerlane The Prince of Ciarcaâ— slain The Turks overthrown Bajazet and his Son Musa taken Prisoners Bajazet 〈◊〉 bâ—sâ—e Tamerlane with his Pride Bajazet like a Beast shut up in an Iron Caâ—e Solyman set up in his Fathers steaâ— Prusa taken by â—â—â—lle Tamerlane goeth to Constantinople Tamerlane much delighted with the pleasures of Constantinople A great Battel fought betwixt the Sultan of Egypt and Tamerlane Damasco won by Tamerlane Tamerlane cometh to Jerusalem Damiata taken by Axalla Tamerlane marcheth towards Caâ—er Caier besieged by Tamerlane Caier assaulted by Tamerlane The Sultan flieth from Alexandria Tamerlane desirous to return into his Country The miserable death of Bajazet A comparison betwixt Bajazet and Tamerlane Bajazet in his Posterity more fortunate than Tammerlane Divers opinions concerning the Successors of Bajazet The true Posterity of Bajazet Mahomet Gâ—vernor of Amasia Mahomet â—â—ndâ—â—h Spies into Tamerlane his Camp. Cara Dulet slain Mahomet his 〈◊〉 to Inaâ—l Ogli the Tartar Prince Inall Ogli his answer to Mahomet Inall Ogli overthrown by Mahomet Mahomet his Speech to Tamerlanes Embassador The great power Tamerlane continâ—ally kâ—pt The death of Tamerlane The description of Tamerlane Mahomet goeth against his Brother The answer of Isa to Mahomet his Offers The body of Bajazet honourably buried at Prusa Good counsel Isa with a great army sent by his Brother Solyman into Asia against Mahomet Prusa burnt by Isa. Isa flieth into Caramanâ—a and there dieth in obscurity The Castle of Prusa besieged by Solyman Musa marrieth the Prince of Valachia his daughter Musa in the absence of Solyman received at Hadrianople as King. Musa goeth against Solyman Solyman flieth Solyman strangled by his Brother Musa This Solyman is that same whom some call Celebinus and other some Calepinus and reckon