gaue occasion for many that loued her not to say That so troubled an estate required the gouernment of some worthie man Wherefore shee fearing lest that the Senat making choise of some other she and her children should be remooued from the gouernment thought it best for the preseruation of her state and her childrens to make choice of some notable valiant man for her husband that for her and hers should take vpon him the managing of so weightie affaires But to check this her purpose the onely remedie of her troubled thoughts shee had at the death of the late emperour Constantine her husband at such time as the soueraigntie was by the Senat confirmed vnto her and her sonnes solemnly sworne neuer more to marrie which her oath was for the more assurance conceiued into writing and so deliuered vnto the Patriarch to keepe This troubled her more than to find out the man whom she could thinke worthie of her selfe with so great honor Shee held then in prison one Diogenes Romanus a man of great renown honorably discended whose father hauing married the neece of the emperour Romanus Argirus and aspiring to the empire being conuicted thereof slew himselfe for feare to be enforced by torments to bewray his confederats This Diogenes was by the late emperour Constantine for his good seruice against the Scythes who then much troubled the empire highly promoted with most honourable testimonie in the charters of his promotions That such honours were bestowed vpon him not of the emperours meere bountie but as the due rewards of his woorthie deserts Notwithstanding after the death of the emperour he sicke of his fathers disease and swelling with the pride of ambition sought by secret meanes to haue aspired vnto the empire Whereof the empresse hauing intelligence caused him to be apprehended and brought in bonds to CONSTANTINOPLE where being found guiltie of the foule treason and so committed to safe keeping was shortly after brought foorth to the judgement seat againe to receiue the heauie sentence of death In which wofull plight standing as a man out of hope and now vtterly forlorne he mooued all the beholders with a sorrowfull compassion For beside that he was a man of exceeding strength so was he of incomparable feature and beautie adorned with many other rare qualities and vertues answerable thereunto wherewith the empresse mooued with the rest or pearsed with a secret good liking is hard to say reuoked the sentence of condemnation readie to haue beene pronounced vpon him and gaue him pardon And shortly after hauing set him at libertie sent for him as he was going into CAPADOCIA his natiue countrey and made him generall of all her forces with a ful resolution in her selfe to marie him and to make him emperour if shee might by any meanes get the writing out of the Patriarches hand wherein her oath for neuer marrying againe was comprised For the compassing whereof she entred into a deepe deuice full of feminine policie with one of her Eunuches whom she purposed to vse as her pander for the circumuenting of the Patriarch This craftie Eunuche instructed by his mistresse comming to the Patriarch Ioannes Xiliphilinus a man both for his place and integritie of life much honoured told him in great secret That the empresse had so far set her good liking vpon a yoong gentleman a nephew of his called Barda then a gallant of the court as that she could be content to take him to her husband and to make him emperour if shee might by his holinesse be persuaded that she might with safe conscience do it and by him be discharged of the rash oath she had vnaduisedly taken neuer to marrie againe whereof hee had the keeping The Patriarch otherwise a contemner of worldly honours yet mooued with so great a preferment of his nephew promised the Eunuch to do therein whatsoeuer the empresse had desired which he accordingly performed And so sending for the Senators one by one in whose good liking the matter cheefly rested he with much grauitie propounded vnto them the dangerous estate of the common weale with the troubles dayly encreasing and the continual feare of forreine enemies not to be repressed by the weake hand of a woman or the authoritie of yoong children but requiring as he said the valiant courage of some woorthie man After that hee began to find great fault with the rash oath which the empresse had taken a little before the death of her husband neuer to marrie and vtterly condemning the same as contrarie to the word of God and vnjustly exacted of her rather to satisfie the jealous humour of the emperour her late husband than for any good of the common-weale he in fine persuaded them that the vnlawfull oath might be reuoked and the empresse set at libertie at her pleasure by their good liking to make choice of such a man for her husband as might better vndertake so weightie affaires of the empire more fit for a man than for so tender a lady and three yoong children The greater part of the Senat thus persuaded by the Patriarch and the rest with gifts and promises ouercome by the empresse the Patriarch deliuered vnto her the writing she so much desired discharged her of her oath whereupon shee foorthwith calling vnto her certaine of her secret friends married Diogenes whom she caused to be proclaimed emperour Now thought Eudocia after the manner of women to haue had her husband whom she euen from the bottom of dispaire had exalted vnto the highest tipe of honour in all things loyall and pliant whereunto he for a while at the first forced himselfe but afterwards being a man of a proud nature and haughtie spirit became wearie of such obseruance and began by little and little to take euerie day more and more vpon him And for that the imperiall prouinces in the East were in some part lost and the rest in no small danger he aswell for the redresse thereof as for his owne honour and to shew himselfe an emperour indeed and not the seruant of the empresse left the court and passed ouer into ASIA although it were with a small armie and euill appointed for why it was no easie matter for him to furnish out the armie with all things necessarie which by the sloth and sparing of the late emperours had to the great danger and dishonour of the empire beene vtterly neglected Neuerthelesse the Turkish Sultan who at the same time with a great power inuaded the prouinces of the empire hearing of his comming and that he was a man of great valour and doubting what power he might bring with him retired himselfe and diuiding his armie sent the one part thereof into the South part of ASIA and the other into the North which spoiled all the countrey before them as they went and suddenly surprising the citie of NEO-CESARIA sacked it and so laded with the spoile thereof departed But the emperour vnderstanding thereof and not a
the coast of DALMATIA out of which they caried away with them 1600 poore Christians into captiuitie These arch pyrats at their pleasure roming vp and downe the sea fortuned to light vpon a ship of the Christians bound from MESSANA to CORCYRA which they tooke and in rifling thereof found certaine letters directed to the Gouernour of CORCYRA certifying him of the league then but lately concluded amongst the Christian princes which letters they sent in post to Selymus to giue him knowledge thereof who therupon writ to his Admirals with all hostilitie to infest any of the dominions of the Christian confederats The Turks fleet thus raging and raigning in the Adriaticke brought a great feare not only vpon the coasts of DALMATIA ISTRIA and the islands thereabouts which were by them most afflicted but also vpon the sea coasts of APVLIA and all alongst that side of ITALIE yea vpon the citie of VENICE it selfe insomuch that they were glad to fortifie as well the citie as the frontiers of their dominions with new fortifications and garrisons as did also the king and the Pope in ITALIE for why no ship or gallie could now looke out of any port but it was presently surprised and taken by the Turks which with the sundry calamities before receiued so confounded the Venetians that they in their assemblies and consultations seemed rather to quake for feare than after their wonted maner grauely to consult how the enemy was to be repulsed Yet for the more safetie of their citie and for feare least the Turks fleet should forcibly breake in vpon them they strongly fortified the passages through the rocke or banke which defendeth the citie from the sea and kept continually 12000 men in readinesse in the citie for the more assurance thereof All the Turks fleet being againe met together Partau and Haly departed from AVLONA the 26 of August and sayled directly to CORCYRA which little island seemed to bee compassed in round with the great enemies fleet Partau Bassa at his first arriuall there landed eight hundred horsemen and a thousand foot who ranging vp and down the island did great hurt and burnt the very suburbs of the citie at which time the garrison soldiors sallying out vpon them with a thousand horsemen and fiue hundred foot slew a great number of them and amongst the rest one Paphus Rays a man of great name Thus the Turks fleet hauing done wonderfull harme in the Venetian territorie as well in the islands as vpon the frontiers of DALMATIA enriched with the spoyle of those countries and carrying away with them fifteene thousand most miserable captiues departing from CORCYRA arriued all in the bay of CORINTH now called the gulfe of LEPANTO where we will for a while leaue them to ride in safetie At such time as this great fleet the terrour of that part of Christendome first put into the Adriaticke Venerius the Venetian Admirall then lying with fiftie gallies at CORCYRA and fearing if he stayed there longer to be enforced with so small a power to fight against so strong an enemie or els so to be shut vp that hee could not joyne his forces with the Spanish fleet which was dayly expected vpon the comming of the fleet departed thence to MESSANA there more commodiously and more safely to attend the comming of Don Iohn of AVSTRIA Generall of the Spanish forces At his comming Columnius met him with twelue gallies which the great duke of FLORENCE had sent in the aid of the confederats and three gallies of MALTA who onely were yet come thither and with great honour receiued him Not long after M. Antonius Quirinus and Antonius Canalis came thither also with threeescore and two gallies before appointed by the Venetians for the releefe of FAMAGVSTA but now called backe againe to joyne with the rest of the fleet and in short time the gallies of SICILIE arriued there also At last after long expectation in the latter end of August came Don Iohn with the Spanish fleet a man then about foure and twentie yeares old in whom wanted no honorable parts his mothers blemish onely excepted who although he was most deere vnto his father Charles the fifth yet left he him nothing by his will but onely at his death commended him vnto his sonne Philip as his brother The Venetian and the Popes Admirals hearing of his comming went to meet him and that with such triumph and joy that all the former heauinesse before conceiued of his long staying was turned into gladnesse with most assured hope of triumphant victorie their doubled forces and two great fleets joyned in one encouraged them aboue measure filling all the West with the expectation of some great matter The Venetian fleet consisted of an hundred and eight gallies six galleases two tall ships and a great number of small galliots Vnto them were joyned twelue gallies of the Popes of whom Columnius was Admirall And with Don Iohn the Generall and Auria the Spanish Admirall came fourescore and one gallies of whom three were from the knights of MALTA In this fleet beside marriners were reckoned to be twentie thousand fighting men an armie not onely beautifull for shew as consisting of most choice bodies but indeed most strong and puissant old beaten souldiours almost throughout it in euery place intermixed with others of lesse skill many knowne to be men of great experience rich and lustie bodies were by name called forth to this so honourable seruice and diuers other of great nobilitie as well old men as yong and lustie gallants for the naturall hatred they bare vnto the common enemie came and as voluntarie men cheerefully thrust themselues into that religious war euery of which noble gentlemen as they were greater by birth or power so had they drawne after them a greater number of their fauourits and followers strong and able bodies of their owne charge brauely armed who sought after no other pay for their paines and danger but by some notable victorie to eternise their names or honourably to spend their liues in so just a quarrell as for the defence of the Christian faith and religion Amongst these most honourable and resolute men were three of greatest marke Alexander Farnesius prince of PARMA in time to be the honour and glorie of ITALIE his natiue countrey whose vntimely death in the low countries euen his honourable enemies lamented and being dead is not without cause and worthie desert accounted amongst the most politicke and famous leaders of our age The second was Franciscus Maria prince of VRBIN a yong man both honourably descended and of an inuincible courage and the third Pau. Iordanus Vrsinus an honorable gentleman of the family of the Vrsini in ROME All the power of the confederat princes thus met togither at MESSANA and all things now in readinesse a counsell was called by the Generall to resolue what course to take in those most dangerous wars against so puissant an enemy vnto which counsell
Osman the Visier Bassa commaundeth the Turks great armie after his death in the returne thereof from Tauris 995 c. dischargeth the armie at Van. 996 h. afraid to giue aid to Giaffer Bassa at Tauris 998 l. restoreth the battell before lost at Karesta 1098. with a great fleet commeth to see his mother the ladie Lucretia at Messina 1107 b. Columnius the Popes Admirall interposeth himselfe as a mediatour betwixt Don Iohn and Venerius the Venetian Admirall and so well appeaseth the matter 874 g Comparison betwixt Baiazet and Tamerlan 227 c Confederation hard to trust vpon 840 h Conrade Marques of Montferrat slaine by two desperat ruffians 71 d Conrade the third Emperour of Germanie taketh vpon him an expedition into the Holy land 31 c. cannot be suffered to enter into Constantinople but is treacherously dealt withall by the Greeke Emperour 32. with a notable speech encourageth his souldiours to aduenture the riuer Meander 33 a. with a great slaughter ouerthroweth the Turks 34 g. besiegeth Iconium and so returneth h. Constantine prince of Bulgaria with the Tartars inuade the territories of Palaeologus the Greeke Emperour and spoileth Thracia 117 b Constantine the Despot sent by the old Emperour Andronicus his brother against young Andronicus his nephew 163 a. taken prisoner at Thessalonica and miserably vsed f. Constantine the Greeke Emperour in vain craueth aid of the other Christian princes 340 h. at the winning of Constantinople by the Turks troden to death 347 b Constantinople built by Pausanias destroied by Seuerus reedified by Constantine the Great 341 a. how seated 340 a. taken and spoiled by the Latines 83 a. recouered from the Latines by Alexius Strategopulus 115 d betraied vnto the young Emperour Andronicus 171 d. in vaine besieged by Amurath the second 257 f. again besieged by Mahomet the great 340 k. assaulted by the Turks 346 k. woon 347 c Contarenus the Venetian Admirall slain 413 e. Corcutus saluted Emperour before his father Baiazet 437 d. kindly resigneth the Empire to his father 438 g. giuen to the studie of Philosophie and therefore not beloued of the Ianizaries 478 k. commeth to Constantinople 491 d. his notable speech vnto his father to persuade him to resigne vnto him the Empire before the comming of his brother Selymus 491â— comforted by his father and put in hope of the Empire 492 m. flieth to Magnesia 495 a. sought after by Selymus hideth himselfe in a caue 501 f. is found and taken 522 g. by the commaundement of Selymus strangled h. Cortug-Ogli the pyrat persuadeth Solyman to besiege the Rhodes 570 g Corone Pylus and Crisseum cities of Peloponesus belonging to the Venetians yeelded vnto the Turke 460 h Corone besieged by the Turks 627 f. relieued by Auria 629 d. abandoned and forsaken by the Spaniards 631 c. Cornâ—a and Serbellio two auntient Spanish captaines persuade the giuing of battell vnto the Turkes at Lepanto 872 i. Costly dishes 745 d Cowardise punished 1093 e Crete described 868 h Croia besieged by Amurath the second 323 b. in vaine assaulted 324 k. besieged by Mahomet the great 400 i relieued 401 c. againe besieged by Mahomet 402 h. the third time besieged 413 d. yeelded to the Turks 417 a. Cubates Selymus his embassadour commeth to Venice 839 f. but homely entertained there 840 f. his speech in the Senat of Venice k. for feare of the people secretly conueied away 842 g Curzola forsaken by the men defended by women 869 c Cusahin Bassa of Caramania riseth vp in rebellion against Mahomet the third 1114 k. ouerthroweth the Sanzackes sent to haue oppressed him l. at the comming of Mehemet the Visier Bassa sent against him flieth 1115 b. forsaken of his followers is taken and tortured to death at Constantinople d. the Cuselbassas when and how they begun amongst the Turks 465 f Cyprus described 843 b. how that kingdome came to the Venetians e. taken from them by Selymus the second 867 f. Cyrene yeelded vnto the Turks 852 i Czarnieuiche corrupted giueth the Turks passage ouer the Danubius into Valachia 911 d. reuolteth vnto the Turks 912 k D DAmasco betraied to Saladin Sultan of Aegipt 58 m. taken and sacked by the Tartars 113â— yeelded to Selymus 532 m Damiata and the description therof 89 a. taken by the Christians being before vnpeopled by the plague 92 m Dandulus Admirall of the Venetian fleet 85 a. Dauid and Alexius Comneni nephewes to Andronicus the Emperour erect vnto themselues a new Empire in Trapezonde 84 l Dauid the last Emperour of Trapezonde put to death by Mahomet the Great and that Empire subuerted 36 m Daut Chan for his good seruice rewarded by Amurath the third 996 i Dearth in the Turks armie at Triala 970 h. Debreas slaine and his armie ouerthrown by Scanderbeg 367 c Dedesinit the Georgian widdow with her sonne Alexander submit themselues to Mustapha the great Bassa 937 e Delimenthes with fiue thousand Persians pursueth the Turks armie 652 k. assaileth their campe by night and maketh of them a great slaughter m. Demetrius submitteth himselfe vnto Mahomet the Great 355 b Demetrius the Rhodian traitour slaine 329 a. Desdrot Gouernour of Stellusa to the terrour of the Turks in Sfetigrade before their faces executed 287 a Didymotichum yeelded vnto the Turks 189 c. Diogenes the Emperour discomfiteth the Turks 8 h. himselfe by the treason of Iohn Ducas by them againe ouerthrowne 9 c. taken prisoner 10 g. honourably vsed by the Turks Sultan h. ouerthrowne and taken prisoner by Andronicus hath his eyes put out whereof he dieth m. Dissention among the Turks about the succession after the death of Mahomet the Great 437 b Dissention betwixt Don Iohn and Venerius the Venetian Admirall 873 e Dium a castle of the Venetians in the East Indies in vaine assaulted by the Turks 670 l Doganes Aga of the Ianizaries whipt and displaced 339 b Dotis taken by the Turks 1099 c Dragut a most famous pyrat of the Turks by Auria driuen out of the citie of Africa in the kingdome of Tunes 752 i. commeth to the siege of Malta 797 b. his souldiors enforced shamefully to retire 799 a. slaine 801 h. Dracula Vayuod of Valachia dissuadeth king Vladislaus from farther proceeding in his wars against Amurath 205â— aideth him with his sonne and foure thousand horse 296 h. his last farwell vnto the king i. the Drusian people what they are 982 i. Dulcignâ— Antiuari and Budua strong towns of the Venetians vpon the coasts of Epirus and Dalmatia yelded to the Turke 869 a the duke of Muscouie his letters and presents sent vnto the Emperor 1071 a. Duke Mercurie Generall of the Emperors forces in the lower Hungarie commeth in vaine to relieue Canisia 1131â— in retiring looseth three thousand of his men with certaine pieces of great ordinance and his baggage 1132 g. besiegeth Alba Regalis 1134 m. winneth it 1135 f. enforceth Assan the Turks Generall with the losse of six thousand of his Turks to retire 1136 l. Dyrrhachium now called Durazo taken by the Turks 461
an hundred thousand fighting men with which so great a power the emperors lieutenant thought it not good to encounter vntill he had procured farther aid from the emperour especially out of IBERIA and therefore kept himselfe with such power as he had within his strong and fenced places which Alim perceiuing and out of hope to draw him vnto battell roming vp and downe the countrey at last besieged ARZEN an open towne but full of rich merchants by whom it was contrarie to his expectation notably defended for the space of six daies vntill that at length the Turks seeing no other way to win it set fire vpon it in diuers places by force whereof the inhabitants were enforced for safegard of their liues to flie and to leaue the towne with an infinit wealth to the spoile of the enemie By this time was Liparites gouernour of IBERIA come with a great power to the aide of the emperors lieutenant in MEDIA whereof Alim hauing intelligence without delay hasted with his armie towards his enemies and meeting with them a little before night had with them a cruell fight wherein the victorie fell vnto the Christians who had the Turks in chace a great part of the night Neuerthelesse Liparites valiantly fighting in another wing of the battell was there taken and so carried away prisoner For whose ransome the emperor sent a great summe of money with certaine presents to the Sultan all which he sent back againe and frankly set Liparites at libertie wishing him neuer to beare armes more against the Turks And with him sent the Seriph a man of great place among the Mahumetans his embassadour vnto the emperour who comming to CONSTANTINOPLE amongst other things proudly demanded of the emperour to become tributarie vnto the Sultan and so to be at peace with him for euer Which his vnreasonable demand was by the emperour with no lesse disdaine scornfully rejected and the Seriph so dismissed which contempt of his embassadour the Sultan taking in euill part as also not a little mooued with the death of his nephew and losse of his armie with all his power inuaded the Roman prouinces But being come as far as COIME without any notable harme doing for that the countrey people hearing before of his comming had in time conueighed themselues with their substance into their strong holds whereof there was great store in those countries and hearing also that the Greeke emperour was raising a great power to come against him at CESAREA not daring to proceed any further leauing so many enemies behind him he fretting in himselfe returned into MEDIA where finding the people all fled into their strong townes he laid siege vnto MANTZICHIERT a citie standing in a plaine champion countrey but strongly fortified with a triple wall and deepe ditches This citie he furiously assaulted by the space of thirtie daies without intermission but all in vaine the same being still notably defended by Basilius gouernour thereof and the other Christians therein The Sultan wearie of this siege and about to haue risen was by Alcan one of his great captaines persuaded yet to stay one day for him to make proofe in what he were able to do for the gaining thereof whereunto the Sultan yeelding committed the whole charge of the assault vnto him Alcan the next day diuiding the armie into two parts and placing the one part vpon the higher ground of purpose with the multitude of their shot to haue ouerwhelmed the defendants with the other part of the armie furnished with all things needful for the assault approched the wals the Sultan in the meane time with certaine of the chiefe Turks from an high place beholding all that was done But this so forward a captaine in the middest of his endeuour lost himselfe being slaine with a great number of his followers in approching the wall His dead bodie knowne by the beautie of his armour was by two valiant yoong men that salied out of the gate drawne by the haire of his head into the citie and his head being foorthwith cut off was cast ouer the wall among the Turks wherewith the Sultan discouraged and out of hope of gaining the citie rose with his armie pretending himselfe with other his vrgent affaires to be called home and threatning withall the next spring to returne with greater power and to do great matters But not long after great discord arose betwixt the Sultan and his brother Habramie Alim in so much that the Sultan sought by diuers meanes to have taken him out of the way which Habramie perceiuing fled to his nephew Cutlu Muses and ioyning his forces with his denounced war vnto the Sultan his brother who meeting with them not far from PASAR ouercame them in plaine battell wherein Habramie was taken and presently by the commandement of his brother put to death But Cutlu Muses with his cousin Melech six thousand Turks fled into ARMENIA and by messengers sent of purpose requested of the emperour Constantinus Monomachus to be receiued into his protection But the Sultan with his armie following them at the heeles they for their more safetie were glad to flie into ARABIA The Sultan afterwards turning into IBERIA did there great harme spoiling the countrey before him against whom the emperour sent Michael Acoluthus a valiant captaine of whose approch the Sultan hearing and that he would vndoubtedly ere long give him battell deeming it no great honour vnto him to ouercome the emperours seruant but an eternall dishonour to bee of him ouerthrown retired with his armie backe againe to TAVRIS leauing behind him one Samuch with three thousand Turks to infest the frontiers of the emperors territories which both he and other the Turks captaines afterward more easily did for that Monomachus the emperour hauing prodigally spent the treasures of the empire to encrease his reuenue had imposed a tribute vpon the frontier countries of his empire woont before to be free from all exactions in lieu whereof they were bound to defend the passages from all incursions of the enemies but now pressed with new impositions had dissolued their woonted garrisons and left an easie entrance for the barbarous enemies into the prouinces confining vpon them Besides that the emperours immediatly following and especially Constantinus Ducas abhorring from wars and giuen altogether to the hoording vp of treasure gaue little countenance and lesse maintenance vnto men of seruice which in short time turned vnto the great weakning and in fine to the vtter ruine of the Constantinopolitane empire At the same time also the gouernment of the Constantinopolitane empire by the death of Constantinus Ducas the late emperour came to his wife Eudocia with her three sonnes Michael Andronicus and Constantinus all verie yoong whose sex and tender yeeres the barbarous nations hauing in contempt at their pleasure grieuously spoiled the prouinces of the empire namely MESOPOTAMIA CILICIA CAPADOCIA yea and sometime as far as CoeLESIRIA The report wherof much troubled the empresse
should haue paid them with verie foule and contumelious words as that there was not money enough to pay the Christian soldiers of the Latines and the Greeks much lesse those vile dogs whom they so called for that they had but a little before receiued the damnable doctrine of the false prophet Mahomet the great seducer of the world who euen in that time flourished Vpon which discontentment they at their returne reuolted from the empire and joyned themselues vnto their great prophet and so afterwards vnto the Caliphs his successors extending his doctrine together with his soueraigntie to the vttermost of their power and that with so good successe that in short time they had ouerrun all AEGYPT SIRIA the land of promise and taken the Holy citie With these the disciples of Mahomet and his successors the Sarasins for so now they would be called the Greeke emperors ensuing had for certaine yeeres diuers conflicts with diuers fortune for the possession of SIRIA But at length wearied out by them ouercom they left the aforesaid countries wholy vnto their deuotion Hereby it came to passe that the Sarasins for the space of 370 yeeres following held those countries with many others in great subjection oppressing still the poore Christians in IERVSALEM with most grieuous tributes and exactions vnto whom they yet left a third part of the citie for them to dwell in with the temple of the Sepulcher of our Sauiour and mount SION not for any deuotion either vnto them or those places but for that it yeelded them a great profit by the recourse of deuout Christians trauelling thither reseruing in the meane time vnto themselues the other two parts of the citie with the temple of Salomon before reedified by the Christians Now whilst the Sarasins thus triumph it in the East and not in the East onely but ouer a great part of the West also contenting themselues with such tributs as they had imposed vpon the subdued nations and countries vp start the Turks a vagrant fierce and cruell people who first breaking into ASIA as is before declared and by rare fortune aspiring vnto the kingdome of PERSIA subdued the countries of MESOPOTAMIA SIRIA with the greatest part of the lesser ASIA and IVDEA together with the Holy citie who both there and in all other places held the poore oppressed Christians in such subjection and thraldom as that the former gouernment of the Sarasins seemed in comparison of this to haue beene but light and easie Neither was there any end or release of these so great miseries to haue beene expected had not God in mercie by the weake meanes of a poore heremit stirred vp these most woorthie princes of the West to take vp armes in their defence who hauing with their victorious armies recouered the lesser ASIA with a great part of SIRIA were now come vnto this Holy citie The gouernour of IERVSALEM vnderstanding by his espials of the proceedings of the Christians had before their approch got into the citie a verie strong garrison of right valiant souldiers with good store of all things necessarie for the holding out of a long siege The Christians with their armie approching the citie encamped before it on the North for that towards the East and the South it was not well to be besieged by reason of the broken rocks and mountaines Next vnto the citie lay Godfrey the duke with the Germans and Loranois neere vnto him lay the earle of FLANDERS and Robert the Norman before the West gate lay Tancred and the earle of THOLOVS Bohemund and Baldwin were both absent the one at ANTIOCH the other at EDESSA The Christians thus strongly encamped the fift day after gaue vnto the citie a fierce assault with such cheerfulnesse as that it was verily supposed it might haue beene euen then woon had they beene sufficiently furnished with scaling ladders for want whereof they were glad to giue ouer the assault and retire But within a few daies after hauing supplied that defect and prouided all things necessarie they came on againe afresh and with all their power gaue vnto the citie a most terrible assault wherein was on both sides seene great valour policie cunning with much slaughter vntill that at length the Christians wearie of the long fight and in that hot countrey and most feruent time of the yeere fainting for lacke of water were glad againe to forsake the assault and to retire into their trenches onely the well of Siloe yeelded them water and that not sufficient for the whole campe the rest of the wels which were but few being before by the enemie either filled vp or else poysoned Whilst the Christians thus lay at the siege of IERVSALEM a fleet of the Genowaies arriued at IOPPA at which time also a great fleet of the Egyptian Sultans lay at ASCALON to haue brought reliefe to the besieged Turks in IERVSALEM whereof the Genowaies vnderstanding and knowing themselues too weake to encounter them at sea tooke all such things out of their ships as they thought good and so sinking them marched by land vnto the campe There was amongst these Genowaies diuers enginers men after the manner of that time cunning in making of all manner of engines fit for the besieging of cities by whose deuice a great moouing tower was framed of timber and thick plancks couered ouer with raw hides to saue the same from fire out of which the Christians might in safetie greatly annoy the defendants This tower being by night brought close vnto the wall serued the Christians in steed of a most sure fortresse in the assault the next day where whilst they striue with like valour and doubtfull victorie on both sides from morning vntill midday by chance the wind fauouring the Christians carried the flame of the fire into the face of the Turks wherewith they had thought to haue burnt the tower with such violence that the Christians taking the benefit thereof and holpen by the tower gained the top of the wall which was first footed by the duke Godfrey and his brother Eustace with their followers and the ensigns of the duke there first set vp to the great encouraging of the Christians who now pressing in on euerie side like a violent riuer that had broken ouer the banks bare downe all before them All were slaine that came to hand men women and children without respect of age sex or condition the slaughter was great and the sight lamentable all the streets were filled with blood and the bodies of the dead death triumphing in euerie place Yet in this confusion a woonderfull number of the better sort of the Turks retiring vnto Salomons temple there to do their last deuoire made there a great and terrible fight armed with dispaire to endure any thing and the victorious Christians no lesse disdaining after the winning of the citie to find there so great resistance In this desperat conflict fought with woonderfull obstinacie of mind many fell on both sides
but the Christians came on so fiercely with desire of blood that breaking into the temple the foremost of them were by the presse of them that followed after violently thrust vpon the weapons of their enemies and so miserably slaine Neither did the Turks thus oppressed giue it ouer but as men resolued to die desperatly fought it out with inuincible courage not at the gates of the temple onely but euen in the middest thereof also where was to be seene great heaps both of the victors and the vanquished slaine indifferently together All the pauement of the temple swam with blood in such sort that a man could not set his foot but either vpon some dead man or ouer the shooes in blood Yet for all that the obstinate enemie still held the vaults and top of the temple when as the darknesse of the night came so fast on that the Christians were glad to make an end of the slaughter and to sound a retrait The next day for that proclamation was made for mercie to be shewed vnto all such as should lay downe their weapons the Turks that yet held the vpper part of the temple came down yeelded themselues Thus was the famous citie of IERVSALEM with great bloodshed but far greater honor recouered by these worthie Christians in the yeere 1099 after it had beene in the hands of the infidels aboue foure hundred yeeres The next day after hauing buried the dead and cleansed the citie they gaue thanks to God with publicke praiers and great rejoycing The poore Christians before oppressed now ouercome with vnexpected joy welcomed their victorious brethren with great joy and praise and the souldiers embracing one another sparing to speake of themselues freely commended each others valour Eight daies after the princes of the armie meeting together began to consult about the choice of their king amongst whom was no such difference as might well shew which was to be preferred before the others And although euerie one of them for prowesse and desert seemed woorthie of so great an honour yet by the generall consent of all it was giuen to Robert duke of NORMANDIE who about the same time hearing of the death of the Conquerour his father and more in loue with his fathers new gotten kingdome in ENGLAND in hope thereof refused the kingdome of IERVSALEM then offered vnto him which at his returne he found possessed by William Rufus his yoonger brother and so in hope of a better refusing the woorse vpon the matter lost both After whose departure Godfrey of BVILLON duke of LORAINE whose ensigne was first displaid vpon the wals was by the generall consent both of the princes and the armie saluted king He was a great souldier and endued with many heroicall vertues brought vp in the court of the emperour Henrie the fourth and by him much emploied At the time of his inauguration he refused to be crowned with a crowne of gold saying That it became not a Christian man there to were a crowne of gold where Christ the sonne of God had for the saluation of mankind sometime worne a crowne of thorne Of the greatest part of these proceedings of the Christians from the time of their departure from ANTIOCH vntill the winning of the Holy citie Godfrey by letters briefly certified Bohemund as followeth Godfrey of Buillon to Bohemund king of Antioch greeting After long trauell hauing first taken certaine townes we came to IERVSALEM which citie is enuironed with high hils without riuers or fountaines excepting onely that of Solomans and that a verie little one In it are many cesterns wherein water is kept both in the citie and the countrey thereabout On the East are the Arabians the Moabits and Ammonits on the South the Idumeans Aegyptians and Philistians Westward alongst the sea coast lie the cities of PTOLEMAIS TIRVS and TRIPOLIS and Northward TIBERIAS CESAREA PHILIPPI with the countrey DECAPOLIS and DAMASCO In the assault of the citie I first gained that part of the wall that fell to my lot to assaile and commanded Baldwin to enter the citie who hauing slaine certaine companies of the enemies broke open one of the gates for the Christians to enter Raymond had the citie of Dauid with much rich spoile yeelded vnto him But when we came vnto the temple of Soloman there we had a great conflict with so great slaughter of the enemie that our men stood in blood aboue the ancles the night approching we could not take the vpper part of the temple which the next day was yeelded the Turks pitifully crying out for mercie and so the citie of IERVSALEM was by vs taken the fifteenth of Iuly in the yeere of our redemption 1099 39 daies after the beginning of the siege 409 yeeres after it fell into the hands of the Sarasins in the time of Heraclius the emperour Besides this the princes with one consent saluted me against my will king of IERVSALEM who although I feare to take vpon me so great a kingdome yet I will do my deuoir that they shall easily know me for a Christian king and well deseruing of the vniuersall Faith But loue you me as you do And so farewell from IERVSALEM Whilest these things were in doing at IERVSALEM such a multitude of the Turks and Sarasins their confederats now in their common calamitie all as one were assembled at ASCALON a citie about fiue and twentie miles from IERVSALEM to reuenge the injuries they had before receiued as had not before met together in all the time of this sacred war Against whom Godfrey the late duke and now king assembled the whole forces of the Christians in those countries and leauing a strong garrison in the new woon citie set forward and meeting with them joyned a most dreadfull and cruell battell wherein as most report were slaine of the Infidels an hundred thousand men and the rest put to flight The spoile there taken far exceeded all that the Christians had before taken in this long expedition Godfrey after so great a victorie returning to IERVSALEM gaue vnto God most humble thanks The rest of the princes returned either to their charge as did Bohemund to ANTIOCH Baldwin to EDESSA Tancred into GALLILEY whereof he was created prince or else hauing now performed the vttermost of their vowes returned with honour into their owne countries This was of all others the most honourable expedition that euer the Christians tooke in hand against the Infidels and with the greatest resolution performed for the most part by such voluntary men as mooued with a deuout zeale to their immortall praise spared neither life nor liuing in defence of the Christian faith and religion all men woorthie eternall fame and memorie Not long after ensued a great pestilence the readie attendant of long war and want whereof infinit numbers of people died and among the rest Godfrey the first Christian king of IERVSALEM neuer to be sufficiently commended who with the generall lamentation of all good
with a great power where he was by them slaine together with all his armie and the rich bootie hee had taken all againe recouered Many other hard conflicts passed after this betwixt the Imperials and the Turks the one continually seeking to anoy the other all which for that therein nothing fell out much woorth the remembrance I for breuitie willingly passe ouer In these endlesse troubles died Emanuel the Greeke emperour when he had by the space of eight and thirtie yeeres woorthily gouerned that great empire hauing in the time of his sicknesse but a little before his death taken vpon him the habit of a monke in token he had forsaken the world All the time of his raigne he was no lesse jealous of the Christian princes of the West than of the Turks in the East and therefore euer delt with them vnkindly In time of war he was so laborious as if he had neuer taken felicitie but in paine and againe in peace so giuen ouer to his pleasure as if he had neuer thought of any thing else After whose death the Turkish Sultan without resistance inuading the frontiers of the empire tooke SOZOPOLIS with diuers townes thereabout in PHRIGIA and long besieged the famous cittie of ATTALIA and so dayly encroched more and more vpon the prouinces of the empire joyning the same vnto his owne which was no great matter for him to doe the Greeke empire being then no better gouerned than was the charriot of the Sunne as the Poets faigne by Phaëton far vnfit for so great a charge for Alexius Comnenus otherwise called Porphyrogenitus being then but a child of about twelue yeeres old succeeding his graue father in the empire after the manner of children altogether following his pleasure his mother with his fathers kinsmen and friends who aboue all things ought to haue had an especiall care of his education neglecting the old emperors trust in them reposed followed also their owne delights without regard of the ruine of the common weale Some enamoured with the beautie of the yoong empresse gaue themselues all to brauerie and the courting of her othersome in great authoritie with no lesse desire in the meane time with the common treasures filled their emptie cofers and a third sort there was of all the rest most dangerous who neither respecting their sensuall pleasure neither the heaping vp of wealth looked not so low ayming at the verie empire it selfe As for the common good that was of all other things of them all least regarded Amongst these third sort of the ambitious was one Andronicus the cousin of the late emperour Emanuel a man of an haughtie and troublesome spirit whom he the said emperor Emanuel had for his aspiring most part of the time of his raigne kept in prison or else in exile as he now was being by him not long before for feare of raising of new troubles confined to liue far off from the court at OENUM who now hearing of the death of the emperour Emanuel of the factions in court of the childishnesse of the yoong emperour Alexius giuen wholy to his sports and the great men put in trust to haue seene to his bringing vp and to the gouernment of the empire some like bees to flie abroad into the countrey seeking after money as the bees do for honie some others in the meane time like hogs lying still and fatting themselues with great and gainefull offices wallowing in all excesse and pleasure to haue no regard of the honour or profit of the common weale thought it now a fit time in such disorder of the state for him to aspire vnto the empire after which he had all his life time longed That he was generally beloued of the Constantinopolitans yea and of some of the nobilitie also he doubted not for them he had long before by his popular behauiour gained together with the distrust of the late emperor jealous of his estate which as it cost him his libertie 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 faire colour for the shadowing of his foule purpose Amongst many and right diuers things by him thought vpon was a clause in the oath of obedience which he had giuen vnto the emperour Emanuel and Alexius his sonne which oath he had deliuered vnto him in writing That if he should see heare or vnderstand of any thing dangerous or hurtfull to their honour empire or persons he should foorthwith bewray it and to the vttermost of his power withstand it which words not so to haue beene wrested as best seruing for his purpose he tooke first occasion for to worke vpon And as he was a stout and emperious man thereupon writ diuers letters vnto the yoong emperour his cousin vnto Theodosius the Patriarch and other such as he knew well affected vnto the late emperour Emanuel wherein among other things which he wished to be amended in the present gouernment he seemed most to complaine of the immoderat power and authoritie of Alexius then president of the Counsell who in great fauour with the yoong emperour and more inward with the empresse his mother than was supposed to stand with her honour ruled all things at his pleasure in so much as that nothing done by any the great officers of the empire or by the emperour himselfe was accounted of any force except his approbation were thereunto annexed whereby he was growne vnto such an excessiue pride hauing all things in his power as that no man could without danger as vpon the venemous Basiliske looke vpon him Of which his so excessiue and insolent power Andronicus by his letters now greatly complained mooued thereunto as he would haue it beleeued with the care he had of the yoong emperours safetie which could not as he said long stand with the others so great power which he therefore as in dutie bound wished to be abridged agrauating withall the infamous report of Alexius his too much familiaritie with the empresse 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 emperour and dishonour of the state he forsooth as one in conscience bound with great grauitie and eloquence being a verie 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 haue beene wished Wherefore leauing OENUM the place whereunto he was by the emperour Emanuel in a sort banished trauelling towards CONSTANTINOPLE he gaue it out in euerie place where he came what he had sworne and what he would for his oaths sake do vnto whom men desirous of the change of the state such as gaue credit vnto the report long before giuen out That he should at length
the empire that the name of a boy should be set before the name of so reuerend graue wise and excellent a man as was Andronicus his companion in the empire Shortly after Andronicus being brought into the great temple to be crowned then first began to shew vnto the people a cheerfull countenance and setting aside his sterne looke after his long deuotion done filled the vaine peoples heads with many large promises of a more happie forme of gouernment than before All which prooued nothing but meere dissimulation and deepe deceit that cheerfulnesse of countenance and speech seruing but for a while to couer his inward and couert most inhumane crueltie And the more to deceiue the world the ceremonies of his coronation past at such time as he should for the consummation and confirmation of all receiue the sacred and dreadfull mysterie the pledge of our redemption not without due reuerence to be named much lesse with impure hands touched after he had receiued the bread and taken the cup in his hand he with a most deuout countenance framed of purpose to deceiue his eies cast vp to heauen as if his soule had there alreadie beene the fairest maske of hypocrisie swore by those dreadfull mysteries and most deeply protested in the hearing of the people standing by that he had taken vpon him the fellowship of the empire for no other end or purpose but to assist Alexius his cousin in the gouernment and to strengthen his power whereas his secret meaning was nothing lesse as shortly after appeared For after a few daies spent in faigned deuotions for the prosperous beginning of his empire he foorthwith turned his mind vnto other his more secret but most wicked and execrable designes And hauing aboue all things purposed the death of the yoong emperour he called together them of the counsell his owne creatures and corrupt ministers of his wickednesse who had now oftentimes in their mouths that saying of the Poet Est mala res multos dominarier vnicus esto Rex dominusque An euill thing it is to be ruled by many One king and one lord if there be any and that the old age of an Eagle was better than the youth of a Larke So by the generall consent of that wicked assembly vnworthie the name of a graue counsell a decree was made That Alexius should as a man vnfit for the gouernment of the state be depriued of all imperiall dignitie and commanded to liue a priuat life Which disloyall decree of the conspirators was yet scarcely published but that another more cruell came out of the same forge That he should forthwith be put to death as one vnwoorthie longer to liue For the execution of which so horrible a sentence Stephanus Hagiochristophorites one of the chiefe ministers of Andronicus his villanies and by him promoted euen vnto the highest degrees of the honours of the court with Constantinus Trypsicus and one Theodorus Badibrenus captaine of the tormenters were sent out who entring his chamber by night without compassion of his tender age or regard of his honour or innocencie cruelly strangled him with a bow string which detestable murder so performed Andronicus shortly after comming in spurned the dead bodie with his foot railing at his father the late emperor Emanuell as a forsworne and injurious man at his mother as a common whore The head was forthwith strucke off from this miserable carkasse the mirrour of honours vnstabilitie and left for the monstrous tyrant to feed his eyes vpon the bodie wrapped vp in lead was in a boat carried to sea by Io. Camaterius and Theodosius Chumenus two of Andronicus his noble fauourits who with great joy and glee returned with the same boat to the court as if they had done some notable exploit But long continueth not the joy of the mischieuous vengeance still following them at the heeles as it did these two who not long after with the rest that conspired the innocent emperours death all or most part of them came to shamefull or miserable end Thus perished Alexius the emperor not yet full fifteen yeeres old in the third yeare of his raigne which time he liued more like a seruant than an emperour first vnder the command of his mother and afterwards of the tyrant which brought him to his end Who joyeth now but old Andronicus made young againe as should seeme by his new gained honours for immediatly after the murder committed he married Anne the French kings daughter as some report before betrothed to yong Alexius a tender and most beautifull ladie not yet full eleuen yeeres old an vnfit match for threescore and tenne And in some sort as it were to purge himselfe and his partakers of the shamefull murder by them committed and to stop the mouths of the people he by much flatterie and large promises procured of the bishops a generall absolution for them all from the oath of obedience which they had before giuen vnto the emperour Emanuell and Alexius his sonne which obtained he for a while had the same bishops in great honour and shortly after in greater contempt as men forgetfull of their duties and calling After that he gaue himselfe wholly vnto the establishing of his estate neuer reckoning himselfe thereof assured so long as he saw any of the nobilitie or famous captaines that fauoured Emanuell the late emperour or Alexius his sonne aliue of whom some he secretly poysoned as Marie the emperour Emanuels daughter with her husband Caesar some for light occasions he depriued of their sight as he did Emanuell and Alexius the sonnes of the great and noble captaine Iohn Comnenus Andronicus Lapardas whose good seruice he had oftentimes vsed Theodorus Angelus Alexius Comnenus the emperour Emanuell his base sonne Some he hanged as Leo Synesius Manuell Lachanâ—s with diuers others Some he burnt as Mamalus one of the emperour Alexius his principall secretaries all men of great honour and place For colour whereof he pretended himselfe to be sorrie for them deepely protesting that they died by the seueritie of the law not by his will and by the just doome of the Iudges whereunto he was himselfe as he said to giue place and that with teares plentifully running downe his aged cheekes as if he had ben the most sorrowfull man aliue O deepe dissimulation and Crocodiles teares by nature ordained to expresse the heauinesse of the heart flowing from the eies as shoures of raine out of the clouds in good men the most certaine signes of greatest griefe and surest testimonies of inward torment but in Andronicus you are not so you are far of another nature you proceed of joy you promise not vnto the distressed pitie or compassion but death destruction How many mens eies haue you put out how many haue you drowned how many haue you deuoured Most of the nobilitie that fauoured the late emperour Emanuel Alexius his son thus taken out of the way by Andronicus strook such a feare
after his father for whose inheritance Reucratine prince of DOCEA and Masut prince of ANCYRA his two brethren fell at variance and so at last into open war But Masut finding himselfe too weake for his warlike brother Reucratine yeelded vnto him the territories which he saw he must needs forgo and glad now to keepe his owne so made peace with him Reucratine being a man of an ambitious and haughtie spirit with his forces thus doubled denounced war vnto his brother Caichosroes who doubting his owne strength fled vnto the emperour Alexius Angelus for aid as had his father done before him vnto the emperour Manuel although not with like good fortune For the emperour but of late hauing obtained the empire by the deposing of his brother and altogether giuen to pleasure reputing also those domesticall warres of the Turkes some part of his owne safetie sent him home without comfort as one strong enough of himselfe to defend his owne quarrell against his brother Howbeit he was scarcely come to ICONIUM but that he was by Rucratine expulsed thence and driuen to flie into ARMENIA where he was by Lebune king of that country a Turke also honourably receiued and courteously vsed but yet denied of the aid he requested the king pretending that he was alreadie in league with Reucratine and therefore could not or as some thought fearing the dangerousnesse of the matter would not intermeddle therein Wherewith the poore Sultan vtterly discouraged returned againe to CONSTANTINOPLE and there in poore estate as a man forlorne passed out the rest of his daies Now hauing thus passed through the Turkish affaires in the lesser ASIA together with the troubled estate of the Constantinopolitan empire no small cause of the Turks greatnesse the course of time calleth vs backe againe before wee passe any further to remember their proceedings also at the same time and shortly after in SIRIA IVDEA AEGYPT and those more Southerly countries where these restlesse people ceased not by all meanes to enlarge their empire vntill they had brought all those great kingdomes vnder their obeisance After the death of Baldwin king of HIERUSALEM of whom we haue before spoken Almericus his yoonger brother earle of IOPPA and ASCALON being then about seuen and twentie yeeres old was by the better good liking of the cleargie and people than of the nobilitie elected king not for that there wanted in him any good parts woorthie of a kingdome but for that some of them enuied vnto him so great an honour Neuerthelesse he was as we said by the generall consent of the people elected proclaimed and by Almericus the Patriarch with all solemnitie crowned the seuenteenth day of Februarie in the yeare of Grace 1163. To begin whose troubled raigne the Aegyptians first of all denied to pay vnto him their woonted tribute In reuenge whereof he in person himselfe with a puissant armie entred into AEGYPT and meeting with Dargan the Sultan ouerthrew him in plaine battell and put him to flight who to stay the further pursuit and passage of the Christians cut the bankes of the riuer NILUS and so drowned the countrey that the king was glad to content himselfe with the victorie he had alreadie gotten and so to returne to HIERUSALEM The next yeere Almericus was againe drawn downe with his power into AEGYPT by Dargan the Sultan to aid him against Saracon whom Noradin the Turke king of DAMASCO had sent as generall with an armie to restore Sanar the Sultan before expulsed and to depose Dargan In which expedition Dargan being slaine and Saracon hauing woon certaine townes kept them to himselfe Sanar doubtfull of his good meaning joyned his forces with Almericus and by his helpe expulsed Saracon out of AEGYPT But whilest Almericus was thus busied in AEGYPT Noradin the Turke making an inroad into the frontiers of the Christians neere vnto TRIPOLIS was by Gilbert Lacy master of the Templars in those quarters and the other Christians when he least feared so suddenly set vpon that he had much adoe by flight to saue himselfe halfe naked for hast most of his followers being at the same time slaine In reuenge of which disgrace he not long after with a greater power came and besieged ARETHUSA For reliefe whereof Bohemund prince of ANTIOCH Raymund the yoonger earle of TRIPOLIS Calaman gouernour of CILICIA and Toros prince of ARMENIA came with their power Of whose comming the Turke hearing raised his siege and departed After whom these Christian princes eagerly following were by the Turks shut vp in certaine deepe and rotten fennes whâ—â—einto they had vnaduisedly too far entred and there with a great slaughter ouerthrown In which conflict all the chiefe commanders of the armie were taken except the prince of ARMENIA who forecasting the danger had retired after he had in vaine dissuaded the rest from the further pursuit of the flying enemie The prince of ANTIOCH there taken was about a yeare after for a great summe of money redeemed but the countie of TRIPOLIS was after eight yeares strait captiuitie hardly deliuered Noradin after this victorie returning againe to the siege of ARETHUSA in few daies woon the towne and encouraged with so good successe and the absence of the king laid siege to the citie of PANEADE which was also deliuered vnto him vpon condition that the citizens might at their pleasure in safetie depart At the same time Saracon generall of Noradin his forces tooke from the Christians two castels the one in the countrey of SIDON the other beyond IORDAN vpon the borders of ARABIA both in the custodie of the Templars twelue of whom the king at his returne hanged vp for treason Shortly after Saracon king Noradin his great man of war with all the power of the Turkes came downe againe into AEGYPT with purpose to haue fully subdued all that notable kingdome vnto his lord and master Of whose power Sanar the Sultan standing in dread praied aid of Almericus promising vnto him beside his yearely tribute the summe of fortie thousand ducats for his paines The matter fully agreed vpon and all things now in readinesse Almericus set forward with his armie and encountring with Saracon and his Turks at the riuer NILVS ouerthrew him in a great battell yet not without some losse for the Turks in their flight lighting vpon the kings carriages with the whole baggage of the armie and ouerrunning them that had the charge thereof caried away with them a most rich prey whereby it came to passe that as the Christians had the victorie so the Turkes enjoyed the spoile Saracon after this ouerthrow hauing againe gathered together his dispersed souldiers tooke his way to ALEXANDRIA where he was by the citizens receiued after whom the king following gaue no attempt vnto the citie for that he knew to be but vaine but encamped close by the side of the riuer NILVS from whence the citie was chiefly to be victualed Whose purpose Saracon perceiuing and betime foreseeing the distresse of his whole armie
them with all the princes there present to compassion From thence they were by the Pope directed vnto Philip the French king with whom hauing dispatched their affaires they from him passed ouer into ENGLAND afterward into GERMANIE and had at length broght their negotiation to so good passe that in euerie place great preparation was made for a great expedition to be vndertaken against the Turks for the reliefe of the Christians in the East with which good newes the embassadours returning to HIERUSALEM filled the sicke king with the hope of great matters But greater quarrels shortly after arising betwixt the Pope and the emperour and sharpe war likewise betwixt the French king and the king of ENGLAND and the other Christian princes also being at no better quiet the notable expedition that had with the expectation thereof so filled the world was againe laid aside and quite dashed Whereof king Baldwin vnderstanding both by messengers and letters from his friends oppressed with griefe and heauinesse more than with the force of his disease a man for his prowesse and painefulnesse not inferiour to any his predecessours died without issue the 16 day of May in the yeare 1185 being but fiue and twentie yeares old whereof he had raigned twelue His bodie was afterward with the generall mourning of his subjects solemnly buried in the temple neere vnto the mount CALVARIE together with his predecessours the kings of HIERUSALEM King Baldwin thus buried Baldwin the fift of that name yet but a boy was crowned king But then began the sparks which had of long lien raked vp hidden in the ashes to break out into a great fire For Raymund countie of TRIPOLIS contended the whole gouernment of the kingdome tuition of the king to be due vnto him by the appointment of the late king consent of the nobilitie and did so much that he had almost obtained it to haue beene confirmed vnto him in open parlament But Sybilla a woman of a most haughty spirit sister vnto the late king mother vnto the yoong king yet liuing prickt forward her husband Guy in no case to giue place vnto his competitour Raymund and so animated him that by the helpe of his owne fauourits and the countenance of Boniface marquesse of MOVNT-FERRAT who euen then was come with a great power into SIRIA he extorted from the nobilitie whatsoeuer hee desired But seuen moneths were scarce well passed but that this yoong king Baldwin was dead and buried poysoned as was reported by his mother for the desire shee had of the kingdome herselfe whose death she with all secrecie concealed vntill she had obtained of the Patriarch and other princes of the kingdome That Guy her husband might be proclaimed king So by her meanes it was so wrought that vpon one and the selfe same day the yoong king Baldwin was buried by his vncle and Guy the countie crowned This yoong king Baldwin by reason of his tender yeares and short raigne is of some not reckoned amongst the kings of HIERUSALEM howbeit seeing he was by his vncle and the princes of that time thought woorthy of the kingdome let him also haue his place amongst the rest as the eight king of HIERUSALEM When Guy was thus possessed of the kingdome the countie of TRIPOLIS seeing himselfe out of all hope of the gouernment and highly therewith discontented did what he might by all meanes to crosse the doings of the king whose sicke and aspiring mind Saladin prickt dayly more and more forward promising him his helping hand whensoeuer hee should need which courtesie the countie desirously imbraced For now the fatall period of the kingdome of HIERUSALEM drew fast on and all things tended to destruction discord raigning in euerie place which Saladin well perceiuing after that he had compacted with the countie by messengers sent of purpose inuited the Turks Sarasins Aegyptians as men agreeing in one and the same religion generally to take vp armes in so fit an oportunitie of the discord of the Christians assuring them of great prey and spoile besides the honour of the conquest The citie of PTOLEMAIS was the place by him appointed where all this power should meet whether such a multitude of the barbarous Mahometanes partly for the hatred of the Christian religion partly for the hope of the rich spoile which Saladin had promised them came flocking out of all places that in short time there was met together about fiftie thousand horsemen besides an infinit number of foot And vnto such as could not safely passe by the borders of HIERUSALEM to them the false countie gaue safe conduct by the countries of TIBERIAS NAZARETH and GALILEY All the power of the infidels thus assembled Saladin laid siege vnto the citie of PTOLEMAIS which the Templars and the knights Hospitalers had notably fortefied and strongly manned as before vnto them giuen by the kings of HIERUSALEM to defend against the infidels and therein now were both the masters of both those honourable orders with the whole flower of the knights of their profession Vnto this citie Saladin gaue a most terrible assault vpon May day in the morning in the yeare 1187 which was by the Christians notably defended and the enemie with great slaughter still beaten downe In the heat of this assault the two great masters sallying out with certaine troupes of their most readie horsemen assailed the enemies campe and bearing down all before them raised there a great tumult and by and by turning vpon the backs of them that were assaulting the citie made there an exceeding great slaughter Insomuch that Saladin dismaied first with the confusion in his campe and now with the suddain danger behind him was glad to giue ouer the assault and to turne his whole forces vpon them where was fought a most bloodie and terrible battell Amongst others that there fought the countie of TRIPOLIS now an enemie vnto God and his country disguised in the habit of a Turke notably helped the infidels and meeting with the great master of the knights Hospitalers vnhorsed him who surcharged with the waight of his armour and oppressed with the multitude of his enemies there died Neuerthelesse such was the valour of these woorthie men and new succour still comming out of the citie that Saladin hauing in that battell and at the assault lost fifteene thousand of his Turks was glad with the rest to betake himselfe to flight Neither was this so notable a victorie gained by the Christians without blood most part of the worthie knights Hospitalers being together with their grand master there slaine Saladin by this ouerthrow perceiuing that by open force he should not be able to doe much against the Christians thought it good vnto his forces to joyne also pollicie Wherein the false countie of TRIPOLIS was the man he thought best to make choice of as his fittest instrument to worke by Him hee compacted withall to seeke for grace at the king of HIERUSALEM his
towne Townes they said consisted of the number of men and not men of the enclosures of wals and ditches They that were of this opinion for the deliuering vp of the towne seeing the other obstinatly set downe to the contrarie withdrawing themselues from the counsell presently tooke vp armes and by force entred the houses of them that were of contrarie opinion and tooke from them their weapons by that means and perforce to constrain them to yeeld to their desire As soone as they that lay before CAIRE almost drowned in the waters vnderstood of this dissention at DAMIATA about the deliuerie of the towne they sent them word That if they would not yeeld the towne vnto the Sultan they would foorthwith send to PTOLEMAIS which would not faile to do what should be commanded to haue it in steed of DAMIATA surrendred vnto the Aegyptians So was DAMIATA againe yeeded vnto the infidels and so great labours of the Christians taken at the siege and winning thereof all lost That which made the indignitie thereof more tollerable was that Meledin the Sultan hauing without bloodshed gained so great a victorie did neither by word or deed any thing in despite or reproch of the Christians but vsed theÌ„ with all courtesie relieuing them also with victuals such other things as they wanted by faithfull guides conducting them in safetie out of the country In like manner also Corradin his brother Sultan of DAMASCO made truce with the Latins for eight yeares Whereupon the king of HIERUSALEM went ouer into ITALIE and there by the persuasion of Honorius the Pope his wife being now dead gaue his daughter Yoland now crowned queene of HIERUSALEM in the right of her mother in marriage to Fredericke king of SICILIA and emperour of the Latines the rather thereby to stirre him vp for the taking in hand of the sacred warre Euer since which time hee and the kings of SICILIA his successours haue beene called kings of HIERUSALEM albeit that they haue euill prosecuted that their pretended right and title as still busied in more prophane wars against other Christian princes King Iohn afterwards departing from ROME for FRANCE was by the way honourably entertained at PISA but arriuing at the French court he found Philip the French king desperatly sicke who by his last will and testament gaue vnto the knights Hospitalers and Templars sixtie thousand crownes for the maintenance of their warres against the infidels which money was to their vse afterward paied vnto king Iohn Who shortly after to discharge himselfe of a vow he had made to visit the pilgrimage at COMPOSTELLA going into SPAINE by the way married Berengaria the king of CASTILE his daughter and there staying a great while returned againe into FRANCE where he lay long expecting the setting forward of the emperour Frederick his sonne in law for the recouerie of his wiues right vnto the kingdome of HIERUSALEM which although he solemnely vowed at such time as he with all princely magnificence married the said ladie at ROME yet otherwise letted with troubles neerer home performed not the same vntill almost seuen yeares after all which time the Christians in SYRIA enjoying the fruit of the late concluded peace for eight yeeres liued in great rest and quietnesse where so leauing them vntill the arising of new troubles let vs in the meane time againe returne vnto the troubled affaires of the Turkes Greekes and Latines at CONSTANTINOPLE and in the lesser ASIA Henry the second emperour of the Latins at CONSTANTINOPLE after he had as is aforesaid with much adoe repressed the furie of the Bulgarians and Scythes his barbarous enemies and so giuen peace vnto the miserable countrey of THRACIA died hauing raigned a most troublesome raigne about the space of eleuen yeares After whom succeeded Peter countie of AUSSERRE his sonne in law third emperour of the Latines in CONSTANTINOPLE who in the beginning of his empire willing to gratifie the Venetians and to reuenge himselfe of Theodorus Angelus a great prince of EPIRUS competitor of his empire besieged him in DIRRACHIVM which strong citie the said Theodorus had but a little before surprised belonging to the Venetian seignorie At which siege Peter the emperour lying was so cunningly by the wilie Greeke vsed that a peace was vpon most honourable conditions betwixt them concluded and a familiar kind of friendship joyned Insomuch that the emperour at his request not well aduised came vnto him as his guest who now of his enemie become his hoste entertained him with all the formalities that faigned friendship could deuise But hauing him now in his power and fearing no harme regarding neither the lawes of fidelitie or hospitalitie he most traiterously slew him as he was yet in the middest of his banquet Of whose end some others yet otherwise report as that he should by the same Theodorus haue been intercepted about the pleasant woods of TEMPE in THESSALIA as he was trauelling from ROME to CONSTANTINOPLE and so afterwards to haue been by him cruelly put to death Of whose misfortune Tepulus gouernour of CONSTANTINOPLE vnderstanding for the more safetie of the state in that vacancie of the Greeke empire made peace with Theodorus for fiue yeares and the Turks for two Shortly after came Robert the sonne of the aforesaid vnfortunate emperour Peter with his mother to CONSTANTINOPLE and there in his fathers stead was solemnely saluted emperour but not with much better lucke than was his father before him for shortly after his comming he tooke to wife a faire young ladie the daughter of a great rich and noble matrone of the citie but before beâ—rothed vnto a gallant gentleman a Burgundion borne with whom the old ladie broke her promise and more carefull of her daughters preferment than fidelitie gaue her in marriage vnto the new emperour The joy of which so great an honour was in short time conuerted not into a deadly heauinesse but euen into death it selfe For the young Burgundion more enraged with the wrong done him than discouraged with the greatnesse and power of the emperour consorted himselfe with a companie of lustie tall souldiors acquainted with his purpose and awaiting his time when the emperour was absent by night entred the court with his desperat followers and first meeting with the beautifull young empresse cut off her nose and her eares and afterward threw her old mother into the sea and so fled out of the citie into the woods and mountaines with those desperat cut-throates the ministers of his barbarous crueltie The emperour pierced to the heart with this so great a disgrace shortly after went to ROME to what purpose was not certainely knowne but in returning backe againe through ACHAIA he there died leauing behind him his yoong sonne Baldwin yet but a child begotten by his first wife to succeed him in the empire who by the name of Baldwin the second was crowned the fift and last emperour of the Latines in CONSTANTINOPLE And for
because he was as yet but yoong and vnfit for the gouernment he was by the consent of the nobilitie affianced and afterward married vnto Martha the yoonger daughter of Iohn Brenne king of HIERUSALEM a woorthie old captaine but as then gouernour of RAVENNA which citie he being certaine yeares before sent for out of FRANCE for that purpose by Honorius the Pope he notably defended against the emperour Frederick his sonne in law but that affinitie was before broken off by the death of the said emperours wife who now sent for out of ITALIE vnto CONSTANTINOPLE had committed to his charge and protection both the person and empire of the young emperour Baldwin now his sonne in law Which great and heauie charge he for certaine yeares after worthely and faithfully discharged vntill such time as that Baldwin was himselfe grown able to take vpon him the gouernment Now although the imperiall citie of CONSTANTINOPLE with the countries of THRACIA THESSALIA MACEDONIA ACHAIA PELOPONESUS and the rest of the prouinces of GREECE were all or for the most part vnder the gouernment of Baldwin the emperour the Venetians or other the inferiour Latine princes yet were the oppressed Greekes the naturall inhabitants thereof in heart not theirs as abhorring nothing more than that their forraine gouernment but wholly deuoted to their owne naturall princes Theodorus Lascaris Alexius Comnenus the one raigning at NICE in BITHYNIA and the other at TRAPEZOND in PONTUS both called by the Greekes emperours and so of them generally reputed Lascaris of the two the better beloued and by far of greatest power had during the time of his raigne fought many an hard battell as is in part before declared and strongly fortified his cheefe citties against the inuasion of his enemies as well the Turkes as the Latines and so hauing as it were erected a new empire in ASIA and there raigned eighteene yeares died leauing behind him one Iohn Ducas Batazes that had married the faire ladie Irene his daughter and heire to succeed him in the Greeke empire in ASIA This Iohn was a man of a great wit and spirit and of more grauitie for his yeares than was Theodorus his father in law neuer vndertaking any thing before he had thereof well considered and once resolued not omitting or neglecting any thing for the performance therof So that it was not vnfitly said of the Greeks The planting of this new empire to haue required the celeritie of Lascaris but the stay thereof to haue been the grauitie of Ducas He in the beginning of his raigne in very short time hauing set all things in good order greatly augmented his legions and shooting at a fairer marke than the empire he yet held euen the imperiall citie it selfe and the recouerie of all THRACIA and GRECIA out of the hands of the Latines which could not be done without a fleet at sea built a great number of gallies in the ports of the lesser ASIA And so hauing rigged vp and manned a strong fleet and scouring the seas in one Summer tooke in most of the Islands of the AEGEUM namely LESBOS CHIOS SAMOS ICARIA COOS with the famous Island of the RHODES and many others also And not so contented to haue encreased his empire the next spring crossing the HELLESPONT and landing his forces first inuaded CHERSONESUS and afterward to terrifie the Latines forraged the countrey far and neere euen to the gates of CONSTANTINOPLE no man daring to oppose himselfe against him At which time also he took many cities strong towns alongst the sea coast as CALLIOPOLIS SESTUS CARDIA with diuers others therabout some by force some by composition the Greeks almost in euery place yeelding themselues where they were not so oppressed by the Latines as that they could not helpe him Now by these proceedings of the Greek emperor in EUROPE was plainly to be seen again the ruin of the Latin empire in the East all things prospering in his hand according to his hearts desire Assan the Bulgarian king no small terror both vnto the Latins the Greeks moued with the fame hereof by his embassadors sent of purpose vnto Iohn the Greek emperor offred his daughter Helena in mariage vnto yong Theodore his son of which offer the emperor gladly accepted For being busied in his greater affaires he was loth to haue so great a king as was Assan his enemie able at his pleasure to cal in the Scythes who with their multitude as a great flood breaking ouer the bankes had oftentimes caried away whole countries before them Wherefore the match agreed vpon the two great princes by appointment met together about CHERSONESUS where Helena king Assans daughter being then about ten yeares old was with great joy and triumph solemnly married vnto yong Theodor the emperours sonne much of the same age Not long after embassadours were also sent vnto the emperour from the Sultan of ICONIUM to confirme and prolong the league betwixt them for the Tartars not contented to haue driuen the Turkes out of PERSIA and the farre Easterne countries began now also to cut them short in their prouinces in the lesser ASIA wherefore the Sultan of ICONIUM fearing least whiles he had his hands full of those his most dreadfull enemies of themselues too strong for him he should behind be set vpon by the Greeke emperour and so thrust out of all sent these embassadours vnto him for peace which he for many causes easily graunted First for that he foresaw what an hard matter it would be for him to maintaine warre at once both in ASIA against the Turks and in EUROPE against the Latines then by this warlike nation as by a most sure bulwarke to keepe his owne countries safe from the inuasion of the barbarous Tartars vnto whose furie he should himselfe lie open if the Turks were once taken out of their way Both sufficient reasons for the emperour to yeeld vnto the Sultan which he did so was the peace concluded and the embassadors dispatched This peace exceedingly comforted and afterward inriched the emperours countries for now the people generally deliuered of the feare and miserie of continuall warre began on all hands to fall to their fruitfull labours of peace Yea the emperour himselfe to the stirring vp of others to the like good husbandrie caused so much land to be plowed vp for corne so many vineyards to be planted as might plentifully suffice his owne house and such poore as he daily relieued with a great ouerplus which he caused to be carefully laid vp in store He kept also great heards of cattell flockes of sheepe and foules of all sorts without number The like he caused his kinsmen other of the nobilitie to doe to the intent that euery great man hauing sufficient for his own spending at home should not take any thing from the poore countreyman that so euery man contenting himselfe with his owne might liue in peace without the grieuance of others By which means in a few
strengthening of their kingdome bought an infinit number of slaues especially of the poore and hardie Circassians called in antient time Getae and Zinchi neere vnto COLCHIS and the EUXINE sea brought vnto ALEXANDRIA and other ports of AEGYPT out of those bare cold countries by marchants and from thence transported to CAIRE and other cities of AEGYPT of which poore slaues the late Aegyptian Sultans taking their choice and culling out from the rest such as were like to be of greatest spirit and abilitie of bodie deliuered them vnto most skilfull and expert teachers by whom they were carefully taught to run to leape to vaut to shoot to ride with all other feats of actiuitie and withall cunningly to handle all manner of weapons as well on horsebacke as on foot and so instructed and become cunning were taken out of their schooles into pay and enrolled together as the Sultans choice horsmen were commonly called by the name of Mamalukes In whose good seruice the late Sultans finding great vse spared for no cost both for their maintenance and encreasing of their number dayly erecting new nurseries stored with yoong frie which growing vp and readie was still joyned to the other It is woonderfull to tell vnto what a strength and glorie this order of the Mamalukes was in short time grown by the care of the Aegyptian kings By them they mannaged their greatest affaires especially in time of wars and by their valour not onely defended their countrey but gained many a faire victorie against their enemies as they did now against the French But as too much power in such mens hands seldome or neuer wanteth danger so fell it out now betwixt the late Sultan Melech-sala and those masterfull Mamaluke slaues who proud of their preferment and forgetfull of their dutie and seeing the greatest strength of the kingdome in their hands traiterously slew Melech-sala their chiefe founder setting vp in his place as aforesaid one Turquiminus a base slaue one of their owne order and seruile vocation but indeed otherwise a man of a great spirit and valour This Melech-sala murthered by the Mamalukes was the last of the free borne kings of AEGYPT in whom the Turks kingdome in AEGYPT erected by Sarracon and the great Sultan Saladin as is before said and in his stocke and family euer since continued tooke end as did also all the power of the Turks in that great and rich kingdome For the proud Mamalukes hauing now got the soueraigntie into their hands and exalted a Sultan out of themselues imperiously commanded as great lords ouer the rest of the people not suffring them to haue the vse either of horse or armour or to beare any sway in the common weale but keeping them vnder with most heauie impositions and still preferring their owne slaues wherewith the countrey of AEGYRT now swarmed made the naturall countrey people of all others most miserable not daring to meddle with any thing more than merchandize their husbandrie or other their base mechanicall occupations whereof the greatest profit still came vnto the Mamalukes who as lords of all with great insolencie at their pleasure tooke it from them as their owne As for the great Sultan they still chose him from among themselues not suffering any the Sultans children to succeed their fathers in the kingdome for feare least they in processe of time proud of their ancestors and parentage should recken of them as of his slaues as indeed they were and so at length bring in another more free kind of gouernment Against which they prouided also not onely by this restraint of their Sultans children but of their owne also taking order and exstablishing it as an immutable law That though the sonnes of the Mamalukes might enjoy their fathers lands wealth after their death yet that it should not be lawfull for them in any case to take vpon them the name or honour of a Mamaluke so embarring them from all gouernment in the common wealth to the intent it might still rest with the Mamalukes Neither was it lawfull for any borne of Mahometan parents which could not be slaues or of the race of the Iewes to be admitted into that Order but onely such as being borne Christians and become slaues had from the time of their captiuitie beene enstructed in the Mahometan superstition or else being men grown and comming thither had abjured the Christian religion as many reprobates did in hope of preferment Right strange it is to consider vnto what honour and glorie this slauish empire in short time grew many of those poore slaues by rare fortune or secret diuine power exalted out of the dust vnto the highest dedegree of honour proouing most excellent and renowmed princes of such strength and power as was dreadfull euen vnto the greatest princes of the world In which great glorie this seruile empire to the worlds woonder flourished from this time amongst the greatest by the space of 267 yeates vntill that hauing run the appointed race it was with a great destruction by Selymus the victorious emperour of the Turks ouerthrown in the yeare 1517 and the kingdome of AEGYPT with all SYRIA and the land of PALESTINE brought into the forme of Prouinces vnited vnto the Turks empire as they are at this day and as in the course of this historie shall in due time and place God willing at large appeare But leauing the kingdome of the Turks thus ouerthrown in AEGYPT and the Mamalukes there triumphing the French king returned into FRANCE and the Christians in peace in SIRIA let vs againe returne into the lesser ASIA and vnto the imperiall citie of CONSTANTINOPLE whether the affaires both of the Turkes and of the Christians now call vs. All this while the Greeke empire for so the Greeks will haue it called flourished both in peace and plentie in the lesser ASIA vnder their emperour Iohn Batazes the power of the Latines in the meane time declining as fast at CONSTANTINOPLE vnder the rule of the Latin emperour Baldwin the second As for the Turks whom we left grieuously troubled both with famine and the often incursions of the Tartars they had all this while and yet also enough and more than enough to do to withstand the same enemie At length it fortuned that Iohn Ducas the Greeke emperor died being at the time of his death about threescore yeares old wherof he had happily raigned three thirtie by whose good discreet gouernment the Greeke empire before broght low and almost to naught by the Latines began againe to gather strength and to flourish both in ASIA and some little part of EUROPE also Of him are reported many notable matters which as impertinent to our purpose I could willingly passe ouer were I not by the woorthie remembrance of one of them staied a while by the way This noble and famous emperour hauing long lamented the death of the faire empresse Irene his first wife at last married another yoong ladie the sister of Manfred king of SCICILIE
victors now glad to turne their backes and flie in which flight a great number of the Turkes fell the fierce Tartars most eagerly pursuing them Paleologus with the generall of the Turks hardly chased by the Tartars and glad euery houre to make a stand and to fight for their liues with much adoe after many daies flight recouered a castle of the Generals neere vnto CASTAMONA and so saued themselues The Tartars after this so great a victorie wherein they had broken the whole strength of the Turkes and brought in hazard the whole state of their kingdome without resistance forraged all the countries and prouinces subject vnto the Turkish Sultan making spoile of whatsoeuer they light vpon insomuch that the Sultan discouraged and hauing now no strength left to oppose against them fled vnto the Greeke emperour Theodorus for aid who most honourably entertained him with all his traine and comforted him with such small aid as he thought good then to spare him Which for his more safetie he sent home with him vnder the leading of Isaacius Ducas surnamed Murtzufle a man in great credit with him In recompence of which kindnesse the Sultan gaue vnto the emperour the citie of LAODICEA whereinto he presently put a strong garrison neuerthelesse it was not long before it fell againe into the hands of the Turkes being a place not to be holden by the Greekes Yet for all this the Sultan finding himselfe still too weake to withstand the continuall inuasions of the Tartars and wearie of the harmes he dayly sustained by the aduise of his cheefe counsellors made a league with them yeelding to pay them a certain yearely tribute therby to redeeme his peace From which time the Tartars accounted of the Turks as of their tributaries and vassales Not long after this Michaell Paleologus was by the emperours kind and gracious letters called home with his faithfull promise also before giuen for his securitie who before his return bound himselfe also by solemne oath to be vnto the emperour and his sonne alwayes loyall and from thencefoorth neuer to seeke after the empire or giue cause of new suspect for such matters as he had been before charged with but for euer to yeeld vnto the emperour his sonne or other his successors in the empire his dutifull obedience and fidelitie Vpon which conditions he was again made Great Constable and so receiued into the emperours fauour and liued the rest of his raigne in great honour and credit with him Now Theodorus the emperour hauing raigned three yeares fell sicke and died leauing behind him his sonne Iohn then but a child of six yeares old to succeed him in the empire whom hee vpon his death bed together with the empire commended to Arsenius the Patriarch and one George Muzalo his faithfull counsellor as to his trustie tutors to see him safely brought vp the empire well and peaceably gouerned This Muzalo was a man of meane parentage but for his familiar acquaintance and ciuile behauior of a child brought vp in the court with the emperour as his play fellow with whom he growing vp so framed himselfe vnto his manners and disposition that he alone was vnto him in stead of all still at hand readie to say or doe whatsoeuer might be vnto the emperour gracious or pleasing And the elder they grew so increased this their mutuall affection and loue also in such sort that with him now emperour he was of all others in greatest fauour and authoritie a warie obseruer of his delights a readie minister of his affaires and faithfull partaker of his secrets for which he was in short time promoted vnto the greatest honors of the court and honourably married vnto one of the emperours nigh kinswomen and now at his death by his last will with the reuerend Patriarch appointed tutor to the yong emperor and his two yong sisters And for the more assurance thereof a solemne oath of obedience vnto the yong prince as emperour and vnto them as his tutors was exacted of all sort of men both high low of what vocation soeuer and that not once but first a little before the emperours death and againe after he was now dead for many of the nobilitie honourably descended seeing the suddain change of Muzalo his fortune among themselues murmured thereat as greeued with his preferment seeing there were many among them vnto whom both the tuition of the yong emperour and administration of the empire of better right appertained insomuch as they were both neerer of kin vnto the emperor and fitter as they thought for so great a charge than was Muzalo whom as they said they had many causes both to contemne and hate For beside that hee was not honourably borne and had serued the late emperour Theodore as the minister of his wrath against some of the nobilitie causes sufficient of the peoples hatred if hee should now also in so great authoritie affect the empire it was by his malicious enemies vainly doubted that he would not spare to commit any manner of villanie for the effecting of his inordinat desire Of all which Muzalo was not ignorant a man at all other times of a most quicke apprehension for such matters but as then especially his wits being awaked with these so great motiues dangers Wherfore speedely calling together all the nobilitie into the court he welcommed them one by one and courteously discoursing with them offered to discharge himselfe both of the administration of the empire and tuition of the yong emperour and willingly to yeeld the same vnto any one of them whom the rest should thinke fittest for so great a charge which though they all with one consent as it were refused saying That he was of all others to be preferred vnto whom the emperour lord both of the empire and the child had committed the same yet Muzalo earnestly requested them to the contrarie and stiffely withstood their desire wishing indeed rather to haue led a quiet priuat life in securitie than to haue been so ouercharged not so much for doubt of the enuie then arising as for feare of some great danger thereof to ensue But would he would he not remedie there was none but that as the late emperour had appointed so he must take the charge vpon him And now was euery one as well of the nobilitie as of the inferiour sort againe with greater solemnitie than before the third time sworne to the vttermost of their power to defend the yong emperour in his empire and Muzalo in the tuition of him and administration of the affaires of the state and faithfully to yeeld vnto them both all due honour and obedience which if they should faile religiously to performe they wished vnto themselues euery man to all theirs a shamefull end and destruction Yet notwithstanding all this solemne swearing mixt most times with much forswearing there were not fully nine daies past but that certaine of the chiefe nobilitie forgetfull or else carelesse
Turks which they had before taken from him But in kingdomes appointed vnto ruine faire occasions helpe not for the stay thereof yea the greatest helpes prouided by the worldly wise by a secret commaunding power aboue being oftentimes conuerted to the destruction of that they were prouided for the safegard of as it now fell out with the emperour and these Spanish souldiours for this seruice done the Greekes returned home as did the Massagets also But these Catalonians with Ronzerius their generall roaming vp and downe the emperours territories in ASIA did there great harme turning their forces as enemies vpon them whom they were sent for to relieue alleadging that they had not their pay according to the emperours promise and that therefore they must liue vpon them that had sent for them and deceiued them So were the poore people in euerie place spoiled their wiues and daughters rauished their priests and aged fathers tortured to confesse such secret store as they had all was subject vnto these dissolute souldiours rage and lust yea many of them that had nothing to redeeme themselues vpon the greedie souldiours imagination hauing their hands or feet or some other part of their bodies cut off lay by the high waies side begging an halfe penie or a peece of bread hauing nothing left to comfort themselues with more than their miserable voice and fountaines of teares with which their wrongs and miseries woorse than those they had sustained by the Turks the emperour much grieued and well the more for that they were done by him whom he had entertained to relieue them but what remedie his coffers were so bare as that he was not able to do any thing for the redresse thereof Ronzerius hauing thus spoiled the emperours countrey in ASIA and left nothing that pleased either him or his with all his power passed ouer into EUROPE and leauing all the rest of his armie at CALIPOLIS with two hundred of his men went vnto the yoong emperour Michael then lying with a small power at ORESTIAS in THRACIA to demaund of him his pay or if need were to extort it from him with threats with whose insolencie at his comming the emperour more offended than before his souldiours there present perceiuing the same with their drawn swords compassing him in fast by the court slew him with certaine of his followers the rest in all hast fled to CALIPOLIS to certifie their fellowes what had happened Thus by the death of Ronzerius the yong emperor had thought to haue discouraged the Catalonians and abated their pride as like ynough it was to haue done yet in proofe it fell not out so but was the cause of far greater euils So when God prospereth not mens actions the best falleth out vnto the worst and their wisest deuices turne vnto meere follies for the Catalonians at CALLIPOLIS hearing of the death of Ronserius their Generall first slew all the citizens in the citie and notably fortifying the same tooke that as their refuge Then deuiding their souldiors into two parts with the one part of them manned out eight gallies which vnder the leading of the Great captaine Tenza robbed and spoiled all the marchants ships passing the straits of HELLESPONTUS to or from CONSTANTINOPLE the other part left in the citie in the meane time forraging the countrey all about them But Tenza shortly after encountering with a fleet of the Genowaies well prouided for him was by them ouerthrowne and most of his gallies sunke and himselfe taken but yet afterwards redeemed by his fellowes and so againe inlarged Now the Catalonians at CALLIPOLIS somewhat discouraged with the losse of their fleet and so many of their men for certaine daies kept themselues quiet within their wals as not well knowing what course to take for they feared both the Massagets and Thracians them for that they had vpon light causes abused them and slaine diuers of them in the late Asian warre and these for that they had but euen the other day burnt their houses and spoiled their labours in the countrey thereby for which and other their outrages they vtterly despaired of the emperours fauour whom they had so highly offended But that which most of all terrified them was for that they looked euery day when Michael the yoong emperour who as then lay not farre off should with a great power come to assault them for feare of whom they cast a deepe ditch about the citie with a strong counterscarfe so preparing themselues as if they should haue beene euen presently besieged But the time so passing and the emperour delaying his comming they began to thinke of other matters For being brought to that strait that they could not well tell which way to turne them but that they were on euery side beset with danger they vpon a malicious resolution and vnto the Greekes most fatall by messengers sent of purpose craued aid of the Turkes that dwelt on the other side of the strait oueragainst them in ASIA who presently sent them fiue hundred good souldiors after whom followed also many other fugitiues and loose companions in hope of spoile with whom the Catalonians for the present strengthened and being themselues three thousand strong issued out of the citie and forraged the countrey thereabouts bringing in with them great heards and flockes of sheepe and other cattell together with their keepers wherwith both the emperours and their subjects incensed prepared themselues for reuenge This was the first calling in of the Turks into EUROPE that I read of and the beginning of those endlesse miseries wherewith the Christian commonweale hath beene euer since most greeuously afflicted and a great part thereof ouerwhelmed few or none greeuing thereat but such as themselues feele the heauinesse thereof whom God in his mercie comfort The Catalonians and Turks now lying about CYPSELLA and APRI in THRACE Michael the emperour with his Macedonian and Thracian souldiors the Massagets and the Turcopuli encamped at APRI These Turcopuli were Turks also in number about a thousand who as is in the former part of this historie declared beeing fled with their Sultan Iathatines vnto the Greeke emperour and left behind him at such time as he was by the Europian Tartars deliuered had forsaken their Mahometane superstition and so being become Christians were enrolled amongst the Greeke souldiors Shortly after the emperour aduertised by his scouts of the approch of his enemies commaunded euery man to be in a readinesse and his captaines to put his armie in order of battell who seeing the enemies battell deuided into three parts put theirs also in like order placing the Turcopuli Massagets in the left wing the Macedonian and Thracian choice horsemen in the right wing and the rest with the footmen in the maine battell At which time the emperor himselfe riding from place to place with comfortable speeches encouraged his men to fight valiantly against their enemies The Sunne rising the enemies battell began to come on in
wherewith he had couered his rich and royal garments and presently knowne to be the yong emperour the people came flocking about him and with many joyfull acclamations receiued him as their dread lord and soueraigne yet some few more fauouring the old emperor fled into the castle and there stood vpon their guard which after they had for a space notably defended was at length taken from them THESSALONICA thus yeelded Demetrius Andronicus and Asan Michael the old emperor cheefe captaines then lying with his armie not farre off and not well trusting one another fled most of whose souldiors presently went ouer vnto the young emperour who departing from THESSALONICA came to SERRE which by composition was deliuered vnto him also but not the castle for that was by Basilicus Nicephorus the captaine thereof still holden for the 〈◊〉 emperour This Basilicus was a man honourably descended but of no great capacitie 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 emperour for his plaine sinceritie more than for any thing els had made captaine of that castle and gouernour of the country thereabouts which he yet still held and in these most troublesome times shewed himselfe wiser than them all that had so thought of him of whom some died in despaire some fled some were taken prisoners and so suffered a thousand euils the rest with the losse of their honour traiterously reuolting from the old emperour to the yong whereas he alone looking but euen forward vpon his allegeance with his trust in God so long as the old emperour liued opposed himselfe against these troubles and stood fast for him and was not to be moued with any faire promises or cruell threats of the yong aspiring emperour whereof he lacked none But hauing strongly fortefied the castle committed to his charge there kept himselfe vntill that hearing of the death of the old emperour he then reconciling himselfe vnto the yong as vnto his right soueraigne deliuered vp vnto him the castle who in reward of his fidelitie gaue it him againe to hold for him in as ample manner as he had before held it from his grandfather for wise men honour vertue euen in their enemies as did king Philip in Demosthenes when as he said If any Athenian liuing in Athens doth say that he preferreth me before his countrey him verely would I buy with much money but not thinke him worthie my friendship But if any for his countries sake shall hate me him will I impugne as a castle a strong wall or a bulwarke and yet admire his vertue and reckon the citie happie in hauing such a man And so in few words to conclude a long discourse the yong emperour in short time hauing romed through all MACEDONIA and without resistance taken all the strong townes and cities therein he there tooke also Demetrius the Despots wife and children with all his treasure as also the wiues of Andronicus and Asanes and of all the Senators that followed them after whom the great commaunders their husbands were also for the most part taken and cast in prison some at THESSALONICA some at DIDIMOTICHUM some of the rest afterwards most miserably perishing in exile Wherewith the old emperour discouraged was about to haue sent his embassadours vnto his nephew for peace whilest he was yet thus busied in MACEDONIA and had indeed so done had not another hope arising in the meane time quite altered that his better purpose It fortuned at the same time whilest the old emperour was thus thinking of peace That Michael the Bulgarian prince in hope of great profite thereof to arise secretly offered his aid vnto him against the young emperour his nephew of which his offer the old emperour gladly accepted and embassadours were sent too and fro about the full conclusion of the matter no man being acquainted therewith more than two or three of the emperour his most secret friends and trustie counsellors Yet in the meane time disdayning to be so coupt vp as he was by Synadenus one of his nephews captaines euen in the imperiall citie sent out one Constantinus Assan with the greatest part of his strength against him who encountring him at the riuer MAVRVS was there by him in plaine battell ouerthrown and taken prisoner the rest of his discomfited armie flying headlong backe againe to CONSTANTINOPLE All things thus prosperously proceeding with the yoong emperour and the countries of MACEDONIA and THRACIA now almost all at his commaund he returned in hast with all his power to CONSTANTINOPLE to preuent the comming of the Bulgarians thither as fearing least that they finding the citie weakly manned should trecherously kill the old emperour with such as were about him and so ceize vpon the citie themselues or at leastwise giue him such aid as might keepe him out and so cut off all his hope for obtayning of the same At which time also there was great want of victuall in the citie he with his armie hauing shut it vp on the one side by land and the Venetians with their gallies on the other side by sea who then at ods with the Genowaics dwelling at PERA kept all that strait sea betwixt EVROPE and ASIA in such sort as that neither victuals nor marchandise could be brought that way either to CONSTANTINOPLE or PERA The yoong emperour comming to CONSTANTINOPLE attempted at his first comming to haue entred the citie in hope without any great resistance to haue beene receiued but repulsed by the defendants was glad to get him further off About this time came also vnto the citie three thousand horsemen the promised aid of the Bulgarian prince vnto the old emperour who although he wanted men and was right glad of their comming yet remembring the harmes he had before receiued by forrein aid and not now daring to trust them too far suffered not them to come into the citie more than their Generall and some few others of their commanders with him Now the yoong emperour vpon the comming of this aid least some great harme might betide either the old emperour or himselfe to the vtter subuersion of their state secretly sent vnto his grandfather requesting him to be well aduised how he trusted those forrein people too far offering himselfe to do whatsoeuer he should commaund rather than so great a harme should happen vnto either of them as was from them to be feared But the trust the old emperour had conceiued of this Bulgarian aid had so confirmed his mind as that hee little listened vnto his nephews request besides that how could hee well trust him that had so oftentimes deceiued him Wherewith the young emperour much grieued and now againe almost dispairing of his farther successe dislodged and drew neere vnto the place where these Bulgarian horsemen lay encamped from whence hee sent certaine embassadours with great gifts and presents vnto the Generall and the rest of the chiefe
that did this Cobelitz vnto Amurath The dead bodie of Amurath was presently with all secrecie conueied into his tent by the Basâ—aes and captaines present at his death whether Baiazet was also brought with an ensigne before him as the successour in his fathers kingdome His younger brother Iacup surnamed Zelebi or the noble yet ignorant of that had hapned was by the great Bassaes sent for as from his father who casting no perill but comming into his fathers tent was there presently by them strangled by the commaundement of Baiazet as most histories report howbeit the Turkes annales charge him not therwith This was the beginning of the most vnnaturall and inhumane custome euer since holden for a most wholesome and good policie amongst the Turkish kings and emperours in the beginning of their raigne most cruelly to massacre their brethren and neerest kinsmen so at once to rid themselues of all feare of their competitors This Amurath was in his superstition more zealous than any other of the Turkish kings a man of great courage and in all his attempts fortunat he made greater slaughter of his enemies than both his father and grandfather his kingdome in ASIA hee greatly enlarged by the sword mariage and purchase and vsing the discord and cowardise of the Grecian princes to his profit subdued a great part of THRACIA called ROMANIA with the territories thereto adjoyning leauing vnto the emperour of CONSTANTINOPLE little or nothing more in THRACIA than the imperiall citie it selfe with the bare name of an emperour almost without an empire he wan a great part of BULGARIA and entred into SERUIA BOSNA and MACEDONIA he was liberall and withall seuere of his subjects both beloued feared a man of verie few words and one that could dissemble deeply He was slaine when hee was threescore eight yeares old and had thereof raigned thirtie one in the yeare of our Lord 1390. His dead bodie was by Baiazet conuaied into ASIA and there royally buried at PRUSA in a faire chappell at the West end of the citie neere vnto the Bathes there where vpon his tombe lieth his souldiours cloake with a little Turkish tulipant much differing from those great turbants which the Turkes now weare Neere vnto the same tombe are placed three launces with three horse tailes fastened at the vpper end of them which he vsed as guidons in his wars a thing in antient time not strange There standeth a castle with a tombe made in remembrance of him in the plaines of COSSOUA where he was slaine and his entrailes buried which giueth occasion for some to report that hee was there also himselfe enterred FINIS Christian princes of the same time with Amurath the first Emperours Of the East Iohn Palaeologus 1354. 30. Andronicus Palaeologus 1384. 3. Emanuell Palaeologus 1387. 30. Of the West Charles the fourth 1346. 32. Wenceslaus son to Charles king of Bohemia 1378. 22. Kings Of England Edward the third 1327. 50. Richard the second 1377. 23. Of Fraunce Iohn Valois 1350. 14. Charles the fifth 1364. 16. Charles the sixt surnamed The welbeloued 1381. 42. Of Scotland Dauid Bruce 1341. 29. Robert Stuart 1370. Bishops of Rome Innocent the VI. 1354. 10. Vrban the V. 1364. 8. Gregorie the II. 1372. 7. Vrban the VI. 1378. 11. BAIAZET BAIAZETTHES PRIMVS QVARTVA TVRCORVM REX ANNO 1390 Fulminis in morem celeri rapit agmina motu Baizethes fidei pacis impatiens Regni Hadrianopolim sedes sibi legit vt esset Posset vt Europae iungere regna suis. Constantinopolim gemina obsidione fatigat Iam Graetas vana spe sibi spondet opes Cum Tamburlano praebet sua terga catenis Vinctus in cauea probra pudenda subit Prowd Baiazet most false of faith and loathing blessed peace His warlike troupes like lightening to shake he doth not cease Of HADRIANOPLE he makes choice for his imperiall seat That EVROPS kingdomes he might joyne vnto his empire great CONSTANTINOPLE he distrest twice with straight siege and long And vainly thought to haue possest the Graecians wealth by wrong But ouercome by Tamberlane fast bound in fetters sure Trod vnder foot and cloas'd in cage great shame did there indure THE LIFE OF BAIAZET THE FIRST OF THAT NAME THE FOVRTH AND MOST VNFORTVNAT KING OF THE TVRKES BAiazet or as the Turks call him Baiasit of his violent and fierce nature surnamed Gilderun or lightening succeeded his father Amurath in the Turkish kingdome his younger brother Iacup being strangled immediatly after his fathers death as is before declared He in the first yeare of his raign inuaded SERVIA and there besieged CRATOVA a citie of the Despots whereunto the siluer mines of SERVIA not the least cause of that warre belonged Which citie was yeelded vnto him vpon condition That the Christian inhabitants might with life and libertie depart Who were no sooner gone out of the cittie but that by his commaundement they were all most cruelly slaine by his men of warre for that purpose sent out after them At this time hee also woon VSCUPIA with diuers other castles in the countrey neere vnto CRATOVA Sigismund at the same time king of HUNGARIE a yong prince of great hope and brother to Wenceslaus then emperour of the West aduertised from the Seruians his allies and confederats of these proud proceedings of Baiazet by his embassadours sent of purpose requested him That as he was a just prince and wished to liue in quiet with his owne to desist from doing of such open wrong and from inuading of such countries of his friends and confederats as he had no right in Which embassadours so sent Baiazet detained without answere vntill such time as he had ouerrun a great part of the Despot his country and therein done what he thought good Then calling the said embassadours vnto him into one of the strong townes which hee had in euerie corner filled with his owne souldiours told them that they might there see that his right both vnto that towne and the rest by him taken was good inough for as much as the verie wals acknowledged the same and so giuing them leaue to depart willed them so to tell their master Which his proud answere by the same embassadors reported vnto the yong king no lesse troubled him than if open warre had by them been denounced vnto him seeing the tyrant as should seeme pretending right vnto whatsoeuer hee could by force get neuerthelesse being himselfe not yet well setled in his kingdome and in doubt of the contrarie faction that altogether liked not of his election into HUNGARIE for their king he was glad at that time to put it vp and so to hold himselfe content The next yeare Baiazet by Ferises Beg tooke the citie of VIDINA with many other strong townes and castles in SERVIA and afterwards returned to HADRIANOPLE But whilest that hee thus raged in EUROPE the Caramanian king inuaded and spoiled the frontiers of his countries in ASIA which although he was not then at
foorthwith yeelded the cittie to Tamerlane in hope so to haue saued their liues but hee as the Turkes report being entered the cittie commaunded a great number of deepe pits to be digged and all the people of the cittie without respect of age sex or condition to be throwne into the same and there buried quicke Which done the citie was by his commaundement vtterly rased also After that calling vnto him Malcozzius the gouernour of the cittie whom he had for that purpose onely spared he commaunded him to goe and tell his master what was happened to his strong cittie of SEBASTIA and what hee had there himselfe seene Of which tragicall action Malcozzius hauing made true relation vnto Baiazet was by him demanded whether of the two armies he thought bigger or stronger for now Baiazet had assembled a mightie armie of three hundred thousand men or as some report of three hundred thousand horsemen and two hundred thousand foot Whereunto Malcozzius hauing before craued pardon answered That it could not bee but that Tamerlane might in reason haue the greater number for that hee was a commaunder of farre greater countries Wherewith proud Baiazet offended in great choller replied Out of doubt the sight of the Tartarian hath made this coward so afraid that he thinketh euery enemie to be two Most of the Latine histories report that when Tamerlane had taken SEBASTIA he put all the men to the sword and bringing the women and chidren into the fields without the citie there ouer-ran them with his horsemen excepting some few which were reserued for prisoners As also that Baiazet there lost his eldest sonne Erthogrul of some called Orthobules whose death with the losse of the citie so much greeued him as is reported that marching with his great armie against Tamerlane and by the way hearing a countrey shepheard merrily reposing himselfe with his homely pipe as he sat vpon the side of a mountaine feeding his poore flocke standing still a great while listening vnto him to the great admiration of many at last fetching a deepe sigh brake foorth into these words O happie sheepeheard which haddest neither Orthobules nor SEBASTIA to loose bewraying therein his owne discontentment and yet withall shewing That worldly blisse consisteth not so much in possessing of much subject vnto danger as in joying in a little contentment deuoid of feare Howbeit the Turkes themselues reporting the taking of SEBASTIA speake not 〈…〉 at all but giue him lost six yeares before in the warres against Casi Burchaniâ—â—n and â—eth buried by his father at PRUSA In this cittie of SEBASTIA was lost twelue thousand Turkes men women and children as their histories report The rest of the cities all the way as Tamerlane marched warned by the destruction of SEBASTIA yeelded themselues for feare of like danger the cittizens whereof he courteously vsed especially the Christians whom he set at libertie in respect of Emanuel the Greeke emperour whom hee seemed wholly therein to gratifie But he had not gone farre into the Turkes dominion but that hee was certainely aduertised how that Baiazet with a great armie was comming against him and now within thirtie leagues of him which caused him after that time to march with his armie more closely Axalla leading the vantgard sent forth Ghianson prince of CIARCAN with foure thousand Parthian horsemen to get knowledge of the Turkes armie and where Baiazet lay as also what countrey that was beyond SENNAS and if he could learne any thing thereof to make relation of it vnto him This prince of CIARCAN was Tamerlane his kinsman a man of great reputation and next vnto Axalla whose absence he had the coÌ„manding of the avantgard his charge who also sent before him another Parthian captain with 500 horsemen So he had not ridden ten leagues but that he heard news of Baiazet his comming hauing surprised SENNAS vnderstood there the certaine estate of the Turks armie which was then at TATAIA so marching forward Wherof Tamerlane certified coÌ„manded him not to retire froÌ„ that place vntill he did see the arriuall of the enemie and thereof to giue him aduertisement euery hower being himselfe resolued to passe on no farther as come to a faire large plaine and a countrey of aduantage for the order of his battaile for he knew that his armie was farre greater than Baiazets and therefore made choice of those great plaines Yet for that his armie consisted of diuers nations and withall considering that hee was not to fight against the Chinois a soft effeminate people as of late but against the Turks a most warlike nation and well acquainted with all manner of fights and martiall stratagemes hee thought it good to be well aduised how he proceeded against them Wherefore hee presently sent for Axalla with him to view the said place and to haue his opinion Whether it would be for his aduantage or not there to stay who not misliking of the choice of the place yet aduised him also to keepe SENNAS so long as he possibly could and so sent word vnto them that were therein vpon the approch of the enemie to set fire vpon the same and so to withdraw themselues from thence to the end that the enemie should not haue any desire to encampe there but come still forward neere vnto those plains where Tamerlane desired to fight especially for that he was stronger in horse than Baiazet Thus the Turks still marching on thought to haue surprised some of their enemies in SENNAS who as soone as they drew neere retired all excepting some hundred left of purpose to fire the towne who hauing performed the same retired of purpose in great disorder Now the prince of CIARCAN had diuided his forces into two parts and giuen commaundement to the first that as soone as they perceiued the enemies to pursue the hundred horse that so disorderly of purpose fled they should receiue them and so retire all altogether He in the meane time with the rest of his power stood close in a valley neere vnto a wood side vnseene at all Where hauing suffered two thousand of the enemies horse the avauntcourriers of the Turks armie to passe by him he following them in the taile charged them home the other which before retired now turning vpon them also so that the Turks seeing themselues thus beset and hardly laied vnto both before and behind as men discouraged fled in which flight most of them were slaine and the rest taken prisoners This was the first encounter betwixt the Turks and the Parthians all the prisoners there taken were by the prince as a present sent to Tamerlane and amongst the rest the Bassa of NATOLIA who led these troopes of whom Tamerlane earnestly demaunded what caused Baiazet so little to esteeme of him as to shew so great contempt of his armie which he should find strong ynough to abate his pride Whereunto the Bassa answered That his lord was the Sunne vpon earth which could not endure any equall and
calamitie THE LIFE OF MAHOMET THE FIRST OF THAT NAME FIFTH KING OF THE TVRKS AND RESTORER OF THEIR SORE SHAKEN KINGDOME HOw wonderfully the Turkish kingdome was by the violence of Tamerlane shaken and the majestie thereof defaced it well appeareth in that the Histories of that time as well those of the Greekes as of the Turks in nothing more differ than in the successors of Baiazet their late vnfortunat king Some writing that hee had two sons Orchanes otherwise called Calepinus and Mahomet and that Calepinus in the second yeare of his raigne was slaine and his kingdome possessed by Mahomet his brother Others reporting That Baiazet had two sons namely Calepinus and Mustapha and that Calepinus succeeding his father in the Turkish kingdome when hee had raigned six yeares died leauing behind him two sonnes Orchanes and Mahomet and that Orchanes being young was slaine by his vncle whom Mahomet in reuenge of his brothers death afterwards slew possessed the kingdome himselfe Others reckon vp seuen sonnes of Baiazet Iosua Musulmanes Moses Calepinus Iosua the yonger Mustapha and Halis with an vncertaine succession amongst them also This diuersitie of opinions full of no lesse vncertainetie as I meane not to follow in report of this historie so will I not spend any time in refuting the same although much might be said in the matter but leaue these reports together with the historie following to such credit as they shall hap to find with the considerat readers The Greeke Historiographers best like to know the Turkish succession as well by reason of their neerenesse as in that they were by them as their bad neighbours so much troubled make no mention at all either of Calepinus or of Orchanes In like manner Historiae Musulmanae Turcorum diligently gathered out of the Turks owne histories by Io. Leunclauius a learned physician and himselfe a great trauailer amongst them and therefore deseruing the more credit do not so much as name the succession of Calepinus or Orchanes after the captiuitie of Baiazet but rejecteth them both as counterfeits But in mine opinion without prejudice to any that vpon better reason may deeme otherwise the great confusion of the Turkish kingdome in short time wrought by the mightie Tamerlane and his Tartarians with the ciuile discord and warre afterwards arising among the sonnes of Baiazet striuing all as it were at once for the restlesse roome of soueraignetie which suffereth no parteners and euery one of them according to his hap or power laying hand vpon some one part or other thereof and beaâ—ing himselfe therein for a time as a king in countries so far distant neuer leauing vntill they had like the earth-borne brethren wrought one anothers destruction might giue just occasion of such diuersitie of reports as is before spoken of concerning the succession of that time in that troubled and rent kingdome some reckoning one some another and some such as neuer were to haue succeeded in the gouernment and so vntruly augmenting the number of the Turkish kings Wherefore leauing Calepinus Orchanes vnto them that first found them with that little which without any good ground and lesse probabilitie is written of their supposed raigne I following the authoritie of the Turkish historie reckon this Mahomet one of the youngest sonnes of Baiazet of whom we are now to intreat fifth king of the Turkes who after great and dangerous wars as well against his own brethren as his forraine enemies was at length solely inuested in the Turkish kingdome about ten yeares after the captiuitie of his father Baiazet as shall hereafter be declared Baiazet after the manner of the Turkish kings hauing laied vp the hope of his posteritie in the common treasure house of nature rather than in the bodie of one lawfull wife had by diuers wiues and concubines seuen sonnes Erthogrul otherwise called Orthobules Emer-Soliman Mustapha-Zelebi that is to say the noble Isa-Zelebi Musa-Zelebi Sultan Mahomet and Casan-Zelebi Of whom Erthogrul the eldest was lost in the wars against Casi Burchaniden as is beforesaid in the life of Baiazet Mustapha was slaine in the great battaile against Tamerlane and there buried in the bed of fame Casan the yongest was a child in Baiazet his court when his father was taken and afterwards with his sister Fatime deliuered as hostages by their brother Solyman vnto Emanuel the emperour of CONSTANTINOPLE where they both happely became Christians and so shortly after died Solyman was by Alis Bassa president of Baiazet his counsell and other great captaines conueyed out of the battaile against Tamerlane into EVROPE and so by them at HADRIANOPLE saluted Sultan Mahomet fled out of the same battaile to AMASIA in CAPADOCIA where he was in his fathers time gouernour Isa hearing of his fathers captiuitie after the departure of Tamerlane with his Tartars seized vpon PRUSA a citie of BITHYNIA the antient seat of the Turkish kings with the countrey adjoyning and there raigned as king Musa-Zelebi was taken prisoner with Baiazet his father and afterwards set at libertie by Tamerlane But of their fortunes more shall be said in this historie following Mahomet was but fifteene yeares old when his father Baiazet in the vnfortunate battaile at mount STELLA was taken prisoner and was at the same time by his appointment gouernour of AMASIA with a great part of CAPADOCIA adjoyning which places became so troublesome after the great victorie of Tamerlane that the Turks in that countrey were glad day and night for the safegard of themselues their wiues and children to keepe continuall watch and ward insomuch that many of them wearied with those troubles and despairing of better times went into voluntarie exile because they would not see so great miseries which thing much greeued young Mahomet Wherefore calling vnto him his most faithfull counsellors to consult what course to take in the middest of so many dangers it was by generall consent thought best for so much as they could not without apparent danger continue neere vnto Tamerlane his forces to get themselues farther off into places of more strength and from thence to expect the departure of their enemies and in the meane time to content themselues with such aduauntages as occasion and chance of war might minister cutting them short by policie whom they were not able to meet in the plaine field and so by little and little to weaken or wearie their mightie stragling enemies For albeit that Tamerlane himselfe was not neere him as then lying in CARIA yet did the captaines of his great and victorious armie at their pleasure spoile and forrage the countries farre and neere all ouer the lesser ASIA Vpon this resolution hee with all his forces departed from AMASIA to DERBY in PAPHLAGONIA where by the way he encountered with Cara Iabia a nigh kinsman to the prince Isfendiar of CASTAMONA his enemie whom he put to flight with great slaughter of his men This was the beginning of Mahomet his good fortune From thence he went to
this Christian cittie then in the protection of the Venetians Amurath encamped his great armie of misbeleeuing Turkes and laied hard siege to it with most terrible batterie at which time hee by secret meanes corrupted certaine of the wicked cittizens to haue betrayed the cittie by a secret mine and to haue let him in which treason was by the Venetian gouernors perceiued and the plotters therof for safegard of their liues glad to leape ouer the wals and to flie into the Turks campe Amurath hauing greatly battered the wals of the cittie the more to encourage his souldiors promised to giue them all the spoile thereof if they could by force winne it The greedie desire of this rich prey wherein euerie common souldior promised vnto himselfe whatsoeuer his foolish fancie or vnbrideled affection could desire so inflamed the minds of these barbarous souldiors and especially of the Ianizaries that giuing a most terrible assault to the citie they by force entred the same and wan it The Venetian souldiors fled to their gallies lying at anchor in the hauen and so got to sea but the infinite miseries which the poore Christian citizens indured in the furie of that barbarous nation no tongue is able to expresse or pen discribe Death was lesse paine than the ignominious outrages and vnspeakeable villanies which many good Christians there suffered heartily wishing to die and could not and yet the furious enemies sword deuoured all the people without respect of age or sex except such as for stength of bodie or comelinesse of person were reserued for painefull labour or beastly lust which poore soules were afterwards dispersed into most miserable seruitude and slauerie through all parts of the Turkish kingdome The infinite riches of that famous cittie became a spoile vnto the barbarous souldiours the goodly houses were left desolate void of inhabitants Thus the beautifull cittie of THESSALONICA sometime one of the most glorious ornaments of GRaeCIA the late pleasant dwelling place of many rich Christians was by the tyrant giuen for an habitation to such base Turkes as at their pleasure repaired thether to seat themselues and so is by them at this day possessed This calamitie happened to THESALONICA in the yeare of our Lord 1432. THESALONICA being thus taken Amurath returned to HADRIANOPLE himselfe and at the same time sent Caratze with the greatest part of his armie into AETOLIA Charles prince of that countrey dying a little before the comming of Amurath to THESALONICA and hauing no lawfull issue had diuided the countrey of ACHARNANIA amongst his three base sons Memnon Turnus and Hercules leauing all the rest of his dominion to his brothers sonne called also Charles But shortly after such discord fell among these brethren that Amurath sending his Turks to aid one of them against the other as he was by them requested in fine brought all that countrey of AETOLIA into subjection to himselfe leauing nothing for the foolish brethren to striue for more than the bare titles of imaginatiue honour The other Graecian princes of ATHENS PHOCIS BOETIA and all the rest of GRaeCIA vnto the strait of CORINTH terrified by their neighbours harmes were glad to submit themselues to the barbarian yoke and to become tributaries vnto the Turkish tirant vnder which slauerie they of long time most miserably liued if intollerable slauerie joyned with infidelitie may be accounted a life Thus the Grecians lost their libertie which their auncestors had many times before to their immortall praise worthily defended against the greatest monarchs of the world and are now so degenerate by the meanes of the Turkish oppression that in all GRaeCIA is hardly to be found any small remembrance of the ancient glory thereof insomuch that wheras they were wont to account all other nations barbarous in comparison of themselues they are now become no lesse barbarous than those rude nations whom they before scorned Which miserie with a thousand more they may justly impute to their owne ambition and discord At this time amongst the distressed princes of MACEDONIA and GRaeCIA one Iohn Castrioâ— raigned in EPIRUS who seeing how mightily the Turke preuailed against the princes his neighbours and considering that hee was not able by any meanes to withstand so puissant an enemie to obtaine peace he was glad to deliuer into Amurath his possession his foure sonnes Stanisius Reposius Constantine and George for hostages whom Amurath faithfully promised well and honourably to intreat But assoone as he had got them within his reach he falsified his faith and caused them to be circumcised after the Turkish manner and to bee instructed in the Turkish superstition to the great griefe of their Christian parents and afterwards when he vnderstood of the death of Iohn Castriot their father hee poisoned all the three elder brethren And by Sebalie one of his great captaines ceized vpon CROIA his cheefe citie and all the rest of his territories as if they had by good right deuolued vnto him But George the youngest whom the Turks named Scander-beg or lord Alexander for his excellent feature and pregnant wit he alwaies entirely loued and as some thought more passionatly than he should haue loued a boy Him he caused to be diligently instructed in all kind of actiuitie and feats of warre wherin he excelled al other his equals in Amurath his court and rising by many degrees of honor came at last being yet but verie yong to be a great Sanzack or gouernor of a prouince and was many times appointed by Amurath to be generall of his armies in which seruice hee so behaued himselfe that he got the loue of all that knew him and increased his credit with Amurath vntill at last he found oportunitie by great policie and courage to deliuer both himselfe and his natiue countrie from the horrible slauerie of the Turkish tyrannie as shall be afterwards declared Shortly after that Amurath had thus daunted the princes of GRECIA he turned his forces into SERVIA but the prince of SERVIA vnable to withstand so mightie an enemie to procure his fauour sent embassadours offering to pay him a yearely tribute and to doe further what he should reasonably demaund Amurath beside the yearely tribute required to haue Marie this princes faire daughter in mariage and that he should not suffer the Hungarians to passe through his countrey to inuade him and further not at any time to denie passage vnto the Turkish armie when he should send forth the same for the inuasion of the kingdome of BOSNA All which vnreasonable conditions the prince was glad to agree vnto and sent his faire daughter by Saratze who was afterwards maried to Amurath About this time Iosephus and Machmutes Amurath his brethren and Orchanes the sonne of Solyman who had his eies put out by his vncle Mahomet with many other men of great account among the Turks died of the plague at PRUSA Whilest Amurath was thus busied in his wars in EUROPE the king of CARAMANIA his brother in law inuaded his
said Behold thou crucified Christ this is the league thy Christians in thy name made with mee which they haue without cause violated Now if thou bee a God as they say thou art and as we dreame reuenge the wrong now done vnto thy name and me and shew thy power vpon thy perjurious people who in their deeds denie thee their God The king with Huniades furiouslie pursued the chased Turks with bloodie execution a great space when as the king in his heat hardly persuaded by Huniades to returne againe vnto his campe at his comming thether found the Cardinall Iulian with Franke one of his cheefe captaines and others ouercharged with the Turkes which had againe made head against that part of the Christian armie and there yet fought couragiouslie by reason of their multitude being also backt by the Ianizaries which all this while had stood fast with their old king as his last and most assured refuge but were now come in There began a most cruell and fierce fight in the successe whereof the Turks well saw the whole estate of their kingdome in EVROPE to consist many were there slaine on both sides the Turks feeling their losse lesse than indeed it was by reason of their multitude and the Christians by reason of their courage A great while the victorie stood doubtfull insomuch that at length the Turkes began to shrinke backe in that part of the battaile where the king and Huniades fought But in the left side they preuailed so vpon the Christians that they were euen readie to haue fled Which when Huniades hauing a vigilant eie vnto euerie part of the armie perceiued hee with speed made thether and there againe with his presence restored the battaile almost before lost Which done hee returned againe towards the king who in the mean time had most valiantly repulsed a great number of the Turks and was now come vnto the Ianizaries Amurath his last hope There was to be seene a thousand manners of death whilest both the armies fought more like wild beasts in their rage and furie than warie and politique souldiours In this confused medly the yong king Vladislaus with greater courage than care of himselfe brake into the battaile of the Ianizaries at which time Amurath himselfe was by a valiant Frenchman a knight of the Roads first wounded with a pike and after assailed with his sword and had there ended his daies but that hee was speedily rescued by his guard by whom this worthie knight after great proofe of his valour was there slaine in the middest of his enemies Vladislaus being got in also amongst them valiantly performed all the partes of a worthie souldiour vntill such time as his horse being slaine vnder him hee was forthwith oppressed by the multitude of his enemies and slaine his head being strucke off by Ferizes one of the old Ianizaries was by him presented vnto Amurath who commaunded it presently to be put vpon the point of a launce and proclamation to be made that it was the head of the Christian king which was afterwards so caried through the principall cities of MACEDONIA and GRECIA as a trophey of the Turks victorie Huniades after hee had in vaine giuen diuers braue attempts to haue rescued the kings bodie retired with a few Valachian horsemen and seeing no hope of better hap for all the Christians being discouraged with the death of the king had now taken themselues to flight gaue place to necessitie and reseruing himselfe to his future fortune fled ouer the mountaines into the thicke woods from whence with much difficultie he got ouer DANVBIVS into VALACHIA and was there as some 〈◊〉 by Dracula prince of that countrey taken prisoner In reuenge whereof after hee was enlarged by the Hungarians hee so aided Danus against Dracula that in fine Dracula and his sonne were both slaine and Danus placed in his roome Iulian the Cardinall flying out of the battaile was found by that worthie man Gregorie Sanose lying in the desert forrest by the way side mortally wounded and halfe stripped by whom hee was in few wordes sharpely reprooued as the wicked authour of that perfidious warre and there left giuing vp the ghost Many of the Christians which fled out of that battell fell into the enemies hands and so were slaine but greater was the number of them which were drowned in the fennes or that by hunger and cold perished in the woods or else after long and miserable trauaile finding no passage ouer DANVBIVS fell at length into the Turkish slauerie This great and mortall battaile as it was with diuers fortune fought so was also the present report thereof most vncertaine for the Turks that were at the first put to flight reported in the townes thereby as they fled that the battell was lost and they which had all the daie endured the fight not altogether assured of the victorie and not knowing whether the Hungarians had retired themselues whilest they suspected some deceit in the kinges campe by reason of the great silence therein staied two daies before they durst aduenture to take the spoile thereof The number of them that were slaine in this battaile as well on the one side as the other was great as the mounts and little hils raised of the bones and bodies of them that were there buried doe yet at this daie declare Howbeit the certaine number was not knowne some reporting moe some fewer Yet in this most agree that of the Christian armie being not great scarce the third part escaped and that the Turkes bought this victorie with a farre greater losse although it was of them lesse felt by reason of their multitude made lesse by that slaughter as they that report least thereof affirme by thirtie thousand Which may well seeme rather to be so for that Amurath after this victorie neither farther prosecuted the same nor shewed any tokens of joy at all but became verie melancholie and sad and being of them about him demanded why after so great a victorie he was no merrier answered That he wished not at so great a price to gain many such victories Yet in memoriall thereof hee erected a great pillar in the same place where the king was slaine with an inscription of all that was then done which as they say is yet there to be seene at this day This bloodie battaile was fought neere vnto VARNA in ancient time called DIONISIOPOLIS a place fatall vnto many great warriors and therfore of them euen yet abhorred the tenth day of Nouember in the yeare of our Lord Christ 1444. Some maliciously impute the losse of the battaile of VARNA and the death of the king to Huniades who as they said fled out of this battaile with ten thousand horsemen but this report agreeth not with the noble disposition of that courageous and valiant captaine but seemeth rather to haue been deuised to excuse the foule dealing of the cleargie who as most histories beare witnesse were the cheefe authors both
beare authoritie and rule and are had in greater honour and reputation than the rest such as are the men of warre and courtlers but he is borne a Christian either of father or at the least of his grandfather auouch those onely to be Turks which liue in NATOLIA al of them either marchants or of base and mechanicall crafts or poore labourers with the spade and pickaxe and such like people vnfit for the warres the rest as I say holding it for a title of honour to be discended of Christian parents Yea the Grand Sign â—or himselfe although by the fathers side he bee come of progenitors such as were naturall Turks borne yet many of them had Christian mothers which they accounted in the greatest part of their nobilitie and honour Thus by the wisedome of Amurath was the order of the Ianizaries and other souldiours of the court greatly aduanced though not by him begun and the politicke state of the Turks kingdome to say the truth quite altered the naturall Turks more than the Sultan himselfe now bearing therein no sway but onely these new souldiours all of them discended from Christian parents and by adoption as it were become the sonnes of the Turkish Sultans and vnder them commanding all by whom they haue euer since managed their estate by their good seruice wonderfully euen to the astonishment of the world encreased and extended their empire But of them more shall be said hereafter This great king was whilest hee liued of his subjects woonderfully beloued and no lesse of them after his death lamented He was more faithfull of his word than any of the Turkish kings either before or after him by nature melancholie and sad and accounted rather politicke than valiant yet was indeed both a great dissembler and painefull in trauaile but wayward and testie aboue measure which many imputed vnto his great age He had issue sixe sonnes Achmetes Aladin Mahomet Hasan otherwise called Chasan Vrchan and Achmetes the younger of some called Calepinus three of whom died before him but the two youngest were by their vnnaturall brother Mahomet who succeeded him in the Turkish kingdome euen in their infancie in the beginning of his raigne most cruelly murthered FINIS Christian princes of the same time with Amurath the second Emperours Of the East Iohn Palaeologus 1421. 24. Constantinus Palaeologus 1444. 8. Of the West Sigismund king of Hungarie 1411. 28. Albert the second king of Hungarie and Bohemia 1438. 2. Frederick the third Archduke of Austria 1440. 54. Kings Of England Henrie the fift 1413. 9. Henrie the sixt 1422. 39. Of Fraunce Charles the sixt 1381. 42. Charles the seuenth 1423. 38. Of Scotland Iames the first 1424. 13. Iames the second 1436. 29. Bishops of Rome Martin the V. 1417. 13. Eugenius the IIII. 1431. 16. Nicholas the V. 1447. 8. MAHOMET II. MAHOMETHES II COG MAGNVS TVRCARVM IMPERATOR PRIMVS FLORVIT AN o 1450 Qui vici innumeros populos tot regna tot vrbes Solus immensi qui timor orbis eram Me rapuit quae cunque rapit mors improba sed sum Virtute excelsa ductus ad astra tamen Maior Alexander non me fuit Annniball non Fuderit Ausonios tot licet ille duces Vici victores Dannos domuique feroces Caoniae populos Sauromatasquè truces Pannonius sensit quantum surgebat in armis Vis mea quae latio cognita nuper erat Arsacidae sensere manus has sensit Arahsquè Et mea sunt Persae cognita tela duci Mens fuerat bellare Rhodum superare superbam Italiam sed non fata dedere modum Hei mihi nam rapuit mors aspera quaequè sub alto Pectore condideram vertit hora breuis Sic hominum fastus pereunt sic stemata sicquè Imperium atquè aurum quicquid orbis habet In English thus I that so many nations townes and kingdomes haue brought low And haue alone dismaied the world and fild the earth with woe Am now by death which all deuoures brought downe from hie degree Yet doth the glorie of my name surmount the starrie skie The great king Alexanders fame the world no better fild Nor worthy Hannibal whose force so many Romans kild I vanquisht the victorious Greeks and tam'd with mightie hand The warlike people of EPIRE and fierce TARTARIA land My force in field HVNGARIA felt my greatnesse is there knowne Which of late time through ITALY to their great ruth is blowne Th'Assyrians felt my heauie hand so did th' Arabians wild The Persian king with all his force I driue out of the field I purposed to win the RHODES and ITALY t' vndoe If that the fatall destinies had granted leaue thereto But wo is me for grisly death hath brought all this to nought And in the twinckling of an eye is perisht all I thought So perisheth the pride of man his honour wealth and power His golde and whatsoeuer else it fadeth as a flower THE LIFE OF MAHOMET SECOND OF THAT NAME SEVENTH KING AND FIRST EMPEROVR OF THE TVRKS FOR HIS MANY VICTORIES SVRNAMED THE GREAT THe report of the death of old Amurath the late king was in short time blowne through most part of Christendome to the great joy of many but especially of the Greekes and other poore Christians which bordered vpon the tyrants kingdome 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 sonne Mahomet after the death of his father would haue embraced 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 vaine was this hope and the joy thereof but short as afterward by proofe appeared For Mahomet being about the age of one and twentie yeares succeeding his father in the kingdome in the yeare of our Lord 1450 embraced in shew the Mahometane religion abhorring the Christian but indeed making no great reckoning either of the one or of the other but as a meere Atheist deuoid of all religion and worshipping no other god but good fortune derided the simplicitie of all such as thought that God had any care or regard of worldly men or of their actions which gracelesse resolution so wrought in him that he thought all things lawfull 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 diuersly affected towards the present state the mightie Bassaes and others of great authoritie vnto whom the old kings gouernment was neuer greeuous inwardly lamented his death doubting least the fierce nature of the yong king should turne to the hurt of some of them in particular and the shortening of their authoritie in generall as indeed it shortly after fell out But the lustie gallants of the Court wearie of the
most famous and imperiall citie Some few there were of the Christians who preferring death before the Turkish slauerie with their swords in their hands sold their liues decre vnto their enemies amongst whom the two brethren Paulus and Troâ—lus Bochiardi Italilians with Theophilus Palaeologus a Greeke and Ioannus Stiaâ—us a Dalmatian for their great valour and courage deserue to be had in eternall remembrance Who after they had like lyons made slaughter of their enemies died in the midst of them embrued with their bloud rather oppressed by multitude than by true valour ouercome In this furie of the Barbarians perished many thousands of men women and children without respect of age sex or condition Many for safegard of their liues fled into the Temple of SOPHIA where they were all without pittie slaine except some few reserued by the barbarous victors to purposes more grieuous than death it selfe The rich and beautifull ornaments and jewels of that most sumptuous and magnificent Church the stately building of Iustinianus the emperour were in the turning of a hand pluckt downe and carried away by the Turkes and the Church it selfe built for God to be honored in for the present conuerted into a stable for their horses or a place for the execution of their abhominable and vnspeakable filthinesse the Image of the crucifix was also by them taken downe and a Turks cap put vpon the head thereof and so set vp and shot at with their arrowes and afterwards in great derision carried about in their campe as it had been in procession with drums playing before it railing and spitting at it and calling it the god of the Christians Which I note not so much done in contempt of the image as in the despite of Christ and the Christian religion But whilest some were thus spoyling of the churches others were as busie in ransacking of priuat houses where the miserable Christians were enforced to endure in their persons whatsoeuer pleased the insolent victors vnto whom all things were now lawfull that stood with their lust euerie common souldiour hauing power of life and death at his pleasure to spare or spill At which time riches were no better than pouertie and beautie worse than deformitie What tongue were able to expresse the miserie of that time or the prowd insolencie of those barbarous conquerors whereof so many thousands euerie man with greedinesse fitted his owne vnreasonable desire all which the poore Christians were enforced to endure But to speake of the hidden treasure money plate jewels and other riches there found passeth credit the Turkes themselues wondred thereat and were therewith so enriched that it is a prouerb amongst them at this day if any of them grow suddenly rich to say He hath been at the sacking of CONSTANTINOPLE whereof if some reasonable part had in time been bestowed vpon defence of the cittie the Turkish king had not so easily taken both it and the cittie But euerie man was carefull how to encrease his owne priuat wealth few or none regarding the publike state vntill in fine euerie man with his priuat abundance was wrapped vp togither with his needie neighbour in the selfesame common miserie Yea the securitie of the Constantinopolitans was such that being alwaies enuironed with their mortall enemies yet had they no care of fortifying of so much as the inner wall of the citie which for beautie and strength was comparable with the wals of any citie in the world if it had been kept well repaired but suffered the officers which had the charge to see to the fortifying of the citie to conuert the greatest part of the money into their own purses as appeared by Manuel Giagerus a little before a verie poore man and likewise by Neophitus who then hauing that office to see vnto the fortification of the citie had in short time gathered togither seuentie thousand florens which became all a worthy prey vnto the greedie Turkes After that the barbarous common souldiour had thus by the space of three daies without controlment taken his pleasure in the citie as Mahomet had before promised and throughly ransackt euerie corner thereof they then returned into the campe with their rich spoils driuing the poore Christian captiues before them as if they had ben droues of cattell or flocks of sheepe a spectacle no lesse lamentable than was the sacking of the citie It would haue grieued any stonie heart to haue seene the noble gentlewomen and great ladies with their beautifull children and many other faire personages who lately flowed in all worldly wealth and pleasure to bee now become the poore and miserable bondslaues of most base and contemptible rascals who were so farre from shewing them any pittie as that they delighted in nothing more than to heape more and more miserie vpon them making no more reckoning of them than of dogs There might the parents see the wofull miserie of their beloued children and the children of the parents the husband might see the shamefull abuse of his wife and the wife of her husband and generally one friend of another and yet not able to mourne together the least part of heauie comfort being in the thraldome of diuers cruell masters by whom they were kept in sunder like in few dayes to be dispersed into diuers farre countries without hope that they should euer find release or one see another againe The souldiors being all retired into the campe Mahomet as a proud conquerour with great triumph entered into the citie of CONSTANTINOPLE then desolate and void of all Christian inhabitants and there after the manner of the Turkish kings made a sumptuous and royall feast vnto his Bassaes and other great captaines where after he had surcharged himselfe with excesse of meat and drinke he caused diuers of the cheefe Christian captiues both men and women of whom many were of the late emperours line and race to bee in his presence put to death as hee with his Turks sat banquetting deeming his feast much more stately by such effusion of Christian blood Which manner of exceeding crueltie he daily vsed vntill such time as he had destroyed all the Grecian nobilitie that was in his power with the cheefe of the late Constantinopolitan citizens At which time also diuers of the Venetian Senatours with Baiulus their Gouernor and many rich marchants of GENVA and other places of ITALIE were in like manner murthered so that of seuen and fortie Senatours of VENICE which were there taken whereof most part came thither by chaunce bound for other places but there vnluckily shut vp some few found the fauour with exceeding great ransomes to redeeme themselues Amongst these noblemen thus lamentably executed was one Lucas Leontares or Notaras coÌ„monly called Kyr-Lucas or lord Lucas but of late great chancellor of CONSTANTINOPLE a man of greatest account next vnto the emperour himselfe whom the Turkish tyrant seemed greatly to blame that hee being a man in so great credit with the late emperour persuaded him not
that they oftentimes spurned as now against the gouernment of the Graecian princes In this extremitie the two distressed princes not well knowing which way to turne themselues sought for peace at Mahomets hands offering to become his tributaries Of which their offer he willingly accepted as an induction to the full conquest of that countrey and sent Turachan gouernour of THESSALIA one of his greatest men of warre with an army into PELOPONESVS to aid those princes against the Albanians by whose industrie the masterfull rebels were in short time discomfited and the countrey of PELOPONESVS quieted yet so that it was now become tributarie to the Turkish king These two princes Demetrius and Thomas the last of all the Christian princes that raigned in PELOPONESVS hauing thus lost their libertie liued for a few yeares as the Turkes vassales paying such yearely tribute as they had before promised During which time many displeasures arose betwixt the two brothers being both jealous of their estate and desirous by all plausible meanes to win the hearts of their subjects one from another whereby it came so to passe that whiles they both desired to become popular they weakned their owne credit and had not their subjects at such commaund as best stood with the safetie of their estate Neuerthelesse as soon as they vnderstood that the Christian princes of the West were making great preparation against the Turke and that Calixtus the third of that name then the bishop of ROME had alreadie put a fleet of gallies to sea which did great spoile vpon the borders of the Turkes dominions they vainly persuading themselues that the Turkes would in short time be againe driuen out of GRECIA refused to pay any more tribute vnto the Turkish king or to keepe league any longer with him Vpon which occasion Mahomet with a puissant army came downe and first besieged CORINTH and afterwards entring into PELOPONESVS tooke diuers strong townes and destroied the countrey before him and forced the two princes for safegard of their liues to flie the one to MANTINIA and the other into the strong cittie of EPIDAVRVS now called RAGVSIVM The poore princes destitute of such aid as they expected and altogither vnable to withstand the power of the mightie tyrant began againe to sue for peace which he hauing now spoiled their countrey granted vpon condition That all such places as he had already taken should be still his owne and also that the citie of PATRAS with the countrey adjoyning should be deliuered vnto him and that for the rest the said princes should pay vnto him a yearly tribute which hard conditions the poore princes now in danger to loose all were glad to accept of wherupon a peace was for that time againe concluded In his returne he tooke the citie of ATHENS in his way which he not long before had taken from Francus Acciauoll by composition by meanes of Omares the sonne of Turechan one of his great captains promising to giue him the countrey of BEOTIA with the citie of THEBES in lieu thereof This Francus was nephew to Nerius sometime prince of ATHENS and had of long time been brought vp in the Turks court as one of Mahomet his minions and was of him as was supposed entirely beloued But when he had receiued the dukedome of THEBES in exchange for his princely state of ATHENS he was shortly after as if it had been in great friendship sent by Mahomet to Zoganus his lieutenant in PELOPONESVS by whom he was at first courteously entertained but afterwards being about to depart he was according as Mahomet had before commanded suddenly staied and when he least feared cruelly murdred About three yeares after the peace before concluded betwixt Mahomet and the two brethren Mahomet vnderstanding that the Christian kings and princes had combined themselues against him with a purpose to driue him againe out of GRaeCIA thought it now high time and much for the assurance of his estate to roote vp the small reliques of the Grecian empire which yet remained in PELOPONESVS in the two princes of the imperiall bloud Thomas and Demetrius whereunto he saw a faire occasion presented Forasmuch as those two brethren were at that time at great variance betwixt themselues neither paied him such tribute as they had before promised hereupon he with a great and strong army came to CORINTH where Arsanes a noble man of great authoritie and power in that countrey whose sister Demetrius had married came vnto him from the prince his brother in law attended vpon with many gallant gentlemen his followers of purpose to aid him against the other prince Thomas nothing fearing any harme to haue been by the Turke intended against himselfe or his brother in law Demetrius whom they both reckoned of as of a friend But when Mahomet was entered into PELOPONESVS and come to TEGEA he caused the same Asanes with all his cheefe followers to be laied hold vpon and cast into bonds knowing as it should seeme no man for friend which might any way hinder his ambitious designes Demetrius hearing what was happened vnto Asanes fled to SPARTA now called MIZITHRA whether Mahomet in few dayes after came and laied siege to the citie But the poor prince considering that he must needs at length fall into his hands went out of the cittie and humbly submitted himselfe with all that he had into his power Which so well pleased the Turkish tyrant that hee courteously receiued him comforted him and promised him in stead of SPARTA to giue him other lands and possessions of like value elsewhere Neuerthelesse hee committed him to safe custodie and carried him about with him as his prisoner vntill hee had finished those warres After he had taken SPARTA he besieged CASTRIA where he lost diuers of his Ianizaries for which cause when he had taken the citie he put all the souldiours therein to the sword and cut the captaines ouerthwart in two peeces From thence he marched to LEONTARIVM called in antient time MEGALOPOLIS which he tooke with another cittie called CARDICEA whither they of LEONTARIVM had before conueyed their wiues and children as to a place of more safetie There he cruelly put to death all the inhabitants of those cities men women and children in number about six thousand of whom he left not one aliue and yet not so satisfied commaunded the very beasts and cattell of those places to bee killed Many cities of PELOPONESVS terrified with the dreadfull example of their neighbours forthwith yeelded themselues and amongst others SALVARIVM a great and strong citie of ARCHADIA where hee caused all the inhabitants men women and children to the number of ten thousand to be cast into bonds looking for nothing but present death all which he commaunded afterwards to be sent captiues to CONSTANTINOPLE and with them peopled the suburbes of that citie After that he by the counsell of Demetrius sent one of his captaines called Iosua with certaine companies of Greeke souldiors vnto the
strong citie of EPIDAVRVS to commaund them in the name of the prince to deliuer vnto him the citie with the prince his wife and daughter which lay there But the Gouernour trusting vnto the strength of the citie refused to deliuer the same yet suffred the princesse with her daughter to depart out of the citie being willing to goe to her husband whom the captaine hauing receiued returned and presented them to Mahomet By whose commaundement they were presently sent into BEOTIA there to attend his returne towards CONSTANTINOPLE and an Eunuch appointed to take charge of the young ladie who had so warmed Mahomets affection that he tooke her afterwards to his wife At the same time hee also subdued the most part of ACHAIA and ELIS by Zoganus Bassa his lieutenant whether hee came not long after himselfe and laied siege to the citie of SALMENICA which for lacke of water was at length yeelded vnto him but the castle was by the space of a whole yeare after valiantly defended against the Turks left to besiege it by Thomas the prince of whom Mahomet afterwards gaue this commendation That in the great countrey of PELOPONESVS hee had found many slaues but neuer a man but him This valiant prince seeing the miserable ruine of his countrey and the state thereof vtterly forlorne after he had most notably endured a yeares siege in the castle of SALMENICA got to sea and so arriued in ITALIE where trauelling to ROME hee was honourably receiued by Pius Secundus then bishop there who during his life allowed him a large pension for the maintenance of his state Thus Mahomet hauing thrust both the Grecian princes out of their dominions and subdued all PELOPONESVS excepting such strong townes and castles as bordering vpon the sea coast were yet holden by the Venetians left Zoganus Bassa his lieutenant to gouerne that new conquered prouince and with great triumph returned himselfe towards CONSTANTINOPLE carrying away with him Demetrius the prince with his wife and daughter and many other noble prisoners But after he was come to HADRIANOPLE and placed in his royall seat he remooued the Eunuch from the faire young ladie and tooke charge of her himselfe As for Demetrius her father hee gaue to him the cittie AENVM with the custome arising of the salt there made as a pension for him to liue vpon Thus this most famous and populous countrey of PELOPONESVS fell into the Turkish thraldome about the yeare of our Lord 1460 seuen years after the taking of CONSTANTINOPLE Which I haue here togither set downe as it is reported by them who liued in that time and in the same countries omitting of purpose other great occurrents of the same time which shall also in conuenient place be hereafter declared to the intent that the fall of that great Empire with the common miserie of the delicate Graecians might appeare vnder one view which otherwise being deliuered by peecemeale as it did concurre with other great accidents according to the course of time would but breed confusion and require the Readers greater attention The Christian princes especially such as bordered vpon the dominions of the Turkish tyrant were no lesse terrified than troubled with the subuersion of the Constantinopolitane empire for they saw by the continuall preparation of the Turk that his ambitious desires were rather encreased than in any part satisfied with his so great and late victories Wherefore they with all carefulnesse fortified their frontier towns and prouided all things necessarie for defence of themselues and for the repulsing of so mightie an enemy Amongst the rest George the old Despot or prince of SERVIA whose dominions of all others lay most in danger of that tempest speedily mustred his men of warre fortified his strong citties placed his garrisons and left nothing vndone that he thought needfull for the defence of his countrey for he had many times before to his great losse endured the furie of the Turkish kings although he were joyned vnto them in the bonds of neerest allyance And hauing thus politikely set all things in order at home in person himselfe tooke his journey into HVNGARIE from thence to procure aid against such time as he should haue need But the Hungarians and especially Huniades who at that time bare greatest sway in that kingdome hauing before had sufficient triall of the vncertainty and light faith of that aged prince who had so often fashioned himselfe according to the occurrents of the time that he was accounted neither right Turke nor good Christian refused to promise him any aid but left him to his owne fortunes wherewith he returned discontented and full of indignation But shortly after he was come home he died of an hurt receiued in a skirmish with Michaell Zilugo gouernor of BELGRADE whose brother Ladislaus he had but a little before trecherously murdred as he was trauailing by wagon to BELGRADE with his said brother Michael who at the same time hardly escaped This was the end of George Despot of SERVIA when he had liued nintie yeares in which time of his long life he had plentifully tasted of both fortunes A man assuredly of great courage but of a maruellous vnquiet nature by profession a Christian yet a great friend vnto the Turkes whom he many times stood in great steed a deepe dissembler and double in all his dealings whereby he purchased vnto himselfe that credit that he was not of any his neighbour princes whilest he liued either beloued or trusted and after his death of his subjects so detested that the people of that countrey euen at this day in their countrey songs still tearme him The faithlesse and gracelesse Despot Lazarus his youngest son after his death succeeded in his place hauing depriued both his elder brethren Stephen and George of the gouernment for Amurath the Turkish king had long time before put out their eies of purpose to make them vnfit for the gouernment of so great a countrey yet these blind princes found meanes to flie away from him to Mahomet carrying with them a great masse of money and so incited him against Lazarus their younger brother that to keepe friendship with the tyrant he was glad to promise vnto him a great yearely tribute and so to become his tributarie But within few moneths after Lazarus died the last Christian prince that raigned in SERVIA after whose death great troubles arose in SERVIA for the soueraigntie The blind brethren still crauing aid of Mahomet with whom they then liued and the desolate widow of Lazarus putting her selfe 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 Vntill such time as that the Seruians seeing small assurance in that manner of gouernment and wearie of the harmes they daily receiued of the Turkes yeelded themselues with their countrey vnto the obedience of the Turkish emperour Mahomet who foreuer vnited the same vnto his empire as
Islands of the AEGEVM which after the losse of CONSTANTINOPLE had for the most part put themselues vnder the protection of the Venetians and commanded his admirall with that fleet to take his course through the straits of Bosphorus into the great Euxine sea now called the blacke sea and so sailing alongst the coast to come to anker before SINOPE the cheefe citie of PAPHLAGONIA and there to expect his comming thither with his armie by land This great citie of SINOPE standeth pleasantly vpon a point of the maine which runneth a great way into the Euxine sometime the metropoliticall citie of that prouince but as then with CASTAMONA and all the countrey thereabout was vnder the gouernement of Ismael a Mahometane prince vpon whom Mahomet had now bent his forces for no other cause than that he was in league with Vsun-Cassan the Persian king Now with great expedition had Mahomet leuied a strong armie and passing therwith ouer into ASIA was come before he was looked for to SINOPE Ismael seeing himselfe so suddainely beset both by sea and land in his strongest citie although he wanted nothing needfull for his defence hauing in the citie foure hundred peeces of great artillerie and ten thousand souldiours yet doubting to be able with that strength to endure the siege offered to yeeld vp the citie to Mahomet with all the rest of his dominion vpon condition That he should freely giue him in lieu thereof the citie of PHILIPPOPOLIS in THRACIA with the countrey therevnto adjoyning Of which his offer Mahomet accepted and so taking possession of SINOPE with the strong citie of CASTAMONA and all the rest of the princes territorie sent him away with all his things to PHILIPPOPOLIS as he had promised This Ismael was the last of the honourable house of the Isfendiars who had long time raigned at HERACLEA and CASTAMONA in PONTVS From SINOPE he marched on forward with his armie to TRAPEZOND This famous citie standeth also vpon the side of the Euxine or Blacke sea in the country of PONTVS where the emperors of CONSTANTINOPLE had alwayes their deputies whilest that empire flourished and commaunded the East part of the world as farre as PARTHIA but after it began againe to decline as all worldly things haue but their time one Isaack whose father emperour of CONSTANTINOPLE the Constantinopolitanes had for his euill gouernment slaine flying to TRAPEZOND tooke vpon him the gouernment of that citie with the countries of PONTVS and CAPADOCIA and many other great prouinces and was at first called the king of TRAPEZOND but after hee was well established in that gouernment both he and his successours tooke vpon them the name and title of emperours which they maintained equally if not better than the late Constantinopolitane emperours and therefore are of most accounted for emperours Hee that then raigned was called Dauid Comnenus which most honourable familie of the Comneni had long time before raigned in CONSTANTINOPLE and out of the same were many other great princes descended which ruled in diuers places of MACEDONIA EPIRVS and GRaeCIA Mahomet comming to TRAPEZOND laied hard siege vnto the same by the space of thirtie dayes both by sea and land burnâ— the suburbs thereof as he had before at SINOPE The fearefull emperour dismayed with the presence of so mightie an enemie and the sight of so puissant an armie offered to yeeld vnto him the citie with his whole empire vpon condition That hee should take his daughter to wife and deliuer vnto him some other prouince which might yeeld him such yearely profit as might suffice for the honourable maintenance of his state Mahomet perceiuing the weakenesse of his enemie by his large offers refused to accept therof and attempted by force to haue taken the citie which not sorting to his desire the matter was againe brought to parle where after long debating too and fro it was at last agreed vpon That the emperour vpon the faith of the Turkish king for his safe returne should in person meet him without the cittie if happily so some good attonement might be made betwixt them Whereupon the emperour following the Turkes faith before solemnly giuen for his safe returne as was before agreed went out of the citie to meet him in hope to haue made some good agreement with him but as soone as hee was come out Mahomet according to the damnable hellish doctrine of his false prophet That faith is not to be kept with Christians presently caused the emperour to be cast into bonds and so to be detained as prisoner Which when it was bruted in the citie the citizens vtterly discouraged without farther resistance yeelded themselues with the citie into his power Mahomet now lord of TRAPEZOND entring the citie tooke prisoners the emperors daughter with all the rest of his children and kindred and all such of the nobilitie as hee found in the citie whom he caused forthwith together with the emperor to be sent by sea as it were in triumph to CONSTANTINOPLE Of the rest of the cittizens he chose out so many as hee pleased for his owne seruice and appointed eight hundred of the Christian children in whom appeared most towardlinesse to be brought vp for Ianizaries many also of the other citizens were sent into captiuitie to CONSTANTINOPLE the beautifull women and virgines hee deuided amongst his friends and men of warre certaine chosen paragons of whom hee sent as presents to his sonnes After he had thus taken his pleasure in the citie and left none there but the basest of the people he put a strong garrison of his Ianizaries into the castle and a great garrison of common souldiors into the citie appointing his admirall to gouerne the same The rest of the emperours strong townes discouraged with the taking of TRAPEZOND and the miseries thereof in short time submitted themselues vnto the Turkish thraldome wherein they haue euer since most miserably liued So Mahomet in the space of few moneths hauing reduced that empire into the forme of a prouince returned in great triumph to CONSTANTINOPLE when hee had in this expedition subdued PAPHLAGONIA PONTVS and a great part of CAPADOCIA with some other prouinces neere vnto the Euxine sea When he was come to CONSTANTINOPLE he sent the emperour with his children prisoners to HADRIANOPLE But afterwards vnderstanding that the Persian queene the wife of Vsun-Cassan sought meanes to get some one of her vnckles children whom by the power of her husband she might if it were possible aduance vnto her fathers empire he sent for Dauid the wofull emperour to CONSTANTINOPLE and there cruelly caused him withall his sonnes and kinsmen to be put to death and to the vttermost of his power rooted out all that most honourable familie of the Comneni excepting George the emperors youngest sonne who at his first comming to HADRIANOPLE turned Turke whose sister the emperours daughter Mahomet afterwards tooke to be one of his concubines This Christian empire was by the Turkish
of that citie Whilest he lay in EVBoeA he was persuaded that the citie of PATRAS in PELOPONESVS would be deliuered vnto him by the Christians that dwelt therein if hee did but shew himselfe before it Whereupon he departed from EVBoeA and comming into the gulfe of PATRAS landed 4000 footmen vnder the leading of Barbaricus and 200 horsemen of whom one Nicholaus Ragius was captaine Barbaricus marching toward PATRAS was come within a mile of the cittie when manie of the horsemen and of the vnruly mariners disorderly scattering abroad neglected the intended seruice and sought after pillage all about the countrey The Turkes garrisons taking this opportunitie set vpon them with their horsemen and so easily ouerthrew them being scattered and out of order At the first encounter Barbaricus himselfe was slaine Ragius captaine of the horsemen was taken aliue empailed vpon a sharpe stake Of all them that were landed scarce a thousand were left who saued their liues by flying vnto the gallies With this ouerthrow Victor the Venetian Admirall was greatly discomfited yet hauing conceiued some hope of better successe in few daies after attempted againe to haue taken PATRAS but with like hap as before For hauing lost a thousand of his men about the citie and the rest glad to take their refuge to the fleet he was constrained with great dishonour to depart thence And so full of sorrow and heauinesse returning into EVBoeA oppressed with melancholy there suddenly died The Venetians deceiued of the great hope they had conceiued of the generall preparation made against the Turkes and much troubled with the hard proceeding of their warres against so mightie an enemie by their embassadours solicited Mathias not long before chosen king of HVNGARIE to joyne in league with them and to take vp armes against the common enemie offering presently to furnish him with a great summe of money beside a large yearely pention for the maintenance of those warres for which he should to his power by land defend all their territorie betwixt the Rhetian Alpes and the Adriatique against the inuasion of the Turke This Mathias surnamed Coruinus was the yonger sonne of the most famous captaine Io. Haniades whose elder brother Vladislaus a gentleman of such courage as might well shâ—w whosâ— sonne he was being not able to disgest the injuries and disgraces done vnto him and his brother by Vlricus countie of CILIA and vnckle vnto Ladislaus the yong king of BOHEMIA and HVNGARIE for the despite he alwaies bare vnto their father Huniades slew the same Vlricus at ALBA REGALIS euen in the kings court Which outrage the yong king was glad for the present to winke at and also to grant him pardon as hauing taken away the man whose immoderat power well stood not with the kings safetie but in deed fearing the citizens of ALBA the men of war who exceedingly fauoured the sonnes of Huniades for their fathers sake For all that Ladislaus returning into BOHEMA caused both the sons of Huniades vpon the sudden to be apprehended and most cruelly executed Vladislaus being then about six and twentie yeares old Mathias the yonger brother was kept in prison expecting nothing else but to be partaker of his brothers hard fortune as vndoubtedly he had had not Ladislaus the yong king vpon the sudden as hee was vpon the top of his marriage with Magdalaine the French kings daughter by vntimely death beene taken away After whose death the Hungarians for the loue they bare vnto the remembrance of Huniades by a militarie election chose this Mathias his youngest sonne theâ— in prison at PRAGE to be their king Wherof Pogebrache who after the death of Ladislaus of an old gouernour had made himselfe the young king of BOHEMIA hauing speedie intelligence as he was sitting at supper sent for Mathias his prisoner and when he was come commaunded him to sit downe at the vpper end of the table whereat the young gentleman being then but about eighteene yeares of age and sore abashed began to craue pardon But when the king would needs haue it so and that he was set the king to quiet his troubled thoughts willed him to be of good cheere for that he had good newes to tell him Good newes said he if it would please your majestie to grant me libertie Yea that said the king and more to and then saluting him by the name of the king of HVNGARIE brake vnto him the whole matter how that he was by the generall consent of the Hungarians chosen their king And so in few daies after married vnto him his daughter which done he furnished him with all things fit for his estate and royally accompanied him into HVNGARIE where he was with great joy and triumph receiued of the Hungarians ouer whom he afterwards gloriously raigned for the space of eight and thirtie yeares In which time he notably enlarged the kingdome of HVNGARIE and became a farre greater terrour vnto the Turkes than euer was his father Huniades And therewithall which is not to be accounted in the least part of his praises was alwaies a great fauourer and furtherer of good letters and ingenious deuises But to returne againe to our purpose Mathias hauing well considered of that the Venetians had requested answered them that they had many times before in like case refused to giue aid vnto the Hungarian kings his predecessours yea and that more was thought it a thing not reasonable that anie such thing should be requested at their hands forasmuch as they then receiued no harme from the Turke but were in league and amitie with him so that the Hungarian kings wanting their helpe had manie times receiued greater losse from the Turke than otherwise they should haue done if they had beene by them aided Yet for all that he was content to forget all such vnkindnesse and to grant them what they had requested promising the next Spring to inuade the Turkes dominion and according to their request to take into his protection all their territorie betwixt the Rhetian Alpes and the Adriatique which thing hee most honourably performed For with the first of the Spring he passed ouer Danubius at BELGRADE with a puissant armie and rased the forts which the Turkes had built thereabouts and so entring into SERVIA laid all the countrey waste before him and afterwards laden with spoile returned home carrying away with him twentie thousand captiues Neither so rested but with great good fortune maintained great warres against Mahomet during all the time of his raigne and afterwards against Baiazet his sonne also wherein he most commonly returned with victorie so that it is of him as truely as briefly written That no Christian king or chieftaine did more often or with greater fortune fight against the Turkish nation or had of them greater victories Mahomet deliuered of the great feare he had before conceiued of the generall preparation of the Christian princes against him determined now to worke his will vpon such as were neerest vnto
otherwise he regarded as was thought no religion at all But Zenus the Venetian embassadour lying continually in the Persian court so wrought the matter with Vsun-Cassanes that hee told the Turkes embassadours plainely That he could not nor would not longer endure the manifest injurie and wrong done vnto him by the Turkish king and farther that hee had made a faithfull league with the Christian princes and therefore would to the vttermost of his power make it knowne vnto the world that he would effectually performe what thing soeuer he had promised and so dismissed them now no lesse discontented than were before the Persian embassadours at such time as they returned from the Turkes court hauing obtained nothing they then requested concerning the emperour of TRAPEZOND The yeare following Mocenicus the Venetian Admirall with his fleet arriued in the Isle of LESBOS where he did great harme From thence hee passed the bay of ADRAMITTIVM into the lesser ASIA and sore spoiled the countrey about PERGAMVS After that hee landed againe at CNIDVS vpon the coast of CARIA where he tooke a great bootie and so hauing done the Turkes exceeding much harme in ASIA all alongst the sea coast opposit to GRaeCIA he returned laden with spoile towards PELOPONESVS In his returne about the promontorie of MALEA vpon the coast of PELOPONESVS he met with Richaiensis comming vnto him with seuenteene gallies from king Ferdinand by whom hee was certified that the great Bishops fleet was readie to come forth also After mutuall gratulation as the manner at sea is the Admirals joining their fleets in one landed at METHONE now called MODON then a citie of the Venetians in PELOPONESVS where after they had well refreshed their souldiours and taken in fresh victuals they put to sea againe and sailing through the Islands landed in ASIA where they were at their first landing encountered by the countrey Turkes whom at last they put to flight and by the space of foure daies tooke what pillage they could in the countrey where the souldiours found great store of rich bootie especially of Turkie carpets which are there made in great abundance From thence they sayled to HALICARNASVS which is a part of CARIA where sometime stood the stately tombe which queene Artemesia built for her husband Maâ—solus accounted amongst the wonders of the world where they tooke a wonderfull spoile There came vnto them Nicholas Bishop of MODRVSSA with twentie gallies sent from the great Bishop whom the other two Generals welcommed with great joy At the same time also came thither two gallies from the great master of the RHODES With this fleet of 85 gallies they sailed to the Isle of SAMOS oueragainst EPHESVS sometime a place of great fame but then altogether desolate and vnpeopled there to consult for their further proceeding in those warres Loosing from SAMOS they tooke their course alongst the coast of ASIA and landed at ATTALIA the cheefe citie of PAMPHILIA a place of great trafficke where they found in the suburbes of the cittie great store of many rich commodities brought thither out of AEGIPT and SYRIA whereof they tooke what pleased them and burnt the rest together with the suburbes Vnto the cittie it selfe they began to lay siege but perceiuing that it was not without great losse of their men to be taken they departed thence and running all alongst the coast of PAMPHILIA burnt and destroied what came in their way and so returned backe againe to the RHODES where they met an embassadour from Vsun-Cassanes the Persian king to the bishop and the Venetians for great ordinance whereof that so mightie a prince was altogether vnfurnished Of this embassador they vnderstood that Vsun-Cassanes was entered into league with the Christian princes and now busie in making preparation against the Turke At which time Mahomet requited the Venetians with no lesse harme in EPIRVS and DALMATIA than they had done to him in ASIA for now that Scanderbeg was dead the Turkes mightely preuailed vpon the weake princes of EPIRVS and ALBANIA with the countries adjoyning The Christian fleet departing from the RHODES landed in the countrey of the Myndians a part of CARIA and with great spoile returned to the Island of NAXOS one of the CYCLADES from whence king Ferdinand his gallies returned home laded with much rich spoile for now the yeare was farre spent Yet after the departure of the kings gallies Mocenicus with the Legate returned backe againe into ASIA and there landing their men tooke the famous citie of SMYRNA in IONIA and when they had taken the spoile thereof set it on fire At which time also they did great harme about CLAZOMENE not far from SMYRNA So Winter drawing now fast on they returned laded with the rich spoiles of ASIA the Legate into ITALIE and Mocenicus to METHONE The insatiable desire of soueraignetie whereunto the Turkish king was naturally enclined had continually armed him not onely against the Christian princes but against others also euen of his owne superstition making no great difference betwixt the one the other if so he might extend his dominion He had long before vnder the pretence of a friendly parley craftely circumuented the king of MYSIA a countrey in ASIA and hauing got him within his danger cruelly put him to death and by force subduing his kingdome left not one of the kings blood aliue After that he inuaded CILICIA which the Turkes call CARAMANIA where the two young brethren Pyramet and Cassambet raigned and draue them both out of CILICIA of whom Pyramet the elder fled for refuge to Vsun-Cassanes Cassambet the yonger assisted by his old friends sought by force of armes to recouer againe his inheritance wrongfully by the Turkes possessed and was besieging certaine townes vpon the sea coast which being taken from the Turkeâ— would easily draw all the rest of the kingdome after them Mocenicus the Venetian Admirall being now with the first of the Spring come vpon the coast of CILICIA at the request of Cassambet landed certaine companies of his men vnder the leading of Victor Superantius and certaine peeces of great artillerie wherewith he so battered the wals of SICHINVM that hee enforced the Turkes therein to yeeld vp the citie which he deliuered to Cassambet In like manner he tooke the citie of CORYCVS which he also restored to Cassambet At last hee laid siege to Sâ—LEVCIA which standeth vpon the riuer ORONTES and was built by king Seleucus one of the successors of Alexander the Great distant from the sea about fiue miles the Gouernour of this citie discouraged with the sight of the great artillerie deliuered the citie to the Venetian captain who by the appointment of the Admirall restored the same to Cassambet Who by this meanes brought againe into his kingdome gaue great thankes vnto the Admirall promising both for himselfe and for his brother to be alwayes friends vnto the Venetians Mocenicus departing from CILICIA landed his men in LYCIA and harried that countrey all
to carrie newes home Calibeius and Cherseogles the Bassaes were in that flight both taken prisoners and afterwards presented to Caitbeius the Sultan at CAIRE with eighteene ensignes of the Turkes Sanzackes which are great men amongst them hauing euerie one of them the regiment and commaund of some one prouince or other and are in degree next vnto the Bassaes. Neither was the fortune of Baiazet his nauie at sea better than that of his armie at land for as it lay at rode vpon the coast of SYRIA at the mouth of the riuer Orontes which runneth by the famous citie of ANTIOCHIA his gallies were by tempest and rage of the sea put from their anchors and in the sight of their enemies swallowed vp of the sea or else driuen vpon the main and there with the surges of the sea beaten in peeces Baiazet not a little troubled with these losses both by sea and land at length with much adoe by his embassadours concluded a peace with the Sultan vnto whom he restored all such places as he had before taken from him for which the â—ultan deliuered vnto him Calibeius Cherseogles Achmetes and Ishender with all the rest of the â—urkes prisoners which he had in great number in his keeping â—hortly after this peace was concluded betwixt these two great and mightie princes Caitbeiâ—â— the Sultan died who of a Circassian slaue by manie degrees of honour and by the fauour of the Mamalukes his fellowes obtained the rich kingdome of Aegypt which he right worthely gouerned to his immortall praise by the space of two and twentie yeares commaunding at one time the great and rich countrey of AEGYPT with all AFFRIKE as farre as CIRENE Westward and IVDEA with a great part of ARABIA and all SYRIA vnto the great and famous riuer Euphrates Eastward In the latter end of his raigne he ouercome with the importunitie of his wife Dultibe an Arabian borne a woman of an hautie spirit joyned his sonne Mahomethes a young man of about foure and twentie yeares old with him in the fellowship of his kingdome that so possessed of it his father yet liuing hee might the better enjoy it after his death Contrarie to the custome of the Mamalukes who of long time had not vsed to haue their king by succession but by their free election Who grudging to be thus defrauded of their wonted choise immediatly after the death of Caitbeius slew Mahomethes his sonne and in a few moneths after foure mo who one after another without their good liking had aspired vnto the kingdome neither could they be contented vntill such time as that they had according to their wonted custome set vp a Sultan of their owne choise About the same time that the aforesaid peace was concluded betwixt the two great Mahometane princes Baiazet and Caitbeius Charles the French king was making great preparation against Alphonsus king of NAPLES giuing it out That after he had recouered that kingdome he would forthwith from thence inuade the Turkes dominions in GRaeCIA Which great attempt the haughtie king was induced to take in hand by the persuasion of diuers of his nobilitie but especially by the solicitation of Lodouicus Sfortia duke of MILLAN whereby the whole state of ITALIE was in short time after sore shaken and Sfortia himselfe author of those troubles at last carried away by the French miserably ended his dayes as a prisoner in FRAVNCE Alphonsus the Neapolitane king doubting the greatnesse of the French king his enemie entered into a confederation with certaine of the states of ITALIE against the French but especially with Alexander the sixt then Bishop of ROME for the beter assurance whereof he gaue his base daughter in marriage to Godfrey Borgia the Bishops sonne and made him prince of CARINVLA his other sonne Francis he entertained also in great pay to serue him in his wars And by his embassadour Pandonius Camillus lately returned out of FRANCE gaue Baiazet to vnderstand what the French king had purposed against them both requesting him to aid him with six thousand horsemen and as many foot against their common enemie promising to giue them honourable entertainement during those warres And to further the matter Alexander the great Bishop sent George Bucciarde a Ligurian skilfull in the Turkish language embassadour to Baiazet to declare vnto him with what great preparation both by sea and land the young French king desirous of honour and the enlargement of his kingdome was about to inuade NAPLES and then with what great power after he had dispatched his warres in ITALIE he purposed to passe ouer into GRaeCIA and that hee had to that end earnestly trauelled with him to haue Zemes his brother deliuered into his hands whom he desired to vse as a most fit instrument for the troubling of his state and empire by reason of his many friends yet that his Holinesse hauing the French in distrust as a proud and ambitious people as also carefull for the danger of the citie of ROME and of the state of ITALIE in generall had entered into a confederation with Alphonsus king of NAPLES with their vnited forces to withstand that proud nation both by sea and land wanting nothing more for the accomplishment thereof than mony by which onely meanes Baiazet might as hee said prouide for the safetie of his kingdome in GRECIA if he would put to his helping hand to furnish them with mony for the entertainment of souldiors for as much as the citie of ROME and the kingdome of NAPLES were the surest wals of that side of the Othoman empire if hee not altogether refusing the charge would not spare for a little cost to maintaine the warre rather in that forraine countrey than to receiue it brought home to his owne dore concluding That it were much more commodious and easie with his treasures to represse his enemie in a strange countrey a farre off than by dint of sword and plaine battell in his owne A thing by experience well knowne that they which haue neglected and set at nought remote dangers for sparing of charge haue afterwards been enforced with greater danger to receiue the same into their owne bosomes when as they were become desperat and past remedie Baiazet who both by his espials and often letters and embassadours from Alphonsus knew all this to be true gaue great thankes to the bishop by his embassador for that he sitting in so high place did so friendly and in so good time admonish him both a stranger and of a contrarie religion of things of so great consequence yet for answere hee willed him to returne againe to his master with one Dautius his embassadour who should carrie with him both money and his other secret resolutions concerning those matters Amongst other things giuen him in charge was an Epistle written in Greeke wherein the barbarous king with great cunning persuaded the bishop to poyson Zemes his brother as a man of a religion altogether contrarie to his for indeed of
could not well winter in that cold country neere vnto the great mountaine TAVRVS by reason of the deepe snowes and extreame cold there vsually falling and that to go farther was to no purpose forasmuch as Achomates flying from place to place and mountaine to mountaine was not to be surprised he retired backe againe into BITHYNIA and sending his Europeian horsemen downe towards the sea coast and the Ianizaries to CONSTANTINOPLE resolued to winter with the rest of his army at PRVSA At which time being wholy bent against Achomates his competitor of the empire he for certaine yeares continued the league which his father Baiazet had before concluded with Vladislaus king of HVNGARIE Sigismundus king of POLONIA and the Venetians And thinking no care no not of children superfluous which might concerne the establishing of his empire he called vnto him fiue of his brothers sons Orchanes the sonne of Alem Schach Mahometes the sonne of Tzihan Schach Orchanes Emirsa and Musa the sonnes of his brother Mahometes all young princes of great hope of yeares betwixt sixteene and twentie excepting Musa who was not past seauen yeares old of all these Mahometes whom his vncle Achomates had a little before taken prisoner at LARENDA as is before declared and vpon the death of Baiazet had againe set him at libertie being about twentie yeares old was for rare feature and princely courage accounted the paragon and beautie of the Othoman family Which great perfection as it woon vnto him the loue and fauour of the men of warre and also of all the people in generall so did it hasten his speedie death onely Selymus his cruell vnckle enuying him life After he had got these poore innocents into his hands he sent for diuers of his great doctors and lawyers demaunding of them Whether it were not better that some fiue eight or ten persons should be taken away than that the state of the whole empire should with great effusion of bloud be rent in sunder and so by ciuile warres be brought in danger of vtter ruine and destrustion Who although they well perceiued whereunto that bloudie question tended yet for feare of displeasure they all answered That it were better such a small number should perish than that the whole state of the empire should by ciuile warre and discord be brought to confusion in which generall calamitie those few must also of necessitie perish with the rest Vpon colour of this answere and the necessitie pretended he commaunded these his nephewes before named to be led by fiue of his great captaines into the castle of PRVSA where they were all the night following most cruelly strangled It is reported that Mahometes with a penknife slew one of the bloudie executioners sent into his chamber to kill him and so wounded the other as that he fell downe for dead and that Selymus being in a chamber fast by and almost an eyewitnesse of that was done presently sent in others who first bound the poore prince and afterward strangled him with the rest whose dead bodies were buried at PRVSA amongst their auncestours The crueltie of this fact wonderfully offended the minds of most men insomuch that many euen of his martiall men filled with secret indignation for certaine daies absented themselues from his presence shunning his sight as if hee had beene some fierce or raging lyon Of all the nephewes of old Baiazet onely Amurat and Aladin the sons of Achomates yet remained whom he purposed to surprise vpon the sudden and so to rid himselfe of all feare of his brothers children hauing then left none of the Othoman familie but them and his two brethren vpon whom to exercise his further crueltie These two young princes had a little before recouered the citie of AMASIA from whence they were the Sommer before expulsed by their vncle Selymus at such time as Achomates their father was glad to flie into the mountaines of CAPADOCIA Selymus fully resolued vpon their destruction sent Vfegi one of his Bassaes with fiue thousand horsmen who by great journies trauelling to AMASIA might vpon the sudden come vpon these two young princes and take them altogither vnprouided and as then fearing no such danger which was thought no great matter for the Bassa to doe forasmuch as he might with his light horsmen easily preuent the fame of his comming and the citie of AMASIA where they lay was neither well walled nor as then furnished with any sufficient garrison for defence therof beside that Achomates himselfe was at that time absent busied in taking vp of souldiours vpon the frontiers of CARAMANNIA But Mustapha the old Bassa by whose especiall meanes Selymus had obtained the empire as is before declared in the life of Baiazet being priuie vnto his wicked purpose and now in mind altogither alienated from him detesting his most execrable tyrannie both for the vnworthy death of Baiazet his father and the guiltlesse bloud of so many young princes his nephewes by him shed without all pitie and hauing compassion of the imminent danger whereinto these two brethren were now like also to fall by secret and speedie messengers gaue them warning of the comming of the Bassa and of all that was entended against them Who vpon such knowledge giuen presently aduertised Achomates their father thereof and laid secret ambush themselues for the intercepting of their enemies So that within few daies after the Bassa comming with his horsemen towards AMASIA fell before he was aware into the middest of his enemies at which time also Achomates following him at the heeles so shut him in with his armie on euerie side that most of his men being slaine he himselfe with diuers other captaines were taken prisoners and brought to Achomates and by his commaundement committed to safe custodie Now it fortuned that some of Achomates souldiors scoffing at the prisoners whom they had taken told them how they had been deceiued and how all the matter had been carried so hard a thing it is to haue euen the greatest counsels in court kept secret boasting that they wanted not their friends euen of such as were most inward with Selymus who secretly fauoured the better cause and would not long suffer the cruell beast to rage further All which things Selymus his souldiours reported againe after they were raunsomed and returned home But Vfegi the Bassa lying still in prison and getting certaine knowledge of the whole matter by secret letters gaue Selymus to vnderstand that Mustapha the great Bassa whom he most of all trusted had secret intelligence with Achomates and had beene the only cause of the losse of his armie Selymus of late enuying at the great honour and authoritie of Mustapha and wishing him dead whose desert he was not able or at leastwise not willing to requite caused him vpon this accusation without farther triall to be secretly strangled in his owne sight and his dead bodie as it werein scorne of his former felicitie to be cast out into
pallace at CONSTANTINOPLE Enuie the fatall and cruell companion of princes immoderat fauours had with her prying eyes quickly discouered in court Solymans changed countenance vpon the great Bassa and began now to shew her gastly face They which before were most readie to doe him all the honor possible yea to haue laied their hands vnder his feet sought now by all secret meanes to worke his disgrace and confusion But of all others the two great ladies Solymans mother and the faire Roxolana ceased not by dayly complaints to incense Solyman against him the mother for that he had by his persuasion contrarie to her mind and her superstitious obseruations drawne her sonne into the dangers of the Persian war and Roxolana for that he most honoured and sought the preferment of Mustapha Solymans eldest sonne by another woman whereas shee aboue all things laboured by all subtill meanes to preferre Baiazet her owne sonne to the empire after the death of Solyman his father Which her designement she perceiued to be much crossed by the credit which the Bassa had with her Solyman and therefore did what shee might both to bring him out of fauour and to worke his destruction But that which most empaired his credit with Solyman was the common report raised of him by his enemies That he being in heart a Christian did in all things fauour the Christians a thing most odious amongst the Turkes and had for that cause craftely persuaded Solyman to take in hand the vnfortunat Persian warre And that which more encreased the suspition was That he about that time had caused one Marke Nicholas a Venetian marchant who had not without the suspition of some oftentimes come vnto him with letters and secret messages whilest he lay at BABYLON to be taken in the night and murdered at CONSTANTINOPLE and cast into the sea because hee should not discouer any thing that might be hurtfull vnto him Abraham thus brought in disgrace with Solyman was after the manner of the Turkish tyrannie bid to a solemne supper in the court about the foureteenth of March after which time he was neuer more seene It is reported that after supper Solyman fell into a great rage with him charging him bitterly That he had misgouerned the state inuerted his treasures to his owne priuat and as a traitor had secret intelligence with the Christian princes his enemies for proofe whereof Solyman with sterne countenance shewed him his owne letters which had by chance been intercepted oftentimes asking him in furious manner If he knew not that hand if he knew not that seale All which the Bassa lying prostrate at his feet humbly confessed and with many teares craued of him pardon But his hard heart was not by any prayers to be mooued for the same night as he was slumbring vpon a pallet in the court ouercome with heauinesse an eunuch cut his throat with a crooked knife which Solyman for that purpose had deliuered vnto him with his owne hand He was murdered sleeping because Solyman had in former time of his fauour solemnely sworne vnto him That he would neuer kill him whilest he liued By which oath the great Mahometane priest said he was not so bound but that he might kill him sleeping for as much as men by sleepe depriued of sence are for that time not to be accounted as liuing but as dead mans life consisting altogether as he said in liuely actions It is reported that after Solyman had looked vpon the dead bodie and bitterly cursed the same he caused a great weight to be tied vnto it and so cast into the sea His treasure and goods which were almost infinit were the next day all ceised vpon for the emperour and a small portion thereof appointed for his poore wife to liue vpon His death was no sooner known but that the vulgar people deuised of him infamous songs and slaunderous reports as of a traitour most justly condemned and in further despight with stones and mire defaced the trophies of the Hungarian victorie which hee had in most stately manner erected before his sumptuous house in CONSTANTINOPLE This was the wofull end of Abraham the great Bassa who whilest he stood in fauour with his prince was of all others accounted most fortunat wanting nothing but the name of the great Sultan but after falling into disgrace became the scorne of fortune and the lamentable spectacle of mans fragilitie He was murthered the 15 day of March in the yeare 1536. How the kingdome of TVNES was by Barbarussa the Turkes great admirall taken from Muleasses we haue alreadie told but how the same was againe taken from him by Charles the emperour a little before the returne of Solyman out of PERSIA remaineth now to be declared It was commonly reported and not without just cause feared that Barbarussa possessed of the kingdome of TVNES and supported by the power of Solyman would the next Summer not content himselfe with the spoile of the coasts of SPAINE SARDINIA and ITALIE as he had in former time but with all his forces inuade SICILIA the garnerie and storehouse of ITALIE and from thence attempt the conquest of the kingdome of NAPLES which it was thought he in his immoderat desires had longed much after To represse this his barbarous insolencie and to worke the safetie of the frontiers of the Christian kingdomes much subject to the rapines of the Turkish pyrats Charles the emperour resolued in person himselfe with a puissant armie to passe ouer into AFâ—RICKE whilest Solyman was yet busied in the Persian wars and by force of armes to dispossesse the pyrat of his new gotten kingdome in TVNES For the accomplishment wherof he caused souldiours to be leuied in all parts of SPAINE and came downe to BARCELONA with eight thousand footmen and seuen hundred horsemen farre sooner than was by any man expected amongst whom were many of the nobilitie of SPAINE with their followers most gallantly appointed but especially Ferdinand of TOLEDO duke of ALBA whose forwardnesse in that honorable action with the desire he had to reuenge the death of his father Garzias slaine before by the Moores at GIRAPOLIS gaue great hope euen theÌ„ vnto his countrymen That he would in time prooue a worthie chiefetaine as indeed he afterward did In the meane time Andrew Auria the great Admirall vnto whom onely for his approoued fidelitie and long experience the emperour had fully communicated what he had with himselfe before purposed had with wonderfull diligence and celeritie rigged vp a great fleet of ships and gallies so furnished with all manner of warlike prouision as might well haue suffised a great armie whereunto he joyned also his owne fleet of seuenteene gallies and three galeasses wherein he had embarked the flower of GENVA and LIGVRIA who with exceeding cheerfulnesse had voluntarily offered themselues to follow him their old Generall in that sacred expedition With this great preparation Auria came to the emperour at BARCELONA Thether came also
they requested Yet for that he did not without cause doubt of the Moores fidelitie and that the paiment of the money which they of TVNES had by Muleasses promised for the payment of the soldiors wages was by them craftily delayed expecting still the vttermost deuoire of Barbarussa he could not by any meanes be persuaded to promise them any certainetie of their safetie mooued also so to doe by the discontented speeches of his soldiors who spared not to say That they should bee hardly and vnkindly dealt withall if after so long trauell and so much paines taken both by sea and land they should be defrauded of the reward of the victorie sith nothing but only the hope of the present spoile did relieue and feed them being poore and miserable hauing scarce clothes to couer their nakednesse and their bodies spent with long labour and thirst so that the Moores of TVNES enemies of the Christian religion and the perpetuall receiuers of most horrible pyrats might worthily rejoice of the Christian victorie and the conquerours themselues for euer bewaile their owne calamities and miseries Whilest the emperour stood thus in doubt what to resolue vpon Vastius with a small companie came to the castle gate and was with wonderfull joy receiued in by the Christian captiues But as he was viewing the wealth and prouision laid vp in the castle a Ligurian captiue discouered vnto him where certaine treasure lay hidden for Barbarussa had there cast into a well thirtie thousand duckats sowed vp in bags which Vastius getting easily out obtained them of the emperour of gift as he whose good seruice had well deserued them The castle thus woon by a most rare chance and the captiues taking the spoile thereof the souldiors could no longer be stayed but that they entred into the citie by heapes running after the spoile into euery part thereof the citisens fearing no such matter and calling in vaine vpon the faith of Muleasses The souldiors at their first entrance slew many The Spaniards and Italians sought most after the spoile But the Germanes desiring more to glut themselues with the Mahometane bloud filled all places with dead bodies without regard of sex or age so that the prophane temples of their vaine prophet swam with the bloud of them that were fled into them Which furious execution continued vntill such time as the emperour moued with the pitifull request of Muleasses caused proclamation to bee made That no man should vpon paine of death hurt any citisen or take any prisoners yet for all that it could not otherwise be but that many yong men and women were by the marriners which were come to the spoile of the citie carried away to the fleet Muleasses for a little money redeemed diuers which he knew out of the hands of such as had them prisoners amongst others one of his wiues whom he sometime held dearest was ransomed for two duckats The emperour entering into the castle commended the captiues who were the occasion of that speedie victorie and giuing to euery one of them money set them at libertie promising vnto them shipping and prouision to bring them home euery man into his owne countrey Vnto the two manumised seruants of Barbarussa which were the authours of breaking the prison he gaue money and apparrell and afterward learned of them many things concerning Barbarussa his purposes and secret disposition In the spoile of the castle Muleasses lamented the losse of three things especially first the antient Arabian bookes containing the interpretation of the Mahometane law and the acts of the kings his predecessors the losse whereof Muleasses in the hearing of P. Iouius out of whom this hystorie is taken said as he reporteth that he would most gladly if it had been possible haue redeemed with the price of a citie Then the precious oyntments and perfumes with the wonderfull store of ambergrize muske and ciuet worth much gold all which Barbarussa as a rude and rough man had made no reckoning of And last of all the rare and rich colours for painting which lying by heapes were by the ignorant souldiors seeking for that might yeeld them present money foolishly neglected and troden vnderfoot seruing no man to good In this castle were found diuers headpieces other armor of the Christians namely of the French who with Lewes their king had about three hundred yeares before besieged that castle which armour had beene vntill that time there kept by the Moores in remembrance of that victorie against the Christians Barbarussa in the meane time was come to the riuer of Bagrada which the Moores call Maiordech which he easily passed ouer though he was pursued by certain Numidian horsemen whom Muleasses had raised of his old friends and of the followers of his vncle Dorax and sent them to pursue the Turks but Barbarussa so marched with his harquebusiers and archers placed in the rereward that the Numidian horsemen durst not come neere him and so in safetie came to HIPPONA as he had before purposed Yet in passing the riuer Bagrada he lost Haydin of SMIRNA that famous pyrat who being a fat man and wearied with the heat of the Sunne and painefulnesse of the journey dranke so much that he presently died vpon the banke of the riuer When Barbarussa was come to HIPPONA he rested his men two dayes then calling them together againe he comforted them with good words persuading them that whatsoeuer mischance had happened they should impute it not to the valour of the enemie but to the trecherie of the slaues exhorting them as valiant mâ—n patiently to endure that frowne of fortune and by some notable exploit to win againe her fauour for he was determined to put to sea with the fleet he had and to goe presently from thence to ALGIERS where after he had with new supplies increased his power and augmented his fleet and better aduised himselfe he would take an attempt in hand answereable to their desires and not vnbeseeming his owne credit and estimation It is reported that neuer vanquished and beaten captaine was with a more cheerefull acclamation answered by his souldiors than hee was at that present they all with one consent most willingly requesting him to commaund whatsoeuer pleased him which they would neuer refuse to vndertake were it neuer so heauie or dangerous so that they might be brought to some notable exploit Barbarussa vsing this exceeding cheerefulnesse and forwardnesse of his souldiors did with wonderfull celeritie weigh vp the foureteene gallies which he had sunke in the lake and forthwith rigged them vp and furnished them for all assayes and vpon the very brinke of the lake cast vp a mount of earth whereon he placed certaine pieces of artillerie for defence of the harbour not vainely conjecturing that the Christian fleet would in short time come thither to impeach his going out pointing therein as it were at the purpose of the emperour and Auria his Admirall who were of opinion That by sending
that it was well knowne that a peacocke and two feisants dressed after the manner of the kings kitchin cost aboue an hundred duckats so that not onely the dining chamber when they were carued vp but all the house was so filled with the strange and fragrant smell that all they that dwelt neere thereabouts were partakers of the pleasure of that vnusuall and delicat perfume From NAPLES he was about to haue trauelled by land to the emperour being then in conference with the Pope at BVXETVM fearing to aduenture the sea possessed by his enemies fleet had not the emperour by his letters willed him to stay still where hee was But whilest he made his abode at NAPLES and carefully attended what course Barbarussa would take who furnished with so great a fleet was departed from NICE disappointed of his purpose he was by certaine messengers aduertised out of AFFRICKE That Amida his sonne was risen vp against him and possessing himselfe of the kingdome had slaine his captaines polluted his wiues and taken the castle of TVNES With which newes he being exceedingly troubled determined without delay to passe ouer into AFFRICKE and though late yet as he might to remedie his domesticall troubles in hope to oppresse that rebellion in the beginning and his sonne also before he could gather any strength to rest vpon Wherefore he with all the hast hee could opened his cofers and entertained souldiors the viceroy giuing leaue to all such banished men as would to come and giue their names to passe ouer as souldiors into AFFRICKE vpon report whereof such a number of malefactors condemned persons came flocking to NAPLES that it was thought a sufficient armie might haue beene made of such kind of men euery one of them chusing rather to enter into pay and blot out the infamie of banishment and proue the fortune of warres than to liue wandering vp and downe in the woods and in danger euery houre to be hanged Of these infamous men one Ioannes Baptista Lofredius a man well borne but of a fierce and couetous disposition vndertooke the leading he couenanting with Muleasses to haue three moneths pay before hand leuied eighteene hundred men which he presently shipped and keeping the greatest part of their pay to himselfe passed ouer with the king into AFFRICKE and landed at GVLETTA But how Amida rise vp against his father and what was the end of that bloudie rebellion shall not be amisse briefely to rehearse There were certaine noble men of great authoritie about Amida when Muleasses departed which at their pleasure ruled the young prince who easily harkened vnto their counsell and followed the same the chiefe of these was one Mahometes sonne of Bohamer who in the raigne of Mahometes Muleasses his father was Maniphet whom Muleasses possessed of the kingdome put shamefully to death by cutting off his priuities because he had by hastie marriage deceiued him of Rhahamana a maiden of incomparable beautie the daughter of Abderomen captaine of the castle whom he most passionatly loued for which cruell fact Mahometes his sonne had of long time conceiued a deadly hatred against Muleasses which he had many yeares dissembled that he might as occasion serued be the more cruelly reuenged Next vnto him was another Mahometes surnamed Adulzes whom Muleasses was wont commonly to call his worst seruant These two with a few others conspiring togither gaue it out that Muleasses was dead at NAPLES and before his death had most irreligiously as they accounted it reuolted to the Christian religion With which report they perceiuing Amida moued came vnto him and persuaded him quickly to enter into his fathers seat least Mahometes his younger brother then lying in hostage with the Christians at GVLETTA should by the fauour and helpe of Touarres whose garrison was euer readie be preferred before him For Mahometes was eighteene yeares old resembling his grandfather in name fauour and disposition and therefore of the citisens of TVNES best beloued wherefore Amida came in post hast out of the campe to TVNES to lay first hand vpon his fathers kingdome The people which as yet had heard nothing of the kings death receiued him with doubtfull countenance and as many stood maruelling that he was so rashly come into the citie without his fathers commaundement Mahometes appointed by Muleasses to gouerne the citie came out and sharpely reproued him as guiltie of high treason persuading him to returne againe vnto the campe and seeing him stay by force of the multitude thrust him out of the citie Amida deceiued of his expectation got him out of the way into the pleasant country of MARTIA betweene VTICA and the ruins of old CARTHAGE But Mahometes Gouernour of the citie after he had repulsed Amida got him with all speed by water to Touarres at GVLETTA to know of him more assuredly if any such euill newes were brought from SICILIE of the death of the king and to complaine of the rashnesse and intollerable presumption of Amida Where staying somewhat long in discoursing with the captaine and afterwards returning to the citie he was suspected to haue practised with the captaine to make Mahometes the pledge in GVLETTA king in his fathers steed for so the common voice went The Moores are by nature a faithlesse people vnconstant hastie suspitious desirous of newes which true or false they for the time interpret as serueth best their factions whereunto they are exceedingly giuen So at the first there rise in the citie a doubtfull rumour of the making of a new king the suspition wherof more and more encreasing set all the citie on an vprore By occasion whereof certaine of the citisens to whom the verie name of Muleasses was odious speedily certified Amida then in the gardens of MARTIA sighing and grieuing at his hard fortune how all stood and that now was the time to doe himselfe good He reuiued with that vnexpected newes and encouraged by the persuasion of Bohamar and Adulzes and other his followers resolued to take hold vpon that good offer of fortune which would not alwaies frowne and to follow his good hap So in hast returning to TVNES and entring in at the gate which he then found open ran presently to the gouernours house and finding him not at home cruelly slew all his houshold and with his bloudie companie went presently to the castle where Fares the captaine seeking to haue kept him out and boldly laying hands vpon his horses bridle to haue thrust him backe was by a desperat Ethiopian one of Amida his followers thrust thorow with a sword and slaine ouer whose bodie yet sprawling Amida forcing his horse brake into the castle with his friends and finding Mahometes gouernour of the citie presently slew him also And so by this meanes Amida in the space of an houre a little before a man in despaire obtained the citie the castle and the kingdome togither After that he murthered his younger brethren and embrued with bloud without shame polluted his
she probably thought to wish the succession of the empire to one of her owne sonnes his wiues full brethren rather than to Mustapha her halfe brother Beside that she was not ignorant how that Rustan as one carefull of the emperors profit the readiest way to preferment had abridged the pensions and fees of the officers and seruitours in court which he perceiuing to please the emperour proceeded so farre therein that he attempted to haue cut off if it had beene possible some part of Mustapha his princely allowance for which doing she knew how odious he was to all the courtiers whereof he made small reckoning but especially to Mustapha insomuch that it was thought he would not forget so notorious an injurie if euer he should obtaine the empire Hereupon she brake with Rustan vpon the matter whom she found readie ynough of himselfe to doe what in him lay to further her mischieuous desire To begin this intended tragedie she vpon the sudden became very deuout and being by the fauour of Solyman growne exceeding rich pretended as if it had beene vpon a deuout zeale for the health of her soule after the manner of the Turkish superstition to build an Abbey with an Hospitall and a Church which so godly a purpose she imparted to the Muphti or cheefe Mahometane priest demaunding of him If such workes of charitie were not acceptable vnto God and auaileable for her soules health Whereunto the Muphti answered That those works were no doubt gracious in the sight of God but nothing at all meritorious for her soules health being a bondwoman yet very profitable for the soule of the great emperour Solyman vnto whom as vnto her lord both she and all she had appertained With which answere of the great priest she seemed to be exceedingly troubled and thereupon became wonderfull pensiue and melancholie her cheerefull countenance was replete with sadnesse and her faire eyes flowed with teares her mirth was mourning and her joy heauinesse Which thing Solyman perceiuing and sorrie to see his loue vpon conceit so to languish sent her word to be of good cheere and to comfort her selfe promising in short time to take such a course as should ease her of all her greefes which he forthwith did solemnely manumising her from her bond estate So great a fauour obtained Roxolana with great cheerefulnesse began those meritorious workes by her before intended as if she had thought of nothing but heauen whereas indeed her thoughts were in the depth of hell When she had thus a good while busied her selfe in pauing the way to heauen as was supposed Solyman not able longer to forbeare the companie of her in whom his soule liued after his wonted manner sent for her by one of his eunuchs who should haue brought her to his bed chamber to whom she with her eyes cast vp to heauen demurely answered That her life and whatsoeuer els she had was at her dread soueraignes commaund but againe to yeeld her bodie vnto his appetite she might not in any case do without the great offence of the high God and manifest breach of his sacred lawes which permitted her not now voluntarily to yeeld him that being free which he before without offence might commaund of his bondwoman and because she would not seeme to vse this as an excuse she referred her selfe in all things to the graue judgement of the learned and reuerend Muphti with whom she had before at full conferred This she did presuming of the soueraignetie she had ouer that great Monarch whom she right well knew she had so fast bound in the pleasing fetters of his affection towards her as that she was sure ynough of him without a keeper Solyman rauished with her loue and well the more for her deniall sent for the Muphti requiring his judgement in the matter who before instructed in all points agreed with that Roxolana had said agrauating the heinousnesse of the fact if he should proceed to enforce her as his slaue whom being now free he might not without great offence touch vnmarried Whereupon Solyman more and more burning in his desires became a fresh suter to her for mariage whom he had so often before commaunded which his sute easily obtained as the marke she had all this while aimed at he with all speed to the great admiration of all men and contrarie to the manner of the Mahometane emperors solemnely married her appointing for her yearly dowrie fiue thousand Sultanyns But here before we proceed any farther stay a while and take the view of that faire face whereon this great Monarch so much doted as it is by the skilfull workemans hand most liuely expressed ROXOLANA Solyman his best beloued wife Frontis nulla fides nulla est fiducia formae Pectore dum saeuo dira venena latent Philtra viro miscet fallax miserumque coegit Sanguine natorum commaculare manus RICH. KNOLLEVS To fairest lookes trust not too farre nor yet to beautie braue For hatefull thoughts so finely maskt their deadly poisons haue Loues charmed cups the subtile dame doth to her husband fill And causeth him with cruell hand his childrens bloud to spill This woman of late a slaue but now become the greatest empresse of the East flowing in all worldly felicitie attended vpon with all the pleasures her heart could desire wanted nothing she could wish but how to find means that the Turkish empire might after the death of Solyman be brought to some one of her owne sons This was it that had as we haue before said long troubled her aspiring mind and in the middest of all her blisse suffered her yet to take no rest Noble Mustapha Solymans eldest sonne and heire apparant of the empire although farre absent was yet still before her eies present his credit his valour his vertues his perfections were all bars to her desires he was the onely cloud that kept the sunne from shining on her if 〈◊〉 any meanes might be taken away then wanted nothing that she desired Which to bring to passe the wicked woman laboured cunningly by little and little to breed in Solymans head no small suspition of Mustapha That he being a young man of a hautie spirit desirous of soueraigntie generally beloued and swelling with the immoderat fauor of the men of warre which were all at his deuotion left nothing else to be expected of him but when he should as did his grandfather Selymus lay hand vpon the empire and worke his aged fathers destruction This mischieuous plot by her deuised was not a little furthered by Rustan the great Bassa by whom passed all great matters who nothing omitted that could be slily deuised for the disgrace or confusion of the young prince For he as a great secret craftily told all them that were sent gouernours into SYRIA that Mustapha was secretly suspected by his father of aspiring to the kingdome and therefore charged them particularly carefully to obserue all his actions
and with him a strong power of the soldiors of the court but if they would haue themselues excused that they should of themselues dispatch the matter before the comming of that aid This Partau lead after him certaine squadrons of souldiors not so many in number as notable for their fidelitie for Solyman had caused the most faithfull of his colonels captaines and corporals to be called out wisely doubting least his souldiors either led with affection or corrupted with reward might take part with him against whom they were sent For the common sort of the Ianizaries standing in suspence at the fame of Mustapha and the expectation of some great noueltie fauoured that broile and wished all on a hurly burly neither was the matter in deed without danger The Sanzacks after they had receiued this straight charge from Solyman considering how much it stood them vpon to make a speedie dispatch began now now to encourage one another to bestirre themselues to make all the speed possible and with all their power on euerie side to oppose themselues against the attempts of this new found Mustapha labouring to stay such as were comming vnto him and to disperse such as were readie come by shewing vnto them the greatnesse of the danger and threatning them with all extreamities In the meane time Partan Bassa came on with his armie and was not now far off when as in like case it oftentimes falleth out in things not yet sufficiently confirmed and by celeritie pretended the souldiors of the counterfeit Mustapha seeing themselues beset on euerie side began to feare and at first some few to slip away but afterwards all without regard of shame or of their promise to forsake their captaine and flie euerie man whither he thought best The captaine seeking likewise to haue made shift for himselfe was with the chiefe of his counsellors and followers taken by the Sanzacks and deliuered to the Bassa who with a strong guard sent them all in bonds to CONSTANTINOPLE where Solyman by most exquisite torments drew from them all the secret deuises of his young sonne Baiazet and that he had purposed after such a head made by this supposed Mustapha as he thought conuenient to haue vpon the sudden joyned himselfe with a great power and so as should best serue for his purpose to haue gone directly to CONSTANTINOPLE or els against his brother Selymus But whilest hee goeth somewhat too slowly about his businesse his vnripe counsels were by his fathers celeritie oppressed Of all which matter Solyman now thorowly assured caused the supposed Mustapha and his companions at midnight to be drowned in the sea thinking it not good to haue these things commonly knowne and to haue his domesticall wounds yet bleeding laid open to the view of his neighbour princes Neuerthelesse being mightily offended with Baiazet for so great an insolencie he ceased not to cast in his mind how to be reuenged vpon him which his wife Roxolana a woman of great wisedome was not ignorant of Who after a few daies at such time as the old mans furie was ouerpast falling of purpose into talke with him about the matter she laid togither in her sons behalfe and alleadged the vndiscreetnesse of youth the necessitie of the fact and the example of his auncestors in like case that it was so prouided for by nature that euerie man should be carefull of himselfe and his and that all men did indifferently shun death that young men were by euill counsell easily seduced and made to forget their dutie That it were reason he should forgiue him this first fault which if he amended then was it a great gaine for the father to haue saued his sonne but if he should againe fall into relapse there would not want time to punish him sufficiently for both faults And that if so be he would not pardon him for his owne sake yet he would vouchsafe to pardon him for hers entreating now for him for whom she had before groaned and not to be cruell vpon him one of the pledges of their loue in whom rested the bloud of them both for in what wofull case should she be if of those two sons all that God had left her the fathers seueritie should bereaue her of the one Wherfore she requested him to moderat his anger and to preferre his clemencie before his just indignation forasmuch as God himselfe of all power and might did not alwaies deale with sinners in seueritie but for most part in mercie whereas otherwise all mankind would not suffice his wrath And would mercie in any place be more fitting than in the father towards his child She promised further that Baiazet should from thenceforth remaine in most dutifull obedience towards his majestie and vpon his so great clemencie to conuert the feare wherein he now liued into a world of dutie and deuotion Honourable minds she said were retained with nothing more than with kindnesse and courtesie that the remembrance of that his fatherly forgiuenesse should be a stay vnto him for euer doing the like againe at last that she would promise for him and take vpon her that he should euer afterwards satisfie his fatherly expectation in all kind of dutie and loyaltie Which words mingled with teares and other womanly gestures so wrought with Solyman being otherwise too much in her power that he resolued to forgiue the fault yet so that he should come and submit himselfe and receiue from him his charge This carefull mother foreslowes no time but by letters secretly aduertised Baiazet not to feare to come vnto his father at such time as he should be sent for assuring him that there was no danger for that his father was by her meanes appeased and he againe brought into his father With which good newes Baiazet well comforted resolued to go at such time as he was sent for yet full of feare and oftentimes looking backe vnto his brother Mustapha whose dreadfull example sufficiently warned him what a danger he aduentured himselfe vnto Yet he came to the place appointed for the parley which was in a common Inne at a place called CARESTRAN a few miles from CONSTANTINOPLE for such is the suspitious maner of the Turkish tyrants of these times not to suffer any of their sonnes that be men growne to set their foot within the gates of CONSTANTINOPLE as dangerous for soliciting the souldiors of the court and so consequently for the altering of the state Baiazet was no sooner lighted from his horse but his fathers guard were presently readie to receiue him commaunding him to lay aside his sword and dagger which thing although it be an vsuall matter in others that are admitted to the presence of the Turkish emperour yet might it then in the mind of his guiltie sonne raise a great feare But his kind mother who had before foreseene in what feare and perplexitie he would come had conuaied her selfe into a chamber fast by the entrie of the same house as Baiazet
light vpon a companie of Italians who for a while fought desperatly but were in the end ouerthrown and slaine When he had thus cleared the wals and left such companies as he thought good in places conuenient for the keeping of them he came downe into the more open places of the citie and seeing them that were gathered together into the market place to haue cast themselues into a ring and to fight as men altogether desperat he caused certaine murthering pieces to be bent vpon them which they perceiuing layed downe their weapons and yeelded themselues vnto the mercie of the enemie By and by all the gates of the citie were strongly guarded by the enemie to the intent that no man should goe in or out Dandulus the Gouernour and Contarenus bishop of PAPHOS with the rest of the nobilitie and better sort of the citisens had got themselues into the towne hall and there stood vpon their guard vnto whom Mustaphaâ—ent â—ent word that hee would take them all to mercie if they would without further resistance yeeld themselues But whiles messengers run too and fro the Turks violently brake in vpon them and there slew them euery man After the death of these noblemen the cruell enemie spared none and hauing slaine such as they found abroad in the streets brake into the houses where they made hauocke of all things yong babes were violently taken out of the armes of their mothers virgins were shamefully rauished and honest matrones before their husbands faces dispightfully abused churches were spoyled and all places filled with mourning and dead bodies the streets were in all places stained with bloud for in the citie was slaine that day foureteene thousand eight hundred threescore and six persons Neither was there any end of the spoile vntill the greedie enemie had carried away all the wealth that long peace had heaped vp It is reported that the prey there taken amounted to twentie hundred thousand millions of duckats two hundred of the most goodly and beautifull youths were chosen out of purpose to be sent vnto CONSTANTINOPLE for a present for Selymus In the citie were taken also two hundred and fiftie pieces of great ordinance whereof some were by the enemie carried away and the rest left for defence of the citie Thus the famous citie of NICOSIA sometime the regall seat of the kings of CYPRVS fell into the hands of the Turks the ninth day of September in the yeare 1570 in whose power it still remaineth Mustapha hauing as he thought best disposed of all things in NICOSIA with the very terror of his name rather than by any force brought most part of the rest of the townes in the island vnder his obeisance and by faire entreatie and promise of good vsage brought backe againe vnto their wonted dwellings the rude countrey people who vpon the comming of the Turks were fled with all that they had into the mountaines them as men not to be feared he commaunded to till and sow their land as they were wont The citie of CYRENE is strongly situated not farre from the sea and was then well furnished of all things needfull for the enduring of a long siege Hither the Bassa sent one of his Sanzackes to summon the citie more to prooue the courage of the defendants than for any hope he had to haue the citie deliuered vnto him But Alphonsus Palacius then Gouernour of the citie terrified with the losse of NICOSIA no sooner saw the enemie but that without any further deliberation or force vsed against him he deliuered vp the towne vnto the Sanzacke couenanting only in reward of his cowardise That he might in safetie depart from thence with all his garrison souldiours which was easily graunted and the citie surrendered Not long after Mustapha leauing a thousand horsemen and three thousand foot in garrison in NICOSIA marched with the rest of his armie to besiege FAMAGVSTA And the more to terrifie them of the citie he by a poore countrey fellow whom he had for that purpose set at libertie sent vnto them in a basket the head of Nicholaus Dandulus late Gouernor of NICOSIA and at the same time sent before him diuers horsemen who vpon their horsemens staues carried the heads of many of the noblemen slaine at NICOSIA wherwith they rid as in triumph about the wals of the citie Which thing he did in hope that they of FAMAGVSTA terrified with such a spectacle and the late ouerthrow of NICOSIA would for feare of like miserie yeeld themselues But deceiued in this his expectation he encamped his armie about three miles from the citie Afterwards hauing taken view of the citie and well considered of the situation thereof he with wonderfull celeritie cast vp diuers mounts against the same and at the same time caused batterie to be layed against the great tower which defended the hauen he himselfe also in the mean while battering the gate that leadeth to AMATHVS But perceiuing by the desperat sallies of the defendants their great courage and that he was like to haue much more to doe in this siege than he had in the winning of NICOSIA and Winter also now drawing fast on being about the later end of September he thought it best betime to prouide that by lying there he hazarded not the honour he had with so much labour and danger before gained and the rather for that it was commonly reported that the Christian fleet was at hand wherefore he rise with his armie and retired himselfe further off into the countrey where he shortly after billitted his souldiors in the villages round about for that Winter The Bassaes at sea Haly and Piall lying before FAMAGVSTA doubting the comming of the Christian fleet which then lay at CRETE sent out six galliots to discouer the doings of the Christians who returning with certaine prisoners taken in the Island of CRETE declared vnto the Bassaes what they had learned concerning the Christian fleet and that it was alreadie vpon the way for CYPRVS Vpon which intelligence the Bassaes put their fleet in order of battell and set forward towards LIMISSO to haue met with the Christians who with a prosperous wind were comming betwixt the islands of CARPATHOS and the RHODES but there vnderstanding by their espials that NICOSIA was lost and that the Turks were come to besiege FAMAGVSTA they called a counsell of all the cheefe commaunders in the fleet to consult what were best to doe in so dangerous a case Columnius the Popes Admirall and then cheefe commander in the fleet with Zanius the Venetian Admirall were of opinion That it were best to hold on their course for CYPRVS and to relieue FAMAGVSTA for that it was like that the Turks proud of their late victorie were for desire of prey for most part gone ashore into the island and so left their fleet but slenderly manned Beside that they alleadged That the Venetian Senat had expressely decreed that they should giue the Turks battell
downe Euen so with many others moe must perish my renowne R. Knolls THE LIFE OF AMVRATH THE THIRD OF THAT NAME SIXT EMPEROVR OF THE TVRKES THe death of the late emperour Selymus was for feare of the insolent Ianizaries notably concealed by the great Bassaes vntill such time as Amurath his eldest sonne then in ASIA by speedie messengers aduertised thereof about twelue dayes after arriued at CONSTANTINOPLE and there receiued into the Seraglio tooke possession of the empire the fiue and twentith day of September solemne amongst vs Christians for the natiuitie of our Sauiour Christ Iesus He was about thirtie or as some write seuen and twentie yeares old when he began to reigne of a manly stature but pale and corpulent wearing his beard thin and long in his countenance appeared not the fierce nature of the Othoman princes being indeed himselfe of a peaceable disposition a louer of justice and in the manner of his superstition very zealous The roiot and excesse growne amongst the Turks by his fathers euill example he reformed by his owne temperance and the seuere punishment of notorious drunkards yet is it reported that he would oftentimes himselfe drinke plentifully of wormewood wine he was much subject to the falling sicknesse and sore troubled with the stone more spare handed than was for the greatnesse of his state and yeelding more to the counsell of his mother his wife and sister than of his great Bassaes which was of many imputed to him for simplicitie At his first comming to CONSTANTINOPLE to appease the murmuring of the Ianizaries grieued to see themselues so disappointed of the spoyle of the Christians and Iewes which they were wont to take in the vacancie of the empire he beside the vsuall largesse which the Turkish emperours at their first entrance into the empire bestow vpon them augmented also their dayly wages and graunted them this priuiledge That their sonnes as soone as they came to be twentie yeares old should be enrolled amongst the number of the younger Ianizaries and be partakers also of their immunities wherby he woon their fauors exceedingly And immediatly to rid himselfe of all competitours he after the vnnaturall manner of the Turkish policie caused his fiue brethren Mustapha Solyman Abdulla Osman and Tzihanger to be all strangled in his owne presence The mother of Solyman pierced through with the cruell death of her young sonne as a woman ouercome with sorrow desperatly strucke her selfe to the heart with a dagger and so died At which so tragicall a sight it is reported that Amurath let some teares fall as not delighting in such barbarous crueltie but that the state and manner of his gouernment so required In the beginning of his reigne he established diuers wholesome lawes altered the coyne and bountifully relieued the poore And albeit that he was of a mild and peaceable nature yet because he would not seeme to degenerate from the Othoman princes his progenitors he prosecuted his fathers warres and by the Tartars called Praecopenses in the moneth of October in the yeare 1575 entred into RVSSIA part of the Polonian kingdome where he burnt and destroyed two hundred noblemens houses besides an infinit number of townes and villages made great slaughter of the poore countrey people and carried away great numbers of cattell and prisoners bound in thongs made of raw hides But whilest they were deuiding the spoyle with Peter the new Vayuod of VALACHIA who had before solemnely promised to giue the Tartars no passage that way the Polonian Cossackes who had lien waiting for their returne vpon the riuer Borysthenes brake into the Tartars countrey and there requited them with like harme and brought backe with them a number of old captiues who little expected that their so sudden deliuerance The Polonians at this time were at variance among themselues about the election of their new king Henry Valois their late king being the last yeare after the death of Charles his brother the French king secretly stolne from them into FRAVNCE to take vpon him that kingdome after whose departure some of the Polonian nobilitie made choice of Maximilian the emperour othersome no lesse enclining vnto the choice of the great duke of MOSCOVIE and some vnto others also Whereof Amurath vnderstanding and loth that either of those two great princes his enemies should be inuested or strengthened with that so great a kingdome and so neere vnto him to hinder that their election and to bring in another of lesse power and so lesse dangerous vnto himselfe euen in the beginning of his reigne wrote vnto the Polonians to that purpose commending vnto them Stephen Battor the Vayuod of TRANSYLVANIA for their king in manner as followeth Amurath God of the earth Gouernour of the whole World the messenger of God and faithfull seruant of the Great Prophet vnto the most honourable Nobilitie and Counsellors of the kingdome of POLONIA greeting It is not vnto the world vnknowne most honourable and mightie Senatours our noble progenitours to haue of long time and for many yeares holden good friendship and religious leagues with the kingdome of POLONIA For which cause it hath seemed good and reasonable vnto vs to put you in remembrance of this so auntient a league and bond of friendship for that we vnderstand your kingdome to be of late become destitute of a king by the departure of the noble king Henry your crowned king descended of the royall race of the French kings our friend who for the small regard you had of him so great and worthie a prince and for your disloyaltie is departed out of your kingdome without purpose of returning any more into POLONIA Whereupon as it is reported vnto vs but how truly we know not you passing ouer your said crowned king Henry are about to make choice of a nâ—w king and especially of Maximilian the emperour or of the duke of MOSCOVIE both men of running wits and of vs greatly hated for why you may well know they will bee troublesome and grieuous not vnto euery one of you onely but euen vnto vs also Wherefore be you ware that you be not deceiued and take heed least your confederations and leagues cannot long by their valour and prowesse be established and withall consider well the great dangers and losses which you may thereby fall into whereof we haue thought good to giue you a tast wherefore beware that heauier things befall not your State We know there are right noble and wise men amongst you which know better than they how to rule and gouerne and if so be it please you not to make choice of any of your owne nation there is not farre from you one Stephen Battor prince of TRANSYLVANIA a man of great honour and valour by whose labour and dexteritie you may easily procure the peace and quiet of your kingdome Whereas if you shall doe otherwise we take to witnesse your God and his seruant our Great Prophet to
destroy all your wealth and goods which together with you selues your wiues and children shall be giuen for a prey vnto our souldiors with the cheefe men of your cities of CRACOVIA and LEPERIS which for all that we say not as any thing at all doubting of your fidelitie and constancie towards vs. As for the rest which it pleased vs by word of mouth to haue told vnto you we haue giuen charge vnto this our embassadour and counsellour vnto whom our desire is that you should giue full credence From CONSTANTINOPLE the last of September in the yeare of our Prophet Mahomet 983 and first of our reigne This the great Sultans commendations so much preuailed with the Polonians that notwithstanding that Maximilian the emperour was by the Archbishop of GNESNA and some others chosen king yet was that his election by the greater part of the Nobilitie reuoked and both he and the great duke of MVSCOVIE being passed ouer the noble princesse Anne of the most honourable Iagellonian house chosen queene of POLONIA yet with this condition That she should marrie Stephen the Vayuod of TRANSYLVANIA to them by Amurath commended Who afterward elected king all the time of his life right worthily gouerned that noble kingdome not onely defending the same in such state as he found it but also notably extending the bounds thereof enlarging it with such territories as he by force of armes got from his neighbours especially the Muscouite Of this election Amurath would oftentimes afterwards boast and say That he had giuen the Polonians their king But of him and of the league by him made with Amurath more shall be said hereafter The yeare following great troubles arose in PERSIA whereby the flourishing state of that most mightie kingdome was sore shaken and opportunitie giuen for the Turkish emperour to inuade the same which he laying hold vpon entered into that bloudie warre which to the great quiet of the Christian commonweale for long time after exercised the forces of those most puissant princes one vpon the other For the better vnderstanding wherof it shall not be amisse compendiously to set down the same troubles of the Persian kingdome the very ground of the long and mortall warre betweene those two most mightie Monarchs Old Tamas the Persian king sonne to the noble Hismaell who with great glorie had more than fiftie yeares worthily gouerned that large kingdome and mightily withstood the often inuasions of the Turkish emperours now spent with yeares died the eleuenth of May in the yeare 1576 leauing behind him eleuen sonnes namely Mahomet the eldest of an infirmitie in his eies surnamed Codabanda a man of a peaceable and quiet disposition more delighted with the sweet pleasures of a contented life than the carefull honors of so great a kingdome Ismahel the second sonne of a more fierce and troublesome nature so much abhorring quietnesse that not regarding the league hardly concluded betwixt his aged father and the Turkish emperours Solyman and Selymus he would now and then without his fathers knowledge vpon a youthfull heat breake out into the frontiers of the Turkes dominions and there make great spoyle for which doing although he was both of his father and the people the more regarded yet was he by his fathers commaundement who in outward shew seemed to mislike of those his youthfull prankes tending to the breach of the league restrained of his libertie and sent to the castle of CAHACA betwixt TAVRIS and CASBIN where he remained at the time of his Fathers death Aidere the third sonne no lesse ambitious than was his brother Ismahel but not of like valour kept by Zalchan Piry Mahamet and other his kinsfolkes all men of great power and authoritie The other eight were Mamut Solyman Mustapha Emanguli Alichan Amet Abrahin and Ismahel the younger The old king before his death had by his last will and testament solemnely appointed Ismahel his second sonne to succeed him in the kingdome as of all his sonnes most â—it to take vpon him so great a charge Which thing Mahomet his elder brother seemed not much to dislike contenting himselfe with such honours as his father had before bestowed vpon him Tamas thus dead Ismahel was by the Sultans sent for to CAHACA to take vpon him his fathers kingdome at CASBIN when in the meane time there arose a great tumult in the citie yea euen in the kings pallace for Aidere the third brother who in the time of his fathers greatest sicknesse had entered the chamber where he lay drawing towards his end and in his sight most presumptuously set the royall crowne vpon his head to the manifesting of his ambitious desires for which he was then worthily reproued now after the death of his aged father carried headlong with the same aspiring humour and supported by Zalchan and other his mightie fauourits had so effectually dealt with the great ladie Periaconcona his eldest sister and the other Sultans counsellours 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 preserued for Ismahel but by the helpe of some fine and secret deceit This ladie Periaconcona elder than all the young princes the sonnes of Tamas her brethren a woman of great spirit and deepe conceit left in great trust by her father seeing the proceeding of her brother Aidere durst neither openly to mooue any thing vnto the Sultans prejudiciall to his designes neither could she in her heart endure so great an injurie to be done to her brother Ismahel appointed by his father to succeed him Wherfore in this perplexitie she cast in her wily head how to satisfie her ambitious brother present how to saue the right of Ismahel absent the honour of her dead fathers will and testament and the safetie of the kingdome For hauing throughly debated the matter with the Sultans she resolued That Aidere inuested in royall apparrell and setled in the great gallerie should attend the acclamation of the people and be there openly enthronised as the very elected king With which vaine shew the vnwise youth blinded with ambition suffered himselfe to be led and being set in his majestie verely persuaded himselfe that he should now be honoured both of his friends and foes as king But vnto these his so hastie and prosperous designes the successe that sprung from the subtiltie of those counsellours and his dissembling sister were nothing conformable for that she by their aduise tooke order for the gates of the pallace to be presently locked leauing at euery passage a sure guard and onely one wicket open safely warded with a companie of most faithfull and valourous captaines and souldiours wholly deuoted to Tamas and Ismael with streight charge to suffer euery man to enter in sauing onely the knowne friends of Aidere In this sort did she thinke to haue entertained the young man vntill such time as Ismahel should arriue from CAHACA and
so put in execution what he thought best for the honour of himselfe and the generall quiet of the kingdome Who joyeth now but Aidere in conceit a king replenished with vnwonted joyes receiuing honour from all men sauing from his best friends By meanes wherof perceiuing now the prohibition of them and moued also with the great stirre of Zalchan his greatest fauourit who discouering the deceit and crying vpon king Aider threatened the ladie the Sultans and the rest that waited vpon the faigned succession indeed ordained but for the scorne and despight of the ambitious man strucken with an exceeding feare and full of sorrow he withdrew himselfe closely amongst certaine women of the Court hoping so to find some way to escape with life In the meane time so greatly encreased the cries and threatenings of the friends and fauourits of Aidere who now had all of them prepared themselues for some dangerous and pernitious attempt that the counsellors with consent of the ladie his sister were enforced to take order That to bereaue this tumultuous seditious people of all their hope and courage Aidere should be depriued of his life Whereupon Sahamal the Georgian vncle to Aidere by the mothers side by the appointment of the ladie 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 lockes strucke his head from his shoulders and in the place where Zalchan and the rest of his vnâ—ortunat fauourites stood crying and threatening amongst the thickest prease of the proud conspiratours flung the head all bloudie and as it were yet breathing for heat crying aloud vnto them Behold there your king enioy him at your pleasure At which sudden and horrible spectacle euery man burned in rage and anger neither for the present wanted there many a rash head that vainely threatened most cruell reuenge But in the end when they perceiued the neere succession of Ismahel ineuitable and the death of Aidere irreuocable euery man betooke himselfe to his owne priuat affaires and so at last deuided themselues one from another and so departing from the pallace scattered themselues some one way some another euery man as hee thought best for his owne safetie Shortly after Ismahel the desired king arriued at CASBIN where he was of his sister and the Sultans joyfully receiued as their lawfull and vndoubted soueraigne and with the great acclamation of the people saluted king who as soone as he saw himselfe possessed of the royall seat and his power now answerable to his desires he after the manner of the Turkish pollicie most vnnaturally caused the heads of his eight yonger brethren to be strucken off and withall vsed such further diligence that not onely all those which were neere vnto them in bloud or affinitie were bereaued of their liues but also all the fauourits of his late slaine brother Aidere were destroied in that publicke slaughter so that all the streets of CASBIN were defiled with bloud and all the citie resounded with mourning and complaints Which vnexpected crueltie altogether vnworthie so worthie a thought king so altered the minds of his subjects in generall that all their former hopes were now conuerted into new feares and their joy into mourning But much greater and farre more lamentable did the miseries grow as soone as it was giuen out That hee would change the religion of the Persians who with great deuotion honor their foolish Prophet Aly into the superstition of the Turks who with no lesse impietie obserue and maintaine the wicked rites of Ebubekir Haumer Osman and others by them supposed to be the most true successours of their great Prophet Mahomet For by meanes of this vncouth noueltie and vnexpected change and by force of an edict concerning that matter published by this new king many of his prophane priests many of the gouernours of his friendly and subject cities too much deuored to their former superstition were driuen some into exile some clapt into prison some had their eyes pluckt out among whom was the Caliph of CASBIN and not a few others in sundrie sorts depriued of their liues Yea many ladies joyned in bloud with Ismahel himselfe and diuers others of his kinsfolks to whom neither sex nor age nor innocencie could be a sufficient defence endured sundrie torments and strange calamities so that in PERSIA was neuer felt greater troubles or a more dangerous change In this so great an innouation and among these tumults there went abroad withall a generall rumour not in the cities of PERSIA onely but in the regions of the Turks also euen as farre as CONSTANTINOPLE That Ismahel with a puissant army of such as fauored this new proclaimed vanitie was determined in person himselfe to go to BABYLON now called BAGDAT there to receiue the crowne of the empire at the hands of him that he should find to be the successour of their great Caliph and in the chiefest place among their vncleane priests as had sometime Solyman the great emperour of the Turkes and the Persian kings of auntient times In this world of troubles when as the feare of farther miseries increased rather than any hope of auntient quietnesse he was when he least feared by the helpe of the aforenamed ladie Periaconcona suddenly bereft of his life but whether ouertaken in some of his owne amorous practises or poisoned by his said sister or that she as some probably affirme hauing secretly conspired with Calil Chan Emir Chan Pyry Mahamet Curchiâ— Bassi being all at that time men of great account and as it were presidents of the kingdome who disguised in womens apparell and brought in by her strangled him at such time as he had priuatly withdrawne himselfe amongst his parmours is vncertaine Howsoeuer it was sufficeth it that he by the helpe of the said ladie Periaconcona was by vnnaturall death taken out of this world the foure and twentith day of Nouember in the yeare of grace 1577 to the exceeding joy of all those nations who by his death thought themselues now freed of many great and dangerous troubles when he had raigned one yeare seauen moneths and six daies Ismahel thus taken out of the way the ladie began forthwith to persuade with the great Sultans the ministers of Ismahels death that as they had for the generall good of PERSIA contriued the death of the late king so now that they would take vpon them the protection of that great kingdome with the preseruation of the majestie and libertie thereof vntill such time as it were knowne who should worthily succeed in that crowne which now remained in their hands There was at that time many of the greatest princes and Gouernors of that kingdome assembled at CASBIN there gaping after such mutations of those troublesome times as might best serue their priuat dessignes Emir Chan burning in ambitious desires was in hope by means of a match to be made with a sister of Periaconcona
who was alreadie greatly enclining vnto him to be exalted to the soueraigntie of all PERSIA Mirize Salmas the chiefe Sultan hoped on the other side to aduance into the estate either Mahamet Codabanda the eldest brother of the dead king or else Hamze the eldest sonne of the said Mahamet and by bestowing vpon him his daughter in marriage as afterwards he did so to encrease the glorie of his house Others there were that thought they should be able to draw Abas Mirize the middlemost sonne of Mahamet out of HERI and to make him king Neither wanted the infant Tamas his aspiring friends whose tutour waited likewise for some opportunitie to settle him in the kingdome and so by meanes of his greatnesse to make himselfe greatest amongst his fellowes A number of others there were that secretly waited vpon euerie occasion that time should present for their preferment Howbeit in this so great varietie of thoughts the Sultans answered the ladie with one consent and promised her in most liberall tearmes all the protection that their forces could affoord or their weapons procure and yet did euerie one of them both in action and word clearkly dissemble their seuerall imaginations whereunto their minds were as prone and readie as their hearts were cunning closely to conceale them Amurat the Turkish emperours now wakened first at the death of the old renowmed Tamas and then at the rumour of the desire Ismahel had to passe with an armie to BABYLON as also at the fresh report of the Turkish superstition newly published in PERSIA and withall throughly instructed what harme this late king had done in PERSIA what dissentions he had raised and how hardly the prouinces of that empire had endured those calamities began forthwith to thinke hereby a faire occasion to be ministred vnto him to take vp armes against the Persians and matter sufficient suggested for him to put in execution the great desire he had of some new conquest For it is an antient custome which is grown to be as it were a law amongst the Othoman kings That they may not challenge their due honours in their life time nor their prowd monuments after their death vnlesse they attempt some great and ambitious actions and enterprises and performe some exploit conformable to their majestie Amurath therefore bent vpon these great stirs in PERSIA would not direct his mind any other way or take any other war in hand vntill he might first see what issue these maruellous innouations in PERSIA would bring forth which in the person of Mahamet the succeeding king seemed to be more pregnant than euer before and ministred vnto Amurath new occasions of victorious and strange hopes For as soone as Ismahel was dead the aforenamed Mirize Salmas in dignitie chiefe man among the Sultans though in bloud and nobilitie inferiour to them all after many letters dispatched to and fro at last assured Mahamet Codabanda how with all quietnesse of mind and securitie of person he might come and possesse himselfe of the kingdome He was also aduertised by the said Salmas of the whole conspiracie plotted against his brother to bring him to his end and likewise made acquainted how the fraudulent ladie with the Sultans had capitally consulted against himselfe and how she fauouring Emir Chan and Abas Mirize of HARI her nephew and his sonne more than became her did little regard the due and rightfull succession of him being the eldest brother So Mahamet bearing himselfe vpon the faith and diligence of Mirize Salmas and desirous withall to see his eldest sonne Hamze Mirize aduanced to some such soueraign dignitie as he saw was due to the liuely hope euerie man perceiued to be in him in regard of his vertue and prudence for mannaging the common-wealth and matters of warre wherein also he shewed himselfe vnto his father jealous and suspitious least some other man should vsurpe vpon him that honour and authoritie which so properly appertained vnto him resolued in the end not to leaue the kingdome in the hands of priuat persons nor the lightnesse of an vnconstant woman of suspected modestie and a rebellious conspiratour against her owne bloud wherwith she had without any pittie or remorse of conscience now twise defiled her selfe And therefore he wrote backe againe That he was minded to take the rightfull succession vpon him and that for the same purpose he was putting himselfe vpon his journey with straight charge notwithstanding that Mirize Salmas should before his entrance within the gates of CASBIN present him with the mischieuous head of Periaconcona a woman in respect of the scorne exercised against her brother Aidere and of the treacherous death of her other brother Ismahel and of the peruerse imaginations which she had conceiued to cause the succession to fall into other mens hands and of the prodigall familiaritie which she had with some of the Sultans well worthie of a thousand deaths Secretly did Mirize Salmas put in execution whatsoeuer Mahamet had priuatly enjoined him so that by his means he was presently and solemnly proclaimed king of PERSIA And afterwards hauing gathered togither many squadrons of men wholy deuoted to the bloud and name of Mahamet the same Mirize Salmas met him on the way carrying the head of that manlike Virago Periaconcona vpon the point of a launce with her haire dispersed and some other vncouth sights to the terrour of the beholders From which nouelties one mischiefe as it were hudling vpon the necke of another there sprung vp diuers inward hatreds sundrie tumultuous seditions and much ciuile warres this new king by the instigation of Mirize Salmas seeking on the one side to be reuenged on the Sultans for his brothers death and they on the other side opposing themselues with all their power against him the state of PERSIA began to fall into great inconueniences and of these nouelties to reape new losses Sahâ—mal the Georgian fled into his mountaine of BRVS fearing the wrath of this new lord Leuent ogli likewise an other of the lords of GEORGIA vnderstanding of the flight of Sahamal his neighbour estranged himselfe so farre from his old loue and auntient deuotion towards the Persian kings that he seemed now to desire some new innouation The nations also that were neighbours to the Turkes and the people of MEDIA ATROPATIA now called SIRVAN disliked of this new king and in the end it appeared that PERSIA vnder this king through many mutations was in short time fallen into most notable miserie and the state thereof more weakned than it had been of long time before Of all these things had Amurath from diuers places intelligence but more particularly from Vstreff of VAN a citie of ARMENIA the greater situat vpon the lake Actamar who sent him most perfect information of all the stirs in PERSIA Discoursing vnto him of the death of Ismahel the consultations of the Sultans the trecheries and death of Periaconcona the broiles betweene the king and the Sultans the nature of
with continuall snowes leauing on his left hand MEDIA IBERIA and CHOLCHIS and on the right hand the famous riuers of Tanais and Volga euen at his first entrance vnto the shores of the Euxine sea he was by the abouenamed twelue thousand Tartarians being apparrelled like theeues that lie vpon those wayes suddenly assailed and fought withall But like as an huge rocke lying open to tempests and waues standing fast and vnmoueable in it selfe resisteth the thunderings and rushings of the great and fearefull billowes so stood Osman fast and firme and couragiously sustained this trecherous assault turning the bold countenances of his resolute souldiors against the rebellious multitude of those traiterous squadrons who as is their manner in the beginning vsed great force but finding so stout resistance in those few whom they had thought with their onely lookes and shoutings to haue put to flight they began at length to quaile Which Osman quickly perceiuing couragiously forced vpon them and in a very short space and with a very small losse of his owne put those Tartarians to flight killing a number of them and also taking many of them prisoners by whom Osman was afterwards informed as the truth was that their king for feare that he had conceiued least when he came to CONSTANTINOPLE he would procure his destruction from Amurath had sent this armie to seeke his death Of which treason Osman caused a perfect processe to be made together with the depositions of the Tartarian prisoners which he sent the shortest way he could deuise to Amurath at CONSTANTINOPLE with letters declaring all that had passed enflaming him to reuenge so grieuous an injurie and so wicked a practise Amurath receiuing these aduertisements from Osman according to the necessitie of the matter tooke order that Vluzales his Admirall with certaine gallies well appointed should passe ouer to CAFFA to fetch Osman and withall to carrie with him Islan a brother of the Tartar kings commaunding Osman by letters that he should to the terrour of others put to death the treacherous king and place his brother in his roume This Tartar king was one of those mightie princes who basely yeelding to the Othoman power led vnder them a most vile and troublesome life as their tributaries and vassals alwayes at commaund whose yonger brother Islan presuming of the sufficiencie of himselfe and the fauour of the people going to CONSTANTINOPLE became a suter vnto the Turkish emperor to haue his eldest brother thrust out of his kingdome as a man for his euill gouernment hated of his subjects and to be placed himselfe in his roume Which his sute was so crossed by the embassadours of the king his brother who spared for no cost in the behalfe of their master that the ambitious youth was sent from the Turks Court to ICONIVM and there clapt fast vp in prison where apparrelled like an Eremit he led his life altogether conformable to his miserie with such a kind of externall innocencie as if he had beene void of all hope or ambitious desire of a kingdome but rather like a forlorne and vnhappie wretch with vaine affliction and impious deuotion to prepare himselfe to a laudable and honourable death But whilest he thus liued sequestred from all worldly cogitations vpon the discouerie of the king his brothers rebellion he was in more than post hast sent for to CONSTANTINOPLE and put into the gallies bound for CAFFA with letters to Osman of the tenor aforesaid Now in the meane time Osman had by cunning meanes got into his hands this Tartar king being as is reported betrayed by his owne counsellours corrupted with the Turkes gold whom with his two sonnes Osman vpon the receit of the aforesaid letters from Amurath caused to be presently strangled with a bowstring and Islan his younger brother to be saluted king in his place yet as vassale to Amurath This shamefull death the vsuall reward of the Turkish friendship was thought justly to haue happened vnto this Tartar king for that he not long before supported by Amurath had most vnnaturally deposed his aged father from that kingdome just vengeance now prosecuting his so great disloyaltie Osman embarking himselfe in the forenamed gallies at the port of CAFFA passing ouer the Euxine sea and entering into the Thracian Bosphorus arriued at CONSTANTINOPLE where he was receiued with great pompe and singular significations of good loue But with most euident and expresse kinds of joy was he saluted by Amurath himselfe when by his owne speech and presence he declared vnto him euery particularitie of the matters that had happened in his long and important voiage and in liuely manner represented vnto him the perils and trauels that he had passed and the conquests that he had made in SIRVAN After all which discourses Amurath who longed after nothing more than to see the Persian king somewhat brideled and the famous citie of TAVRIS brought vnder his own subjection began to enter into conference with Osman about that enterprise and in the end would needs throughly know of him what issue he could promise him of this his desire and in what sort by his aduice and counsell the forces should be employed and the armies disposed for the subduing of that citie which ouerall the nations of the world was so famous and so great an honour to the Persian kingdome To all which demaunds his answere and resolution was That for so much as the matters of GEORGIA were now well setled the trecherous passages by the new built forts assured and the prouince of SIRVAN vnder his obedience established there was now no cause why he should any longer foreslow so famous an enterprise but by the conquest of TAVRIS erecting of a fort in that proud citie to bring a terrour vpon all PERSIA and to raise a glorious renowne of so mightie a conquest among the nations of EVROPE for the accomplishment whereof he thought that either the same armie or at the most a very little greater would suffice so that it were raised of the best and choisest souldiors By reason of one of the letters which Sciaus Bassa had written to the late Tartar king and by the instigation of the young Sultan Mahomets mother jealous of the neere alliance of the great Bassa with her husband as prejudiciall and dangerous to her sonne Amurath had in the open Diuano depriued the said Sciaus from the office of the cheefe Visier and hardly pardoning him his life at the intercession of his wife being his sister had banished him the Court so that he liued afterwards about CALCEDON vpon the borders of ASIA not far from CONSTANTINOPLE in a close pallace he had there built for his owne pleasure in whose roume he appointed Osman to be cheefe Visier and to honour him the more nominated him the Generall of his armie against the Persians Such power hath vertue that euen from the very scum of the rascall sort and out of the rusticall rout of
was accordingly done and those incursions for a while staied and the former peace continued Amurath still making shew as if he were willing that the league agreed vpon for eight yeares should not be in any wise on his part infringed At which time the Persian kings sonne the league not long before concluded died in the Turkes Court where he lay in hostage whose dead bodie Amurath caused to be honorably sent home to his father into PERSIA with an Apologie in defence of himselfe against the suspition conceiued by some that he should haue beene the cause of the vntimely death of that young prince still vrging withall the confirmation of the league which by the death of the prince was like enough to haue been broken Whereof Amurath was the more desirous for that persuaded by his Bassaes as is aforesaid to make warres with the emperour although he notably dissembled the same he was in hope thereby to adde vnto his empire the reliques of HVNGARIE with some good part of the territories of the house of AVSTRIA also and so to open himselfe a way into the heart of GERMANIE For which purposes he now caused very great preparation to be made and a strong armie to be raised and at the same time put a great fleet of gallies into the Archipelago for the safetie of his islands in that sea According to these designments the Bassa of BOSNA by the commandement of Amurath with an armie of fiftie thousand entred into CROATIA and without resistance burnt and destroied the countrey before him sparing nothing that came in his way And not so contented laid siege to the citie of WIHITZ being the metropoliticall citie of that countrey strongly situat as it were in an island compassed about with the riuer Yna Which citie after he had sore battered and twise assaulted was by the distressed defendants now despairing of reliefe and vnable longer to hold it out yeelded vnto the Bassa vpon composition That the Germain souldiors there in garrison might in safetie with bagge and baggage depart and that such of the Christian citisens as would might there still remain without hurt from the Turks either in bodie or goods Which conditions the Bassa faithfully performed to the garrison souldiors whom in number but foure hundred he sent with safe conuoy into their owne territorie but afterwards contrarie to his faith and promise exercised all manner of Turkish tyrannie vpon the poore citisens The emperour troubled with this vnexpected inuasion of the Turkes sent the lord Petzen whom he had many times employed in embassages to the Turke to pray aid of the Germain princes against the common enemie who according to the greatnesse of the danger in large tearmes promised their helpe The first that made head was Ernestus archduke of AVSTRIA the emperours brother who with fiue thousand souldiors came from VIENNA to SAVARIA commonly called GREIS the Metropolis of STIRIA to whom repaired daily more strength out of CARINTHIA In the meane time the Turkes armie daily encreasing in CROATIA enclosed six thousand footmen and fiue hundred horsemen of the Christians who had taken the mountaines woods and strait passages and so straitly beset them that of all that number few escaped with life amongst whom many valiant souldiors and expert captaines were slaine namely Iames Prants George Plesbach and Iohn Weluerdurff The Bassa after the barbarous manner of the Turkes to make his victorie more famous laded six wagons with the heads of the slaine Christians The Turkes thus raging in CROATIA brought a generall feare vpon all HVNGARIE BAVARIA BOHEMIA STIRIA CARINTHIA SILESIA and the rest of the prouinces thereabouts Whereupon the emperour calling togither the States of SILESIA and MORAVIA declared vnto them the imminent danger persuading them to joyne their forces with the rest for the repulsing of so dangerous an enemie and so imminent a danger After long delay Ernestus the archduke the tenth of August came to the emperour his brother with the embassadour of HVNGARIE and the seauenth day after were called togither the embassadours of the kingdomes and prouinces of the empire where it was throughly debated how the Turkes were to be resisted and their attempts infringed as also from whence forces money and other warlike prouision was to be raised For now it was manifestly seene that longer to delay the matter was dangerous and the rather for that the Beglerbeg or great commaunder of GRaeCIA with threescore thousand select souldiors both horse and foot of long time exercised in the Persian warres was ere long expected who joyning with the rest of the Turkes armie might doe great matters both in HVNGARIE and the places adjoyning For preuenting of which so great and manifest dangers they sat daily in counsell at PRAGE yea oftentimes euen from morning vntill night for the Hungarians and especially the lord Nadasti a most noble valiant gentleman amongst them instantly vrged to haue succours sent into HVNGARIE for as much as the Turkish emperour if he should get into his hands the rest of the townes and castles yet holden by the Christians in HVNGARIE it was to be feared least he should in short time after endanger the whole State of GERMANIE the strength whereof the Turke feared not so much as hee did those poore reliques of HVNGARIE Others were no lesse carefull of the dangers of CROATIA and STIRIA as more proper to themselues the enemie now there raging In these so great dangers the Hungarians with the rest of the distressed cried vpon the emperour for helpe and he likewise called vpon the princes of the empire Diuers assemblies were made in BOHEMIA HVNGARIE MORAVIA SILESIA and the other prouinces of the emperours and embassadours sent from almost all the Germane princes to the emperour all was full of consultation but as for helpe that came in verie slowly yet such as was to be had was forthwith sent into CROATIA to defend the fortresses there against the farther attempts and proceedings of the furious enemie The eighteenth of September the Turkes with all warlike prouision vpon the sudden by night assaulted the strong castle of TOCCAY in the vpper HVNGARIE in hope to haue surprised it but finding it a matter of more difficultie than they had before imagined they departed thence and attempted the lesser COMARA which standing in a marrish ground was also easily defended At which time also the Bassa of BVDA with his power entred into the frontiers of the Christians but hauing well viewed the cities townes castles and forts vpon those borders and finding nothing for his purpose he without any thing doing returned againe to BVDA The six and twentith day of September Hassan the Bassa of BOSNA encamped with his army betwixt the riuers of Kulp and Sauus and in the darknesse of the night passing ouer part of his armie into TVROPOLIS with fire and sword most miserably spoiled all that pleasant and fertile island the lord Bonny to whom the keeping thereof was committed
enemie they were enforced for that time to giue ouer the assault begun Which storme was no sooner ended but that two thousand of the Turkes both horse and foot to keepe the Christians otherwise busied suddenly issuing out of the citie charged vpon the Stirian horsemen who presently relieued by the men at armes so welcommed them that hauing lost an hundred and threescore of their men they were glad with more speed to retire than they came out But seeing some of the Christians that so hardly pursued them some slaine and some hurt from the wals taking heart againe the next day being the eleuenth of Nouember they sallied out againe where albeit that a great number of them were slaine yet fell they out againe the third day also and were againe by the Countie Thurn with great losse of their men beaten backe into the citie where in pursuing of them the Christians were by certaine Ianizaries laid close for that purpose suddenly assailed and dangerously gauled the Countie himselfe being hurt in his left arme and some other captaines slaine In all which sallies although the Turkes were still put to the worse yet thereby they gained time in some good sort to repaire againe their breaches Shortly after the Imperials thus lying at the siege certainly enformed that a world of the fierce and rude Tartars by the incitement of the Turke hauing made themselues way through VALACHIA were comming as farre as TEMESWAR to relieue BVDA thought it not best especially now that Winter was come to abide the comming of that so great a Northern tempest but betimes whilest they had yet space to raise their siege and be gone Which they did the sixteenth of Nouember leauing the Water-citie with all that they had got about BVDA againe vnto the enemie onely PESTH they furnished with victuals and all things else necessarie leauing therein almost ten thousand souldiors in garrison for the defence thereof against the Barbarous enemie As for ADOM it was strengthened with a garrison of Hungarians only with their wages offered to be paid before hand which for all that they refused to accept alleadging that for the great danger this place was exposed vnto aboue others they could not safely take their oath for the defence thereof yet offering withall to vndertake the charge and to doe what beseemed valiant souldiors in such sort as that all men should well vnderstand that nothing euill should happen thereunto through their default or negligence The siege of BVDA for feare of the Tartars thus giuen ouer and the Imperials departed and gone the Turkes forthwith came downe out of the higher citie into the lower declaring their joy for the recouerie thereof by the often thundring of their great ordinance with diuers other signes of triumph But whilest in their jollitie they spared not by the mouth of the cannon to send commendations to them of PESTH they from them againe receiued the like but in such rude manner that the Turkes wearie of such greetings requested them to spare their shot and powder and quietly to liue by them as became neighbours for that Winter vntill the next Spring at which time it was to be thought that this strife should be ended by their Emperours the weaker yeelding vnto the stronger either the one or the other citie Yet for all this their great joy their cheere in BVDA was not great victuals by this siege being become so scarce that it was by the Turks feared That if the Christians had there longer lien they should for verie want haue been enforced to haue yeelded the citie Of which their need their friends not ignorant and hauing made what prouision they were able for their reliefe were with a great conuoy bringing the same towards BVDA whereof the garrisons of COMARA and STRIGONIVM hauing intelligence went presently out and meeting with the Turkes in the midway betwixt ALBA REGALIS and BVDA ouerthrew the conuoy and carried away all that prouision of victuall like vnbidden guests making themselues merrie with that which was neuer prouided for them These doubtfull warres of HVNGARIE with the generall reuolt of TRANSYLVANIA much troubled Mahomet the great Sultan but nothing like vnto the wrrres he had in ASIA against the Scriuano and the rebels his followers the euill successe whereof as most dangerous to his state so much tormented his haughtie mind as that it would scarce suffer him to thinke of any thing else For the rebell encouraged with the successe of the late yeares warres and still growing stronger and stronger by reason of the great number which allured with the sweet name of Libertie hope of prey or the good entertainment by him giuen daily more and more resorted vnto his campe had this yeare ouerrun a great part of the Turkes dominions in ASIA putting all to fire and sword that stood in his way ransacking also diuers walled and fenced citties by the way as he went Which hee might the more easily doe for that the Ianizaries of ALEPPO and DAMASCO with many other their partakers and fauourits which might greatly haue hindered his proceedings were at the same time also vp in armes and togither by the eares amongst themselues to the great benefit of the Scriuano who in the middest of the course of these his desired fortunes fell sicke of a naturall disease and so died By whose death the rebellion was no whit appeased as commonly in like case it falleth out and as was then of many expected but in short time grew to be both farre greater and more dangerous than before for the Scriuano was no sooner dead but that a yonger brother of his no lesse warlike and couragious than himselfe to the great contentment of the rebellious stept vp in his place fiercely prosecuting the warres his brother had before him taken in hand Against whom Hassan Bassa by commaundement from the Grand signior with a great armie setting forward with hope in that newnesse of his commaund to haue oppressed him and so to haue quenched that so spreading a fire at length met with him that was easie enough to be found and joyning battell with him was by him in a great and bloudie fight ouerthrowne and slaine togither with his whole armie except such as by speedie flight saued themselues from the furie of their fierce enemies So that Mahomet the great Sultan now enforced to employ his best commaunders and souldiors into those parts for the subduing of him hath for that cause called Mahomet the Visier Bassa out of HVNGARIE to serue against this new rebell but with what successe I leaue it to be hereafter told by my selfe if God giue life or by some other that better can as time shall reueale the same The rebell in the meane time following the course of his victorie made hauocke of all as he went taking vnto his owne vse all such tribute as was in those countries and others also further off due vnto the great Sultan hauing of late exacted
by Mustapha aduertised of the successe of the Persian warres 938 g. consulteth of his proceeding therein 941 e. dischargeth Mustapha of his Generall ship and calleth him home to Constantinople 946 l. appointeth Sinan Generall for the Persian warres 951 b. in despight of Sinan appointeth Mahamet Bassa Generall for those wars in his stead 957 e. circumciseth his eldest sonne Mahomet 957 a. displaceth Sinan Bassa and casteth him into exile 962 l. appointeth Ferrat Generall for his warres in Persia. 665 d. sendeâ—h for Osman Bassa into Siruan 974 h. maketh him chiefe Visier and Generall of his armie into Persia. 976 k. in disporting himselfe with his Muts takeÌ„ with a fit of the falling sicknesse 977 d. causeth great triumph to be made throughout his Emâ—pire for the winning of Tauris 996 h maketh choice againe of Ferrat Bassa to succeed Osman Bassa dead in the Persian warres 999 b. concludeth a peace with the Persian king 1005 b. his answere to the letters of Sigismund the third king of Polonia 1004 h. glad himselfe to yeeld to the insolencie of the Ianizaries 1005 f. his letters to Elizabeth Queene of England 1006 k. persuaded by his Visier Bassaes to take some new warre in hand 1007 c. in doubt whom first to begin withall 1008 k. resolueth to make warre vpon the Emperour with the reasons leading him thereunto 1014 k giueth leaue to Hassan Bassa of Bosna as it were without his knowledge to picke quarrels with the Emperour and so to disturbe the peace m. sendeth home the bodie of the Persian hostage dead in his Court 1015 c. proclaimeth warre against the Emperour 1023 f. the proud and blasphemous manner of his denuntiation of warre 1024 h. he dreameth 1028 l. sick of the falling sicknesse 1048 h. dieth 1053 d Andrew king of Hungarie maketh an expedition into the Holy land 88 k. bathing himselfe in the riuer Iordan returneth with all his power l. Andronicus aspireth to the Empire 43 d. ouerthroweth Angelus sent against him with a great power by Alexius the great President 44 l. encampeth ouer against Constantinople 45 a. taketh vpon him the gouernment and tyranniseth 47 b. causeth Mary the daughter of Emanuell the Emperour with her husband Caesar to be poysoned e. causeth Xene the faire Empresse to be vniustly condemned and strangled 48 k. by his fauourits and flatterers ioyned in the fellowship of the Empire with Alexius the young Emperour 49 c. depriueth Alexius of the Empire and causeth him to be strangled 50 h. destroieth the Nobilitie to establish his estate i. seeketh in vaine to appease the people in a tumult risen vp against him 52 h. forsaken of his flattering fauourits flieth is taken and brought backe in chaines to Angelus 53 c. committed to the furie of the people who with extreame crueltie put him to most shamefull death 54. Andronicus Palaeologus 〈◊〉 younger exceedingly beloued by 〈◊〉 Andronicus his grandfather 158 h. by the persuasion of Syrgiannes conspireth against his aged grandfather 159 f. being sent for commeth vnto him secretly armed with purpose to haue slaine him 160 k. secretly flieth out of Constantinople 161 b. proclaimed traitour and proscribed c. stirreth vp the people of Thracia to rebellion d. reconciled to his grandfather 164 i. crowned fellow in the Empire with his grandfather m. againe conspireth against his grandfather 165 b. his craftie speech vnto his grandfathers embassadours 167 c. seeketh in vaine by night to haue beene receiued into Constantinople 169 e. is receiued into Thessalonica 170 g. taketh in the greatest part of Macedonia and Thracia m. by treason entereth into the citie of Constantinople 171 e. forbiddeth his captaines and souldiors to violate the maiestie of the old Emperour or any about him 172 i. humbleth himselfe vnto his grandfather 173 a. euill persuaded committeth him to straight keeping 174 g. wounded in the battell with Orchanes at Philocrene 180 m. by his owne departure from his campe discomfiteth his whole armie 181 a Andronicus Palaeologus the old Emperour in restoring againe the Greeke ceremonies by his father before altered falleth into great troubles 146 h. sparing to maintaine his nauie weakeneth his Empire k. suspitious of his brother Constantine l. by taking him away leaueth the East side of his Empire to be spoiled by the Turks 147 e. reposing more trust in forraine aid than in his owne subiects greatly burteth his state 149 b. immoderatly fauoureth his nephew Andronicus 158 h. setteth Syrgiannes to obserue his doings 159 a. sendeth embassadours vnto him 161 d. in his trouble as of an heauenly Oracle asketh counsell of the Psalter and so maketh peace with his nephew 164 h. enformed of the euill meaning of his nephew forbiddeth him to come into the citie 166 g. his notable speech vnto the Patriarch and the rest of the bishops and Nobilitie concerning the young Emperour his nephew 168 k. forsaken of the Patriarch and some others of the Bishops 169 b. reposeth his whole trust in God 172 i. his pitifull request vnto the young Emperour his nephue l. by him depriued of his imperiall dignitie 174 g. falleth blind h. against his will made a Monke and called Anthonie k. his notable answere vnto the catching question of the proud Patriarch l. enforced to sweare neuer againe to resume vnto himselfe the Empire 175 d dieth 176 g. his death by many prodigies foreshowne h. Antioche described 18 h. by the Patriarch betraied to Saladin 65 a Apulia spoiled by the Turks 671 f Ares Chan hanged 939 a Artillerie of exceeding greatnesse made by Mahomet at the siege of Scodra 418 g. Asam-Beg with his armie ouerthrowne taken prisoner by Scanderbeg 383 f Asmehemedi iustly rewarded for his trecherie 478 k Assan Aga derideth the messengers sent vnto him from Charles the Emperour 719 b. taketh the Spaniards to mercie 724 k. Auria with his fleet doth the Turkes great harme in Peloponnesus 626 h. besiegeth Corone and hath it yeelded vnto him 627 a. taketh and ransacketh Patras with the castles of Rhium and Molycreum c. returneth to Genua e. troubleth the Turks fleet and taketh twelue of their gallies full of Ianizaries and of Solymans other best souldiors 672 l. braueth Barbarussa in the bay of Ambracia 688 g. shamefully flieth with his fleet 689 e. dieth 787 c Austria spoiled by the Turke 616 i. Altenburg taken k. Austria sore wasted by Cason 621. Axalla â— Christian in great fauour with Tamerlan and his lieutenant Generall in his warres against the Turke 214 h. taketh Baiazet the great Turke prisoner 219 d. without resistance taketh Prusa 221 b. ouerthroweth one of the Turks Bassaes with the slaughter of thirtie thousand Turks 235 d B BAbylon taken and sacked by the Tartars 113 b. with the countries of Mesopotamia and Assyria yeelded to Solyman 651 a Baiazet the first why surnamed Gilderun or lightning 195 f. succeedeth his father Amurath in the Turkish kingdome 203 b. inuadeth Seruia c. by Ferises his lieutenant spoileth Valachia f. oppresseth most of the Mahometane princes the successors
Caire 589 d. by Solyman sent as Generall of his armie to Malta 794 l. landeth at the port Marza Siroc in the isle of Malta 796 k. besiegeth the castle S. Elmo 797 a. assaulteth the castle e. in vain giueth a second assault 798 g. with losse assaulteth it the third time m. in most furious manner battereth it by the space of eighteene dayes and assaulteth it the fourth time 799 c. with great furie giueth the fift and most terrible assault vnto the castle 801 a. with all his power giueth the sixt and last assault 802 i. winneth the castle 803 a. exerciseth most barbarous crueltie vpon the bodies of the slaine knights b. in vaine assaulteth the castle S. Michael 809 c. at one time assaulteth the new citie and the castle S. Michael 810 i. he by messengers certifieth Solyman of the successe of the siege 811 a. leaueth nothing vnattempted 812 i. at once assaulteth the townes S. Angelo and S. Michael and in both places notably repulsed 813 a. giueth a fresh assault and entâ—reth the new citie 814 g. with a great slaughter driuen out againe i. desperately assaulteth the towne of S. Michaell 815 c. repulsed raiseth his siege 817 a. put to flight by the Christians c. hauing lost about foure and twentie thousand of his Turkes at the siege departeth from Malta d. he with Piall Bassa impugneth the counsell of Muhamet the chiefe of the Visieâ— Bassaes and persuadeth Selymus to inuade Cyprus 839 c. for his hatred against the Christians made Generall of his armie for the inuasion of Cyprus 846 g. his letters vnto the Venetians in the isle of Cyprus i. he landeth his armie in Cyprus m. besiegeth Nicosia 848 c. in vaine persuadeth them of Nicosia to yeeld 850 k. he encourageth his souldiors and giueth a most terrible assault 851 a. winneth the citie e. besiegeth Famagusta 852. raiseth his siege b. returneth againe to the siege 862 m. after many assaults hath the citie by composition yeelded vnto him 866 m. shamefully and contrarie to his faith before giuen murthereth the valiant Gouernor Bragadinus 867 b tyranniseth vpon his dead bodie d. by Amurath made Generall of his army against the Persians 929 d. commeth to Erzirum e. mustereth his armie in number an hundred and ten thousand strong 930 g. relieueth his souldiors distressed by the Persians 931 c. maketh a bulwarke of the heads of the slaine Persians d. he surueyeth his armie at Archichelec and lacketh fortie thousand of his men 932 k. fortiâ—ieth Teflis 933 a. looseth ten thousand of his forragers 934 h. reuengeth their death l. his notable answere vnto his mutinous souldiours 935 b. looseth eight thousand of his men in passing the riuer Cannac c. famine in his hoast e. he fortifieth Ere 's 936 g. sendeth Osman Bassa to take in Sumachia and Derbent h. relieueth his distressed garrison at Teflis m. his armie in great miserie in passing the straits of Georgia 937 c. commeth to Erzirum and dischargeth his armie 938 g. maketh preparation for the next yeares warres 942 k. assembleth his armie at Erzirum 943 d. in three and twentie daies fortifieth Chars f. sendeth succours to Teflis 944 c. returneth to Erzirum there dischargeth his armie 945 d. discharged of his Generallship and called home to Constantinople 946 l. maligned by Sinan 949 a. dealeth warily with the messengers sent of purpose to haue strangled him d. appeaseth the displeasure of Amurath e. dieth suddenly 952 k Mustapha Solyman his eldest sonne in great estimatioÌ„ with the people 757 b sent Gouernour into Caramania d. maligned by Roxolana e. in danger to haue been poysoned 760 k. sent for by his father warned of his present danger e. conferreth with his doctor 762 g. troubled with his melancholie dreame k. commeth to his fathers tent 763 a. in the sight of his father most cruelly strangled c. his son Mahomet strangled also d. a prouerbe taken from his death 765 c Mutius Tortona a Spanish captaine raiseth a mutinie in the Christian fleet at Paxo 873 c. Tortona and his Ancient hanged d. Muzalo by Theodorus the Emperour appointed Gouernour to his young sonne Iohn 100 g. enuied by the nobilitie is traiterously murthered in the Church 111 a N NAupactum otherwise called Lepanto in vaine besieged by the Turks 413 b. yeelded to Baiazet 459 c. Neapolis the first regall citie of the Othoman kings 143 b Negligence seuerely punished 856 g Neocastron built by Mahomet the Great 339 d. Neritos now called S. Maura taken by the Venetians 462 k Nice taken by the Turks 142 k. recouered by the Christians 180 g. againe surprised by the Turks 181 c. by Orchanes made the regall seat of his kingdome 183 e Nicholaus Catalusius prince of Mitylene turneth Turke and is executed 364 k Nicholas Keretschen corrupted betrayeth Giula to the Turks 824 i. the traitor iustly rewarded k. Nicephorus Botoniates displaceth his master the Emperor Michaell Ducas and taketh vpon him the Empire 11 e Nicomedia yeelded vnto the Turks 183 c Nouigrade yeelded vnto the Christians 1030 l. O OThoman of greater courage and spirit than his other brethren the sonnes of old Ertogrul 135 d. amorous of Malhatun a countrey maid f. in danger for his loue 136 k. by generall consent chosen Gouernour of the Oguzian Turks 137 d. surpriseth the castle of Calce 138 h. fighteth a battell with the Christians at Opsicium k. winneth the castle of Cara-Chisar and killeth the captaine m. setteth in order his little commonweale 139 c. killeth the captaine of Cupri-Chisar e. his death contriued by the captaine of Bilezuga 140 i. turneth the trecherie deuised against himselfe vpon the head of the captaine that deuised it whom he killeth and surpriseth his castle 141 e. surpriseth the castle of Iar-Chisar e. taketh the castle of Einegioll and cruelly executeth the captaine 142 g. by the good administration of iustice strengthneth his gouernment h. taketh the citie of Nice k. taketh vpon him the honour of a King or Sultan 143 a. maketh Neapolis his regall seat b. in a great battell ouerthroweth the Christians 143 c. besiegeth Prusa d. whilest the Greekes are at discord among themselues layeth the foundation of the great Othoman empire that now is 162 g. 166 k. dieth and lieth buried at Prusa 177 a. the wealth he left vnto his sons Orchanes and Aladin 179 c Orchanes his father Othoman yet liuing manageth the Turks kingdome 179â— surpriseth the castle of Tzupri-Chisar 180 g. fighteth a doubtfull battell with Andronicus the Greeke Emperour at Philocrene m. surpriseth Nice 181 e. hath Nicomedia yeelded vnto him 183 c. committeth the gouernement thereof vnto his son Solyman c. first of the Turks that built monasteries e. subdueth the countrey of Carasina 184 h. dieth 187 b Orchanes Mahometes two of Baiazet his nephewes ouerthrowne by Chelife and Techellis the rebels 471 c Osman Bassa by Mustapha made Gouernour of Siruan taketh Sumachia 936 h. hath Derbent yeelded vnto him i. by the Persian prince driuen out of Sumachia flieth
c. after the death of young Bohemund created King of Antioch 26 i Tarsus in Cilicia yeelded vnto Baiazet 446 m. Tartar Han his letters vnto the King of Polonia 1083 c Tauris yeelded to Selymus 512 c. who contrarie to his promise exacteth a great summe of money from the Taurisians and so departeth 513 a. sacked by Solyman 651 f. taken by the Turks 991 d. hath a new castle therin built by the Turks in six and thirtie daies 992 i. miserably spoiled l. Taurica Cheâ—sonesuâ— with the Tartars Precopenses and Dâ—steâ—ces subdued by the Turks 412 m Techellis inuadeth the Turks dominions 469 c. ouerthroweth Orchanes and Mahometes Baiazet his nephewes 471. discomfiteth Caragoses the Viceroy of Natolia 472 i. killeth Alis Bassa 474 l. flieth into Armenia 475â— robbeth a Carauan of marchants and therefore burnt at Tauris 476 h. Temeswar taken by the Turks 756 g Temurtases Baiazet his lieutenant in Asia taken prisoner by Aladin the young King of Caramania 208 k. againe set at libertie hangeth the Caramanian King m. Teufenbach taketh Sabatska 1026 k. winneth Filek 1027 c. besiegeth Hatwan 1032 g. ouerthroweth the Bassa of Buda h. giueth the same Bassa a second ouerthrow 1037 f Theobald King of Nauarre maketh an vnfortunat expedition into the Holy land 99 f. with Lewis the French King goeth against the Moores 118 k. in his returne dieth of the plague in Sicilia l. Theodorus Lascaris flieth into Bythinia and possessing himselfe of many countries taketh vpon him the name of the Greeke Emperour at Nice 84 l. he killeth Iatâ—atines the Turkish SultaÌ„ 87 c Theodorus Lascaris son to Iohn Batases chosen Emperour 108 m. aideth the Sultan of Iconium 109. c. falleth sicke and dieth 110 g Theupulus Earle of Paphos vnworthily hanged by the faithlesse Bassa Mustapha 867 d Thracia spoiled by the Turks 156 g Tomombeius by the generall consent of the Mamalukes chosen Sultan of Aegipt 533 d. maketh great preparation against the Turks and seeketh to entrap them 538 g. his deuices discouered i. he fighteth a great battell with Selymus and is put to the worse 540 m. raiseth new forces at Caire 541 c. fortifieth Caire 542 k. fighteth a great battell in the citie 545 b. ouercome flieth 546 h. driuen out of Caire raiseth new forces in Segesta 547 d. distresseth the Turks in passing the bridge made ouer Nilus 549 b. giueth anotable attempt to haue gained the bridge f. repulsed and put to flight 550 i. taken and brought to Selymus l. tortured and shamefully put to death m. Trapezond yeelded to Mahomet the Great 360 k. Transyluania giuen by Solyman to the child King Iohn his sonne 716 l Tripolis in Barbarie besieged by Sinan Bassa 753 a. battered b. the weakest places thereof and â—ittest to be battered by a fugitiue Christian discouered to the Turks d. vpon hard conditions yeelded to the proud and faithlesse Bassa 755 d Tunes besieged by Lewis the French king 119 a. yeelded to Charles the Emperour 667 c. by him vpon an easie tribute againe restored to Mulcasses 669 d. againe yeelded to the Turks 915 d. Turks their originall beginning diuersly reported 1 c. discended from the Scythians 2 b. the causes why they left their auntient and naturall seats in Scythia to seeke for other in countries more Southerly 2 l. where they first seated themselues in Asia after their departure out of Scythia 3 b. their first kingdome erected in Persia by Tangrolipix their first Sultan 4 l. the Turks first called into Europe by the Catalonians 152 g. they differ not from the Persian about the interpretation of their law but about the true successor of their false prophet Mahomet only 462 i. Turqueminus chosen Sultan of Aegipt 106 h. Tzihanger refuseth the noble Mustapha his brothers wealth treasure offered him by his father Solyman and for sorrow killeth himselfe 763 e V VAlachia when first spoiled by the Turks 204 g. inuaded by Mahomet the Great 362 g. oppressed by the Turks 1050 h. in great troubles 1143 d Valmes fortified by Mahomet the Great 402 g. Valetta the Grand master of Malta aduertised of Solymans purpose for the inuasion of him his knights 793 f. his effectuall speech vnto his knights 794 g. his great preparation against the Turks comming k. his whole strength 796 g. he certifieth Garzias of Toledo Viceroy of Sicilia of his estate l. sendeth a new supplie into the castle S. Elmo twice before assaulted by the Turks 798 g. disappointed of a supplie to haue beene brought him by his owne gallies h. his letters to Garzias the Viceroy of Sicilia 800 g. he sendeth three of his knights to know the state of them in the castle S. Elmo 801 e. encourageth his souldiors after the losse of the castle 803 c. his Christianlike letters to the Gouernor of the citie of Melita â— his resolute answere to the messengers sent vnto him from the great Bassa 804 i. he receiueth a small supply from Sicilia 805 f. maketh hard shift to send newes of his distresse to the Viceroy of Sicilia 808 l. his comfortable speech vnto his souldiors at such time as the Turks were entered the new citie 814 h. his great carefulnesse 817 e. his letters to the Grand Prior of Almaine concerning the manner of the Turks proceedings in the siege of Malta 818 g Venerius the Venetian Admirall and Barbadicus their prouiditor persuade the rest of the Christian confederats to giue battell vnto the Turks at Lepanto 871 d. comming to the reliefe of Don Iohn is encountered by Partau Bassa 879 a. in danger b. at the request of the Spaniards displaced but not disgraced 887 e the Venetians with a great fleet spoile the coasts of Lycia Pamphilia and Cilicia 19 a. in the deuision of the Greeke Empire amongst the Latines had for their share all the rich islands of the Aegeum and Ionian with the famous island of Candie or Crete 84 h. enter into confederation with other Christian princes against the Turke 389 e. they with their confederates doe the Turks great harme 407 d. receiue a great ouerthrow from the Turks at the riuer of Sontium 414 k. their marchants in Syria imprisoned by Campson Gauruâ— the Aegiptian Sultan 471 b. their Senatours diuersly affected towards the confederation with the Emperour and the French King against Solyman 693 d. they refuse to yeeld vp Cyprus vnto Selymus demanding the same 841 e. make great preparation for their own defence and craue aid of the other Christian princes 842 k. what princes promised them aid l. wearie of the delaies and crosse dealing of the Spaniards their confederats conclude a peace with Selymus without their knowledge 904 k. Veradinum besieged by the Turks 1106 h relieued by the lord Basta l. Vesprinium taken by the Turks 1025 c Vfegi Bassa taken prisoner 500 l. put to death 501 b Vicegrâ—de taken by the Christians 1072 i Victor Capella with a notable speech persuadeth the Venetians to take vp arms against Mahomet the Great 387 a Vienna by Solyman
to inuade Tâ—â—es The emperours great preparations for the inuasion of â—â—nes Andrew Aâ—ria the emperours Admirall Alphonsus Daâ—â—lus Vastius Generall of the land forces The emperour passeth ouer into Affricke Barbarussa aduertised the comming of the emperour is much discouraged Iâ— hiâ—â—age he executeth Aloysius Praesenda Barbarussa encourageth his souldiors Barbarussa hiâ— chiefe captaines The scituation of Guletta The Christian army landeth 〈◊〉 Guletta Salec â—allâ—eth 〈◊〉 â—pon the countâ—e and the 〈◊〉 The countie 〈…〉 right hand sent to Barbarussa The Spaniards reioicing at the â—uerthrow of the Itaâ—ianâ—â— are 〈…〉 by Tabacches Vastius hiâ— speâ—ch to the Spanish captaines The Turks â—ally againe 〈◊〉 of Guletta Giafâ—er capâ—â—ine of the Ianizaries slaine Guletta furiously battered Guletta assaulted by the Christâ—ans Guletta â—oon and Barbarussa his fleeâ— taken Barbarussa â—â—geth The short answere of Sinan the Iew to Barbarussa Muleasses commeth to the emperour The Oration of Muleasses to Charles the emperour The emperours answere to Muleasseâ— The behauior of Muleasses His opinion and counsell concerning the present warre The Spanish light horsemen put to flight The emperour restoreth the battell and with his owne hand rescueth Andreas Poâ—tius of Granadâ— The emperour aduised by his counsellours to returne home The resolute answere of the emperour The emperour marcheth toward Tunes The souldiors for greedinesse of water disorder their march A draught of water sold for two duckats Barbarussa in field against the emperour Vastius commandeth the emperour Barbarussa flieth to Tunes Barbarussa in mind to kill all the Christian captiues iâ— dissuaded by Sinan the Iew. The Christian captiues breake prison and driue the Turkâ— out of the caâ—â—le of Tunes Tunes yeelded to the emperour Tunes spoiled by the Christians Three things especially lamented by Muleasses in the spoile of the castle of Tunes Barbarussa â—lieth to Hippona and there comforteth his souldiors Auria sendeth certaine gallies to intercept Barbarussa Barbarussa â—scapeth to Algiers The kingdome of Tunes is by the emperour restored to Muleasses The emperour returneth with victorie into Italie 1537 The Aegyptian kings about to let in the red sea into the Mediterranean Dium a castle of the Portingals in the East Indies in vaine assaulted by the Turkes The â—â—â—cherous dealing of Solyman the eunuch Bassa with the kings of Arabia Solyman incâ—ted by the French embassadours to inuade Italie Solyman with an armie of two hundred thousand men commeth to Aulonâ— Solyman sendeth Lutzis and Barbarussa with his fleet to inuade Italie Castrum in Apâ—lia yeelded to the Turkes and by them contrarie to their faith spoiled The Turkes spoile Apâ—â—ia Iunuâ—beius with two gallies driue by the Venetians vpon the Acroceraunian rocks Auria taketh twelue of the Turkes gallies full of Ianizaries and Solymans other best souldiors Iunusbeius Barbarussa Aiax incense Solyman against the Venetians Solyman conuerteth his forces from the Italians against the Venetians Solyman in danger to haue been slaine in his â—enâ— in the middest of his armie Solyman inuadeth the Island of Corcyra Good iustice done by Solyman The Turks depart from Corfu and carrie away with them aboue sixteen thousand Christians into captiuitie Aegina with thâ— other islands of the Aegâ—um spoiled The blunt speech of a Turke sent by Lutzis Bassa vnto the duke of Naxoâ— Naxos becommeth tribuâ—â— iâ— vnto the Turk◠〈◊〉 Bassa 〈◊〉 by Solyman 〈◊〉 exiled The Turks spoile the Veâ—etians and the Venetians â—hem likewise Mahometes Gouernour of Belgrane An euill assureâ— peace King Ferdinand breaketh his league with the Turkes Cazzianer Generall of king Ferdinandâ— armie Mahometes Gouernour of Belgrade aided by the other Turkâ— captaines A slow march Cazzianer commeth to Walpo The Turkâ— skiâ—â—mish with the Christians The Christians come within the sight of Exek The Turks skirmish with the Christians in passing the forrest Mahometes wisely refuseth to fight with the Christians offering him battell Balthasar Pamphilus his counsell for releefe of the armie Balthasar taketh the towne of Hermande The castle of Hermande yeeldâ—d to the Christians Cazzianer to retire with more host would haue broken his greaâ— ordinance The Turkes â—ore 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 in their retire A generall feare in the Christians campe The â—earefull resolution of the Christians to get from the Turks The vigilancie of Mahomeâ—â—â— The Christian captaines shamefully flie some one way some another in the night The dishonourable flight of Cazzianer Lodronius encourageth the footmen An old German souldior iesteth at Lodronius The horsemen discomâ—ited by the Turkes The Christian footmen ouerthrowne Lodronius slain Three of the great captaines heads presented to Solyman as Constantinople Cazzianer generally â—aâ—ed Cazzianer imprisoned breaketh prison Cazzianer shamefully murthered and his hâ—ad sent to king â—â—râ—inand The emperour the Venetians and the Bishop of Rome enter into a confederation against the Turkes 1538 Solyman sendeth Barbarâ—ssa against the Venetians Barbarussa landing in Crete is repulsed with losse The confederaâ— princes fleetes meâ—â— as Corcyra Gonzaga his opinion Auria of anoâ—ther opinion Auria braueth Barbarussa lying in the bay of Ambracia Barbarussa reproued of cowardise by one of the Turkes eunuchs Barbarussa his answere to Salec concerning the eunuchs speech Barbarussa putteth out of the bay of Ambracia and followeth Auria The order of the Turkâ— fleeâ— Auria his poâ—â—ticke course The Christian fleeâ— shamefully â—liâ—th Barbarussa â—â—â—â—leth at Auria Barbarussa braueth the Christians Castronouum taken by the Christians Auria neglecting to pursue Barbarussa returneth into Italie to the griefe of the Venetian Admirall 1539 Barbarussa sent by Solyman to besiege Castronoâ—um Castronouum hardly besieged by Barbarussa Castronouum taken Sarmentus slaine Alphonsus Vastius and Hanibaldus sent embassadours from the emperor and the French king to the State of Venice Vastius his Oration to the Venetian Senat. The answere of the duke to Vastius Vastius his ansâ—ere to the demaund of the Venetian Senatours The Venetian Senatorâ— diuersly affected towards the confederation with the emperour and the French king against Solyman Foscarus a 〈◊〉 Senatour Foscaâ—us disgraced by the multitude The Venetians send Aloysius Badoerius their embassadour to Solyman to conclude a peace The most seâ—ret decree of the Venetian Senate made knowne to Solyman 1540 A peace concluded betwixt the Veneâ—ians and Solyman The traitors which reuealed the secrets of the Venetian state to Solyman executed The secret confederation betwixt king Ferdinand and king Iohn reuealed King Iohn in his old yeares marieth Isabella king Sigismund his daughter The Queene with child Queene Isabella deliuered of a sonne The death of king Iohn The honourable saying of king Iohn Embassadours sent out of Hungarâ—e to Solyman A young child crowned king of Hungarie George bishop of Veradium one of the kings tutors a notable man The â—ugitiue Hungarianâ— persuade king Ferdiâ—and to inuade Hungarie Laschus dâ—ssuadeâ—â— king Ferdinand from seeâ—inâ— for the kiâ—â—dome of Huâ—garie by 〈◊〉 persuading him rather to requisiâ—â— of courâ—esie of Solyman Laschus sent embassadour from king Ferdinand to Solyman King Ferdinand sendeth an embassadour to the queen to demand of
the Vayuod in whose aid he was sent The battell of Mirislo betwiâ—â— Michael the Vayuod and Basta the emperorâ— lieutenant Michael the Vayuod ouerthrowne Thiâ— Chiaki was the chiefe man and â—s it wâ—re the ringleader of the Transyluanians into râ—bellion A reconciliation made betwixt Michael the Vayuod Basta Michaâ—l for feare of being betrayed vnto the Polonianâ— taketh his flight into the mountaines The Chancelour placeth a new Vayuod in Valachia in stead of Michael by him driuen out False rumours raised â—o haue terrified Bâ—sta The â—â—out speech of Basta vnto the Chiaki and the rest of the nobilitie of Transâ—luania The errour of Bâ—sta The discreâ—ion of the doer is not alwaies to be deemed by the euent of the thing done Canisia besieged by the Turkâ— The battell betâ—ixt the Christians and the Turks before Canisia Canisia yeelded vnto the Turks Sâ—â—â—ia â—orraged by the Turks Ibrahim Bassa his proclamation Ibrahim Bassa his letters vnto the Countie Serinus Ibrahim Basâ—a returneth with his armie to Bâ—lgrade Paradiser executed for the yeelding vp of Canisia to the Turkes The Turkes embassadour euill entreated by the king of Persia. 1601 The aid sent out of Italie vnto the emperour Ibrahim Bassa dâ—eth at Belgrade Alba Regalis besieged by duke Mercurie The suburbes of Alba Regalis surprised by the lord Russwurm Alba Regalâ—â— taken by the Christians Assan Bâ—ssa commeth out of season to haue relieued Alba Regalis The victorie of the Christians ouer the Turkes The Bassa of Buda slaine Canisia besieged by Ferdinand the Archduke The Christians by tempest and extreamitie of weather enforced to giue ouer the siege of Canisia Michael the Vayod submitteth himselfe vnto the emperour Basta taken prisoner by the Transyluanians Sigismund recouereth his state in Transyluania Sigismund ouerthrowne by Baâ—â—a and the Vayuod sâ—â—â—â—h oâ—t of Tâ—anâ—yluania Michaell the Vayâ—od slaine The Transyluanians submit themselues vnto Basta The Transyluanians reâ—elâ— againe vnto Sigismund their old prince Basta flieâ—h The Ianizaries in mutinie at Constantinople The Bassa of Agria ouerthrowne by Ferrant Gonzaga 1602 Zachell Moises ouerthrowne by Basta Great troubles in Valachia Troubles in Hungarie Ali Bassa taken prisoner A great ransome offered by Ali Bassa Alâ—a Regalis besiâ—ged by the Turks A long and terrible assault Alba Regalis by the Turks woon These Nassadies aâ—e a certaine kind of boats which the Hungarians vse vpon the riuer of Daâ—ubius The lower citie of Buda taken by the Christians The city of Pesâ—h tâ—kâ—n by the Christians The vpper citie and castle of Bâ—da besieged by the Christians A notable â—kiâ—mish betwixt the Christians and the Turkâ— The Visier Bassa raiseth his siege The siege of Bâ—da for feare of the Tartars gâ—uen ouer by the Christians Mahomet much troubled with the Scriuano The death of the Scriuano The Scriuano his younger brother taketh vpon him the leading of the rebels in his brothers stead Hassan Bassa slaine and his armie ouerthrowne by the rebels Diuerâ— incuâ—sions of the Tartarâ— into the frontiers of the empeâ—ourâ—â—erriâ—ories and much hâ—â—me by them there done 1603 A great 〈◊〉 The Ianizariâ—â— and Spahi raising a sedition in Constantinople againe appeased Great harâ—es done by the Tartars in the frontiers of the Christians Buda victualled Foure hundred of the Turkes garâ—ison in Canisia intercepted by the Christians The Conclusion Constantinople the seat of the Turks Empire The bounds of the Turks Empire in Europe Africa Asia The greatnesse of the Turkes Empire The foure chiefe cities for trade in the Turkish Empire The Othoman gouernment meere tyrannicall The meanes wherby the Turkish Emperours preserue themselues in so absolute a soueraigntie Foure things wherein the greatest strength of the Othoman empire consisteth The Turks ordinarie reuenewes and why they are â—o greater The Turks casualties more than his ordinarie reuenewes The Turkes Timariotâ— of greater value than his reuâ—newâ—s The two chiefe pâ—llars of the Othoman empire The great vse of the Timariot horsemen in the Turks Empire The number of the Timariots The Spahi Vlufagi and Carapici seminaries of the great offices in the Turkes Empire The Acanzij The Ianizaries the second strength of the Turkes Empire What manner of children are taken vp to make Ianizaries of The Azamoglans are such vntrained youth as are taken vp to become Ianizaries but yet are not of their order The manner of their bringing vp The daily pay of the Ianizaries and Spahi The Ianizaries insolent Their great priuiledges and royalties The order of the Ianizaries in our time much embased The Turkes Asapi in what small regard they aâ—e â—ad The great commaunders of the Turks empire The great authoritie of the Visier Bassaes. The great authoritie of the Beglerbegs 1 The Beglerbeg of Romania chiefe of the Beglerbegs of the Turkes Empire in Europe 2 The Beglerbeg of Buda 3 The Beglerbeg of Temeswar 4 The Beglerbeg of Bosna 5 The Beglerbeg of Coffe or Capha The Beglerbegs of the Turks empire in Asia The great power of the Turke in the Mediteranean and Euxine seas From whence he hath his chiefe sea-men 6 The Denizi Beglerbeg the Turks great Admirall to be accounted sixe of the Beglerbegs in Europe The princes as well Mahometanes as Christians vpon whom the great Empire of the Turke confineth and of what power they be in comparison of the Turke The Persian too weake for the great Turke The Portingals too strong for the Turk in the East Indies Prester Iohn too weake for the great Turke The king of Maroco and the Turke both in doubt of the king of Spaine The king â—f Poloâ—ia 〈…〉 the Turke 〈…〉 Turke 〈…〉 The Emperour with the rest of the princes of the â—â—use of Auâ—â—â—ia together with the aid of the Germanes haue much adoe to defend themselues against the Turke The Venetians by policie rather than by force maintaine their state against the Turke The king of Spain of all other princes that border vpon the Turke best able to wage war with him Why the Turke is not to bee thought inuinciâ—ble neither his power so strong as it in shew seemeth â—o be The signes of the declining of the Turks Empire
to bee heard of But these good parts were in him obscured with most horrible and notorious vices for why he was altogether irreligious and of all others most perâ—idious ambitious aboue measure and in nothing more delighted than in blood insomuch that it is probably gathered that hee was in his time the death of eight hundred thousand men craft couetousnesse and dissimulation were in him accounted for tollerable faults in comparison of his greater vices In his loue was no assurance and his least displeasure was death so that hee liued feared of all men and died lamented of none He had issue three sonnes Mustapha dead before him as is before declared Baiazet and Gemes or rather Zemes of some called Zizimus competitor of the empire with his elder brother whom hee exceedingly troubled in the beginning of his raigne so that he could not well attend any other thing but him which oportunitie by God himselfe no doubt offered for the safegard of ITALIE Alphonsus duke of CALABRIA king Ferdinand his eldest son taking hold vpon with all the power he could make in ITALIE besieged the Turks in OTRANTO with whom he had many sharpe skirmishes wherein he lost diuers of his great captaines and commaunders as the countie Iulio de Aquaiua Loys de Capua and the countie Iulio de Pisa with others and was still by the strong garrison of the Turks put to the worse vntill such time as being strengthened with aid out of SPAINE and PORTINGALE but especially with certaine companies of most valiant souldiours sent from Matthias Coruinus out of HVNGARIE whose forces the Turks most feared he began to cut them short and straitly besieged the citie both by sea and land vntill at length the besieged Turkes hearing of the death of their great emperour and now hardly pressed with the dangers of a strait siege no longer expecting the returne of Achmetes their Generall then readie to haue come to their rescue with fiue and twentie thousand soldiors yeelded vp the citie vnto the duke vpon composition before made That they might with bag and baggage in safetie depart thence which they did after they had to the great terror of all ITALIE holden that strong citie by the space of a yeare And so was that rich countrey rather by the mercie of God in taking away the great tyrant preserued than by the strength or policie of the inhabitants which was then in great danger to haue for euer giuen place vnto the power of the great tyrant had he longer liued yea and after his death to the power of Baiazet his sonne had he not by domesticall troubles been enforced to turne himselfe another way and as it were to neglect in time to releeue his distressed garrison in OTRANTO as shall hereafter be declared FINIS Christian princes of the same time with Mahomet the Great Emperours Of the East Constantinus Palaeologus last Christian emperor of Constantinople 1444. 8. Of the West Frederick the third Archduke of Austria 1440. 54. Kings Of England Henrie the sixt 1422. 39. Edward the fourth 1460. 22. Of Fraunce Charles the seuenth 1423. 38. Lewis the eleuenth 1461. 22. Of Scotland Iames the second 1437. 24. Iames the third 1460. 29. Bishops of Rome Nicholas the V. 1437. 8. Calixtus the III. 1455. 3. Pius the II. 1458. 6. Paulus the II. 1464. 7. Xystus the IIII. 1471. 13. BAIAZET BAIASETHES II TVRCARVM IMPERATOR SECUNDUS FLORVIT AN o 1481 Arma manu quatiunt fratres hostilia regnum Hinc Baiazethes Zizimus inde petit Baizethes rerum potitur Rhodon inde Quiritum Zizimus extrema moenia sorte petit Sustinet bello varias pace procellas Baizethes foelix miser inter opes Iam senio tremulus fert bella domestica regno Agnato eiectus dira venena bibit Like earthborne brethren Baiazet and Zizimus in armes Seeke for the Turkish empire great the one by th' others harmes Vntill that Baiazet preuail'd and Zizimus was faine To flie to RHODES from thence to ROME whereas he caught his baine Great stormes endured Baiazet in peace and bloudie broiles A man both happie and accurst amongst his richest spoiles But now forworne with trembling age and ciuile discord new Thrust from his empire by his sonne died poisoned by a Iew. THE LIFE OF BAIAZET SECOND OF THAT NAME AND SECOND EMPEROVR OF THE TVRKES VPon the death of Mahomet the late emperour great troubles began to arise about the succession in the Turkish empire some of the Bassaes and great captaines seeking to place Baiazet the eldest sonne of Mahomet in the empire and others with no lesse deuotion labouring to preferre Zemes or Gemes otherwise called Zizimus Baiazet his younger brother By occasion whereof there arose two great and mightie factions which in few daies grew to such heat that manie great tumults and hoat skirmishes were made in diuers places of the imperiall cittie betwixt the fauourites of both factions and great slaughter committed In these broiles the prowd Ianizaries for an old grudge slew Mahomethes one of the foure great Bassaes a man by whose graue counsell most of the waightie affaires of the Turkish empire had beene managed during the raigne of the late emperour And proceeding farther in their accustomed insolencie spoiled all the Christians and Iewes which dwelt amongst them of all their wealth and substance at which time the rich merchants and citizens of CONSTANTINOPLE which were naturall Turkes themselues escaped not their rauening hands but became vnto them a prey and spoile also The other three Bassaes of the court Isaack Mesithes and Achmetes lately returned from the winning of HYDRVNTVM in ITAâ—IE although they secretly maligned and enuied one at the greatnesse of an other yet to appease these so dangerous troubles and to assure their owne estates joyned hands togither and by their great authoritie and multitude of followers and fauourites found meanes that Corcutus one of the younger sonnes of Baiazet a young prince of eighteene yeares old was as it were by generall consent of the nobilitie and souldiours saluted emperour and with great triumph and solemnitie placed in the imperiall seat In whose name the aforesaid Bassaes at their pleasure disposed of all things little or nothing regarding either Baiazet or Zemes then both absent the one at AMASIA and the other at ICONIVM in LYCAONIA for the jealous Turkish kings neuer suffer their sonnes to liue in court neere vnto them after they be growne to yeares of discretion but send them to gouerne their prouinces farre off where they are also vnder the commaund of the emperours lieutenants generall in ASIA or EVRORE and may not depart from their charge without great danger not so much as to visit their father without his expresse leaue and commandement So jealous are those tyrants yea euen of their owne sonnes Baiazet and Zemes hearing of the death of their father and of the troubles in the imperiall citie hasted thitherward with all speed where Baiazet being the
neerer first arriued but finding the empire alreadie possessed by Corcutus his younger sonne and himselfe excluded he in the griefe of his heart poured forth most grieuous complaints before God and man calling heauen and earth to witnesse of the great wrong and injurie done vnto him by the prowd Bassaes. And what by teares and humble obtestations what by great gifts and greater promises but most of all by the earnest labour solicitation of Cherseogles the Viceroy of GRaeCIA and the Aga or captaine of the Ianizaries both his sons in law preuailed so much with the great Bassaes and soldiors of the court that Corcutus being of a mild and courteous disposition ouercome by their entreatie and the reuerence of his father resigned vnto him the imperiall gouernment which he presently tooke vpon him with the generall good liking of the people and made Corcutus gouernor of LYCIA CARIA and IONIA with the pleasant and rich countries thereabouts allowing him a great yearly pension for the better maintenance of his estate with promise also of the empire after his decease and so sent him away to his charge where he most pleasantly liued during the raigne of his father Baiazet giuing himselfe wholy to the studie of Philosophie which made that he was afterwards lesse fauoured of the Ianizaries and other men of warre Zemes thus preuented by his elder brother and vnderstanding by his friends how all things stood at CONSTANTINOPLE and that Baiazet was alreadie possessed of the empire returning with great speed raised a puissant armie in the countries which were vnder his commaund and marching through the heart of ASIA the lesse by the way as he went tooke into his possession such cities and strong places as he thought best and so entring into BYTHINIA tooke the great citie of PRVSA the auntient seat of the Othoman kings Purposing in himselfe that as Baiazet had shut him out of EVROPE so he would also in requitall thereof exclude him out of that part of the Turkish empire which is beyond HELLESPONTVS in ASIA and to make himselfe lord thereof Wherein fortune at the first seemed vnto him most fauourable all the people wheresoeuer he came yeelding vnto him obedience as vnto their prince and soueraigne so that in short time he seemed both vnto himselfe and to others in strong possession of that part of the empire Of these his proceedings Baiazet hauing intelligence and perceiuing the greater part of his empire now in danger to bee lost and doubting farther that Zemes his ambitious mind would hardly rest therewith long contented for remedie of so great a mischeefe leuied a strong and puissant armie wherewith he passed ouer into ASIA and came to NEAPOLIS a citie of ANATOLIA neere whereunto Zemes lay with his armie strongly encamped As Baiazet was vpon the way against his brother Achmetes the great Bassa in the confession of all men the best man of warre and most expert captaine amongst the Turkes and of all others most entirely beloued of the Ianizaries came and vnarmed presented himselfe vpon his knees before Baiazet his sword hanging at his saddle bow to the great admiration of many who could not but wonder to see so worthie a cheefetaine of so great place in time of seruice without any apparent cause in such humble manner to appeare before his soueraigne as if he had had nothing to doe with armes It chanced many yeares before in the mortall warres betwixt Mahomet the late and great emperor of the Turkes and Asymbeius Vsun-Cassanes the king of PERSIA that Baiazet hauing the leading of the right wing of his fathers armie had not martialled it in so good order as was to Mahomet his liking for which cause he commaunded this Achmetes to goe and set that part of the battell in better order Which his soueraignes commaund whiles hee most skilfully performed Baiazet taking it in euill part as tending to his owne disgrace in great choller threatened the Bassa to find a time when he would be reuenged vpon him But he being a man of great spirit and one that durst both do and say much perceiuing his meaning bid him do what pleased him and laying his hand vpon his sword solemnly vowed That whensoeuer he came to command as emperour he would neuer after weare sword in field the remembrance wherof was the cause that he then came in manner aforesaid readie to serue if he were thereto commaunded or otherwise to endure what so his princes pleasure was Baiazet perceiuing that the vnkindnesse so long before conceiued was not yet disgested in token of grace stretched out to him his scepter and taking him vp commaunded him to girt his sword vnto his side and not to remember that which he had long before both forgiuen and forgotten And knowing right well that he was a most valiant and expert captaine made him Generall of his armie to the great contentment of the Ianizaries and the rest of the armie who so soone as they saw him gaue out diuers great shouts for joy as if victorie had most assuredly attended vpon him Achmetes taking vpon him the charge came and encamped so neere as he could to Zemes and so lay by the space of ten daies during which time many sharpe skirmishes were made with diuers fortune sometime the one side preuailing and sometime the other At length the matter was brought to a generall battell wherein after a long and cruell fight and great slaughter on both sides the fortune of Baiazet conducted by the policie of Achmetes preuailed against Zemes. Who seeing his armie ouerthrowne betooke himselfe to flight and came to ICONIVM in which flight many of Zemes his followers were taken prisoners whom Baiazet would haue pardoned and enlarged but that by the persuasion of Achmetes he changed his mind and to the terrour of others suffered them all to be put to the sword Zemes doubting after this ouerthrow to fall into his brothers hands and finding no means to make head againe when he had stayed three daies at ICONIVM caused his treasure plate jewels and other things of great valour and light carriage to be trussed vp and taking with him his mother and his two yong children a sonne and a daughter accompaied with a small retinue fled into SYRIA then part of the dominion of Caytbeius commonly called the great Sultan of AEGYPT and SYRIA It was not long after the departure of Zemes from ICONIVM but that Baiazet came thither with his armie to haue surprised him but vnderstanding of his flight he took order for the peaceable gouernment of that part of his empire And so hauing suppressed that dangerous rebellion and againe reduced that troubled part of his empire to his obeisance returned with victorie to CONSTANTINOPLE The distressed prince Zemes trauelling through SYRIA came at length to HIERVSALEM where he stayed a good space deuoutly visiting the monuments of that most auntient and famous citie From thence he trauelled into AEGYPT where at his
a prouince of his Empire 713 a. his proud answer vnto King Ferdinand his embassadours 714 k. he returneth to Constantinople 715 b. sendeth his fleet by Barbarussa his Admirall to aid the French King against the Emperour 734 k. Solyman with a great armie commeth againe into Hungarie 736 g. taketh Strigonium 738. entereth into the citie and there setteth vp the Mahometane superstition m. winneth Alba Regalis 742 h. returneth to Constantinople k. by the instigation of Dragut the pyrat sendeth out Sinan Bassa with a great fleet to reuenge the wrong done vnto him by Auria 752 l. Solyman amorous of Rozolana 757 c. manumiseth her 758 h. marrieth her l. by her persuaded resolueth to put to death his eldest sonne the noble Mustapha 761 d. goeth himselfe with a great armie into Asia to kill his sonne e. sendeth for Mustapha who comming is cruelly strangled in his sight 763 c. his stout speech vnto the Ianizaries vp in arms for the vnworthie death of Mustapha 764 k. he glad to yeeld vnto the Ianizaries m. Solyman desirous with as little stirre as might be to appease the grudges betwixt his two sonnes Selymus and Baiazet sendeth Partau and Mehemet two of his Visier Bassaes to bring them to the prouinces by him appointed for them 773 d. maketh preparation against Baiazet and sendeth aid to Selymus e. for countenancing of Selymus goeth himselfe in person with his armie ouer into Asia 776 l. dissembleth with Baiazet 778 g. seeketh to stop his flight into Persia deceiued of his purpose procureth to haue him and his foure sonnes strangled in prison in Persia. 791 d. Solyman by his embassadour Abraham Stroiza confirmeth his league with Ferdinand the Emperor for eight yeares 789 b. his proud letters vnto the Emperour Ferdinand c. his presents sent vnto the Emperour 791 d. he maketh preparation against the knights of Malta 793 a. his Oration vnto his captaines for the inuasion of Malta b. his fleet arriueth at Malta 795 a. with shame returneth 817 c. Solyman purposing now the seuenth time himselfe in person to inuade Hungarie causeth a bridge of a mile long with incredible labor to be made ouer the great riuer Sauus and the deepe fennes toward Sigeth 821. besiegeth Sigeth e. commeth himselfe with a great power into the campe 822 h. winneth the old towne l. falleth sicke and dieth of the bloudie flix at Quinque Ecclaesiae 822 m. his death by Muhamet Bassa concealed and the siege continued 813 a. his bodie with great solemnitie by his sonne Selymus buried at Constantinople 828 h the Spaniards reioycing at the ouerthrow of the Italians by Salec are themselues foyled by Tabacces 658 m Stellusa with Desdrot the Gouernor therof deliuered to Scanderbeg 285 f Stephen Rozwan in stead of Aaron by the Transyluanian prince placed Vayuod of Moldania 1062 l. thrust out by Zamoschie Chancelour of Polonia 1080 g. taken prisoner and put to death 1081 a Stephen Vayuod of Transyluania vpon the commendation of Amurath chosen King of Polonia 921 a Stiria forraged by the Turks 1132 Strigonium in vaine besieged by King Iohn 616 k. besieged by Solyman 736 i. diuers times by the Turks in vaine assaulted c. the strength therof by a fugitiue Christian discouered d. yeelded vnto the Turke 738 h. besieged by the Christians 1033 c. fiue times in vain assaulted with the losse of fiue thousand men 1034 l. the siege by Matthias the Archduke giuen ouer 1037 d. besieged by countie Mansfelt 1065 b. twice in vaine assaulted e. the lower towne taken 1070 g. yeelded vnto the Archduke Matthias 1072 h Suguta by Sultan Aladin giuen to Ertogrul 134 k Sumachia taken by Osman Bassa 936 b recouered by the Persian prince 940 i Swartzenburg by two Italian prisoners flying out of Rab is informed of the state of the towne 1102 g. consulteth with the lord Palsi h. surpriseth that strong town 1103 b. in vain attempteth to haue surprised Buda 1110â— commeth to Pappa to appease the French and Wallons there in mutinie 1117 a. besiegeth the towne 1118. slaine i. Syrgiannes appointed by Andronicus the Emperor to obserue the doings of yong Andronicus his nephew trecherously discouereth the same vnto him 159 c. cunningly coloureth his treason 160 b contemned of the yonger Andronicus reuolteth again vnto his grandfather 162 l. apprehended imprisoned and his house rased 164 l T TAmas the Persian King hearing of the comming of Solyman to Tauris flieth into Hircania 651 d. in feare of Baiazet killeth his followers and imprisoneth him with his sonnes 780 l. sendeth embassadors with presents to Solyman 781 a. the cause why he would not by any meanes let Baiazet goe out of his hands d. his answere vnto the Venetian embassadour persuading him to take vp armes against the Turke 862 k Tamerlan his reasonable and modest answer vnto the other Mahometane princes crauing his aid against Baiazet 210 k. in their behalfe sendeth embassadours with presents to Baiazet l. prouoked by the proud answer of Baiazet the sollicitation of the oppressed princes and the persuasion of Axalla resolueth to make war vpoÌ„ him 211 b his honourable parentage and auncestours 212 i. the causes why some report him to haue beene a shepheard or heardsman k. he himselfe not delighted in bloud m. marrieth the daughter and heire of the Great Cham of Tartarie the ground of his greatnes 213 a. setteth forward against Baiazet 214 k. his great campe still like vnto a well gouerned citie 215 b. the number of his great armie â— he taketh Sebastia and burieth all the people quicke 216 h. staieth the comming of Baiazet 217 a. disposeth of the order of his battell 218 k fighteth a great and mortall battell with Baiazet 219 b. taking him prisoner causeth him like a wild beast to be shut vp in an yron cage 220 m. refuseth the Empire of Constantinople offered him by Emanuell the Emperors embassadors 221 e. goeth priuatly himselfe to Constantinople 222 i. much delighted with the situation and pleasures of that citie k. spoileth the Turks dominions in Asia l. restoreth vnto the poore Mahometaâ—e princes oppressed by Baiazet all their auntient inheritances 223 b. in a great battell ouerthroweth the Sultan of Aegipt neere vnto Aleppo c. winneth Damasco d. commeth to Ierusalem f. taketh Damiata 224 h. assaulteth Cairâ— 225 a driueth the Sultan out of Caire d. pursueth him to Alexandria 226 g. chaseth him into Lybia h leaueth Calibes to gouerne the countries of Aegipt and Syria l. conquereth Mesopotamia and Babylon with the kingdome of Persia. 227 a. returneth to Samarcand b. the great power he continually kept 235 c. his death e. Tangrolipix the Turke sent to aid the Persian Sultan 4 g. by consent of the souldiours chosen Sultan of Persia. l. first Sultan of the Turks m. hauing slaine Pisasiris Caliph of Babylon in battell ioyneth his dominions vnto his owne 5 b. inuadeth the Greeke Emperours dominions f. putteth to death his brother Habramie 6 i Tancred created prince of Galliley winneth Apamea and Laodicea 25