very honorable Articles the Garrison and Inhabitants if willing to march out with Colours flying Drums beating match lighted and Bullet in their mouth with Bag and Baggage and to be convoyed to Comorra nine miles off Those that staid to have indempnity protection and liberty of conscience Newhausel yeilded Hereupon there marched out 3500. sound men 500. wounded with four peices of Canon most of them Germans having a Convoy of 10000. Turks who civilly and fairly conducted them to the aforesaid Garrison and returned to Newhausel where the Prime Visier had out of a pretended generous sense of the Hungarians valour given every man of them thirty Duckets as a reward thereof in lieu and value of which sum he found there a 100. brass peices of Ordinance and ammunition proportionable with 3000. Fat 's of Hungarian Wine the use whereof being prohibited the Turks was converted into money and supplyed and countervailed his liberal magnificence The Army thus freed from this difficult peice of service the same flying parties were commanded to make new inroads into Austria Moravia and Silesia while the Prime Visier designed upon Presburg the Capital and regal City of that Kingdom as aforesaid and the imperial Army not able to make any Head yet against them continued passing and repassing the Danow thereabouts and a General Council of war being called Count Serino newly made Generallissimo Prince Gonzaga Montecuculi Counts Rothal and Palfi being present it was concluded to retreat before the Enemy and to put in Count Strozzi a famous Souldier with a supply as Governour of the place whether the Turk directed his March but being at liberty and facing all the circumjacent Garrisons of his attaque he more imperiously summoned them all together the dreadful event whereof must be remitted to a further discourse The other two divisions of the Army entred Moravia and Silesia and gained the strong Pass and Key of Jaluncka putting the Imperialists to flight with some Execution but made not that havock as before having Commandment from the Prime Visier to offer all friendly and fair terms in the Grand Seigniors name if they would submit to his protection the cheif of those Terms were Liberty of Conscience and free Exercise of all Religions no Taxes or Tribute to be payd for six years and then but five Shillings upon every House per annum with security of their Laws rights Claym Titles and Propriety by which he is in all probability like to gain submission and obedience from and to establish and fix his footing he hath got already in those Provinces which he hath once again invaded And thus far of their History now I shall speak of their Customs and Manners DABIT DEUS HIS QUOQUE FINEM ALLACH HECHBAR The Copy of this Letter or Summons comming newly to Hand by a person of quality and having seen the like insolence and blasphemous arrogance formerly Printed in the Turkish History I thought it would be something satisfactory to publish this which expresseth some extraordinary design and resolution of this Victorious and successful Infidel VVE by the Grace of God Lord of many Countries Victor and Triumpher over our Enemies Potent Emperor of the Turks Co-adjutor of the God Mahomet and the Moon Protector of the Sepulchre of the Crucified Christ Implacable enemy to all professing Christianity To thee Roman Caesar King of few Regions give to know That we come to thee with a people of thirty three Kingdomes so great a multitude as thou never sawest or heardst of before to bereave thee by force of Arms of thy Crown and Tribute of thy Subjects The City by thy self Inhabited we will besiege we will overcome thy strong men thy women with child we will give to Vniversal slaughter Their Embrios as Toads we will thrust through with Spears and sharpened Stakes Thy most valiant young men we will rend in peices and cast forth for meat for the Dogs Thee thy Popes Cardinals Arch bishops Monks and Nuns together with all their own dependings we will send as Slaves into perpetual bondage and finally we will ruine and destroy you all and then shall you see whether your Crucified Christ will save you from us who could not save himself as if we or ours could give credit or yeild any belief to such incredible things The very City where he was born wherein he lies dead We even enjoy detain under our Dominions and assuredly you may beleive that he will not help you as being long since slayn This we were willing to signifie that thou and thine might know the real Event and Truth thereof as soon as thou couldst expect This is given forth by us at our Great Metropolis called Constantinople which the valour of our Ancestors hath taken from yours and that which we keep and will always keep from yours and that which we keep and will always keep to the Ignominy and disgrace of you all Dated at Constantinople in the 15. year of our Reign and the 23. of our Age. A Nevv Survey Of the Turkish EMPIRE Of their Oratories THe Fabricks of their Churches are sufficiently large and sumptuous and called by the name of Meschites in which I never could perceive any sort of fancies or imageries for Idolatry is held by them the worst of abominations but onely these or one of these inscriptions following in the Arabick Language There is no God but one and Mahomet his Prophet or One Creator and Prophets equal or None is strong as God Then there is seen a great abundance of burning Lamps the whole Church whited the Pavement covered with Mattresses and on them the Ornaments of Tapestries Neer the Church is erected a Tower of great height to the top whereof the Priest ascends before the time of Prayers and with a loud voice his ears stopped with his fingers he thrice proclaims these words God True One which Clamour or Out-cry for they have no Bells being heard the Nobility and all unbusied persons repair to Church as bound to that devotion Afterwards the said Priest descending prays with them and then they turn their faces towards Mecha And this he is tyed to do by his Office five times day and night But whosoever cometh to these Prayers must wash his hands his feet and privities and his head thrice sprinkled with water and these words pronounced Glory to my God Then their shooes put off and left at the Church-door they enter in some bare-footed others having new shooes or socks and so tenderly touch the ground Women come not into Churches as being not excis'd and for fear of disturbing mens devotions but meet apart in severed places altogether shut off from eyes and ears of men and more seldome frequent their Churches except in time of Passover or Easter and on Fridays which days from Mahomet's Traditions for distinction and imitation they almost respect as much as Jews their Sabbaths or Christians the Lords day They pray from nine a clock at night till twelve and
marvelled with my self most mighty Monarchs when I considered theadvantages which promise Christians victories against the Turk and yet in so many years they attempted none or failed We have Jesus Christ our God who in one only night destroyed the host of Sennacherib who drowned Pharaoh who with a maiden hand of Judith struck off the head of Holopherues and to be brief a God whose will is victory Contrary to which they have Mahomet a wicked man of life and conversation in death yet hanging in his Sepulchre without Resurrection so as there is as much difference between them as is between an ever living Son of an ever living God and a putrid carkass of a son of a mortal man that if we diligently examine the nature of each Power and Authority it would apear like dead men superiors in strength to living Now in abilities of bodies capacities and gifts of understanding we exceed them which are good strengths and fortifications against an enemy and yet we are still defeated Who is more hardy then the Hungarian more stout and robustious then the German more quick and nimble then the Frenchmen more grave and solid than the Spaniard more cautelous and prudent then the Italian more valiant and daring then the English forbearing other Nations the endowments of whose mindes are better or at least equal All these abilities seem able singly to get a victory or at least well to forward it Courage often without much force generosity of minde wisdom forecast ambition of honour and policy oft subdues an Enemy yet notwithstanding wretches as we are amongst so many victorious attributes we get no victories Then if we consider the easie preparation and great furnitures of all sorts of arms we shall appear far to exceed the Turk Guns of all sorts have been our own inventions and the divers kinds of compleat harnesses for horse and foot The Turks Persians Subjects naked or half so march forth to war they have bows we guns that is fire and thunder they have arrows which hardly pierce and Armour we Cannons which Rocks cannot withstand and yet now some Musselmen have Guns and Gunners but few and unskilful Now I pray what other kinde of people use they most in Expeditions Scythians and Thracians who have no Italian or Spanish Spirits onely a kinde of inhumane fierceness ignorance and stolidity to these are added Grecians lost men with ease and laziness Asians corrupt with luxury Aegyptians no less in minde then bodies feebled Arabians bloodless thin and parboyl'd with the Sun Who could imagine such kinde of Souldiery should subdue the great advantages and abilities of those forenamed Nations yet be it spoken with grief our Christians by these are overcome and mastered into servitude and our great Captains are forced to bear arms against us who were born and bred by Ancestors to liberty and in the mean season the Turk laughs at us and the Jew rejoyceth Now if I should consider the Laws and Institutions of Nations we shall be found abundantly superior in that respect for what is more righteous and divine then the Decalogue and holy Gospel written by Gods own Finger and his Spirit what more regular then the Canon-Law more just and equal then the Civil Law Whereas the Turks live by Direction and Dictates of the Alcoran a book of stuff as foolish as full of vanity a book of sport and mirth if pity for the seduced did not allay it though now spread abroad too much and handled amongst Christians so as it may be truly feared we shall learn other Laws or shortly loose our own and turn Turks in our minds and approbations sooner then in our bodies to their Dominion VVhat is then the cause having so many Prerogatives of hopeful War we are always beaten why are our Ensigns adorn'd with Crucifixes fearful formerly to Infidels and Devils now trampled on and slighted I shall tell you in few words and truth We have a God most great most good but alienated from us so far that according to the Prophets saying We scarce are to be named his people for why should Christ remain with us whom we have rent and corn in far more pieces then the Souldiers did his Garment by our hideous Sects Schisms and Heresies Besides his Name what of him is deap unto us The very Plow-man these times is impudent and factious the Citizen fraudulent and avaritious the Magistrate seeks retributions and rewards the Nobility is riotous and lazy the Gentry contentious and proud the Souldier beyond his pay and spoile craves nothing from the War let Scepters fall as they will he is no less grievous to friends and companions then Enemies Church-men besides pomp Ecclesiastical have little of the Church not sanctity not piety and some not fitting erudition seeking their own not Christs advancement that we may say with the Prophet All have declin'd the ways of God and are unprofitable there 's none that doth good not even one Why should we marvel then that Christ is not our Friend We therefore go to war without a God and what is more calamitous with God our adversery We carry Bibles and Crucifixes with us but the crucified by his favour converseth with our enemies our Actions therefore perish and are involv'd in losses And when one Nation fights against the Turk another is employ'd in civil wars calling to his aid Pagans Schismaticks or Hereticks more eagerly to oppose Christ others tend their home-affairs to indulge themselves in ease and voluptuousness The souldier sets not forth for Christ but money which failing soon deserts the field and turns home back again What have we then from those rich Attributes and Eulogies of Germany France England Spain and Italy when the souldier neglects both God and Honour and goes to war as to market a brothel-house or stews to exercise all rapine spoile and lewdness We have good Laws but evil manners good furniture of Arms but wicked dispositions it is our glory to fight among our selves and if we prove coward to enemies there follows little shame or punishment When do we see a Souldier quitting colours or disbanding severely handled which crimes were anciently capital and whole Legions have been decimated and tyth'd for less offences We therefore march with men few in numbers and those corrupt in manners against millions of men well disciplin'd for Turks leave their vices in their houses from whence we carry ours In their Pavilions and Tents no deliciousness Arms onely and necessary provisions in Christians all forts of Table-delicates luxury and riotousness and commonly as many light lascivious Women as Men. What wonder then if they conquer who are preserved by sobriety parsimony diligence fidelity and obedience Let them perish then who lose a field to get a prey who are oftner found amongst Whores and drunk then in good actions but 't is the fault and errour of Superiours when Subjects are not kept in due observance which if Christians were we could not be inferiour
Velvet embroydered with Pearl c. the Capitzi Bassa and his assistants leading him by the Arm to kiss his Majesties sleeve as they did several Gentlemen beside that were of his Retinue but of this an account hath been lately given but I may not omit that it is certainly reported the Grand Signior being highly affected with his Majesties Restitution should say That if he were to chuse his God or his Religion he would chuse the King of Englands All things now seemed to be in a serene condition and calm from the late troubles which had tempested this Monarchy And discourses there were that the Grand Signior would now at last hearken to an accomodation with the state of Venice and consequently restore a free Trade and commerce to his Dominions which had been endamaged and spoyled by frequent Depraedations But as deep waters run smooth and stiller then shallow brooks so was it in this seeming tranquillity of affairs not but perhaps there might be due to the Sacred number of 1660. and the particular glories of his Majesties Restitution and the fortune of England the same general peace and quiet which once blest the world in the reign of Augustus Caesar with reverence to that sacred Miracle for that the universal Cessation which France boasts to have given Christianity by the late accord with Spain was clearly influenced by his Majesties Native Star and the necessities of Fate which attended the prosperous Culmination of his greatness as could be instanced and demonstrated were it not beyond the purpose of this discourse Yet so much concerns it that the Grand Signior took his deliberate Enterprise upon Christendom from the very juncture of this peace being as understanding and conversant in the Affairs of Europe as our selves particularly his ancient League which France gave him opportunity of such Intelligence which he never maintained with the Spaniard as his necessary enemy For he knew well that the state of Christendom could never endure a vacation nor could be free from the vicissitudes of Interest when so many Monarchs at leisure had opportunity to project their ambition Nor was he ignorant of these Animosities which perplexed the late Election of the Emperour at Frankeford nor with what industry the French managed their lust after the Imperial Dignity Certain it was that the Arms of that Puissant Nation must be employed upon another Enemy whose ever ill luck it should be to receive them and that he knew would be the House of Austria or some other vicine Power if which was more favourable to his design he did not amuse all Princes and then take his best advantage These undoubtedly were the encouragements of this his Expedition and violent irruption into Hungary he using the same method of Conquest which his Progenitors had fortunately experienced by occasion of the divisions and security of their Neighbours And therefore unlookt for or at least wise not provided against while the German Emperour stood upon his wrong guard and dreaded the loss of Alsatia which jealousie likewise armed the adjacent Princes he like a deluge entred Hungary and auspiciously began the race of his Glories Now the better to conceal his designes upon Europe and to colour his aspect upon those parts he gave order for a removal of his Court to Adrianople pretending the salubrity of the place and the freer prosecution of his pleasures and vacation from business and the toyl of the Government leaving the Sultana his Mother and the Visier to the care thereof as he had done before in his expedition into Asia Hither accordingly he came attended as usually with a great Train or Army but now augmented to an Host as a guard of his Person still entertaining the Emperors Ambassador with shews and flourishes of Peace and good Correspondence till the Visier having amassed and drawn down the Asian Forces over into Europe while the Europeans were embodying about Belgrade it was playnly manifest what this preparation portended Yet the reliques of the late Transilvanian defection were still voyced to be the object of this expedition and to settle the other Provinces of Moldavia and Valachia in a perfect subjection to the grand Seignior they for some late years having fluctuated and wavered in their duty towards him and still ready upon all occasion or change of their Princes to break out into open Hostility and disquiet and disturbe the provinces nearest them and to take part with any Revolt of others and help and assist it to a formidable and very considerable puissance The Turks policy at his entrance into Hungary But in the mean while they approached and entred the Hungarian limits without leave and enlarged their quarters into the Towns and Villages belonging to the Emperor contrary to the Tenour of the former and yet existing League which appointed the bounds of their Jurisdiction nevertheless complying in all things with the Hungarians and paying their Quarters justly nor taking the least thing from them without satisfaction which was made Capital by the Prime Visier who caressed the Inhabitants and treated them very humanely and civilly upon any address or complaint made to him The gross of this Army when made up by the Auxiliary Tartars who are hir'd to wait upon his expeditions forces marching also from all parts even out of Dalmatia where he resolved to stand onely upon the defensive part against the attempts of the Venetians amounted in all to near two hundred and fifty thousand men disposed of afterwards into several parts and commands a Resolution being taken to commence the War The Hungarians in the mean while had armed themselves under the Commands of the two Counts Serinus and Forgatz whose Ancestors had been terrible to the Turks and were famous for their martial exployts and atchivements but subjected by the Emperors order to his Generallissimo Count Montecuculi which at first bred a discontent in the Hungarians who have no affection for the Germans nor would ever chearfully engage with them except out of envy or emulation and this is and was one of the chief causes of that little opposition and inconsiderable resistance that hath been made against this present-Invasion The cause of this misunderstanding hath been very ancient upon the account of Religion and much ado there hath been to keep the Hungarians in obedience and fealty to the Emperour of Germany as their King and Soveraign which from being Elective is now and hath for many years been made Hereditary that force upon their Priviledge Rights and Liberty interwoven with more violent constraints upon their conscience had caused a very great averseness to this Forrain Government and a general defection in 1610. and those years for fuller satisfaction whereof we must refer the Reader to the Turkish History Upon the same score it was that Bethlehem Gabor Prince of Transilvania entred Hungary some few years after possessed himself of the Fortress of Newhuse alias Newhausel the Governour whereof was delivered bound unto him by the
the other into Silesia while he continued the Seige which said Armies passing over the River Waegh made most terrible Havock spoyling and burning thirty miles together They passed the said River the 21. of August but were forced back again with loss The Tartars make an irruption into Moravia yet the day following they came on with 30000. and after some opposition gained the pass of the River 200. Dragoons being slain in defence of the passage and put the Imperial Forces to a retreat towards Presburg After those came a body of 20000. Tartars who took in several walled towns which they burnt to ashes with all the adjacent villages possessing themselvs of the narrow passages between the Hills and massacring many thousands of people putting others in chains and in fine overbearing all in his way without resistance At the same time the pass of Jalunca was attempted the onely entrance into Silesia but they were forced to retreat re infecta Lamentable was now the condition of those poor Christians who were exposed to those outrages and could not prevent the suddenness of the danger there being no Armies nor places at hand wherein or to which they might have recourse for safety The Austrians onely by the benefit of the Garrisons had opportunity to secure and to put themselves into a posture of defence by raising every fifth man to bear Arms against this furious and desolating Enemy Count Serini into the Turks Country But to requite the incursion of these barbarous Tartars the Counts of Serini and Budiani carried the like ravagement and ruine into the Turk sh Provinces where they spared nothing they could destroy and left as little of what they could carry away with them and so revenged in part having also defeated and slain a party of 3000 Turks and taken a convoy of 300000 Rix Dollers and other provisions designed for the Leagure of Newhausel with good speed returned to the German General having notice that the other body of Tartars was advancing to joyn with the Wallachians and Moldavians and that they were already come as far as Clausenburg and to the gates of Zachmar where the Hussars on the 29. of August had sallied out and killed divers of them preventing also thereby the danger of being intercepted by forces from Newhausel The Emperor of Germany himself at the terror of this inroad left his City of Vienna now filled with the Country people who flockt thither for refuge and made sad Relations of their ruins to Lintz another City in Austria and thence by his Agents and Expresses gave notice to the Princes of the Empire of the present danger defiring them to afford him some sudden Supplies as he did the same to the King of Poland and the States of Venice now respited and breathing after a tedious continuance of War which was devolved upon other Territories but nothing of sudden resolution was to be expected from either of these States and the rest were too remote and at present unconcerned It was rumoured indeed that the Muscovite had proffered his Assistance in case of an accord to be made betwixt him and the Polander but there were never any effects thereof and the like report there was that the Duke of Brandenburgh would accept of the supream Command of the United Armies of the Empire and that France offered their aid likewise upon certain conditions and Articles but none of all these overtures produced any such thing by reason of the Jealousies yet reigning between them though Christendom was never in such jeopardy and in the mean while for satisfaction of the Hungarians and to keep them in their fidelity which this storm had shaken Count Serini was declared the Emperours Generalissimo of them This ruinous devastation can hardly be represented by any pen or pencil but from it nearest resemblance of Doomsday the fire flaming for twenty miles in view and laying the Country in a heap of ashes and the Tartars like so many Devils haling and dragging their Captives and chaining them together with such crys and ejulations as if humanity were dammed and Nature had expired amidst a numberless invention of tortures This same merciless Crew having destroyed all things returned with celerity to Weissemberg there to dispose of their prey and to be ready to assist the siege of Newhausel while in their absence the Counts Susa and Sporck were throwing down trees and cutting up Ditches and making deep Trenches to impede their further advance for they had not men or arms to oppose against this Torrent Newhausel siege continued And so we are returned also to the siege of Newhausel where the Turk having endeavoured to fill the Trenches and knowing that the season would not suffer him to continue his Leagure attempted another storm which continued off and on August 28. and 29 with very considerable loss though he now made a Breach but the Trenches proved too wide and too deep many men perishing in them with little danger to the Defendants Another storm On Septemb. 9. having cast great Moles of earth and other implements into the Graft he stormed again beginning in the dusk of the evening and continuing it again till midnight when he made such a fierce Scalado the Bassa's themselvs in person leading on their own men on peril of their own heads if their men did not valiantly and was in hopes of carrying the Town for the business was come to handy-blows upon the top of the Rampire and some of the Turkish Ensigns were advanced thereupon which nevertheless by the speedy and gallant succour of the Reserves and redoubled courage of the Defendants were wrested from the Infidels after their utmost endeavours and efforts to have maintained their atchievement and after the slaughter of 500 of the besieged and the unrevenged fall of 9 some say 10000 of their fellows which they left behind them upon which carnage was grounded that rumour of the pest raging in that Army by reason of that noisom stench the dead bodies raised in the Camp This trial of one anothers resolution and utmost Essay of Force proved the Grisis of eithers Fortune the Turks appay'd and taken off their mettal had no mind to make another venture nor the Bassa to command it for fear lest that obstinacy of his honour should hazard that and his life together to the Grand Seignior nevertheless he thought good to continue the siege and his preparations for another assault and threaten it hourly hoping he had given the Defendants the like qualm upon their spirits which with a little hard duty and new offers and advantages upon a surrender would work them to a compliance and this took its desired effect for the Hungarians being no way assured of relief and certain of good conditions and having their estates dwellings and families concerned resolvd not to hazard another storm but to admit of a Treaty contrary to the opinion and resolution of the Germans which treaty produced an accord and surrender upon
to Turks And yet a greater fault behold Princes themselves while they contend in mutual quarrels are causes why they cannot muster equal forces against the Turk for whilst they fight and combate for some little Town or other after grievous strife conflictation and exhaustion of men and treasure they grow weak impoverished and heartless What brave Actions might those streams of Christian blood have done which civil wars most impiously have drawn out emptied and dried up But 't is too late to mourn in complaints Asia and Affrica are lost Greece extinguished Hungary desperately sick Illyria and Sclavonia joyned to the Turk Austria much enfeebled and this Plague much threatens Germany and Christianity universal and that so far that no great Prince or Monarch ought to be secure or think himself so free but that he may be forced to desend his own without invasion of his neighbours Territories whether it please or not unless they will become of Princes Servants of Free-men Slaves detained in perpetual chains or flain and murthered that their Subjects may want Captains and good Leaders Now most mighty Monarchs and high Governors for Gods cause banish from amongst you all discord and ambitious tyrannies which are the Devils instruments to maintain oppressions and impieties thereby to prolong Gods wrath upon you and restore to each Proprietor his due rights and priviledges and then as Rivers having free course haste all smoothly to the Sea and make one mighty body so your strengths united in the bond of peace would startle astonish and drown this great Tyrant Turk Which blessing on bended knees I humbly pray for and recommend unto the God of Peace And being reconcil'd among your selves if you would say as Moses said to Joshua Chuse you a man and go and fight with Amelek if you would reduce your selves to this peace and concord which is onely hopeful and put your helping hands and powers toward so greatly honourable so blessed so necessary and profitable a War against the Turk who can imagine but that ye should at least equal the number of his Souldiery if not far exceed them He is now swell'd up to the very heighth of Tyranny and hath there remained so for divers years as if expecting as if waiting an Attempt All full Seas have their ebbings all ripe fruits are quickly shaken down there wants nothing to this general and glorious work of Christian Princes but Gods blessing unanimity and an heroick courage brave and masculine For the Emperour can with easiness raise arm and muster 50000 horse and 100000 foot the like may hopefully be expected from France from Spain and Italy the yet remaining parts of Hungary and Illyria with the Provinces under the King of Romans will raise and maintain 60000. These Christian forces may make 400000 horse and foot besides the Maritime great assistances of England Denmark united Provinces Venetians Portugals and Swedes and all other Christian Commonwealths who if once unanimous and freed from jealousies and petty wretched wilful home-contentions the Turkish power could no more resist ye then Darius Alexander Xerxes Themistocles or Antiochus Judas Macchabeus and having gotten but one Victory and once passed the Danube towards Constantinople God being pleased and our lives amended these enemies of our faith would easily be trodden down All Greece and Thrace where yet great part retain the Law of Christ expect with greediness the Christian Sword and readily would revolt upon such occasion and manfully assault and fight against those Lords and Masters that have so cruelly afflicted them which circumstance alone would much hasten if not perfect a speedy victory I would to God and wish heartily most Christian Monarchs That your civil fruitless home-contentions would permit and suffer you seriously to consider and calmly to examine these offered motions you then would finde all mens wills and arms concur with yours no age no sex no conditions of men would leave your Ensigns Each Turk would have his Executioner at home his Traytor in his Tent and fugitive in the Field All Christians amongst them have contemptuous opinions of their arms and know them onely sitted for light Skirmishes and Pickerings who if their noise like shoals of clamouring Rocks affright you not they flee And whensoever it shall please God to root out from amongst us these perpetual Enemies of his faith and send them to their old lurking holes and caves and corners in Bythinia by the Christian Sword according to some of their own Prophecies or else to reduce them to the bosome of our Catholick Church no man can donbt but in short time the Emperor will be seated in his chair at Constantinople and invested in his Imperial Roman Territories The King of Romans re-established and recover Hungary and Thrace France lesser Asia England part of Egypt Spain part of Africa Italy all Shores and Banks of the Mediterranean Seas and last the Pope as a great Pastor of the Christian Church will be extol'd and magnifi'd for such an union These are the apprehensions of all Christian captives under the Turkish Tribute and even Turks themselves who have-knowledge and long acquaintance in military affairs And this my self have learned by thirteen yeers experience The Turk is valiant against a flying and flying against a valiant Enemy when therefore he by nature is fugitive impiety flyes without pursuit Let God arise and scatter all his Enemies let those that hate his Doctrine avoid his presence let them like smoak vanish and melt like wax against the fire so may all Infidels perish before the face of God and his holy Church that there may be but one Flock and one Pastor Jesus Christ the righteous Which grant Oh ever blessed Trinity and Unity God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost Amen The Seraglio of the women and Sultanas of the Great SIGNOR BEfore I dismiss this Subject to satissie some Curiosities concerning this Emperours pleasures in which he satiates himself with variety conversing with his Mutes and Buffones for that it is not lawful for any body but the Vizier Bassaâ—s and some few others to speak to him in the same fignes and gestures and now and then riding and shooting casting a heavy Iron Mace all which he is taught to do with great exactness I will transiently speak of that then which nothing is more secret and reserved viz. His Companying with women the beautifullest those parts of the world afford the greatest excellency and perfection whereof is reputed to consist in great and broad eyes the enjoyment of women so featured being made a part of their Paradise in the world to come They which are within the third gate called the Kings gate are about two thousand persons men and women whereof the women old and young one with another what with the Kings Concubines Old women and women Servants may be about eleven or twelve hundred Now those which are kept up for their beauties are all young Virgins taken and stollen from