without the losse of many of his men and himself thrown to the ground al his horse also broken was fain to retire himselfe vnto the left wing of his footmen where he was again mounted on horseback whereupon reuniting his men together whilest the Moscouite did fight with the maine battaile conducted by the Emperour Tamerlan he renâ—ed with those whom he had so vnited together a new charge setting vpon the flank of the Moscouits which did greatly impaire their strength The fight endured 4. or 5. houres insomuch as the heaps of men and horse were so many defences against the blowes of the arrowes shot by the ParthiaÌ„ footmen by those of the Moscouites Now the Moscouite horsmen had pierced the maine battaile the HungariaÌ„s fighting so resolutely as the Prince remained seuered with 3000. horse only after the Parthian maner began to fight in retiring wherupon the Moscouite thought he had won the battaile then wheÌ„ he being reunited vnto his Arier-ward led by the Prince of Tanais who had gathered together 14000. horse and almost all the footmen it behoued the Moscouite to retire backe notwithstanding before that he made a strong resistaÌ„ce but at the length multitude skil ouercam the force valor of the Moscouites the victorie bending to the Parthians side the which they did pursue hotly Tamerlan was hurt on the forehead vpon the side of the left eye and had two horses slaine vnder him in the fight the Moscouite falling into the hands of a priuate souldiour as a prisoner being not known saâ—ed himself his armie being whollie ouerthrowne and diuers Muscouite Lords taken prisoners and retired himselfe with nine or ten thousand horse in order manie of their footmen saued theÌ„selues by the benefit of the night The place of their retiring was about ten leagues from our armie and he passed ouer a riuer where he reunited together his men during the night The least losse he had was of his footmeÌ„ who tooke not the course of his horsmen but rather as soon as they perceiued the victorie encline to the enemie they retired themselues all along the mouÌ„tains for their better aduantage a thing which greatlie fauoured the Moscouits Tamerlan employed himself in giuing God thanks for this victorie after he had pursued the enemy three leagues the next day he reuiewed his armie and found that he had lost of his side for his part betweene seuen an eight thousand horsmen and betweene three and foure thousand footmen The Moscouite lost some seuen and twentie thousand footmen and between fifteene and sixteene thousand horsmen This same day was Odmar the safegard of his Prince for it is not to be doubted had not the hindrance bene he gaue when the Moscouits assaulted Tamerlan setting vpon him with all their forces together but that they had bene able to ouerthrow the Prince of Thanais and the Emperour who was reunited vnto him By the euent of this Battaile we may learne how much aduantage he hath who attendeth the comming of his enemie with a resolute mind in the field which he hath chosen for the battaile hauing first caused the same to be well viewed by his men and especially by his Captaines Secondly the hurt that commeth in not obseruing the dust which the wind raiseth Thirdly that the Arier-ward well led is the occasion of the victorie and oftentimes the preseruation of the Prince Fourthly how necessarie it is to haue the chiefest strength of the battaile in going to assault the enemie Now our Tamerlan after he had giuen thanks vnto God caused a view to be made of his Armie buried the dead both his owne and of his enemie acknowledged the deserts of his soldiours yeelding vnto them such houour as they had deserued In this battaile he lost Hally who was slaine by the blow of an arrow after he had forced the mouÌ„taine in going to the battaile being generall of all his footmeÌ„ This Prince was greatly grieuedtherwith causing his bodie alwaies to be laide in his tent vntil his returne vnto Samarcand where he caused him to be buried verie honourably hee was the beginning of the greatnesse to Samercand and of the fame of his name by making of a stately tombe for Hally The Prince did slacke no time after so great a victorie for hauing giuen such order as was necessarie to a great armie I wil not forget to declare that when as this Prince did behold so many thousands of men lie dead on the ground where the battaile was fought he turned himselfe vnto one of his familiars lamenting the condicion of them who command ouer Armies commending the profession of the Emperour his father he counted him happie for that hee had sought rest acknowledging humaine miserie the which in destroying his owne kind procured his glorie That for his part such tokens of victory were sorrowful eueÌ„ vnto his hart He set forward and came into the borders of the Moscouite all the couÌ„try being astonished euery one flying before his army the Moscouite had retired himselfe vpon the losse of the battaile had likewise caused al his footmeÌ„ to retire making a shewe as though he had not lost his courage because he had reunited 30000. of his horsmen together he bragged to trie very shortly his fortune againe But for all this seeing his victorious enemy come and enter into his country he thought he should haue to do with a mighty enemy and hauing called together his principal Captaines he passed ouer the riuer called Nifort taking their counsell he did resolue for the preseruation of his subiectes to send vnto the Conquerour and once to make trial of his mercie as he had already of his forces being informed by the prisoners of the noble mind and mildnesse the which this Prince vouchsafed vnto them he determined to send Embassadors to treat with him and to assay for to amend that which had bene ill done The Embassadors being arriued he receiued curteouslie bewailing in a maner the fortune of their maister rather then vaunting and exalting himself for the victorie and as it were more modest then the conquered he asked them how the Moscouit did for what cause they came vnto him They gaue him to vnderstand that they had in charge from their Prince to treat with him desiring the abstinence of armes and that they were ready to performe vnto him all things reasonable they beseeched him moreouer to vse victorie as a thing which was the gift of Fortune and might at another time change calling vnto mind the estate of humane things which are vnstable Prince Tamerlan made them answer that he had taken armes for the preseruation of his confederates and subiects from the iniurie done vno them by the Moscouite and this was the cause of the victorie for that hee had iustlie enterprised the same That hee referred the victorie vnto the God of Battailes not vnto his own strength or forces of his souldiers
for to change in such sort as euery one retired into his quarter beeing resolued with the losse of their citie to lose also their liues Now you must vnderstand that the situation of the citie was of hard accesse being seated vpon a plaine the which was enuironed round about with mountaines one of them only approching the citie which ouerlooked it on front vpon the North side where was a valley by the which they passed and there did runne a riuer on this side was the suburbe situated which had beene taken so as the meanes to succour the Citie was stopped our souldiers keeping the passages of these Mountaines the which were in the old time the borders of the kingdome for Paguinfou was once gouerned by the Tartarians which kept it for a defence against the Chinois but had lost the same and these mountaines were the limits of China against the foresaid Tartarians who gouerned Paguinfou at that time so as these mountaines were of hard accesse and there remained no other way but on the side of the suburbe the which a riuer compasseth about running all along the side of a bordering mountaine vpon the which we caused many bridges to be built for to haue thereby a way for to succour our souldiers which kept the passages of the mountaines on the enemies side so as it could not be but hardly succoured or else by a battell the which the Prince did earnestly desire as all conquerors should do I will declare also that during this time Odmar Calibes and the Prince of Thanais were cōmanded often by the Prince to make warre as well for to heare certaine newes of the enemie as also for to maintaine his horsemen and to keepe the place the which he had chosen as the field for the battell to the end that he might liue there with his horsemen He gaue also commandement vnto his men to gather together great store of victuals so as they sacked many small townes out of the which they brought a great quantitie In this meane time the king of Chinaes armie approched euen like faire weather the which was very great as they brought vs word dayly the Prince determining to go in person meete with the enemy accōpanied with his principall horsemen and to leaue the greatest part of his footmen at the siege wherunto he had a great desire omitting nothing that might wearie the besieged who defended themselues couragiously So the Prince began to batter causing his engines to approch as rammes and other munitions the which he had made for to come neere vnto the walles to the end they might come to hand-blowes with the enemies insomuch as the Citie was assaulted on two sides very coragiously They within began to be more affeard then before there beeing set vp for the safegard of the munitions and of a wall which was fallen down a Caualier raised vp very high within an arrowshot which did greatly annoy them so as they were constrained to forsake the wall in the day and this caused them to begin a trench for to couer themselues the which was 22. foote in height and as much in depth and fiftie foot in bredth the which being declared vnto our men they determined to trie their fortunes and to giue thē an assault before they had ended the same or at the least to win the wall lodge there at the instant So the Prince sent for Axalla who was in his own quarter this affaire depending vpon his charge and hauing by his industrie ordered in a manner all the siege and hauing acquainted him with his pleasure commanded him to execute it The next day putting his mē in order they assalted the wall the which was valiantly defended but in the end through the valor of Axalla who gaue an assalt with 20000. of his best souldiers he won the wall lodged there the Prince hauing so cōmanded him to do to stop the heat of the soldiers frō going any further Now the Princes purpose was to cōpound for the citie not to force it for two reasons The first was for that he feared the citie being great and rich that when the souldiers should sacke it the enemie who was but thirtie leagues from thence should come vpon them and by this meanes his army should be found in disorder also rich souldiers neuer serue well The other was for that he would draw out of that citie which was rich and wealthie those commodities which were necessary for the sure accomplishing of his enterprise seeing it was necessarie to haue such a citie for to make a store-house of necessarie things for the army Thus although the wall was won the enemies wanted not courage yet to defend themselues valiantly looking for aide according to the newes they had receiued that the kings army marched forward Whilest these things were in doing one of our engines shooting a bullet and hauing ouerthrowen a peece of Anuber the same did hurt the Gouernour who at the end of three or foure houres yeelded vp the ghost the which caused the souldiers to change their resolution there being none which made them obstinate but he so as they determined before the Prince should be aduertised of the losse of their head especially of the great slaughter of men which they had lost in the fight of the wall all of them with one cōsent did resolue for to yeelde themselues vnto the Princes mercie sauing their liues and the souldiers enioying their horse and weapons Now I haue forgotten to declare how this assault had alreadie endured the space of eight dayes such delay did greatly vexe the Prince and on the other side the king of China made no great hast but at such time as he vnderstood of the Gouernour his death doubting of that which happened The Prince then who was aduertised that the enimies army marched vnto a batel was very glad of these news the which Axalla who was aduanced vpon the walles had declared vnto him and brought the Embassadors vnto the Prince who receiued them verie curteouslie assuring them on the one side of his gentlenesse and on the other of the power he had to punish their disobedience The conditions were agreed vpon and there came out of the citie eighteen thousand souldiers the inhabitants remaining in a maner all there were therin thirtie thousand soldiers at the beginning the siege cōtinued two moneths Now the king of China in his marching receiued newes of the yeelding vp thereof he caused the Lieutenant of the late Gouernor to be punished and many of the Captaines but pardoned the souldiers he stayed in that place attēding for our marching forward which could not bee before eight daies after he had taken order about this new cōquest the which was necessarie for him to settle before hee proceeded any further Our Prince caused a muster to be made of his soldiers hauing encreased their payes and contented euery one according to his desertes The honour of
it on fire when as they shold withdraw themselues from thence to the end that the enemie shold not haue a desire to encamp therein but should come forward nearer vnto our armie into these plaines the place which we desired to fight in because wee were stronger in horsemen then the Ottomans Thus behold this great armie of Baiazet encouraged vnto the battell who thought to haue surprised our men within Sennas but as soone as they drewe neare our men set it on fire and the greatest part retiring there remained some hundred horse to performe the same who retyred themselues in verie great disorder Now the Prince of Ciarcan had deuided his men into two troupes giuen cōmandement vnto the first troupe that as soone as they perceiued the enemies to pursue the hundred horse they should receiue them and retire iointly together Now hee had the rest of his power in a valley neere vnto a wood and hauing suffered some two thousand of the enemies horse Turks auant-currers to passe by him he charged them behind and fought with them they not fighting but flying as soone as they did see themselues pressed many were slaine and manie were taken prisoners This was the first time we fought and carried away the victorie all the prisoners were sent vnto the Prince amongst the rest the Bassa of Natolia who led this troupe of whom the Emperour earnestlie demanded what caused Baiazet so litle to esteeme him as to shew so great contempt of his Armie and that hee should find that he was well able to punish his pride The other answered that his Lord was the Son of the earth that he could not indure a companion that hee surely was astonished how he from so far had enterprised so dangerous a iourney to hinder the fortune of his Lord in whose fauour the heauens did bend thēselues because they were not able to withstand him that all the rouud world did subiect themselues vnto him and that hee cōmitted great folly in going about to resist the same The Emperour answered I am sent from heauen for to punish his rashnesse and to teach him that the proud are punished of God whose principall action is to cast downe high things to raise vp the lowly at the least yet I haue already constrained thy maister to raise his siege from before Constantinople And moreouer thou hast already felt although I lament thy mishap what the valour of my Parthian horse is against thy Turkish Doest thou think changing of his speech that thy master doth come to bid me battaile The Passa answered yea assuring you that there is nothing hee more desireth and I beseech you that I may acknowledge your greatnesse in giuing me leaue to assist my Lord at this Battaile The Emperor said vnto him I giue thee leaue go and tell thy Lord that thou hast seene me and that I will fight on horseback in the place where he shal see a greene ensigne The Bassa did sweare that next vnto his Lord he vowed his seruice vnto him Then hee returned and declared vnto Baiazet how hee had seene Tamerlan reciting vnto him all that he was willed to declare Of this said hee I will make triall and I beleeue he will acknowledge his follie before the match be ended The Bassa did not forget to publish ouer all the mildnesse of Tamerlan his greatnesse and curtesie declaring that he did so farre extend his curtesie as to giue vnto him a verie faire horse although he might well thinke that it was to fight against himselfe So the next day Baiazet his Armie drew neare vnto the sight of ours the which marched two leagues and wee encamped within a league the one of the other All the night long you might haue heard such noise of horses as it seemed the heauens were ful of voices the aire did so resound and euery one was desirous to haue the night passed for to come each one vnto the triall of his valor Vnto the Scithian nation the which is desirous of goods they propoūded the great riches they should get by the victory ouer the Ottomans Vnto the Parthiā nation ambitious of rule the honor and glory of their nation being conquerets of them who only were able to take from them the Empire of Asia The Christians who made the fourth part there of assured thēselues to conquer their greatest enemie Behold how euery one spake during the night time according to his humour The Prince this night went through his Camp hearing all this was very glad to see the hope that euery one of his soldiers did conceiue already of the victorie I being neere him and he did me the honor to tell mee that at the time he fought the battaile against the Moscouit he did heare all the night long all kinds of songs the which resounded in his Campe seeing in a maner no bodie sleepe I hoped then said he to haue some good hap and I trust to receiue the like nowe Now after the second watch the Prince returned vnto his lodging and casting himselfe vpon a carpet he meant to sleepe but the desire of day would not suffer him for to sleepe hee then commaunded me to giue him a booke wherin he did reade therin was contained the the liues of his fathers and grandfathers and of other valiant knights the which he did ordinarilie reade he called me hauing light vpon in reading the discourse of a battaile that his grandfather had lost against the Persians the which he had thought to haue gottē very vndiscreetly hauing assaulted his enemie many aduantages being propounded vnto him whereof he might haue made good vse all which he neglected trusting vnto his owne valor and that of his souldiers And hauing ended his speech he commanded me to reade the same before him and said vnto me I alwaies reade this before I begin a battaile to the end I shold not so much trust vnto the Lyons skin wherin I wrap my arme that I shold not serue my self with the Foxes to wrap therwith my head for thus said he my grādfather was in a place of aduātage he wēt out of it to seek his enemy who was lodged strōgly what soeuer his men said to him he went on headlong shutting his eares against all the counsell and aduise of his seruants and demanding of me whether it were day hee caused the great Chamberlaine to be called and commanded him to to cause his trumpet to be sounded and that his horse should be ready and hauing a litle slumbred he gaue commandement that Axalla should be sent for who came vnto him with other Lords and Captaines the chiefest of the Armie with whom after he had consulted of the order of his battaile Hee mounted on horsebacke and sent euerie one for to make themselues readie to do the like at the same instant he receiued newes that the enemies Armie marched forward and came to take his ground for the battaile
out for hauing aduanced two hundred horse with these souldiers they mingled themselues within the army and being followed by Stucan he made himselfe maister of that which was the safegard of the army the which were their light horsemen and there were slaine of them more then three thousand men of those which were aduanced forward the rest of the army being on horsebacke did not pursue our men in their retraite thinking it had bene our whole army the which caused them to hold the bridle with their footmen chusing rather to loose their stradiots then the substance of the army In the morning they were greatly astonished whē they vnderstood our Army was as yet ten leagues off and that they were but three thousand horse the which had put so great disorder in the campe The Bassa was determined to stay for our army and if it were possible to weary the same before he came vnto the battell being aduertised that we had not victuals at our owne pleasure Prince Axalla being come within fiue leagues of the enemies army he intrenched his army and made a shew of abiding there Now he was very desirous to view the situation of the enemies Campe and hauing one day aduanced all his Army in a playne within two leagues of the enemies Army he would set forward for to view their countenance and the place where they were encamped the which he hauing done he perceiued the way by which their victuals did come vnto them and raysing the Campe he determided either to compell them for to fight or else to lodge betweene them and the sea for to cut off the way of their victuals for he was well aduertised of the enemies purposes and being vncamped he marched in battell array directly towardes the enemy as if he meant to haue assaulted him within his trenches In the meane time he caused his Armie to be lodged within a league of him Now the Bassa who had not stirred out of his Campe knew not what was our purpose our armie hauing bene in battell array within the view of their Campe aboue eight houres in the meane time our souldiers lodged The enemie who did not thinke any such matter was greatly astonished when some of his men came and declared vnto him that we were lodged so neare vnto him and did hinder their victuals and hauing assembled the chiefe Captaines of his Army to haue their aduise hee determined to come vnto the fight and giue a battell if he did perceiue that our purpose was to hinder him from the sea he would yet indeuor as much as he could to procure that his victuals might come making triall by scoutes to do the same So the day being come the Bassa caused sixe thousand horse to issue out for to discouer our purposes giuing cōmandement vnto thē whō he sent to hazard nothing but to retire if they did see that any did stop the passage so as it falling out that the Captaine of our side the which had this charge was this day on horseback with x. thousand horse who vpon the first alarum of his enemie did beate them brauely into their Campe the which the Bassa perceiuing and that it was the purpose of our mē he supposed hee could no longer shun the battell And the same night he began to approach vnto the point of their campe neare vnto a mountaine the which was nearer vnto them then vs to lodge there in parcels and also to the ende we should not lodge there at all the which they did foresee might greatly preiudice them if we should win the same before them So in the morning Prince Axalla had certaine newes that the enemies Army did dislodge the which he desiring to descrie mounted on horsebacke and aduanced forward with some twentie thousand horse for to behold their dislodging determining to set vpon them if hee saw cause and followed them to take an occasion to do it vpon their lodging But it fell out otherwise for seeing their countenance hee supposed presently what they would do and hauing called vnto him the Prince of Thanais and Sinopes hee sayd vnto them that he thought it not conuenient to suffer the enemie for to intrench vpon this mountaine for the discommodities we should receiue thereby For this cause hee commaunded Sinopes to set vpon them with twentie thousand men and to hinder them from this mountaine assuring himselfe that if he did win it hee should haue the victorie of the battell most assured Now the place was such as the horsemen could by no meanes do anie seruice there by reason of a marrish that was at the foot of the same mountaine the which did stretch a good league but the footmen did easily march thither Prince Axalla assured himselfe hee had good footmen and that Sinopes who was desirous of honor would not omit to giue a strong assault vpon the enemies vpon this occasion So our army being wholly ranged in battell arraie Prince Axalla caused all his footmen to aduance forward hee determined to fight on foot if the enemies did wilfully attempt the same mountaine and hauing cōmanded the Prince of Thanais to keepe himselfe at the head of all the horsemen who were in battell array he aduanced forward for to succor Sinopes in good time who aduanced lustily with twenty thousand men only Prince Axalla hauing aduised with himselfe as the best to cause them to march along by a litle hill and that by this way they shold do their endeuors by surprising of the enemy who could not perceiue them so as they should as soone feele their blowes and assault as see their persons this being a Maxime that an enemy throughly viewed is halfe conquered this was the cause that the same became so great an astonishmēt vnto the enemy to see himself assaulted not knowing whether it were with all the footmen or part of the same The enemies Army was at the other end of the marrish we were within the view the one of the other but euen as our men did giue this onset you might haue seene their whole army stir for to resist the strong force of our men the which continued a good houre The Bassa who was a discreet Captaine commanded all the footmen he had to aide thē which where vpon this mountaine and although our men vpon the first fury had won the top of the mountaine so as then the enemies did fight on foot comming vp the which was a great aduantage for our men Axalla perceiuing this aide mount vp commanded also 20000 of our men to oppose themselues against this new troupe which moūted and after them he sent 25000 more and came to this point that he himselfe alighted determining for to leade the third succour saying that as soone as he should perceiue another great troupe of footmen for to stirre it was his turne to march The Prince of Thanais vnderstanding that he would go thither in person sent to beseech him for to suffer
taking the citie and the happie successe therein was attributed vnto Axalla to whom was giuen the gouernment of the citie with the country already conquered But he beseeched the Prince that it would please him to bestow it vpon some other and for himself he reserued the hope of his maister wherein he should haue part This answere did greatly content the Prince for he greatly desired the seruice of Axalla for that he was a Captaine who besides his valour had great practise in the knowledge of Armes and full of inuention but principallie at such time as the question was for the besieging of any place The Prince offering it vnto him rather to acknowledge his seruice done vnto him then for any desire hee had to employ him in any other place then about his person Vpon his refusall this charge was bestowed vpon the Prince of Thanais with the title of Viceroy Now as I haue already told you our Prince after he had giuen such order as was necessarie and aduertised his friendes in all partes and aboue all the Emperour he marched forward hauing contented his souldiers and made a generall muster of his Armie as well of the horse as footmen the which hee found to be diminished of tenne thousand men onely Nowe our Prince after he had solemnlie called vpon the immortall inuincible and incomprehensible God and spent one whole day in prayer we enterprised to goe on forward and to go directlie vnto the enemie who was at Sintehu with all his owne forces and of all his Allies As soone as he receiued newes that our Armie was passed ouer the riuer of Chulifu it is reported that barbarouslie he caused to be published throughout all his Campe that euerie one should prepare himselfe vnto the Battaile for that he was determined to stay no longer for the enemie within his owne countrie because hee could not endure to see his subiectes spoyled any longer But certainlie he made it manifestlie appeare how his mischiefe and euill fortune followed him too neare euen at the verie heeles for if that hee had drawne out the warre in length he had gotten a great aduantage of vs hauing manie strong Cities the which we must needes haue assaulted and had bene sufficient to ouerthrow vs vtterlie and after he might haue had a good bargaine of vs. For the wisedome of our Prince would not endure to leaue any thing behind him which might hinder vs from victuals for great Armies cannot otherwise be maintained Our Prince was wont to say vnto his famiars for he neuer boasted himself and at such time as fortune was most fauourable vnto him then had he most doubt that if the king of China were so euill aduised as to offer him battaile hee should commit a follie whereof he would repent him being well assured that he had braue Captaines and souldiers well experienced in the warres who knewe well what belonged vnto battailes Now the king of China marched directlie vnto vs with great magnificence there was nothing to be seene but gold and precious stones in his Armie he himselfe was commonlie in a chariot wherein there was such a quantitie of golde and rich stones that euerie part was full of Diamonds Rubies and Pearles The king of China was of the age of three and thirtie yeares vvho for the most part had bene brought vp in pleasures and not in militarie exercises nor vnder the bloudy ensigne of Mars loaden with yron boisterous and furious not with gold precions stones and with such kinde ofriches so as he was very insolēt in thretnings brauadoes and in defying vnto the battaile He often said that we had surprised him and had not warned him to prepare himself and that we had stroken him without speaking any word for this is the custome of the people in those parts to do in this maner He had two or three kings also with him his neighbours and Allies who marched with the same preparation The rumour of these riches gaue great courage to the soldiers for they were couetous of iust gain as is that gotten by a battaile So both our armies went forward each to approch the other there was a city yeelded vnto the Prince called Tunicheuoy the which helped our Armie greatly so as the Prince hauing well marked the situation of the Camp found it to be much for his aduantage and the waters and pastures in great aboundance in so much as we determined abiding in that place to behold the enemies countenance who if he were so rash as to set vpon him at all aduenture this place seemed vnto him verie conuenient to teach him a newe lesson in The next day to the end we might giue occasion vnto the enemie for to approch nearer we sent to summon and at the same time to take possession of the citie of Pannihu the which in aduancing forward we left a litle behind vs. The king of China had put manie men thereinto and it was a citie sufficiently well fortified from Tiaucheuoy to Paguinuhu there were ten leagues It vexed the Prince greatlie that in returning directlie vnto Pannihu he should turne his backe vnto the enemie This was the occasion he went to content himself with this inuesting onely for two reasons the one to cause the enemie the sooner to approch the other for to hinder the incursions which the might make but it fell out much otherwise for this matter was no sooner put in deliberation but that Odmar who had bene at the warre brought certaine newes that the enemies Armie was within a dayes iourney of vs and that the battaile in his opinion would bee the next day The Prince foorthwith dispatched one vnto Calibes who was gone thither with 10000. horse that hee should come vnto him and in the meane time made prouision of all thinges necessarie wherewith he might preuaile for obtaining of the victorie So he aduaunced his Army within a league of the citie Tiaucheuoy about noone the next day they had more certaine aduertisement of the enemies comming The Prince who had as merrie a countenance as might bee after he had commanded his Armie to take the place for the Battaile which he had chosen in his iudgement with most aduantage and hauing set downe vnto Odmar the order he would haue to be obserued hee desired to see the comming of this Armie so sending before him fiue or sixe thousand horse as scouts he aduanced forward and Calibes with him Now there were two causes wherefore hee marched the foremost the one was for that he wold iudge of his enemies countenāce the other he hoped to draw him to fight in his place of battaile the which he had chosen and to deale in such sort as the enemie might be the assailant So after he had seene this great confused Armie which continually came forward he commanded Calibes to retire himselfe as soone as they drew neere vnto him and bring vnto him this great cloud the which he
to draw neare and assist him and that he would not faile to chuse his place of battel as much as he could for his aduantage whilest he looked for him he set forward presently twenty thousand horse with speed vnder the leading of Calibes In the meane time the enemie by reason of the place which was narrow a valley wherin his men could not march but in single ranke he aduanced not so soone the which Axalla supposed for otherwise he would haue retired but in the best manner he might vnto the Emperor So he determined to chuse a place for the battell to make his men for to fight in small troups to entertaine the enemy in cōming down the mountaine perceiuing that his purpose was to take his place for the battell at the foot of the same moūtain This sport endured 2. or 3. houres vntill Calibes came with 20000. horse for the assistance of Axalla who had also full 30000. more Andronicus betweene 8. and 10. thousand the most part Albanois who were good horsmen he requested the first charge the which Axalla did grant vnto him being loath to discontent him in the which hauing fought valiantly ouerthrowen slaine many of the enemies hee was one of the first that was slain for want of being aided by his men A Prince surely of such a courage as did much grace him and who verily in this his youth did follow the honour nobilitie of the bloud of them from whom he was descended Axalla assisted him with all his power who were in a manner all Parthians or Christians in the Princes pay who gaue a great shocke vpon the Soldans troupes and passing through them he found directly before him all their footmen he busied himselfe in fighting with thē in the meane time a troupe of fiue twentie thousand horse did set vpon Prince Calibes they say that therein was the Soldan himselfe who fought the one against the other very obstinately and in this meane space Axalla fought with these footmen which hee leauing halfe ouerthrowne sounded a retrait and seeing Prince Calibes hardly beset he went directly towards him and perceiuing the place where the enemies had the greatest aduantage his men the worst he charged this maine power on the flanke which 15000. horsemē seeing who were behind these footmen whom the Soldan had commanded that they should not fight but vpon need they came vpon Axalla on that side he had giuen his charge setting furiously vpon him they fought a lōg time so as he was wounded his horse slaine vnder him himself taken prisoner Which being reported vnto the Emperor by one that fled he cōming forward with as much speede as he could was greatly vexed hauing his chiefe confidence in this Captaine This caused the Emperor to make the more hast who if he had not come in so good time that day had made an ende of his good fortune but hauing commanded 10000. horse to aduance before him giue an onset he assisted thē with 25000. of his most faithfull horsemen hauing vpon his wings 20000. horse of his aiders The Soldan did not see this maine power by reason of the valley they came in he was greatly astonished for to behold the rest during the time that Prince Calibes Axallas men did fight Behold in an instant 10000 horse which set vpon the Mamelus who were almost maisters of the field The Prince also aduanced forward with all his footmen horsemē The Soldan not being able to resist so great a force he soūded a retrait finding the falt he had cōmitted seeing all the whole army vpon him Now Axalla being ouerthrowne by him who held him prisoner was on foot he was moūted againe on horseback his woūd was but a small matter the Emperour followed the victory three leagues It is reported that the Soldan had bene thrise mounted on horseback during the battell so well did he performe the duty of a good souldier captaine but the fault he had committed was great for he did not marke that all our army did not follow We cōmited another fault also in so much aduancing forward our auantgard which was like to haue cost vs deare for had it not bene for the art Axalla vsed the Emperor had neuer come in time to assist him but we may say that fortune the mistris of all did bring to passe that our faults were often turned into stratagems of war so great hap did accōpany our Prince so his comming was the victory of his mē Behold how this war was much shortned against the opinion of many for it was knowne how the Soldan was counselled wisely to draw this war into length notwithstanding he could not shun his ill hap Our Armie could not lie in one place for the great multitude especially the coūtry being also in many places vnfruitful These newes being come to the Prince of Thanais at Goulach and he making the same knowne vnto the enemies they were greatly astonished as soone had he cōmandement from the Prince to punish thē well for their rashnesse and to put all vnto the sword without any mercy to giue terror vnto those which would wilfully resist his forces and also he wold haue it to be an example vnto others which was done being won by assault their courage failing them by reason of the losse their men had receiued as also for that the nūber of their souldiers was much diminished by the fight giuen vnto thē night day The Prince wold not returne back againe but abode at Aleppo where the Prince of Thanais came ioyned with him not hindring Axalla frō aduācing forward with the horsemen of the auantgard to the end that the Soldan shold haue no respit to take breath who was retired with 40000. horse There died in the battel ful 80000. men no men of marke but Andronicus three Parthiā Captaines of great estimatiō the Soldans cariages were the next day taken wherein was great riches He made dispatches vnto all his allies also vnto the Greek Emperor cōforting him for the losse of Prince Andronicus as also for to receiue order frō him for a new cōmander ouer the Greekes He sent also some for to carrie newes of his victory into all his kingdoms In this meane space the Soldan withdrew himselfe into Egypt fortified all his cities demāding aide of mē mony of all his allies He deuided the rest of his army where he thought was need therof he burnt spoiled before our army sparing nothing to hinder vs from passing any further a thing which brought vnto vs great discōmodity wāt began to be in our army it was so great in so much as it behoued the Prince to make a reuiew of all his army to see what vnprofitable mēbers were therin to sēd thē from the same He was aduised to deuide his army into three parts the first vnder the Prince the other
rest of the army to march thither Axalla hauing summoned them and declared to the inhabitants who were most of them Christians the mildnesse curtesie of the Prince who himself was what religion he held causing many of the Greeke Emperours captaines to speake vnto them and made them vnderstand the miserie wherein they were obeying barbarous Mores Mamelus they determined to venter their liues for to put all the Mamelues out of the citie and all those that fauored the Soldan So as they hauing taken arms in the night made themselues maisters of one quarter of the citie and deliuering one gate to Axalla all the Mamelues were either slaine or taken and the citie put vnder the obedience of the Prince These newes being come vnto the Emperour who was alreadie marching forward made him hope for a good ende of his affaires for to leaue such a citie within the armes of the riuer Nilus and himselfe to passe on further would be the destruction of his army He trusted also that by this hauen victuals should come vnto him from all the parts of Greece according as the Emperour Emanuell had promised him and wherein he nothing failed him vnto the which the Prince hauing made his entrie there were left in garrison two thousand souldiers of the Emperour Emanuell his forces and there he placed a Gouernour and caused them to take an oth of obedience the Prince desiring to become maister thereof for to hold the Soldan thereby the more short The Prince found this citie to be very faire they of Arissa did the like and he put garrisons into all the walled townes vpon the sea coast for to make victuals come as I haue sayd conueniently vnto vs for this was the Princes chiefest care considering the multitude of his army the which had felt no want thereof The Prince hauing remained a space at Damieta he caused his auantguard to march towards Alexandria and hauing passed ouer the riuer euen in an instant he went directly vnto Caire a thing which did greatly astonish the Soldan who made prouision for the defence of Alexandria as soone as he vnderstood these newes he vsed so great diligence that he entered thereinto euen as we approached the same and he himselfe in person determined for to defend it and for to keepe vs from passing ouer the riuer of Nilus for to go vnto Alexandria they reported that the Soldan entred thereinto with fortie thousand horse and threescore thousand foot-men The Emperour could not beleeue it and then was our army at Buldac seuen leagues from Caire at such time as the Soldan arriued there who came thither in necessarie time for the slaues whereof there be an infinite number began to settle themselues for to rebell and had entered into the same without doubt the which was very euill newes for the aduancement of our affaires for to remaine long time before it was impossible for vs to do by reasō of the want of victuals yet the Prince notwithstanding all this did not leaue to draw neare vnto it and encamped with all his army neare vnto the same hauing caused a great trench to be made for to couer his horsemen and thereby for to lodge his army the more safely So the Prince during that time caused diuerse onsets to be made the which he did both to know the enemies countenance as also for to cause thereby slaues to issue out who did bring vs newes in what estate they were against whom we alwayes had the better and shut thē into the city Now it happened that the Emperor one day thought good to shew his army before the city for to trie whether the enemiy had a desire to come vnto a day of battell and to view what forces he had and indeed to seeke occasion for to fight he hoped also that if the enemies did put out all their army some reuolt would happen within the citie as well by the slaues vnto whom liberty was promised as of many discontented with the insolencies of the Mamelus whom the Soldan had caused to enter with him So the Emperour was betimes in battell array but no body issued out contrary to our expectation The Emperour in the meane while viewed the situation of the city and shewed vnto them his power hauing certified the inhabitants that he sought not their destruction but only of the Mamelus his enemies so as the same being declared by certain slaues of the nation who fained to fly from our army he be thought thē of the meanes how to driue out the Mamelues the which being made knowne vnto the Emperor by the slaues he determined to aduance forward his foot-men within halfe a league of the city and there to encampe the same determining so thereby the more to fauour the Mores enemies vnto the Mamelues who promised to take arms in his behalfe The Emperour hauing sent for the principall leaders of his army he propoūded vnto them that which he had determined for to do the which he did as well for to haue their aduise as also if the same were concluded vpon for to make them know his pleasure and the order wherein they should march and he declared vnto his Captains how he was come on a sudden before this city not imagining the Mamulus shold enter into the same knowing there being none but the inhabitants he might easily haue takē it out of the same draw cōmodities for the maintenāce of his army but the sudden arriual of such an army did put great difficulties before his eyes The first was that he could not long remaine before the City for the want of victuals and the season by reason of the excessiue heat was very hurtfull vnto his men for that they had not bene thereunto accustomed that he doubted least he going about to famish others mortality should ioyne it selfe vnto the famine so come into his army that he had bounded his enterprises vpon that part betweene the Cities of Caire and Alexandria and this being taken he would returne victorious into his countrie and loaden with the spoyles of all Asia that it were dishonourable for him to recoile before the enemies Armie with that victorie which he had obtained a victorious Armie before a conquered and flying Armie the which had done nothing else but seeke the deserts and strong places since the time of the ouerthrow that the same had receiued not daring for to shew it selfe before ours very neare these three monethes that at this present it was within a great Citie acknowledging that therin they had a great aduantage But on the other side in number of souldiers he was much their superior so as the forces being greater which he had did counteruaile the enemies wals and that he did not doubt but our victorious arms already ouer thē wold be a terror to make them fly before vs as soone as we came to hand-blowes with thē that it was a thing whereon the enemy did not
affection vnto Ierusalem did declare the same to be free from all subsidies and garrisons of men of warre He gaue great giftes vnto the Monasteries and honoured them as long as he remained in that place I will returne to declare how the great Chamberlaine as soone as hee was come into his Armie had besieged a City called Meleg vpon the riuer of Euphrates staying for the Emperour the which being brought vnto great necessity and euen after he had greatlie battered the same was constrained for to raise the siege from before it being succoured by all the Lords of Quilean of Câ—ldâ—r and others assembled beleeuing the Emperoâ—s was ouerthrowne by one onelie report they had receiued from certaine false messengers in so much as that which was peaceable before presently was in armes and he had vpon his arme all the forces thereabout Hee in the meane time remained within his Campe hauing no commaÌ„dement froÌ„ the Prince to giue any battaile and being retired himself all along the riuer of Eâ—phrates the enemies paâ—sing ouer the riuer began to presse vpon him for to fight he which had no such commission kept himselfe as well as he could within his trenches hauing already aduertised the Emperour of all that had passed and not thinking of the enemies rashnesse could not imagin they would come assault him within his trenches but being growne vainglorious by repulsing of him from before the Citie they did attribute vnto themselues therefore a great glorie and vnto vs a great disgrace so as they desired when their souldiers had this aduaÌ„tage to win a greater for theÌ„ if they could So they determined to force our Campe ouer the which commanded a Captaine who was as they supposed more trained vp within the Court then in Armies And certainely the feare and reputation of Calibes was great the which made him feared for when they reckened vp the names of our chiefe Captaines next after Axalla they put the name of Calibes for his valor and experience So farre foorth that despising this new head they busied their heads in thinking the victorie to be on their sides most certaine for lacke of experience in him which commaunded it by reason of his youth So in a morning they came and lodged their Campe neare vnto ours the great Chamberlaine hauing coÌ„manded his soldiers not to issue out of the Campe but for to defend theÌ„selues with the aduantage they had by reason of their trenches set his army in order disposing thereof for the better defence of the same hauing of that as of other matters taken the aduise of hiâ— Captaines he stâ—â—ed for the enemies with this resolutioÌ„ assuring himself by that means they wold not disobey the Princeâ— coÌ„mandement The enemies failed not with all sorts of cries forceably to come and assault our Campe they were in number 50000 footmeÌ„ who in two seueral places gaue the assalt Now the campe was made in that fashio that a certain place to issue out was left in the same by the which the horsmen might go vnto the battaile and fight vnder the safegard of the trenches of which cunning the enemies did nothing at all doubt For they had sent their horsmen vnto the other side of a litle riuer by the which they doubted that our men not hauing the courage to sustaine the fight and seeing themselues assalted would flie away to the end they might set vpon them in their retrait Now our men were no more but eighteen thousand horse and fortie thousand footmen there was indeed therein a great multitude of cariages and prisoners whom the great Chamberlaine had caused to worke so well in the intrenching that they were stronger then the Citie they had besieged and from whence they had raised their siege So the â—ight endured two or three houres when as he perceiuing that our men did couragiouslie repulse them and that an infinite number of the enemies were slaine the Chamberlaine thought it a â—it time to assalt them so he issued out of the Campe by the same place that I haue declared with tenne thousand of the best horses within his Armie and hauing first giuen order to busie them he came and set vpon them on a suddaine and slâ—e a great number of them in so much as ouâ— men became wearie with killing their horsmen being aduertised oft his euill hap befallen vnto their â—ootmen thought good to repaâ—â—e againe this riuer the which the great Chamberlaine percâ—â—â—ing foundeÌ„d the retraite not willing to hazard any thing to no good purpose for their horsmen were in nâ—â—erfull 〈◊〉 thousand This day did they lose fiue and twentie thousand men that were slaine as well in the field as in the fight of the trenches The 〈◊〉 of the faction was â—â—aine who was called 〈◊〉 king of Aâ—â—eâ—â—ia In this meane time the Prince who had receiued newes of his Armies disgrace had dispatched Axalla with speed for to aduance himself forward with the Parthian horsmeÌ„ for the assistaÌ„ce of the great Chamberlain And Axalla hauing receiued newes of the victorie within two or three dayes iourney he sent word of the same vnto the Emperour during which time hee remained at Damasco staying for the Princes commandement who after he had receiued these newes did publish the same ouer all and especially aduertised Calibes thereof to the end the same should stay their troublesome spirits who already did beleeue that the Armie of the great Chamberlaine was ouerthrowne I will declare by the way that I marked in the Prince a greater ioy for this victorie then I did note in him for any other he had where his owne person commanded And this he did in my opinion for that he reioyced that he was not deceiued in the choise which hee had made of the great Chamberlaine who was as yet too young for such a charge For he thought this same would yeelde matter vnto some for to blame him not to haue sufficiently weighed such a charge but seeing the wisdom he had shewed in keeping his aduantage and likewise the obedience and respect he had vnto the Princes commandement this same did greatly content him Some also report that the Prince would not busie himselfe any longer desiring to returne vnto his ancestors kingdomes for to assure them fearing least the long time of his absence should cause some â—edicions by reason of some disgrace his Armie might receiue at the length and therfore he would returne and passe ouer the Mountaines of Imaâ—s before the rigor of winter came the which drew neare Prince Axalla was commanded to abide and attend the Emperours comming who marched forward putting garrisons in the strong forts of Iudea and Siria and dispeopling all those places he thought were likely to reuolt in his absence The which was not done without dismanteling of all those townes he meant not for to keepe commanding the like to bâ—e done throughout all Egipt I haue forgotten to declare howe the Prince dismissed the
himselfe vppon the wayes into their campe hoping verie soone either to famish them or for to compell them to come vnto a battell Now there was but one way to issue out in order the Prince Axalla hauing caused the footemen hee had with him to aduance forward he placed the same vpon the wayes vnto their campe Now they had left their footemen behinde them and had none but their horsemen the which Prince Axalla perceiuing he caused trenches to bee made for to hinder them and hauing sent word vnto the Emperour of this deede hee set forward with all diligence Now Camares thought he had all the whole armie vpon him therefore he beganne to thinke vpon his safetie seeing himselfe compelled for to fight hauing but one issuing place the which was vppon the side of the enemies campe Nowe hee had caused a counter-trench to be made the which was along by a litle mountaine wherewith he hoped to strengthen himselfe so well as to set himselfe in battell array and to force foure thousand horse which were his guard I haue forgotten to declare that the Emperour assoone as he had receiued these newes caused the Prince of Thanais to march on forward with twentie thousand horse that were alreadie arriued the which caused our enemies to beleeue that our whole armie was encamped Now the enemy was determined to make his retrait for to cut in peeces this standing watch of foure thousand horse this matter fell out about midnight when as the Moone did shine bright Prince Axalla by chance came to visite his watches and had some 2000. horse which followed him he being aduertised that the enemie caused fires to be kindled within the counter-trenches the which we sought to force and win he doubted of that the enemie did in deed so as he secretly cōmanded all the army to mount on horsebacke notwithstanding this could not be so soone performed that the enemie had not first attempted forceably to execute his enterprise and beganne to put two thousand horse before him for to trie the hazard of fortune who ranne cleane through the guards which were on foot Now our men had alreadie begunne a counter-trench for to be opposite against that same which they had made This did hinder them and our souldiers hearing the noise beganne to take armes and to resist the enemies who did strongly assault our men and vpon their first comming being followed by certain footmen they did winne our counter-trench and beganne to labour for to leuell the same for to passe ouer their horsmen where happened a very great disorder for our footmen being astonished their horsemen hauing passed the most part of them were cut in peeces wherein the enemies busying themselues longer then they should haue done our men were soone vpon them the which were the sixe thousand horse that were in gard halfe a league from thence who arriuing found the enemies in this disorder and charged vppon them but Camares was alreadie passed ouer the first trench About the same time Prince Axalla who was on horsebacke beeing aduertised of this disorder came vnto the allarum with two or three thousand horse the which were presently in a readinesse and finding the danger of his men did hazard himselfe into the fight but the enemie made no head at all but did continually retyre Axalla alwayes ioyning together those of the campe who came vnto the allarum but the enemy comming vnto a passage the which place Axalla had commaunded sixe thousand men for to keepe the enemie not thinking to find any hinderance there was beaten backe he busied himselfe in seeking for to force the passage In the end he went lower for to passe ouer resolued for to fight if they did vrge him to it Now Axalla following him very neare the enemie turned his head and like vnto a furious beast hee came vnto the charge very couragiously as one desperate and returning in good order he foūd Axalla who was in the forefront of seuen thousand horse that followed him the other had yet also twelue or thirteene thousand horse with him It behooued Axalla to shew his courage and valour at this present for seeing himselfe engaged he did runne thorough the thirteene thousand horse and hauing his horse slaine vnderneath him with the blow of a launce vpon the second charge he was mounted againe and succoured at such time as behold eight or tenne thousand horse led by Damascen whom Axalla had commanded to assist and follow him who did beare the brunt of all arriuing they found our men almost all ouerthrowen notwithstāding maintaining the fight resolutely Then was the enemie forced to forsake the place of fight our men ouerthrowing them Camares seeing such euill happe light vpon him together with them that were ioyned with him threw himselfe headlong and was slaine fighting the fight was performed all by Moone light The Prince of Thanais remained within the campe for to guard it In the morning the Emperour in person arriued who found this faire sight and as he commended the valour of Axalla and his diligence so he blamed the Captaines who were in gard because they had ill performed their indeuor in repulsing of the enemies first horsemen the Emperor caused their inditement to be framed and two were condemned who according to the lawes for warre were punished about ten of the clocke in the morning They of the City wherein remained full two thousand horse whom they had gathered together and about sixe thousand footmen seeing their men ouerthrowne and especially beholding the head of Camares lost their courage and entred into communication and the Emperour hauing giuen them his word they came out to treat there was a composition made with them vppon condition that none of them should reteturne into Tauris but might otherwise go whither they would so they required to be conducted vnto Louan promising to subiect themselues vnto whatsoeuer the inhabitants of Tauris would yeeld vnto who were greatly astonished at the euill hap which did light vpon Camares accusing him of the fault he had committed to suffer himselfe to be shut vp in this maner So as the Emperour at that verie instant caused his Armie to march as soone as it was ioyned together and hee encamped within eight leagues of Tauris his maine battell at Sedema and caused his auantguard wherein was Axalla to lodge at Chiara who hauing shewed vnto them of Tauris the head of him that was ouer their Armie they were greatly astonished and the Princes pleasure being sent vnto them by an Herald they were in great trouble as well by meanes of the part Prince Guines had within the City who vpon this disgrace happening vnto the contrary partie would make no doubt to be obeied vpon which occasion they being all of them retired into one of the quarters of Tauris they determined openly to fauour the Emperour assuring themselues of peace and mildnesse Now you must vnderstand that the inhabitants
good order distributed that which hee had brought in carts vpon Mules Camels by the hands of Cōmissioners whō he had appointed seeing the people had victuals sufficient for 15. daies hauing taken the aduise of the Captaines of his counsell he was counselled to cut off victuals from the enemies and to take from them the riuer and therby the victuals which did come vnto them from three or foure cities they had taken the which had put them in hope they should be able to famish this great citie he resolued to take those from them In the mean time they prepared in Alexandria the victualing againe thereof by the riuer and whilest some rigged certaine armed boates for to fight with those of the Soldan the Prince of Thanais marched directly aboue Caire straight vnto Muiare the which he summoned to yeeld it selfe vnto the great Emperour of Asia his maister the which they hauing refused were besieged and hauing caused all his engines to be planted and great hollow trenches to be made to the end he might approch neare vnto a tower the which he determined to winne by vndermining because it did defend all the courtaine so as our men as well by the height thereof as for that there was an infinite quantitie of artificiall fire therein were greatly endamaged The Prince of Thanais hauing caused it tobe viewed by him who had the charge of mynes in the Armie he promised within foure dayes to ouerthrow it the which hee hauing performed our men did winne the courtaine Now the Prince of Thanais hauing caused an engine to approch they tryed the wall and finding it weake they brought foure more thereunto the which did beate downe a great part of the wall vnto the ground This being done our men were commaunded to giue an assault the which was giuen and the citie wonne all beeing cut in peeces which were within the same the women and litle children onely excepted The other cities seeing the diligence we had vsed the small succour they had receiued from the Soldan yeelded themselues vpon the first summons were receiued vpon good cōposition The Prince of Thanais hauing left two or three thousand horse and 4000. footmen within the places he had takē he thought it not conuenient to stay any longer considering the want of victuals wherof he doubted surely the Soldan who was a great Captaine had with great wisdome prouided for the well fortifying of those cities which were aboue him for it had bene our ouerthrow if they had obeied the cōmandement he gaue them being certaine that within fifteene dayes victuals would haue failed vs. But it falleth out oftē times that the Generals are blamed that their enterprises haue ill successe not for that they haue prouided ill for that which shold be done but rather because there was either feare or disobedience in thē which are commaunded who were credited in a matter of importance As soone as the Soldan vnderstood these newes he began new practises especially knowing for certaine that our army by sea set forward frō Alexandria And hauing caused his storehouses to be reuiewed calling together the generals for victuals within his army they did assure him that he might continue thirtie dayes without hauing any want and to performe this he droue out of his army all that were vnprofitable and caused them to passe ouer the water thrusting them out to trie their fortune to retire into Libia or whither they would at the conquerors mercie The Prince of Thanais whose resolution had taken good effect the which seemed impossible vnto the old Captaines got thereby amongest his souldiers great reputation and euen verily iudging that the euent of the victorie and of the deliberation of Caire proceeded from that part but it behooued to end well and this was the hardest to be performed and it seemed vnto euery one that this was a prize for a master to execute euerie one lamenting the Emperours absence for this purpose one wishing his boldnesse another his diligence and another his reputation the which onely made his enemies for to flie others saide of the Prince of Thanais that at such time as he did any thing brauely or rather whensoeuer he had any good successe that he remembred well the Emperours fashions that he was a good scholler presently they wished for the liberality of Prince Axalla remēbred the daungers whereinto he would put himselfe one of the first This was the speech of the souldiers when as they remembred those that had so often commaunded them Now the Prince of Thanais encamped his armie vnder Echied and Sebeit vpon a riuer which maketh an arme of Nilus but to be passed ouer in many places The Soldan was intrenched as I haue declared at Buldao hauing made wonderfull trenches on euery side euen vnto the riuer of Nilus There were in his armie threescore thousand footmen fortie thousand horse but all very good men and the most part of them were his old souldiers Now he had fed them much with the hope of taking Caire whereupon he grounded the recouering of his kingdome but the souldiers perceiuing there came no more any thing from aboue downe the riuer beganne to despaire notwithstanding the Soldan assured himselfe that within fifteene dayes our armie should be driuen to retire and that Caire would be consumed with famine so as he kept himselfe close and secret busying himselfe onely in keeping the riuer with a great number of boates The Prince on the other side seeing his enemie intrenched he exercised his souldiers in making a trench before the enemie being a daungerous thing for to be encamped without a trench neare vnto an armie although our armie was greater by one thirde part of footemen more then horsemen Nowe wee made our abode staying for Calibes who came forwarde with the victuall that was prouided In the meane time wee forbare not to make dayly skirmishes to the end for to discouer where wee might with greatest aduantage set vppon the enemies thereby to make them keepe close within their trenches and also to the end they should not haue the means to hinder our men frō passing in succouring their armie which was vpon the water at such time as our men would passe along with the victuals So Calibes cōming forwards forgot not to aduertise the Prince of Thanais of the meeting place to the end he might receiue 20000. men frō his army the which it was necessaire also to embarke put vpon the water the which he was desirous to doe without the enemies knowledge for he made small reckening of the forces which were come from Alexandria Calibes was determined to fight vpon the water with hope to cause his victuals for to passe or else to die himselfe and his companie The Prince of Thanais earnestly desired to vndertake this charge but some declared vnto him that the importance of the fight was vpon the land as also it
cōmodities which came from Cambalu as I haue said the Emperor hauing caused the foords of Brior to be carefully searched and occupying all the passages with his armie he possessed twelue or fourteene leagues of rich ground and good hauing behind him the salt lake and before him the riuer of Ostan And there did he watch aduantage staying the comming of his enemies with whom they thought to fight at the very instant they should arriue but they were therein deceiued for they were kept occupied with roades and skirmishes and the maine battell came not to the fight so as it was two moones or rather two monethes before we aduaunced towards them in so much as necessitie constrained them to retire towardes Cambalu The Prince thereof aduertised passed ouer the riuer with his armie which was found to be a hundred and fiftie thousand horse and two hundred thousand footmen resolued to ioyne battell fearing least Calix would returne and winter at Cambalu and should be driuen to fight within the same where not doubting of the victorie he feared yet least so great and rich a citie as that being sacked would bring vnto him two great discommodities The first would be the losse of the citie the other hee feared that taking such a citie by force his armie should be consumed in the spoyle thereof vtterly destroyed or that his old souldiers made too rich would no longer follow him After he had called his principall Captains together who were much vexed because they fought not in the end resolued therupon very sory that there was no remedy but that the possession of his Empire must be bloudie Now he had warned Calix to forbeare and lay downe his armes and he would pardon him but this rash fellow whose courage was not yet to be despised made no accoūt of al that for purposing to commaund hee could not resolue to obey which did inuite him vnto a short life with happinesse rather then vnto a long life honorlesse euen as they which vndertake such follies must needes resolue For it is very hard that the Prince his Lord shold assure himself therin as lōg as he doth liue so ticklish is this desire of raigning without a cōpanion So our army went vnto Chincy and made seuen leagues the enemie hauing knowledge of our passage turned his face and they say that Calix turned himselfe vnto three or foure of his companions lifting his hands vnto heauen and said vnto them that neuer in his life had he receiued more acceptable newes The Parthians said he haue at this very instant passed ouer the riuer and come towards vs and if Tamerlan who bargained so much will fight at this present I cannot receiue a greater good turne For said he whatsoeuer shall become of me it cannot but bring vnto me an immortall glorie for if I conquer him who is he in Asia that may be cōpared vnto me the Empires of the Tartarians of Sachetay shalbe mine for I fight against the forces of these two great estates the which I haue separated thorough my practises my power consisteth of these two peoples if I be ouercome my glorie shall be very great in that I durst and vnto this present time we haue gotten this glorie that the valour courage of Sachetay was two moneths shut vp betwene the riuers of Brior and Ostan for the terror of our armes therefore the victory which he shall gaine of vs shalbe vnto vs alwaies glorious Thus discoursing I haue heard sayd he did shew a great stoutnesse of courage He aduaunced his armie forward so as the auantcourers of the two armies encountred ech other and our men were driuen euen into our Camp a thing which greatly displeased Odmar who was in the auauntguard for the Emperor was very sory that he had not made them stronger when they came neere vnto the enemie but the excuse was that they did not imagin the rashnesse of Calix to be so great as to set forwards three leagues The next day was spent in discoursing of battailes euery one for his part and to exhort the Captaines souldiers to deuide the gouernementes vnto Captaines with the rankes and ordinances Calix was of the age of forty he was a Captain renowned with the great Cham he was one of the chiefest in dignitie and place and they had alwayes respected him within Tartarie as a person most worthy of the Empire if the glorie of Tamerlan and his reputation had not so far excelled The Armies began to be viewed the one of the other about eight of the clocke in the morning where there were very many skirmishes before they came vnto the main battaile according to the fights of these nations it was a great plaine wherein they met at that time with like aduantage on either part Odmar led the Auauntguard as I haue already said wherin there was forty thousand horse three-score thousand footmen he made three squadrons wherof he set forward one before him that began the battaile Tamerlan marched in the same order but his squadrons were much stronger the footmen both of the Auauntgard and of the Battaile were on the right and left wings Tamerlan had drawne out sixe thousand Parthian horse and two thousand Tartarian for the Arier-ward had committed the charge therof vnto a faithful seruant of his called Axalla a Geneuois borne who had great credit with him because he had bene brought vp with him in his youth and had good triall of his faithfulnesse valour and industrie hauing giuen him in charge not to fight at all but vpon the extremitie and also to gather together all that should be scattered from the Armie Axalla was a man of great iudgment his vnderstanding being good and quicke and a Captaine in great estimation amongst the soldiers although he worshipped God in another maner then we did and was also a Christian. And he had many of them with him whom he caused to come frō the Georgians and from Pont Euxin who fought with great agilitie this day did he shewe his great fidelitie and courage vnto his Prince Calix on the other side who was a well spoken man was encouraging his soldiers to fauour his fortune and the libertie of his nation hee had deuided his troupes into three maine battailes onely his footmen vpon the right hand his owne person was in the middest of the maine battaile with manie footmen which compassed him round about according as we vse to fight Now Odmar that was a politicke warrier stayed their comming without remouing his first squadron rushed furiously vpon this great multitude that on the right side wherin was his owne person the other on the left side gaue a great push broke all the order of Calix armie in such sort as it was constrained to ioine all together which was a great multitude at this verie time the Prince charged which ouerthrew all You might haue seen in an instāt amōgst these great companies thus opened
some follow some flie some kill taking of horses and men tumbling ouer and ouer they held the victorie sure on our side when as behold a maine force did come vpon vs conducted by Calix who had gathered them together and they were between fifteene and sixteene thousand horse which came set vpon the Princes maine battaile on the flank and pierced the same and ouerthrew them in a maner all Now you must vnderstand that those on Calix part retired at the verie first charge euē vnto their carriages and our men had followed the victorie too hotlie making great slaughter in somuch as they charging againe and finding our forces broken he did easily shake our Armie and gaue vs a great checke so throughly that wee were vpon the point to lose the battaile The Prince Tamerlan was throwne to the ground in the meane while his maine Battaile retired continually fighting according to our maner The Prince was not long in mounting againe on horsbacke looking continually on his Arier-guard which had not the meanes to ioine with him and earnestly viewing the countenance of the same Nowe our footmen at such time as hee went to giue the charge was open and after shut againe and had not bene as yet set vpon by anie they had bene onely breathed vpon at the charges which had bene giuen Axalla ioyning with it his troupes reserued for the Arier-ward During this space Calix did hotlie pursue the troupe of Tamerlan who retired skirmishing continually with his souldiers being almost all Parthians The enemies maine battaile did greatly diminish for his souldiers went a spoyling here and there within the campe of the Battaile and they could not discerne by reason of the great dust the Arier-ward which followed in good order after killing and ouerthrowing all that vvere opposed against them When as behold at the same instant there came a crie euen vnto Calix with Turne turne there being a thousand or twelue hundred horse which Axalla had seuered from the rest who hauing already aduanced themselues brauely were come to handigripes with Calix hauing receiued commandement to mingle amongst them for to redeeme the Princes maine Battaile which was pursued by them Then did Calix in returning perceiue that both his Empire and glorie together with the good fortune which he one houre had fully inioyed were for euer vtterly lost then began he to repent himselfe of his follie after he had commanded a charge to be giuen for the repelling of the auant-currers hee staid vniting his men for he had as yet 11000. horse but he could not descrie whether those which were with Axalla shold be footmen or horse for they all appeared vnto him horsmen a thing which did greatly amaze him On the other side he did perceiue that at the same instant he left pursuing the Emperours maine battaile in that very time it had gotten a loofe off ioyning together such of the men as had bene scattred from the same attending the successe of this charge that hee might beginne his fight againe notwithstanding he being bold and braue had his recourse vnto extremitie by his armes and hauing nothing in his face but boldnesse he exhorted his men to fight valiantly with him and pursue the good fortune which the great God had put into his handes this day that these were scattered men which sought to ioyne with their fellowes and it was necessary to hinder them from that In this meane time his Army did stronglie ioyne itselfe together the which Axalla well considering thought that the good fortune of two great Emperours was this day in his power and vnder his conduct and that his life or death could not but prooue most glorious being for the safetie of his good master who had put in him so great confidence he encouraged his souldiers valiantlie commanding the first charge to be giuen and brauely assisting his men hee charged so strongly that he passed cleane through the squadron of Calix who was hurt in his mouth with the blow of a Lance after had performed the dutie both of a souldier and Captaine In the end valiantly fighting he fell into Axallas owne handes the which with one voice he proclaimed through all his campe the which ouerthrew the courage of all his souldiers Prince Tamerlan also set vpon the flanke of one of those troupes broken already by Axalla and so was the victorie entire There were slaine of the one side and of the other more then fiftie thousand men It cost our Emperour deare who said that he neuer fought with greater danger of being ouercome He honoured greatly Axalla for his good endeuour and wise conduct who brought vnto him Calix sore hurt in the mouth with the blow of a Lance and another blow of an arrow in the body He spake vnto him but the other being fierce and bold answered him nothing at all making a signe that his mouth did hinder him he was kept vntill the next day and was iudged by all the Counsell worthie of punishmen whereupon he caused his head to be smitten off the which he sent to be presented vnto the inhabitants of Cambalu he caused the like to be done vnto all the chiefe leaders not for crueltie but for necessitie knowing very wel that the means to cut off the foot of ciuil warres is to punish the heades of the same for they be Hydras which grow vp but too fast After this the Armie marched into the kingdome of Cataio a countrie rich in grasse and in all kinds of pastures abounding with great quantitie of beasts and people which knew not what warre meant The Prince gaue commandement that these people should not be accounted as enemies but his good subiects that he would vse all the cities well as Cangi Sochgi Gonzae Tagni Togara Congu which had reuolted and were come to sue for pardon at his handes in humbling themselues before him the which he granted vnto them enioyning them only to prouide sufficient victuals for his armie and neuer to be so ill aduised as to harken vnto those who for their particular ambition would withdraw them from the obedience due vnto their true and naturall Prince and Emperour Now this mercifulnesse was presentlie spread abroad which was of no small importance for the appeasing of others who had put all their hope in extremitie which is in losing their owne liues to make others doe the like especially the inhabitāts of Cambalu had taken this resolution but being informed of the Emperours clemency changed their opinions notwithstanding some of them which were the most sedicious who thought they should run the same fortune with their leaders were in despaire doing as much as in them lay to draw with them the destruction of their citie the which this mildnesse had appeased and changed into hope of the Princes clemency In the meane while our army daily aproched and at such time as we came neerest the more did the
things had passed at Cambalu he asked his aduise whether hee should goe and visite the Emperour his vnkle Odmar who well perceiued that the Prince desired it and called vnto his remembrance the honor which he had receiued when he was at Quinzai and that he would haue bene very willing to spend the winter with the Empresse staying for the spring for to returne vnto the enterprise of China But Odmar which was no flatterer and who was a great Counseller of estate and faithfull vnto our Emperour Tamerlan spake vnto him in this manner Inuincible Emperour so do I beseech you as may be found in you both valor to conquer and wisdome to vse the victory you haue left your Army the which for the space of six moneths hath bene busied in opposing it selfe against the forces of your enemies he whom you haue left is a Tartarian one of the chiefest of this nation do you not know that the Tartarian and also the Parthian doe in a manner acknowledge none for Prince worthie to command them but those that go with them vnto the warres On the other side doe you nothing consider that you haue enterprised this warre to augment the glorie of him who hath chosen and called you Know you not that the king of China holdeth a great countrie which hee hath giuen you It behooueth that you manifest vnto him the affection of your seruice Consider also that your glorie and greatnesse will bee more acceptable vnto him farre off then neere at hand For being farre off it shineth vnto him for the fauoring of his affaires but neere it maketh his owne obscure Do you not consider the suspitions hee may conceiue of your greatnesse the repentings which often come to them which haue made men great whom they desire afterwards to ouerthrowe for Princes be variable What glorie can you obtaine by this iourneying Necessitie constraineth you not thereunto but your reputation will be whollie diminished thereby and the way of your glorie is altogether contrarie vnto the same It is better for you to winter gloriously vnder your tentes in the middest of your men of armes then within the statelie pallaces of Quinzai in the middest of the sweetnesse of an effeminate Court They which would finde fault with you will demaund the cause wherefore you left your Armie they will say that you threaten the king of China a farre off it is to be feared also least hee should oppresse your men from whence will you returne to resist the same while you bring together againe your men of Armes The Parthians would as your selfe returne vnto Sachetay and the Tartarians vnto their Horda but if you march forward you shall prepare vnto your selfe an assured victorie of the king of China and if you doe deferre it it shall prooue dangerous vnto you whereas it is now most assured in as much as he thinketh your Armie busied within your owne country your forces empaired the faith of your peopled changed and all your Empire reuolted He seeth your Armie led by Calibes to temporize and being but as it were to defend it selfe and not to assault any other he supposeth that all your determinatiōs are ouerthrown Some may thus say vnto him as some haue suspected and it is not without reason but I will not affirme it being vnwilling to enter any further into your wise enterprises the which God onely knoweth who guideth you that you haue rather left Calibes there the chiefe of the Tartarians to deliuer your selfe from the suspition you had of him then for any further desire you had to accomplish your enterprise Lose not this occasiō the great God deliuereth her into your hands you hold her by the haires suffer her not to slip frō you If I haue offended your Maiesty with my bold speech do with me what it shal please you I am your slaue lo here my head The Prince Tamerlan was very sad and changed his countenance continuallie when as Odmar spake once againe vnto him kissing the hem of his garment in all humilitie as wee are accustomed vnto our Emperours in signe of subiection and bondage Then the Emperour answered him that he had euer knowne his fidelitie and loue and that the cause of his sadnesse was for that he did not find in himselfe abilitie to recompence the same and that hee aknowledged now in earnest the wisdome of the Emperour his father in making choise of so worthy a Counseller to assist him and that hee certainly learned to know that the greatest seruitude which Princes haue vvith God was that there was no end of their glorie seeing their continual doing was their rest as in the Diuinity and that when he thought to giue himselfe some ease then was the time he must in steed of the delicacies and pleasures of Quinzay make the desertes of Cipribit the resting place from the trauailes of his newe victorie that it was ended and his purposes determined I haue also heard the Prince say that Odmar did not speake vnto him like an earthly but diuine man that he verilie beleeued that God by his meanes did call him backe from some mishap which would haue light vpon him to make his glorie increase the more Now the rumour was already spread ouer all that the Princes determination was to go and visite the Emperour his vnkle the which tickled euery man with desire to returne into his countrie hoping to inioy the sweetnesse of his natiue soyle When as commandement was giuen for a generall reuiew of the whole armie where the Emperor spake vnto his soldiers in this maner We haue begun my faithfull souldiers an enterprise to go and assault the king of China who hath of late repulsed euen beyond the mountaines the Tartarian name but we were hindered to our great griefe by the foolish rashnesse of Calix and were driuen to turne the bridle for to punish him wherein you haue all assisted me It grieueth me that I cannot as well brag of the fresh spoyles of a stranger as I may vaunt by the meanes of your weapons of those our vnfaithfull Citizens and in times past with your owne selues making triall of my first Armes against the boldnesse of the fierce Moscouite although for this last ciuill victorie I am further indebted vnto you for your greater endeuour and the hazarding of your persons being much greater so were they our owne people who would not acknowledge vs whereof I cannot speake without shedding of teares desiring rather to burie such a victorie what glorie and honour soeuer we haue gotton thereby Neither do I recount these thinges vnto you but for to manifest that I forget not your faithfulnesse and the great trauaile you haue endured with me We must not therfore be wearie but must turne our weapons against those which thinke that we ate greatly troubled whereas wee are victorious We haue left our companions who haue temporized to heare the euent and successe of our affaires
as assured to execute it to the end the honour of a happie conducting might be ascribed vnto him onely Now our Prince hauing satisfied euery one of the Kings and Lords that did accompanie him he appointed the meeting place for his armie to be at a certaine place where he meant to chuse fiftie thousand fighting men and deliuer them vnto the commandement of the Prince of Thanais vnto whom he ioyned the Lord Axalla a Geneuois for that he knew him to be discreete for to accompanie him commaunding him to giue credite vnto him for his experience and fidelitie The day appointed being come the Lord with his brother came to the Emperor hauing viewed the place againe found it to be forceable fit to passe assuring the Prince once again of the happy successe of their enterprise the Prince being assembled with them to conferre together resolued in the end that his person with al the army shold approch vnto the walles directly ouer against Quaguifou in which meane space the 50000. men should march forwards vnto the place appointed and where they were assured to passe conducted by the Chinois Lord vnder the charge of the Prince of Thanais Axalla Geneuois The Emperor hauing not failed to deliuer vnto theÌ„ the best souldiers of his armie hauing set downe the order by them to be obserued hee willed that the Lord Axalla should leade twentie thousand of them shold march the first the rest led by the Prince of Thanais and that euery one should haue one of those Lords to guide them that by their meanes the enterprise might be more safely directed So hauing marched x. leagues they arriued at the passage the which was won not finding any man there to resist them and hauing taken a light repast they beganne to march forward other ten leagues which yet remained where the Chinois were who suspected no such thing hauing only an eye vnto them which marched for to force their walles assuring theÌ„selues to haue the maistry considering their aduantage But it fell out much otherwise for euen at the very same time the Chinois did perceiue the Princes armie to approch vnto their wall as soone did they disâ—ry Axalla with twenty thousand men who aduanced forward being followed by the Prince of Thanais with thirtie thousand souldiers chosen out of the whole army who without any coÌ„municacion set vpon the Chinois who came presently vnto theÌ„ hauing left a certaine number of their campe for the guard of the wall but they were presently won by the footemen led this day by Odmar who passed ouer so as the Chinois were cut off between our armies When Axalla beganne the battell he ouerthrew them in a manner all the Prince of Thanais not hazarding himselfe therin there was great riches gotten this day the king of China his cosin whom he called king was taken prisoner there was a great quantity of gold amongst theÌ„ as well on their armes as on their horse and furniture they shewed no great stoutnesse The newes hereof being come vnto the king of China who at that present time was at Quantiou brought vnto him great astonishment for that he iudged it a thing that could not possibly come to passe you might haue seene euery one filled with fright teares cries bewailing the losse of their friends The king although he had not beene vsed but to see Fortune alwaies friendly with a mild countenance now to see her turned backward with her haire brisseling he made thereof notwithstanding no great shew but gathering together souldiers from all partes as the custome is of these people he caused all the Priestes and such as had the charge of holie thinges to come vnto him and after exhortations vsed he as their head commaunded them to offer sacrifice vnto their Gods of whom the Sunne is the principall commaunding in heauen whom they hold opinion to be the chiefest cause of their being accounting it immortall and impassible mouing it selfe onely for the benefit of liuing creatures this did he coÌ„maund to be obserued thorough out all his Cities and the second thing was that euery one able to beare armes should mount on horsebacke and come vnto the king at Paguinfou whither he doubted that we would go because it was one of the neerest townes vpon the borders I haue forgotten to declare that this Lord who had the charge to conduct fiftie thousand men vnto the froÌ„tiers at such time as they which were there had need thereof was soone in a readinesse and came to oppose himselfe against the Princes armie which entred and beeing skilfull in the wayes of the countrey troubled much the armie for a great number of his men were on horsebacke The Prince determined to beate downe all the wals the better to assure his returne as also all the fortresses which were there vpon all the passages all of them hauing yeelded theÌ„selues after his victorie shewing himselfe very courteous vnto the people of these mountaines he gaue vnto this Lord a small portion of land wherein there be seuen or eight good townes Archij Ymulij Faliquien Fulij Cohensen Quialij Pulij Quianlu who came and deliuered vp their keyes vnto him being neighbours vnto this Lord and gaue him the gouernment of the frontier prouince of Xianxij shewing himselfe to be a Prince of his word and acknowledging the notable seruices the which this Lord had done him He referred the honouring of his brother vntill he had meanes to doe the same all which mildenesse was of no small importance to fauour the conquest of this countrie for the people thereof are great wonderers especially when as they see the curtesie of the men of warre a thing which is altogether against their custome for they are very cruell vnto their enemies ouer whom they haue the victorie holding that of the Indians who haâ—e often entercourse with them Now in our Prince there was not any thing noted but curtesie vnto the conquered insomuch as this made him admired and honoured Now the question being after all the fortes of the borders were beaten downe to knowe what course the armie should take the Prince had receiued newes how that the king of China assembled his forces and marched forwardes and that he was there in his owne person and that he strengthened also his Cities which are sufficiently fortified and more then in any countrey adioyning vnto him so as this caused the Prince to determine not to assault any strong citie and to leaue any of them behinde him this were a great discommoditie vnto him for the victualing of his armie for to leaue the enemie behind him being assured to haue him on his front this seemed to him nigh Therfore vpoÌ„ these doubts he thoght good to haue the aduise of his Captaines hauing asseÌ„bled theÌ„ together he propounded all these difficulties vnto them in the end after sundry opinions his resolution was to leaue nothing behind him
and to assault some famous citie take it by meanes wherof he may nourish his armie and secondarily call the enemie vnto battell The which the conqueror should alwayes seeke and the defender the latest he can hazard the same For that it is a very doubtfull thing to commit themselues vnto a battell his dutie being rather to delay vndermining the conquerour by length and by wearinesse and light skirmishes then to sight in open field For when a Generall hath wisely set his men in order and hath exhorted them to performe their duties what can hee do more then commit all vnto Fortune and to the will of the Lord of Hosts And it seemeth vnto me that in no feates of armes doth fortune shew her trickes more often then in the successe of battels fauouring often the weakest and deceiuing them sooner which trust in their skill of ouercomming The examples thereof are verie common in the historie of the affaires of the world where small armies haue ouercome innumerable numbers I speake here by way of a preamble of things which you shall hereafter heare and of the euill councell which the king of China receiued Now for to returne againe vnto my historie it was concluded and the aduise of euerie one was to conquer the countrie by litle and litle so as their enterprise was to draw directly vnto Paguinfou which as it was a great Citie and one of the chiefest so is it also strongly fortified and well replenished with people but the Prince made account that the king of China would hazard a battell Now the Prince before hee would cause the same to be summoned had informed himselfe well of the situation thereof and causing all the countrie which is champion to be represented vnto his view which are for the most part plaines this increased the more his hope of bringing to good end his enterprise the riches on the other side gaue courage vnto the souldiers and principally vnto the Tartarians desirous of spoyle who carried with them cartes to conuey away their spoyles Paguinfou being accounted an exceeding rich and wealthie Citie Then he dispatched Odmar with fourteene thousand horse to aduance forward and summon the same as for to hinder victuals from being conueyed thereinto out of the champion countrey to the end that the cattell remayning in the fieldes shoulde bee a meanes to maintaine and nourish his armie I had forgotten to tell you that for the acknowledging of the Lord Axalla his seruices the Prince had made him Captaine generall of all his footemen which was one of the principall honours of the armie He caused the sayd Lord Axalla to march after Odmar with all the footmen which was verie neere a hundred and fiftie thousand men well trayned vp in the warres and good expert fighters Hee marched himselfe immediatly after with all his horsemen artilleries engines and other munitions belonging vnto warre directly vnto Paguinfou Odmar did ride twentie leagues this day so as he arriued there contrarie to their expectation looking rather for the king then for the enemie and hauing taken much cattell wherewith the countrie greatly aboundeth he pitched his tents leauing the citie betweene him and vs and stayed for his footmen who marched forwards in the meane space sending continually vnto the warre for to wearie the enemie This endured three or foure dayes vntill our footemen ledde by this braue Christian Geneuois shewed themselues in the plaine of Paguinfou Then the Citie was summoned to yeeld obedience vnto the Emperour or else they should receiue the law of the conquerour They made answere that they were determined to liue and die in the seruice of their Prince Now you must vnderstand that it was fortie yeares or thereabouts since the Father of the king which raigneth at this present ouer the Chinois had conquered it from the Empire of the Tartarians and hauing driuen out all the inhabitants they had planted therein newe Colonies so thoroughly that there were but few of the first remembrance but onely they of the flat country and small walled townes who came from all partes and brought their keyes most willingly submitting themselues vnto the obedience of the Prince so as there was great aboundance of victuals within our armie and if we had beene within our owne countrie there could not haue come greater store a thing which made our Prince hope for a happie successe there beeing no other difficultie which for the most part can ouerthrow a great armie as ours was and withdraw them from their enterprise And thus the Citie of Paguinfou is besieged and our footemen camped round about within an arrowes shot of all the walles They within the citie did vse great endeuor for their defence and our Prince omitted nothing for their offence Axalla hauing viewed a great and strong suburbe which was in length almost halfe a league supposed that those of the Citie kept no watch there that this must needes be for that they would not make him obstinate hee had a determination to winne it in the night and hauing imparted it vnto the Prince vpon the first watch all his men were readie all of them hauing made prouision of ladders and of such things as are necessary for winning thereof with hand-blowes and hauing assaulted it on sundrie partes after the fight had continued two houres Axalla remained the conquerour and cut in peeces eight thousand men at the least which were within the same the spoile was great there were many of Axalla his mē slain of one side which was that by the which they doubted to be assaulted But on the other side by the which it was taken there was scarce any one slaine The taking of this suburbe did greatly astonish those of the Citie who had marked the lustinesse of our men and beganne to enter into doubt of their safetie which vnto this day they accounted as most assured On the other side they did see that the Princes promises to be there within fifteene daies fayled they did see this great army which daily wanne footing the engines and artillerie readie to offer violence on one side by them commaunded the which did greatly annoy them so as diuerse principall men of the Citie desired rather to make triall of the conquerors clemencie then of his rigor But hee which commaunded within who was one of the greatest Lords of the countrey and one of the best beloued with the king assured them of the kings approch so as they should not want succour in time of necessitie that there was no neede therof at this present and although they had lost a suburbe it should be great folly not to be willing to defend a citie and their fortresses being as yet entire that for his part hee would make proofe of his fidelitie vnto his Prince with the hazard of his life and goods These words were of no small importance and being vttered in the assembly of the people it caused their courages
him euen vnto the sea coastes Three or foure dayes being spent the Prince tooke aduise for to passe ouer the riuer with his horsemen but not to aduance any further then 3. or 4. leagues beyond the water only he meant to hinder the kings brother from attayning vnto the riuers foord hauing receiued aduertisement that he would passe ouer for to succour Quantoufou As soone as the enemie vnderstood newes of the passing ouer of our army it did greatly astonish him therevpon retired ten great leagues froÌ„ vs bending towards the sea side into a hillie countrie and vneasie for our horsemen where he thought to find place of securitie for his armie and where the same might be intrenched within the mountaines And there at leasure he tooke aduise of the greatest about him to determine what offers they might make vnto the Emperour as well for the kings ransome as also for to assure that which yet remained for to make a peace the which must needs be had were it by gold or siluer seeing that bloud could doe no good therein which had not beene spared that there was no more to be done and that the goddes were offended Therefore it behooued with them to acknowledge Tamerlan they for to fauour him and we to serue him and hauing sent to demaund safetie for to 〈◊〉 the Prince graunted so much vnto them for such as would come vnto him In this meane time Quantoufou yeelded it selfe into the hands of Axalla who caused the garrison to come out of the same receiued the inhabitants into the Princes protection and they which would might remaine therein vnarmed and he entred thereinto with the ioy of all the inhabitants who did determine to receiue the Emperor into the same with all the magnificence that might be He caused 30000. men of war to enter thereinto vnto whoÌ„ was money deliuered for to maintain theÌ„ there vntill such time as all the footmen shold receiue pay for 3. moneths due vnto them whereof the inhabitants of Quantoufou did furnish the Prince to the summe of eight hundred thousand Tentins the which do amount vnto foure hundred and fifty thousand crownes or therabout The Prince at this present sent me vnto Axalla whom I found feasting of his Captaines and souldiers staying for the coÌ„mandement that I brought vnto him the which was to remaine within Quantoufou and to cause all his footmen to set forward directly vnto him the which was done by the Prince to the end it should strike a greater terror into the minds of the enemies who seeing all his footmen arriued he supposed they would nothing doubt Quantoufou being taken but that he would march forward insomuch as he hoped this would greatly aduance his affaires considering the estate they were in I returned from Quantoufou vnto the Emperour hauing seene a beautifull and great Citie well fortified and wonderfully peopled and round about it there was a fruitfull countrey Our armie had beene two monethes and a halfe before it and I thinke we should haue continued there one monethes longer for therein was no want of any thing but of men because many of them had beene slaine since the siege beganne This was the cause wherefore the Princes brother would haue conducted some thither was the occasion that made him aduance forward Many of our men were also dead by reason of the intemperatenesse of the aire and the heat of sommer the which we had passed wherwith our men had not bin accustomed so as those souldiers which we looked for were necessarie for vs to aduance forward if wee purposed to attempt any other thing Axalla who remained therein emploied all the paines he possibly could to repaire the walles and to winne the inhabitants good will vnto the Prince for not one of them was departed with the Gouernour for to serue the king of China he leading with him out of the citie but thirteene thousand of thirtie thousand souldiers some beeing dead the other remaining with the inhâ—bitants vnarmed for to receiue the law of the conquerour It was a thing very worthie the noting of their new Lord who was to commaund them to marke so great lightnesse and inconstancie in forgetting so soone him which had maintayned them he and his auncestors by the space of two hundred yeares with great pacience and quiet and preserued their wealth in great prosperitie This is the cause that they which gouerne common-wealthes ought to thinke that the peoples good will is certainely to be esteemed but withall they must not too much trust therunto This was the cause that Axalla marked that saying that hee was troubled to deuise how this great multitude might be contained in their fidelitie if wee should receiue any disfauour and commanded me to speake vnto the Prince for to treat before his Armie were any more decayed and after that it was very necessarie his wisdome should consider how to assure this citie in his absence the which was so peopled and the people thereof being so light and inconstant Now as I haue said there was almost a yeare spent since we began this enterprise and our men were greatly diminished the fall of the leafe also drawing neere the which for the most part doth yeeld euill fruit vnto armies after their trauels by the changing of humors the which engender sicknesse And this appeared alreadie within our armie which caused the Prince to consider of many things and not without cause he doubted also some change within his owne countrie the which long absences do often cause the honour being no lesse in preseruing of that alreadie gotten then in conquering of the same Our Prince also did neuer refuse honourable conditions the which he did more esteeme being obtained by peace then warre He thought that his conquest consisting of almost halfe the kingdome and in making the king tributarie for the rest he should haue sufficient wherewith to bridle him if at any time hee should deale badly and would thereof be well aduised and especially he hoped to assure the same so well as their lightnesse should be throughly punished at what time soeuer they would vse it He did thinke it conuenient if they came vnto profitable conditions for his aduantage euen as the conquered doe yeeld vnto the conquerors for to resolue himselfe to border his conquests on this side Thus the Embassadors being arriued who were of the kings chiefest vassals Tamerlan receiued them with all humanâ—tie causing his greatnesse to appeare vnto them and therewithall the agilitie of his horsemen to make theÌ„ see with their eyes that it would be the destruction of the Chinois name if he proceeded any further So hauing saluted the Emperor with all reuerence they vttered their Embassage vnto him which was that the kings brother had sent them vnto him to treat for two causes the one was for the liberty of their king the other for preseruation of their country that he had vnderstood of his accustomed humanity that
Buisabuiche and we caused our souldiers continually to aduance forward and to passe ouer Euphrates for to find better meanes to maintaine our armie vppon the spoyle of the enemie in attending their comming rather then vppon our owne selues or on our Allies From that place the Emperour did dispatch vnto the Emperour his vnkle one of the greatest fauourites he had about him for to certifie vnto him of the deliuerie of this noble Citie of Constantinople and how the Ottomans came fully resolued to giue battell and for to preuent dangers he gaue cōmandement that they should keepe the borders strong all his forces on horseback vpon the enemies side for often times as in prosperitie all your neighbours do smile vpon you and encline towards you so whensoeuer an ouerthrow happeneth euery one setteth vpon you do help to spoile you For this cause shold wise Princes assure well that which they do alreadie possesse least the victorious enemie pursuing his good fortune take from you the meanes to raise your selfe vp againe Our Emperour had alwayes this wisedome when such blowes happened for to aduertise his countries to stand vppon their guard rather then to publish vnto them his victorie So wee departed from thence after the Prince had assembled all the principall men of his armie to impart vnto them his purpose and for to receiue counsell of them the which his courtesie did vse of custome that made him to be beloued For the farther you were from him then did hee most honour you there were so manie seuerall Nations within our armie so many Captaines sent vnto him for his succour and then was the time when he principally was humble and layd aside his grauitie feasting them for the aide and succour they gaue vnto our armie Amongest the straungers this Chinois Lord did ordinarily receiue great honour of the Prince who was alwayes wont to say that the vertue of Axalla and the loue of this Lord towards him had made him Lord of the fairest kingdome of Asia The Emperour was verie desirous to acquaint and instruct this Lord with the manners and fashions of those people by whom we passed for he was alwayes neere vnto the Emperours person and all the forces he had cōducted vnto our armie wherein the Prince made shew to put great confidence they had marched with vs these two monethes and carried themselues very well as all our other forces did victuals being there in great plentie that which gaue vs so much thereof was the great iustice therein obserued So our armie came vnto Garga where it passed the riuer Euphrates the auantgard at Chinserig and the generall meeting of the armie was appointed to be at Gianich the which did yeeld it selfe and there had wee newes that Baiazet his armie was neare vnto vs within some thirty leagues which caused vs to march more close All the cities yeelded the Emperor receiuing them graciously and those which refused obedience were cruelly punished especially such inhabitants as were Turkes but the Christians set in full libertie vnder the name of the Greeke Emperour Emanuell whom the Emperour would wholly gratifie Axalla hauing receiued this commaundement from the Prince so he caused them to sweare fidelitie vnto Emanuell his purpose beeing to set him againe into his Empire and to punish this Baiazet for being so rash as to enterprise to destroy so flourishing an Empire as that of the Greekes his Allies Now the Emperours quarrell was iust against this proud lightning from heauen especially in respect of his execrable cruelties hee vsed against all sexes and ages vsurping an Empire the which had sought all possible meanes to make peace with his Armes but he soone broke it and falsified his faith vnto this poore Emperour according as he found the meanes by litle and litle to vsurpe almost all from him there remaining no more vnto him but some small townes belonging vnto his Metropolitan Citie the which he had also besieged It was then an honourable thing for the Emperour to deliuer this noble Empire from such great tyrannie an Empire so famous in the world and a citie so auncient out of the hands of so wicked and accursed an off-spring This was the cause that made the Emperor to hope for to haue God his great God for an helper in this enterprise But before I beginne I am desirous to speake a word of the vprightnesse of the Princes cause and also for to note the worthinesse of his courage in giuing helpe vnto the weake and punishing of the proud representing by such deedes the image of the diuinitie the which should be marked in Princes in vpholding the weake ones and those that require succour against such oppressions So God being with vs the armie fully replenished with ioy and hope we departed from Gianich Axalla who was in the auantguard hauing commaunded foure thousand Parthian horse for to get knowledge of the armie vnder the charge of Chianson Prince of Ciarcian commaunding him to put all vnto fire and sword and also to bring word vnto him of the place where Baiazet was and what countrie that was beyonde Sennas and if hee could learne anie thing thereof he should make relation thereof vnto him This Captaine was of great reputation and next vnto Axalla he had the commanding of the auantgard in his absence this man sent before him a Parthian light-horseman with fiue hundred horse So hee had not ridden tenne leagues but they heard newes of the armie and hauing surprised Sennas they vnderstood there the estate of the Turkes armie the which was at Tataya and marched forward The which being certified vnto the Emperour commandement was giuen vnto them not to retire from that place vntill they did see the arriuall of the enemie and thereof to giue aduertisement euerie houre the Prince determining to passe on no further hauing seene a faire plaine and a countrie of aduantage for the order of his battell for he knew that he had to deale with people expert in warres and which were accustomed to fight against the Christians who are verie actiue and war-like people who wanted not the knowledge of war-like stratagemes They knewe also that his armie was greater then Baiazets but it was yet of diuerse parts so as it behooued to be well aduised for it was not against the Chinois soft and effeminate people but against souldiers well acquainted with all manner of fights that are to be fought Then the Emperour did not omit any vigilancie for to keepe his aduantage Axalla was sent for by the Emperour to come and accompanie him for to view the said place and to consider whether it would be for his aduantage and to haue his aduise This place is between the sea Gianche on the side of Sēnas boūded of one side with a litle riuer which runneth into Euphrates And he was aduised to keepe Sennas as long as he could possibly and sent word vnto those which were within the same to set
The Emperour desired to see him march that according to his order hee might marshall his owne and hauing caused three thousand horse to aduance forward vnto whom he had giuen in charge to beginne the skirmish himselfe aduanced forward to lodge euerie man in such places as he had fore seene to be most for his aduantage Now he seeing the Turkish footmen march whom they do call Ianizaries the which were placed in the middest and vpon the two fronts two great squadrons of horsmen the which seemed to be thirtie thousand horse another which aduanced and couered the batallion of the the Ianizaries He thought this order to be verie good and hard to breake and turning himselfe vnto Axalla who was neare vnto him hee said I had thought to haue fought on foote but it behooueth me this day to fight on horsebacke for to giue courage vnto my soldiers to open the great Batallion and my will is that they come forward vnto me as soone as they may for I will aduance forward an hundred thousand footmen fifty thousand vpon each of my two wings and in the middest of them forty thousand of my best horse My pleasure is that after they haue tried the force of those mē that they come vnto my auantguard of whom I will dispose fiftie thousand horse more in three bodies whom thou shalt command the which I will assist with foure-score thousand horse wherein shal be mine own person hauing an hundred thousand footmen behind me who shall march in two troupes and for my Arier-ward fortie thousand horse and fiftie thousand footmen who shall not march but vnto my aide I will make choise of ten thousand of the best horse whom I will send into euerie part where I shall thinke needfull within my Armie for to impart my commandements Ouer the first fortie thousand the Prince Ciarcian commanded ouer the formost footmen was the Lord Synopes a Geneuois kinsman vnto Axalla and he which was his Lieutenant ouer the footmen a Captaine of great estimation That ouer which the Prince Axalla commanded consisted of fiue squadrons of horsmen Baiazet his Armie seemed faire and great which was aduanced continuallie forward towards vs who stirred not one whit from the place of the battaile There were indeed many light horsmen as wel Scithians Parthians as Moscouites who left their ranks and shot arrowes and brake lances betweene the two Armies There was a spie who brought word that Baiazet was on foot in the middest of his Ianizaries where he meant to fight that hee did not forget to mount on horsebacke giuing order ouer all for the wants of his Armie but purposed to fight in the middest of those Ianizaries who are a number of trustie men brought vp in exercises from their youth to all maner of warfare and chosen out of all nations the fairest and strongest men so as they are inuincible By this bringing vp the which they haue had together they do fight with a great force and courage for their Prince and Lord who being in the middest of them they are as in a halfe circle within the Armie Now they were thirtie thousand men in this order wherein Baiazet put his principall hope he had many other footmen but gathered together of all sorts His battaile of horse was verie faire amounting vnto the number of an hundred and fortie thousand horse well exercised in all maner of fightes The Soldan of Egypt hauing aided him with thirtie thousand Mammelues very good horsmen and with thirtie thousand footmen Their Armie in that order seemed almost as great as ours for they were not so knit together as we were our forces being directlie one after the other and theirs all in a front So the enemies Armie aduanced forward continually with an infinite number of cries and ours was in great silence After that common prayer was ended the Emperour himselfe aduanced continually forward beholding the first charge giuen and caused Axalla to set forward after he returned into his order continually exhorting his men before he left them There could not be seene a more furious charge giuen then was performed by the Ottomans vpon the Prince of Ciarcian who had commandement not to fight before they came vnto him there could not haue bene chosen a fairer plain and where the skilfull choise of the place was of lesse aduantage for the one then for the other but that we had the riuer on our left hand the which was some aduantage for the Emperour hauing giuen commandement that in any case they should not lose the same that the enemies whatsoeuer came thereof should not win it this he did for to haue the aduantage of the hand in fight The Emperor who aboue all Maximes of warre did vse to deale in such maner that the enemie might be the first assaulter he had straightly commanded thē which were appointed for the first charge to suffer the enemie for to giue the onset Nowe as I haue already declared this young Prince of Ciarcian with his fortie thousand horse was almost wholly ouerthrown hauing fought as much as he could but he entred euen into the middest of the Ianizaries where the person of Baiazet was putting them in disorder where he was slaine About this time Axalla set vpon thē with the Auātgard where as he was not in any such danger for hauing surprised one of the enemies wings he cut it all in peeces his footmen comming to ioine with him as they had bene commanded he faced the Batallion of the Ianizaries The Prince seeing the charge Axalla had vpon his arme sent ten thousand horse frō his battaile for to succour him and knit together the maine battaile of Axalla and to giue once againe a charge vpon another Batallion of footmen the which did shew it selfe and came toioine with and strengthen that of the Ianizaries who behaued themselues valiantlie for the safetie of their Prince This fight continued one houre and yet you could not haue seene anie scattered fighting resolutely the one against the other You might haue seene the mountaines of horses rush one against another the men die crie lament and threaten at one yerie time The Prince had patiēce to see this fight ended when he did perceiue that his men did giue place he sent ten thousand of his horse to ioyne againe with the ten thousand appointed for the Arierward and commaunded them to assist him at such time as hee should haue need thereof At this verie time the Emperour chargeth and made them giue him roome causing the footmen to assault ouer whom the Prince of Thanais commanded who gaue a furious onset vpon the batallion of the Ianizaries wherein was yet the person of Baiazet who had sustained a great burthen But the multitude and not valor did preuaile for as much as might bee done in fight was by the Ianizaries performed for to preserue the person of their Prince But in the end the horsemen
wherein was the Emperors person gaue a new charge and his Auantguard was whollie knit againe vnto him he renewed another forcing and was fullie victorious Baiazet hauing retired on horsebacke out of the troupe of Ianizaries wounded fell aliue into the hands of Axalla vnto whom he yeelded himselfe supposing it had bene Tamerlan then Axalla seeing him so followed being for a time not knowne but for some great Lord of the Ottomans twentie thousand horse did not fight at all but only in pursuing the victorie and they made a great slaughter The Prince had his horse slaine vnder him with the blow of a lance but he was soone remounted againe on horsebacke This day the wisedom of the Emperor gaue the victorie vnto his souldiers for the iudgement which he had in tyring of the strong forces of the Ottomans was the safegard of his For if all had gone vnto the battaile in one front surely the mutitude had put it selfe into a confusion but this maner of aiding his men made euerie one profitable The Emperor iudging like a great Captaine of the need that euerie one of his souldiers had so that this manner of proceeding was the getting of the victory They accounted threescore thousand men slain of the Ottomans and twentie thousand of ours The Prince of Tirzis was slaine as I haue said the head of the Georgians slaine Calibes was verie sorrie hee had so easie a reckening in his Arier-ward being very couragious and a gentle knight the Despote of Seruia was taken prisonerer who did accompanie Baiazet and was a Christian they gaue him this day of battaile much reputation The Emperour gaue vnto him verie good entertainment reproouing him for that he did accompanie Baiazet against him who did come in fauour of his Emperour He answered him that it was not according to his dutie but the prosperitie of Baiazet vnto whome it seemed that all the world did bend for to subiect it selfe vnto him and that his safetie had caused him to set forward The Emperor presentlie therupon gaue him leaue to depart at his pleasure He tooke care to get into his hands Baiazet his childrē he gaue commandement that Baiazet should bee cured and after brought before him who at such time as he was there neuer made any shewe of humility The Emperour saying vnto him that it lay in him to cause him to lose his life he answered Do it that losse shall bee my happinesse And demanding of him what made him so rash for to enterprise to bring into subiection so noble a Prince as was the Emperour of the Greekes He answered him the desire of glorie and rule Wherfore doest thou said the Emperour vnto him vse so great crueltie towards men so farre foorth that neither thou nor thine do pardō either sex or age This do I answered he to giue the greater terrour to my enemies Then said the Emperour so shalt thou receiue the like reward and causing him to bee conueyed againe out of his presence he turned vnto his followers and said behold a proud and fierce countenance hee deserueth to be punished with crueltie and it is necessarie that hee bee made an exemplarie punishment to all the cruell of the world of the iust wrath of God against them I acknowledge that God hath this day deliuered into my hands a great enemy we must giue thanks vnto God for the same the which was performed being yet day for the battaile was wonne at foure of the clocke and there was as yet fiue houres of day-light The children of Baiazet were brought before him he caused them to be vsed curteouslie and as the children of an Emperour The next day he commaunded the dead to bee buried they found the Prince of Tirzis dead in the middest of the Ianizaries where he remained enclosed The Emperour did greatly lamēt this young Prince who was his kinseman and would haue bene one day worthie for to do him great seruice In that battaile there-died manie Captaines almost all the chiefe of the Ottomans This was a great Battaile the which was fought from seuen vnto foure of the clocke in such sort that they knew not vnto whom the victorie did incline Our Armie stayed vntill the next day euery one causing his friends to be buried The Prince of Tirzis was embalmed and conueyed with two thousand horse vnto Samarcand vntil the Emperour returned All the other dead bodies were buried at Sanas with all the honour that might be Axalla was much grieued for his kinsman because hee was verie well beloued of the Prince his charge was giuen vnto one of his brethren who was verie famous in fighting this same day wee might iudge the euents of the matters of the world Behold this Emperour Baiazet who was as he thought superior to fortune which in an instant found himselfe and his estate by one battaile onlie ouerthrowne euen vnto the lowest place and at such time as he thought least thereof He vsed to say that he was iustly punished for despising the multitude we had for the assurance that hee had in the valour of his horsmen and especially of his Ianizaries Hee was three dayes as they report before he could be pacified as a desperate man seeking after death and calling for it The Emperour did not vse him at all curteouslie but caused small account to bee made of him and for to manifest that he knew how to punish the proud vpon festiuall dayes when as he mounted on horseback they brought this proud man vnto him and hee serued him in steed of a foot-stoole this did hee for to manifest the follie and arrogancie of men and how iustlie God had humbled him The next day the Prince marched directlie towardes Bursia whither all the remainder of Baiazet his Armie was retired with the Bassa Mustapha All the countrie yeelded vnto vs and the Prince caused all the holdes and fortresses to be ouerthrowne and destroyed and punished all those which were so euill aduised as to stay vntill they were besieged I had forgotten to declare how hee caused the Prince of Tirzis bodie to be accompanied with diuers prisoners chained tied together whom he did send vnto Samarcand the which the Prince had determined to make great for a perpetuall memorie of his greatnesse Euen so had hee greatlie peopled it with people of China which had bene taken in the Battailes and of those likewise which were taken out of the two great Cities Paguinfou and Quantoufou Nowe this battaile did bring great astonishment vnto all the countries possessed by Baiazet and no bodie resisted vs euen vnto Bursia whither this armie was fled and therein were also two sonnes of Baiazet verie young Axalla being alwaies aduanced forward before our Armie with fortie thousand horse and an hundred thousand footmen without anie carriages who hindred the enemies from ioyning themselues againe together and he made a cruell warre vpon the Ottomans deliuering the Grecians from the tyrannie
so great successe obtained against so many and sundrie warlike people You my souldiers whose reputation flieth through all the world shall I beleeue this of you I will not neither ought I to beleeue it therefore follow me and let vs go and assault the Mamelues who you know of long time haue opposed themselues how farre soeuer from vs against our happinesse hauing ioyned themselues vnto the Ottomans for our destruction Would you that I should punish their rashnesse without you Would you that the Scithians and my allies should haue part in my victories and in the meane time you should go rest your selues and lose the glorie alreadie gotten The Prince had no sooner made an end but they all cryed with a loud voice that they wold liue and die with him and as they followed him into China so would they also follow him throughout all the world but they besought him to haue regard vnto their woundes to comfort their old age and that he would giue thē hope of rest the which the Prince promised vnto them Vnto the others the Emperour spake nothing at all for they were very glad to haue this glorie ouer the Parthians in perceiuing them willing to returne insomuch as when the Prince came to passe before the Scithian horsemen they all cryed in their language Victorious Emperour what doest thou march forward for we will follow thee The which did greatly content the Emperour Now the Parthians and Scithians were the principall forces the Prince had in his armie now the Emperour did nourish wisely emulation betweene them which of them should best manifest his faithfull affection The Pince commanded that the sick and wounded should be viewed throughout all the armie and that the Treasurer of the wars should distribute money among the companies ouer and aboue the ordinarie pay due vnto euery souldier so our armie departed and in the auantguard with Axalla was placed Andronicus together with him for to leade the head of the armie and it was reported vnto the Emperour that the Soldan of Egypt prepared forces from all parts for to resist the power which came against him but hee knew that he should haue much to doe and that it was very hard to stoppe a victorious armie wherein there were such a multitude of men who had ouerthrowen the strongest and most warlike Monarch that was in all Asia Insomuch as this gaue a great terror vnto the Mamelues But the Soldan who commanded ouer them at that present was a young Prince who had bene chosen for the great vertue and courage which was in him rather then for his great experience in war like affaires insomuch as he had not as yet since his election shewed his affection and as litle his valour vnto his subiects he had indeede his courage puffed vp by seeing himselfe through this choise Lord of many great cities well fortified so as he resolued to be ouerthrowen brauely In such sort as he put his hope in the winning of a battell frō the which what chance soeuer did happen he might retire himself at any time into a place of such aduātage that he might haue the means to hazard again another and hope thereby for a reuenge Whereof the Emperor was aduertised after he had conferred with Axalla Andronicus for to be aduised whither he should direct the head of his army for to constraine the enemie the sooner to come vnto battel it was in the end concluded that he should passe by Caramania directly vnto Geuolache the which was the first citie of the Mamelues Empire being one of the Soldans frontier townes which did separate him from the Turke euen there where the peace was sworne betwixt them the which Baiazet had sought to the end he might haue aide frō him to strēgthen himselfe thereby against the army which came vpon him So this place was well defended by the Soldan and it was well fortified Axalla aduancing forward his auantgard did summon the same to yeeld or else they shold receiue the iust reward of their rashnesse folly They made answere that they were children of obedience had commandement to die therein And that willingly they would there endure vntill death for their Prince country This wilfulnesse put the Prince into great choler who since he departed from his kingdom had not seene any one place which brought not to him their keies twentie leagues off before he came vnto thē to see a meane citie dare to stay his comming for to prepare to let his army The which the Emperour perceiuing he commanded Axalla to march on to lodge neare Aleppo the which he summoning did yeeld it self hauing no other then the inhabitants within the same The Prince in the mean time prepared himself vnto the siege whereto hauing caused his footmen to march his artillery to bee planted there was an assault giuen which was brauely defēded by thē within there were of our men slaine to the nūber of 1200. The Emperour greatly stirred determined to assault thē once againe hauing giuen a fresh assalt wherin the Prince of Thanais was wounded our men lodged vpon the wall and leauing no respite vnto them within they killed a great nūber of thē The Prince vnderstanding that the Soldan had promised thē aide whereof he was well aduertised and did certainely know that he marched forward he supposed that he had committed a fault in causing Axalla to aduance so farre so as he determined to set forward to ouertake him hoping by that meanes to surprise the enemie who came directly towards Axalla for to fight with him But the enemie did not looke for him so soone so hauing left all his cariages behind at the siege where the Prince of Thanais remained with thirtie thousand men only the rest he caused to march with him without any baggage vnto Bogras thither did Axalla send him word that the Soldan had passed the riuer at Confincan and that he came for to aide the besieged and it was reported that hee had 74000. horse and an hundred thousand footmen Now the Emperor being arriued at Aleppo vnderstood where the enemie was determining with himselfe to surprise him he caused Axalla to aduance forward with his auantgard himselfe staying halfe a day and then presently he followed his auantguard Axalla hauing set forward some fifteene hundred horse they were encountred and almost all slaine he not being able to aide them as he desired by reason of the vnfitnesse of the countrie and iudging that they were compassed about he did not assist them Now the enemies thinking to deale with none but those which were at Aleppo led by Axalla they came forward vnto the fight ill aduised so as Axalla had them vpon him before he supposed he aduertised the Emperor to come forward sent him word that he wēt vnto the battaile but that he would dally with the enemie as long as hee could to the end hee might haue leasure
depend in thinking himself inuincible by meanes of the trēches they had made within their streets who do you thinke will arme themselues when as they shall see vs to set vpon them vnlooked for I hold opinion we shall haue a happie ende for it is a more honourable thing then shamefully to retire and shew our backes vnto the enemie who haue so often seene our faces vnto their hurt A thing which the great God hath granted vs hauing bene these twentie years passed in cōtinual warres against so many warlike nations notwithstanding by you euen the Parthian name hath bene victorious To be short in doing of this we must by that meanes bury our reputation and all our victories if we should retire this day shamefully from before this Citie the which will come out after vs hindring vs from victuals on euerie side and spreade a rumour of our disgrace so as they which do now incline vnto vs will make head against vs and they which do obey wil rebell against vs if we hauing lost this occasion wold bend our selues against them they will presently run into their dennes so as on euerie part we shall haue great difficulties Aduise your selues herein for there are but two waies either to raise the siege and retire before their armie or else to assault them The Prince by his speech made all the Captaines astonished not knowing well which of the matches for to take considering the waightinesse of the matter This was also a fight which they had not tried for to force an army within their wals notwithstanding they must preferre their reputation before death and run into all hazardes At the last the Prince seeing that none did speake he commanded Axalla for to begin and to declare his aduise who did rise vp and after he had taken leaue of the Emperour to shew his opinion he sayd aloude My Lord what is this thou dost of vs demand hast not thou alwayes tried the courages of thy Captaines and souldiers prefering the honour of thy reputation before their owne liues What is it then thou requirest at our handes leade vs against the Mamelues thou shalt see whether the loue and true affection to thy seruice and desire of the immortality of thy name be any thing diminished Dost thou thinke according to thy speech vnto vs that the wals do hinder our valour the force of our horses The first horse of ours that shall put his head within Caire will giue entrance for all the Army Axalla had no sooner made an end of speaking but all the Captaines cried that they might be led vnto the fight that they were ready to die for the greatnesse and glory of their Prince The Emperor hauing thanked thē began to declare the maner of the order he would his army should march in he deuided his footmen into three parts the Lieutenant generall of the footmen marched with 30000. mē The Prince of Thanais had the head assisting him with 50000 footmen about his person and all his horsemen after him this day all the horsemen being reserued to attēd vpon his person hauing giuen vnto Axalla in whom he had his chiefest trust the charge of the whole army who was on foot Now the Princes determination was to take one of the Cities of Caire there to encampe himselfe so to aduance forward by litle and litle fighting with the enemy Now within the city the which was ouer against vs was the Soldan encamped all his forces he had 60000. footmen 50000. horse wherof there were 30000 Mamelues braue men exercised in warlike affaires of whose arms we made triall in the last war as for the footmē they were gathered together out of Arabia Persia Libia with many slaues vnto whom he had giuen freedom his experienced soldiers being ouerthrown in the last battell The Emperor who had not declared any thing of the hope he had in the slaues Mores did now vtter the same vnto Axalla So after this conclusion was taken the Emperor determined to giue an assault hauing brought his footmen vnto the place where he would haue them giue the onset euen vpon the face of their enemies as soone as he did see that they had set lustily vpon their trenches hee commanded the Prince of Thanais to assault them with 50000 men this was a furious fight In the meane time Axalla went along by certaine palme trees for that he iudged the enemy had forsaken that place to go assist their owne men as soone as they perceiued the Prince of Thanais to enter wherein he was not deceiued for hauing found but small resistance he passed ouer the trēches and hauing receiued cōmandement frō the Prince that they should presently make rome for the horsemen to passe whither during the time he employed himself therein the enemy sent 20000 men for to stop him thē did Axalla aduance forward leauing 3000. of his men to make an end of filling vp the ditches himself went to the fight he found the Mamelues who fought on horseback had almost beaten backe the Prince of Thanais As soone as the way was made plaine the 10000 horse set forward who charged the Mamelues behind where the Soldā himself was Now the Emperor caused 10000 more to aduance forward after them he followed with all his power then did the enemies retire vnto a second trench the which they had made in another City The fight had continued ful the space of seauen houres and it could not be iudged to which side the victory enclined for they did couragiously defend their aduantages But the Prince hauing in the end caused a retraite to be sounded contented himselfe in hauing driuen the enemies out of their trenches and won their lodging from them hoping the next day to win all the rest we possessed a third part of the Citie all the footmen lodging vpon the enemies trench and there were continuall assaults giuen so desirous were our men to ouercome There were slaine this day of the enemies sixteene thousand men at the least and of ours betweene seuen and eight thousand Draguen Lieutenant generall of the footmen was slaine with manie of his souldiers for he sustained all the brunt of the fight the stratageme of warre vsed by Axalla and his iudgement was for vs a great aduantage The Prince about night hauing aduertisment that the Soldan would retire passe ouer the riuer he foorthwith commanded ten thousād horse to lodge themselues that night for garding of the riuer bankes But the Soldan thinking those to be all the horsemen durst not passe ouer hauing bene informed that the whole army was there The break of day being come the Prince caused them to begin to fill vp the enemys trēches to set his army in batel aray The Prince of Thanais did once againe begin it Axalla vpon an other side but after they had fought the Soldan determined for to make a
retraite so to go out of the city For these footmeÌ„ did so obstinatly presse on vnto the battell and after he had performed his indeuor seeing our men already maisters of the trenches doubting lest he shold haue our horsemen vpoÌ„ him likewise he determined to go out and encamp himselfe all along the riuer and to accomplish the purpose he had failed in the night They determined to retire vnto Alexandria if he could passe ouer the water and hauing withdrawne his men from the fight as well as he could he encamped him between the water and the City for to passe ouer the same As the Prince had passed ouer the treÌ„ches the souldiers killed and sacked all the whole city as conquerers The Prince hauing present knowledge of the Soldans flight setled himselfe to follow him with his horsemen who onely were in order and hauing knit together as he might some of his footmen busied in the spoyle of the city and being informed that the enemy passed the water with great diligence he set forward directly towards him for to stop him vpon a narrow cawsey where were certaine marishes made for to stay the ouer flowing of Nilus but the Soldan had opposed 12. of 15. thousaÌ„d men whom he called his slaues to fauour his passage who were his best souldiers stood firmely the place being greatly for their aduantage Now our footmen with whom it be hooued vs to fight were busied in pillage and did come forward softly and vnwillingly leauing the city the which others did spoile so as the Prince was driuen to promise to regard especially and to acknowledge their good seruice Now as soone as they were come they forced the enemies but not without great losse they seeing that they could not resist so gret a multitude and such a force they cast themselues to swimming and made an honourable retraite for euery man had his weapons in one of his hands and with the other hand swimming did arriue vpon the other banke one part of the horsemen were cut in peeces and the other drowned This was the ende of the Soldan who staying a long time as it is reported did busie himselfe in beholding from farre how they did spoile this great city Now when the night came vpon vs hee thought our men should be sufficiently troubled in enioying of the victorie without following of him It is reported he sayd vnto his souldiers in comforting of them that they were not men which had conquered them but rather some God so great wisedome force and valour did hee obserue in our souldiers There went away with him some eighteene thousand horse the rest were fled sundrie wayes and manie drowned On the morrow hee withdrew himselfe directly vnto Alexandria making much of those slaues which remained aliue who had so well endeuored themselues for the safegard of their Maister hauing resisted the force of all our Armie for the space of two long houres yea euen after they had made such a glorious and memorable a retraite The Prince caused diuerse of those which had bene taken in the battell to come before him and gratified them in what hee might hee gaue them presentes and desired to be serued by them but they all refused that offer notwithstanding the Emperor seeing their fidelity towards their maister did not forbeare to giue them libertie to go and find againe the Soldan for the Emperour did make himselfe to be noted in his victories for some notable act of clemencie a thing verie well be seeming great men for bountie is the part which maketh vs to beloued and valour and force maketh vs to be feared and admired The Emperour after he had beheld this spectable withdrew himselfe and caused his pauilion to be placed betweene the riuer of Nile and the Citie for to assure his armie the which he did foresee was easie to be ouercome during the sacking of so rich wealthy a citie That night he mounted on horsbacke and accompanied with some of his most faithfull seruants did ride thorough all his campe visiting his guards himselfe making much of his souldiers and coÌ„mending them for their endeuours on the morrow he made his entry into the city where there was speech of receiuing the Castell wherein the Soldans had put their riches for it was their ancient dwelling the which the Prince did in his own person and lodged himselfe with all his armie round about the same fortresse the which is at one of the ends of the citie hauing giuen coÌ„mandement to cease the pillage the same hauing continued the space of 24. houres and euery souldier being also enioyned by the same proclamation to returne vnder their ensignes and lodge in the armies quarter The Prince commanded the next day that they should set at libertie all the inhabitants of the citie and that he adiudged none vnto bondage There was within this city an infinite quantity of riches and treasure â—ound the which they report the Soldan Princes haue of long time kept there not being suffered to employ any part thereof but vpon great necessitie And this was in my opinion one of the chiefest occasions that made the Soldan come thither with such diligence as he did They report also that in the night time he had conueyed out of the same place much thereof and some say that he did not enter therinto and that he tooke out nothing for feare of making his souldiers for to thinke that hee would retire a thing which might bewray the retrait he meant for to make others hold opinion that all the treasure was there and that he did not thinke euer to be forced in such a citie with such forces as he had put into the same referring such a deed of armes vnto the Diuinity wherin his men had bin ouercome with such aduaÌ„tage Now the Prince after he had certified Calibes of this victory who was all along by the riuer of Euphrates with his army which daily increased hauing taken many cities it was a great astonishment vnto all Persia there rained at that present time ouer those Nations a multitude of small kings some of them obseruing the law of the Prophet the other being Christians The Prince had a purpose in his returne to subiect all that vnder his obedience he sent Calibes word of his victorie and that he gaue him the gouernmeÌ„t of all Egypt So the Prince hauing taken order for all that was necessarie for the keeping of such a citie he caused his armie to passe ouer the riuer for to go and follow the Soldan vnto Alexandria to the end he should not leaue his victorie vnperfect And hauing caused his auantguard to passe ouer and distributed vnto euery one before the passage a reward according to their deserts Axalla passed ouer with the auantguard to go with all speed into Alexandria for to hinder the Soldan from ioyning of his forces together The Emperour remaining with the maine forces of
of Tauris had chosen Thalismahar for their Prince and sworne fealty between his hands after they had perceiued the approach of the Emperours Army so as he was no longer acknowledged onely as Captaine generall but for their Prince and hauing receiued a solemne oth of them all they had euery one sworne vnto him to dye rather then obey the Tartarians or to acknowledge anie thing that commeth from them but seeing their affaires for to change they repented themselues alreadie so inconstant a thing is the election of a new Prince who tooke vpon him to fight with the Tartarians in a raunged battel and to driue thē fighting euen into their owne country But now when they did see so great an Armie draw neare vnto them being victorious ouer so manie sundrie nations and especially the experience of their force and valour by the ouerthrow of Democares it troubled them much to be shutvp especially seeing he had made them promise that the enemie should not approach within foure leagues of their walles This murmuring was spoken aloude and the most obstinate who were their Priestes and who did abhorre the chaunge of the religion they held and which would not receiue the new reformation of Guines nor his superstitions they were the first which began to stirre vp the people and to exhorte them to thinke vpon their safetie declaring vnto them how vaine their Princes promise was and that he deceiued them their destruction being a thing most manifest that they should remember them selues of Caire and so many thousands of Cities the which this Tamerlan hath brought vnder his subiection and peraduenture hee would not constraine them to obey Guines but the Emperour onely and that it was the best way to send vnto him This opinion remained three dayes to bee considered of amongst the people and euen the greatest fell into this opinion although they did see that they were able to make resistance more then three moneths but hoping for no other succour but the death of Tamerlan who was young and that euen his Captaines would not leaue his glorie imperfect before they had atchieued this glorious enterprise that all this did bring vnto them small hope of safety Axalla was aduertised of al this by the spies which went and came to and fro being most aduanced and thereof gaue intelligence vnto the Emperour But in the end feare together with the desire of change preuailed so much with them that they of Guines faction sent vnto the Emperour for to know his pleasure and to take assurance for their safetie But they were not the sixt part notwithstanding a bodie cannot haue so small an euill in anie one of his parts that it shall not greatly empaire the health of all the rest This canker although it was litle at the begining did dayly increase and went on augmenting The Prince of Tauris being aduertised of these two factions the one of Guines sent vnto the Emperour knew not how to remidie the same for the enemie being so neare and thinges so disposed he doubted a great reuolt and did wisely beare all with patience vntill some extremitie when as hee purposed to vse extreame remedies for his benefite Now within the Citie of Guines faction were some thirtie thousand men whereof they hauing assured the Emrour and hauing bene comforted to assure themselues of his assistance they returned from thence spreading ouer all the courtesie they had found there with the Emperour and they published the same aloude amongst the people and that there was no euill meant vnto anie but to the new chosen Prince and that the Emperour required nothing of them but their obedience and that notwithstanding the folly which some seditious had committed in choosing this man for Prince yet was it not fit to ouerthrow so flourishing a Citie and so manie honest men for such a light matter that the Emperour required but the life of this new elected and of his confederates and not of the inhabitants In the ende matters came vnto this passe that they of Guines faction had assembled the people and caused the same Embassadours whom they had sent vnto Tamerlan to declare aloude vnto the people being assembled what they had heard the Emperour say the which was that he directed his armes onely against the elected Prince and not against the City Presently thereupon some cried let vs arme our selues against such as will gainsay this there was neither the maiesty of the senators nor the arms of the soldiers that could stay this sedition The new Prince withdrew himselfe into his lodging where being intrenched and desirous to entermeddle his authoritie he was desired to retire vnto the Pallace into some corner about his Castell with those of his faction and seeing himselfe weake hee determined to forsake the Citie and to withdraw himselfe vnto the Mountaines The Emperor being aduertized of this happy successe by Axalla who came vnto him declared vnto him this purpose to the ende he might haue leaue to cut of the way vnto the Prince elected But the Emperour hauing meditated long thereupon wold not hazard anie thing rashly but let him go and rather take that great city through their diuision then by his armes he therefore commanded Axalla to suffer him to retire and to send none vnto the warre being vnwilling to enterprise any thing by armes to the end they shold haue a greater confidence in his mercie The night following the Prince elected departed away together with those of his faction who had bene onely fifteene dayes Prince of the common wealth whereof he had bin Captaine the space of eight and twenty yeares with all prosperity hauing stoutly resisted the supstitions of Guines and the tyrannie the which he would vnder colour of this new godlinesse bring vpon the Persians and surely if the ouer sight of Camares had not bene his affaires had not receiued so bad successe which doth teach vs that the matters of warre are so vncertaine as it is necessary to haue alwayes regard vnto the most sure way and preserue the principall matter For if those forces had not departed out of Tauris nor hazarded them there had bene worke for our Armie the space of sixe moneths And you know what chaunces and nouelties do commonly happen in the estate of so great a monarkie as is ours the which hauing so great a breadth of country it is not possible but some new alteration must daylie needs happen within the same especially seeing long sieges are oftentimes the destructiō of great armies principally in such an estate as ours was which hauing bin out of his own country the space of two years it drew neare home so as it was hard to keepe them from seuering during so long abode The Prince elected had many perfections and was surely worthy to succeed in this monarchy before Guines but the destiny had thus limited his glorie That same hauing happened all the Citie being ioyned together sent
would he affoord this honor vnto the Empresse that she shold assist the bringing of the body going neare vnto the same This he did the more to make appeare how much he honored the memory of the late Emperor in his wife being his daughter also to the end that if God did take him away his childrē being small she shold haue the greater authority be the better acknowledged worthy to gouerne in the minority of his children and also for that she had bene brought vp alwayes in authority euen since she was married The Prince desiring thereby the more to acknowledge the honour the Emperour his vnkle had done him by adopting him as his son and in hauing left him so great and large an Empire as that was whereof he left vnto him the possession Now the Emperour loued her onely hauing no other affection in such pleasure but only the happinesse of a faire of-spring the which he hoped for Now the body of the late Emperour being come vnto Cambalu he determined to conduct it vnto the buriall according vnto the accustomed ceremonie and to put the body with the kings Emperors his ancesters After he had from point to point performed the last will and testament of the late Emperor hee returned from thence vnto Cambalu where he spent all winter in tilt turneying going a hunting making his abode there because he was in a place nearest vnto the kingdome of China to know how matters passed there hauing now brought thither his last affaires purposing to go thither in person the next winter if Odmar did not make an end of the wars already begun and if the king of China did not submit himselfe wholly vnder his obedience hauing determined not to depart from Cambalu vntill this country were pacified the marke hee shot at being only to keepe that which his valour was able to conquer through his good fortune being desirous to spend the rest of his life in enioying the frutes of his trauels for to publish his praises vnto his people and with millions to maintaine them in peace He had also a purpose to bring vnto an end that which he had determined to do at Samarcand Now Axalla was at Quinzai as well vnto the cōtentment of al the men of war as the inhabitants who desired much to see their Prince and hauing caused Prince Axalla in their behalfe to beseech it that it wold please the Emperor to cause his son to be brought vp amongst them there the which he did grant vnto thē in fauour of the sayd Prince Axalla establishing him for to command in the absence of the Prince his sonne whom he made gouernour of Quinzai from Cambalu euen vnto the sea This country was replenished with some three hundred cities and was in largenesse more then foure hundred leagues besides an finite number of villages To make short it was that the Emperour his vnkle gouerned where this Prince Axalla was his Lieutenant general vnder the authority of the yong Prince his son vnto whom he deliuered him in charge for to be his gouernour authorising him vnto the gouernement generall of all his kingdoms for the great wisedome that was in this knight made him beloued in all the countries vnder the Emperours obedience the seruices also and great victories the which he had caused the Emperour to obtaine by his stout courage and good conduct who for these occasions put his principall trust in him and after himselfe he thought him onely worthy to preserue for his children his kingdome and Empresse Now he receiued newes that the Prince of Thanais set forward for to go into Syria and to ioyne with the gouernour for that the Soldan had these three moneths besieged Caire with a great army notwithstanding the inhabitāts had shewed great faithfulnesse they were indeed all new colonies not trusting vnto the old Citizens for had not that course bin taken there should haue bin many reuolts seene the gouerner not hauing sufficient forces to be able to assist it The Emperor once againe had giuē cōmandement vnto the Prince of Thanais to march thither in diligence with his army wherin were the old soldiers ordained by the Emperor his cōpaniōs in all his warres there were of them an hundred thousand of this kinde of warfarre amongst the which there were thirty thousand Parthian horse remaining continually in the armie Now they lamented much the absence of Axalla but next vnto him the Prince of Thanais was most beloued of them this Prince was the Emperours cousin germaine who as you haue heard had serued him very well he had bene continually in all the enterprises of warre vnder Axalla whom the Emperour had commanded fo◠to leade him vnto all the seruices of warre to the end he might be made fit for to do him seruice so as the Prince of Thanais being in Syria and Prince Axalla at Quinzai they were established in the two furthermost partes of his kingdomes Princes and Captaines who had alwayes assisted and serued him faithfully So the Prince of Thanais being with Calibes and hauing gathered together part of the Great Chamberlaines forces vpon the coast of Babilon he marched directly vnto Aleppo hauing their forces ioyned together being two hundred thousand fighting men The Soldan perceiuing the Prince of Thanais to draw neare remembred well that those were they which had ouercome him But he encouraged him self because this great Tamerlan his fortune were not there present that he had to deale with a yong Prince desirous of glory who peraduenture to get it would do something vnaduisedly to resolue him selfe for to fight was a thing he had too much proued vnto his hurt except the hot bloud of this yong Prince did moue him inconsiderately to seeke for to force his trenches and succour the necessitie of those of Caire whose victuals failed thē So he intrēched himself all along the riuer by the which onely the inhabitans might be relieued for so great a citie cānot be victualltd by cartes but verie hardly he made his trenches euen at his pleasure our armie aduancing forward slowly The counsell of ours was to send throughout all Siria to gather together store of corne and to cause it to be brought vnto Alexandria by sea for to victual therewith Caire aswell from all the Isles of Greece as from all the sea coasts Being obedient vnto his cōmandemēt they shewed great diligence so as within short time there was gotten together a great quātity of corne Our army in the meane time marched continually forward drawing neare vnto Caire the enemy being retired at the same present seeing our armie come along by the riuer side hauing made great prouisiō of boats to passe ouer his armie for to keepe vs from the riuer In the end the Prince of Thanais hauing approched his army and marked the enemies countenance who was intrenched within his campe he entred into Caire where hauing with
belonged vnto Calibes to dispose of all within his gouernement for to fight at the verie same time according to the enemies countenance with the whole armie the enemies being within their trenches if in case he did seuer himselfe from his footemen to assist his armie vppon the water or else if he went about to put fresh souldiers into his boates and Galliottes for we were within two thousand paces the one from the other so as euery one was assured that the day would not passe away but they would set vppon the enemies within their trenches especially they which knew the heate of this young Prince the which had come to passe but that the Emperour had placed two olde Counsellers neare about him who knewe how to temper this his forwardnesse who was notwithstanding greatly coÌ„mended for animating of the souldiers accustomed vnder the good fortune of the Emperor to attempt any thing although very hard and daungerous So the Prince of Thanais hauing heard news of the army by water he sent thither with all speed thirteene or fourteene thousand of the most expert souldiers within his armie vnder the conduct of the Colonell of his footmen who was his Lieutenant when as the Emperour himselfe commaunded in his armie called Synopes brought vp a Captaine vnder Prince Axalla at such time as he had the generall commandement ouer the footmen The Prince at the same very time he supposed the fleete to drawe neare vnto that place the enemie had fortified with oakes with botes and galliots caused all the armie to mount on horsebacke appointed fortie thousand souldiers to march directly vnto a place the which he had noted to be most easie for his best aduantage for that the enemie had as he thoght traueled least in that place who doubting the Prince would lodge betweene the citie of Caire and him had there emploied the most of his time There was also in this place a litle mountain the which he dâ—sired this day for to win which he had reserued vpon this occasion to force the better to entertaine the enemies restraine them if they went about to succour their men that were assaulted by water Now as he had determined so did he force this place strongly but the greatest matter was to stay the fury of those which had giuen the onset for they would haue gone vnto the second trench the which the Soldan did thinke and the Prince of Thanais making shew to giue the onset busied the Soldan so in the mean time that he could not succour his men hauing enough to do for to defend himselfe so as during the time he was thus hindered he did behold our Nauie fighting all his Gallies to be broken in peeces and yet could not aide them for our men hauing landed in an Iland froÌ„ whence they were greatly annoyed hauing assaulted it they did force it and whatsoeuer was intrenched within the same and then this IlaÌ„d which was as a Caualier for the defeÌ„ce of their meÌ„ who defended the bridges of boats they had made being takeÌ„ was a great disaduaÌ„tage vnto theÌ„ insomuch as this fight after it had coÌ„tinued for the space of three houres the victory inclined on our sides by the valor of Synopes who seeing Calibes drowned most part of his men in flight he renued the fight and being resolute caried away the victory and vtterly ouerthrew the enemies bridge the which they had forsaken by the means of a currant of water full of artificiall fire the which coÌ„ming to rush against it did burne the whole bridge which was one of the principal causes of the victory So the victuals passed and our victorious army encamped within this Iland the which our men had wonne for to giue passage vnto the rest of the victuals The Prince of Thanais caused three engines of artillerie to be imbarked presently for to shoot into the enemies campe vpoÌ„ the riuers banke at such time as they should shew theÌ„selues for to hinder our victuals It was a great losse of Calibes because he was a person in whom the Emperor put great trust and hee had done him great seruices They busied theÌ„selues in seking for his body the which could not be found by reason of the great multitude of bodies which were within the riuer They hold opinion that there died twentie thousand men this day on both sides few of Calibes men being saued who had giuen the onset vpon the left wing of the enemies Synopes obtayned great honour and this day was the occasion of his good fortune Also he had done a notable peece of seruice worthie to be remembred there being no possible meanes to succour Caire but by that same place for this great citie was so weakned that it required a long time for to repaire it the which could not be done by land but only by the riuer looking for the reuolt the which could not be sooner theÌ„ three moneths Now after this victorie Synopes encamped himself within this Iland to hinder the Soldans men from passing notwithstanding they passed ouer in the night from the one shoare vnto the other they iudged that the enemies were forced vnto the fight or vnto a shamfull flight the which could not be but by the other side of the water for by land he had no retrait at all but by the swords point hauing no place but beyond the water the which bred suspition that he would make his retrait by water For he might wel thinke that Caire was not for him that his enterprise on that side was weake As for those which fauoured him within Alexandria all was changed there in a manner euery where Therfore it behoued the Prince of Thanais to haue a watchful eie vnto the enemies new practises and to prouide well for the maintenance of his army the which could not be done without difficultie by reason of the scarcenesse of the victuals for by feeding his armie he famished Caire For there could not come victuals sufficient neither by land nor water for to victuall it being encamped so neare vnto the enemie our army hauing made prouision for victuals but for 8. dayes keeping theÌ„selues encamped in one place so as it was resolued by the Counsell to retire themselues assoone as they had deliuered Caire seene the same victualled For they supposed the enemies had made great prouision of victuals to be able to continue in their campe their armie not being so great as ours Insomuch as it was resolued to passe ouer halfe our Armie vnto the other side and that Synopes should not remooue out of the Iland our purpose being no other then to hinder that the enemies should not keepe the victuals from entring into Caire This counsell was verie secret in so much as the enemies perceiuing their victuals for to faile had the same purpose that we had the which was to retire themselues the which they could not do but in the night Hauing
as yet many boates they rigged them and the day before made a shewe to drawe towardes Syria hauing caused part of their Armie to go out of their Campe supposing that assoone as they should shew themselues to go out our Armie would be on horsebacke and by that meanes should deceiue our men hoping that this would make them thinke they had a purpose to retire themselues on this part the which they did for hauing in the night made shew of assaulting our Armie and hauing kindled fires hee caused his men to passe ouer and to lodge themselues along the riuer what hindrance soeuer Synopes could do vnto them for that the night was verie darke The first that passed ouer was the Soldan hauing left within his Campe his Lieutenant generall with all his footmen In the morning we knewe that their Armie passed in part the Prince of Thanais was of opinioÌ„ to assalt the enemies within their camp and was verie stiffe in this resolution but the old Captaines were not of this opinion but rather to strengthen Synopes with men and engines to the intent to endamage them therewith that three-score thousand men were not to be forced within their trenches So all was deferred they were yet of opinion that if noise were heard and that they passed ouer to attempt for to force the Campe vpon their retrait Nowe the Soldan seeing his passage had good successe he commaÌ„ded his men to do the like that he had done but he was not aduertised of the supply Synopes had receiued so as he returning for to look his men and guiding the formost vnto the passage along by the bank side he was assaulted by Synopes who began the fight wherein the Soldan was wounded notwithstanding he passed ouer the water came vnto his men who had already passed There were many of his men slaine diuers of his boats sunke so as there remained about twentie thousand within the Campe out of hope of being able to retire ioyne themselues vnto the other Armie Our souldiers hauing assaulted the Campe did win the first trenches but the second being compassed with men and well fortified they were not of opinion to assault them to the end we should not hazard that which wâ—o held assured in so much as our men being wisely conducted remained encamped within the first trenches and it is verie certaine that if they had gone on further they had ouercome them so much did feare dispaire take froÌ„ them their courage but it was better to set forward slowly then to deliuer vnto changeable fortune that which the eie of reason iudged certain by the rules of war for that had bene a deed of folly rashnes Now the enemy seeing our men so near theÌ„ began to parley and to cause their interpreters to speake asking for the Prince of Thanais amoÌ„gst the rest there was a Parthian Ensigne who enquired for the said Prince who at that time was visiting the guards of the trenches he commaÌ„ded that he should be brought vnto him hauing talked with the said Captain who had bene long a soldier vnder his ensignes and remaining sicke had bene taken and had giuen himself vnto the Soldans seruice who had made him Ensigne generall whom we do call Colonel of all the footmen he beseeched the Prince to receiue froÌ„ theÌ„ the victory without shedding the bloud of his soldiers or of his own men The which the Prince did grant vnto them causing them to sweare to remain for euer slaues vnto the Emperour and his subiectes for to make warre wheresoeuer it should please him the which they did sweare vnto The Soldans Lieutenant being in the night retired with some of the Captaines into a boate Now the Soldan being hurt retired himselfe with his horsmen some twentie leagues vnto certaine places which he held where hee died of his hurt The Prince of Thanais pursuing the said Soldan found him being not yet buried within Palema was carefull to giue an honorable buriall vnto the said Soldan and entertained all his seruants curteouslie There remained a sonne of his with whom did ioyne themselues the most part of those which would not submit themselues vnder the Empire of the Parthians and withdrew theÌ„selues vnto the borders of Libia into certaine places whither verie hardly by reason of the deserts of Libia any could come vnto them in hope to reuenge their miserable fortune against the Parthian name Thus ended this warre the which had put the Emperour into a deliberation to go thither in person When as he receiued perfect newes of our victorie theÌ„ did he commend the valour and courage of the Prince of Thanais aboue all the noble mind of Synopes but the losse of Calibes did hinder the ful reioycing for this happie victorie for the Emperour did hold the losse of such a person to be great who was greatly to bee commended for the experieÌ„ce he had in the art of war The Prince of Thanais was appointed by the Emperour to command ouer Calibes charge but the Armie was commanded to returne from thence into Persia for such assaires as might happen there Synopes also was appointed Colonel general of the footmen in the Emperours armie The Prince of Thanais remaining Gouerner ouer Syria and Egypt with the same estate of the former Gouernor the Armie was conducted back againe by the great Chamberlaine who was come thither vpon the end of the affaires with new forces for to aide the Prince of Thanais if he had any need of the same the Emperour hauing this custome to send out forces vpon forces vnto such places as he thought had need thereof This happie successe comming vnto the Prince by the means of his Lieutenants generall made him for to knowe how necessarie his presence is within his realme for to giue aide in euerie place where there were affaires Now for to returne vnto the Emperours Court the king of China came to visite him at his Court according vnto the couenantes offered vnto him the which he accepted hee did sweare once againe obedience vnto the Emperor who caused him to see all his greatest cities for to make himselfe the more to be feared of this Barbarian who kept no more promise then pleased himselfe Hee was astonished to behold so many souldiers and the countrie so well replenished with people and aboue all that they vsed so litle curiositie of riches in their apparell and garments wondring that the Emperour was apparelled in meane cloath of one colour without any other fashion but to counteruaile that he had about him men which seemed to be kings At the same time when the king of China was at the court the Emperour receiued newes of the victorie against the Soldan for the which the Emperour reioyced making feastes and turnies in his Court in token of mirth and this reioycing continued for the space of eight dayes After the Emperor had giuen order for the
the number of twentie thousand horse and fiftie thousand footmen a commandement into Persia to leauie men euery where And to this ende there was a commandement sent from the Emperor vnto all the Cities of his kingdomes and Cōmissioners wer appointed for to make choise of the mē some for wars the other for the workes Victuals were commanded in all the Emperours countries for setting forward of the Armie The great gouernour of Parthiae Zamai was dispatched vnto Deristan to be there for to receiue all the troupes and commandement was giuen vnto the Commissioners for victuals and munitions to conuey them thither It was published ouer all that the Emperour went thither in proper person for to punish once againe this proude race of the Ottomans In the meane time Aralla marched directly towardes the borders and he went like a ball of snow his Armie alwayes increasing being glad of so good occasion The Emperour hauing sent vnto him his resolution with a commandement also to take and leaue all that should be necessarie for the maintenance of his Army in all the places of the Emperours reuenues Axalla marched with diligence being desirous to come vnto the borders and to ioyne with the forces that stayed for him for to fight with and expulse the enemy before the Emperour should come vnto him whereof he had an expresse commandement the Emperour for this occasion marching slowly in such maner as he greatly desired to execute the same by Prince Axalla this iourney being troublesome vnto him by reason of his indisposition Where to the end nothing shold be wanting vnto him he sent a commandement vnto the Prince of Thanais to go and meete with Prince Axalla as soone as he had setled his gouernment He caused also two or three thousand horse to go one after another who came vnto him with diligence Passing also by Tauris he drew from thence fiue thousand horsemen and ten thousand footmen of ordinary garrison ouer whom commanded a Lord called Aliren greatly affectioned vnto the Emperors seruice and principality of Prince Axalla Arriuing also in Armenia hee drew out of the garrisons as many as amounted vnto twenty thousand horse so as his army was very neare 80000 horsmen and 160000 footmē the Emperor making account to be accōpanied also with as many forces from Parthia as also from the Moscouite Now the Emperour could not come before it was neare sixe moneths and slowly as I haue sayd marched his owne person not being wel at ease hauing complanied these 3. moneths of a paine in his reines in so much as some doubted greatly lest this sicknesse wold bring some other accident for he decayed greatly and did eate nothing notwithstanding this was only knowen amongst his familiars who greatly feared the inconuenience that happened Notwithstanding some report that an Astrologian did say that he should giue a battell vnto all the East and that he should be victorious another did aduertise him to take heed of the third day of the Moone of the ninth moneth of the yeare wherein he now was so as the Emperour did thinke he should dye in some battell and not in his bed For he often sayd amongst his men that he did acknowledge him selfe to be mortall and that he was subiect vnto the law of nature that he did often thinke of paying his tribute Now he looked for Odmar who should bring the Prince his eldest sonne vnto him prouiding wisely for his affaires before he would march any further faining to be desirous to carrie him with him and to teach him to know his subiectes and the meanes to serue him selfe with them if any ill fortune happened vnto him But I beleeue the Emperour was desirous for to see him before he departed determining to leaue him at Samarcand with Odmar and the Empresse his mother what soeuer his destinie appointed for him he determined to passe ouer Bosphorus vnto Constantinople and enter into Greece to roote out for euer the Empire of the Ottomans and that he must once againe do this violence for to assure his estate and settle the foundation of his glory Now during the time that the Emperour stayed the comming of the Prince his sonne who by reason of his young age came slowly with Prince Odmar Prince Axalla whose desire of reputation and glory did waken him an hundred times in a night went in great diligēce and so well that he came vnto Turcomanie where the Georgian troupes which the Emperour did there intertaine came vnto him and he drew out of them full fifteene thousand men very gallant and well trained in the warres At the length he arriued at Garga whither the Gouernour of the Prouince did come vnto him for to receiue the Emperours commandements Being come thither he would not enterprise any thing before the Prince of Thanais were come who made great hast he brought but 15000. horse 30000. footmen with him As soone as he was come he made him partaker of the Emperors cōmandemēts imparted vnto him the honor of leading the auātguard of the Imperiall armie and vnto the gouernour of the countrey the arier-guard for he was a man of great authoritie and had bin long time honored of the Emperour the end of his gouernement was limited on the one side with Persia and on the other with Syria Now the most part of the countreis which the Emperor had cōquered in Natolia he had deliuered them vnto the obedience of the Grecian Prince who should pay a certaine yearely tribute for the same vnto the Emperour the which amounted vnto foure hundred thousand ducats of gold and eight hundred thousand frankes of siluer Axalla sent vnto the Emperor of Greece to giue him vnderstāding that he was come vnto Garga in the which place he gathered together his forces and that the Emperour his Lord had sent him to prepare his army there and that his owne person did march thither in his old age for to performe the same good office vnto him the which he had done vnto the late Emperour his father that he desired him to pacifie the inward quarrels for to remedie the euils abroad the which increased and that he would in the end put his estate into the same or greater daunger then it had bin if he did not thinke vpon quenching the ciuill and particular discordes for to take care for publike matters All this could preuaile nothing with these Princes who had made diuision of the Empire and were at debate euery one about his portion but they considered not that by this deuision they did build a portion for a third the which was greatly for his aduantage if they did not remedy the same whereunto hee perswaded them At such time as the Embassador came who was a very wise man they thought Prince Axalla had only certaine troupes of ten of twelue thousand horse but as soone as they vnderstood of the great army he had they entred into suspition that the
same might be as well against them as Calepin although he assured them of all maner of good will of the Emperors part insomuch as presently it was negotiated to treat some argreement between the brethren at the least a truce but peruailed nothing for they would not trust their elder brother Vpon the Embassadours returne we learned where Calepin was and his army and of what quantity it was After he had made a generall reuiew and caused a muster to be had of all the souldiers hee marched directly towards the enemie who was in Caramania Calepin was greatly astonished to see the diligence this Armie had made the which he had caused to be viewed by his spies hee did thinke it had bene but of ten or twelue thousand men onely but when he knew how great an Armie it was he entred into a great feare insomuch as hauing committed the whole charge of his Army vnto a Bassa he retired towards the sea hee remaining onely of the stocke of the Ottomans they thought it not good hee should hazard his person vnto the euent of the battell although his Armie were great But the Persians and the Mamelues had the principall forces which made him doubt least any disgrace happening vnto him they should make their agreement vnto his domage the which was not ill aduised He had also intelligence from Persia that the Emperour marched forward for to assist his forces with another great Armie insomuch as hee repented that he had stirred the sleeping dogge The Greeke on the other side entred into a great suspition of the great preperation the which was made in euery place not thinking that it was onely for Calepin but in respect of his estate hee began to seeke the meanes to assure the same and also to demaund succour of Calepin affirming that the plot of this warre was begun against them both and that the Emperour would not content himselfe to haue the Tâ—gean sea for his borders but would certainely if he could stretch foorth his conquestes beyond Constantinople that he did perceiue it was necessary for him to the assuring of his estate to ioyne themselues together that hee had especially heretofore very litle fauoured the gouernour the which the Emperour had left after the death of the Greeke Emperour his father Also hee had not desired the Parthian Emperour to vndertake this voyage and much lesse had made anie countenance to fauour him for feare of breaking with Calepin with whom hee had made a certaine agreement so faint hearted was hee All these matters put him in a great doubt and made him to thinke vpon ioyning himselfe with Calepin in good earnest for to resist our forces if hee might All these cogitations were good but it was very late to aduise there of now matters being very doubtfull in respect of Calepin who was of the same mind if he had had the leasure but all remained now vpon the hazard of a battell the which he was constrained to aduenture seeing that delay did bring more hurt then profit Also the forces which he did hazard were most of them Persians and Mamelues banished men and fugitiues who had taken the contrary part against the Emperour I hold opinion that the Bassa had fifteen thousand Persian horsemen verie good and thirtie thousand footmen commanded by the Prince of Tauris a fugitiue the Mamelues were in number twentie thousand horse commanded by a Soldan whom they had chosen and it is fiue yeares since he hath made war in Arabia from whence he was driuen in the ende he had bin entised by Calepin had entred into this league vpon hope that if his affaires had good successe he would giue him aide for the recouering of Syria and Egypt of the principality of the Mamelues The Bassa had fiue and twentie thousand horse thirty thousand footmen Calepin hauing brought sixe thousand of them with him for his guard so as the Bassa who was a great Captaine did assure himselfe to ouercome our men who he sayd were compounded of people nothing affected vnto the Parthian name but he was greatly deceiued This same was the Bassa who was taken the day before the battell wherein Baiazet was taken vnto whom the Emperour did giue a horse he sayd that he was assured that he knew our maner of fight and had noted well the fault Baiazet had committed in the battell the which he had lost the which did bring them more hurt by reason of the sayd Emperours presence being a Captiue then for any other losse the same hauing bene much more bloudie on our side and he sayd true And this was the occasion wherefore he would not haue Calepin commit Baiazet his fault behold the reasons of the Ottomans Prince Axalla as I haue sayd had made a generall muster hee had found to be in the Imperiall Armie an hundred thousand footmen and foure-score thousand horsemen there were of them threescore thousand most braue and resolute men of the Princes trayned men and all of them old souldiers there were foure score thousand very good men who where commanded by Sinopes desirous of honour and glory As soone as the enemie had turned his face towards vs and that Prince Axalla had asked the aduise of the Princes and Captaines of the Army he marched straight towards him vnto Goualache the which was yet thirtie leagues from vs who marched in small iourneyes neuer going farre from the sea side in respect of victuals whereof they receiued with ease good quantitie so as all thinges abounded within their Army but we had some want thereof Now in the end Prince Axalla commanded a Parthian Captaine called Stucan who did leade the light horsemen of the Army to haue an eye that the enemies did not surpirse the Army and that we should not faile but haue word thereof as soone as they drue neare vnto vs. Now he was a very wittie and vigilant Captaine and a man of enterprise insomuch as hauing a souldier of the countrie with him vnto the place where their Armie was lodged knowing the language hee thought with himselfe that in an Armie of sundrie nations he might intermingle himselfe as it did march and performe some braue peece of seruice the which he hauing imparted vnto Prince Axalla hee allowed well of the enterprise and thought that it might bee performed So Stucan aduaunced forward with three thousand horse within ten leagues of the Armie and arriued at Regdin where hee found a part of the Ottomans Armie aduaunced and hauing gotten vnderstanding by some prisoners that the enemies marched towards the forefront of the Army hauing viewed their Campe he determined to enter into the same by the meanes of this souldier who vnderstood the language fayning that hee came from some seruice whither he had bene sent for to be a guide vnto two thousand Persian horse who returned from thence and that at this very time he would mingle himselfe and surprise them vnawares the which fell
the Colonels of the footmen to performe that and that it belonged vnto him only to command Prince Axalla sent him word that this was a speciall match and that if they did win the mountaine they should also win the battell that he would this day obey him and be his souldier About this time he did see this great bodie moue which was the remainder of the enemies footmen the most part Ianizaries who at their coming performed a wonderfull act but in the end Prince Axalla comming with many of the brauest men about him he put the enemies to flight and did win the mountaine and remained Maister thereof before he departed and lodged there intrenching himselfe on the enemies side He left Sinopes to commaund there who had this day gotten great honour There died of our men fifteene thousand and aboue thirtie thousand of the enemies the fight endured from eight of the clocke euen vntill night our horsemen being lookers on not any wayes able to helpe the footmen The enemy hauing receiued this disgrace marched ten good leagues that night and forsooke his Campe as ouercome but it was not without hauing the Prince of Thanais Stucan at their taile with his light horsemen Prince Axalla continually following them encamped within two leagues of them hauing alwayes the coast of the sea and they bending towardes Caramania Now the Bassa hauing receiued againe his spirits after this disgrace would encampe himselfe but the Prince of Thanais discoÌ„tented for that he had not fought aduaÌ„ced in such sort that eueÌ„ as we were ready to lodge had newes that it behoued to aide him with diligence the which Prince Axalla vnderstanding caused the signe of battell to be giuen speedily and he himselfe with all the horsmen aduanced forward Now it was a litle riuer he had passed ouer not thinking the enemie had beene so neare vnto him which the enemies perceiuing they coÌ„manded 10000 Persian horse to giue the first charge the which they hauing valiantly performed our men being engaged without any other delay were constrained to come vnto the fight strong resolutely and defended themselues but the enemies were foorth with backed with 20000 horse after them the first charge not hauing beene but for to engage them the fight was very furious and our men were almost ouerthrowne when as behold tenne thousand Persian horse ledde by the Prince of Hallicen who set forwarde with great diligence and came for to assist the Prince of Thanais who fought valiantly and had two horses alreadie killed vnder him and did fight vpon the third Stucan was slaine and all the light-horsemen ouerthrowne Prince Axalla who perceiued the fault which the Prince of Thanais had committed did bite his lip saying that God had giuen him a goodly victorie and that he must loose the same through anothers folly and turning him selfe vnto his companions he said vnto them that this was the day wherein they must fight not for glorie but for the safetie of all the Parthian people Hauing sent forward with all diligence tenne thousand horse more for to maintaine the fight he came speedily vnto the order of fight aduanced forward with forty thousand horse the which he put into three troupes on front he followed the enemie who had knit himself together put our men to flight hauing had alwayes the better in all the former charges they had giuen The Prince of Thanais at the third charge was ouerthrowne to the ground as dead in the enemies power but the 10000. horse whereof I did speake compelled the enemie to make head against Prince Axalla who would not suffer this occasion to be lost without reuenging the ouerthrowe of his men Now hee did perceiue there was but two houres left of the day the which caused him to presse forward vnto the battaile and to constraine and force the enemie to come vnto the same Now the Bassa had not as yet fought at all who aduanced forward with fifteene thousand fresh horse strengthening this charge but Prince Axalla comming vnto the fight he could not resist so great a troup was ouerthrown The Gouernour also of Natolia called Lenauen who as yet had not fought assisted Prince Axalla and had yet ten thousand horse who gathering our men together againe they all ioyned with Axalla repulsed the horsmen within their footmen who giuing themselues ouer to flight did forsake them they could not stay our horsmen from assaulting them so as they were almost all slaine hauing fought euen vntill night notwithstanding there retired aboue twentie thousand in order of battaile the most part of them Ianizaries who passed ouer the water and hindred our horsmen from hauing so large a victorie as they otherwise should haue had Notwithstanding the next day we sent part of our horsmen vnder the Gouernour for to keepe that none of the enemies should ioyne themselues together They marched all that night led by their Captaine whom they call Agâ— the Ianizaries went in verie good order speaking reproches of their horsmen who had thus forsaken them they fortified themselues being resolued all of them to die for the preseruation of their Prince After the dead were buriâ—d and care taken for the wounded the Prince Axalla left the Prince of Thanais sore wounded vpon one of his legges and himselfe aduanced forward more then tenne leagues the enemies horsemen being as yet knit together fourteene thousand horse strong The Prince Axalla hauing left all his carriages followed the enemies who could not ioyne theÌ„selues with their Ianizaries for we had gotten betweene them The Ianizaries in this order wherein they marched came along by the sea the which Prince Axalla vnderstanding he sent ten thousand horse after them and commaunded that all the footmen of the armie which had not yet fought should march with diligence directly towardes them for to set vpon them but they had gone two great iournyes and embarked themselues at Gallipoli for to passe ouer into Europe and ioyne with Calepin who accused the Bassa for that hee had forsaken them and was fled away from them There were aboue fiue and fortie thousand of the enemies slaine in this last day these were two battels happily atchieued there were slaine of our men aboue twentie thousand and Prince Stucan was found amongst the dead vnderneath his horse his target being vpon his face all the whole armie made great lamentation for his death he had greatly ouershot himselfe for he had like to haue ouerthrowen all the whole armie There was great ioy made for the safetie of the Prince of Thanais so preserued amongest the dead The Prince Axalla did greatly reprehend him for his rashnesse hauing beene the occasion of the death of twentie thousand men and to make the victorie vnto vs bloudie the which had not otherwise bene so seeing we might haue had the same better cheape The Prince of Thanais excused himselfe vpon Stucan and the light
Zachetay who being giuen ouer to contemplation had left vnto him three personages neare vnto his person for to assist and counsell him of whom said he there remaineth none aliue at this present but only Odmar being the youngest of the three the which had brought him vp as well in the actions of warre as the affaires of peace whereof you may iudge by the great enlargement he hath added vnto Zachetay the which he had obtained as well through his great reputation as by force and that the hope euery one conceiued of his vertue in his youth had called him vnto the full succession of the Tartarian Empire For hauing by the coūsell of these three as fathers enterprised the warre against the Moscouite whose armes were at that time the most to be feared of all Asia this enterprise hauing had good successe not onely all his neighbours but all his kinsemen desired to haue peace and friendship with his armes and the Emperour his vnkle whose purpose was to deuide his Empires amongst his Princes whom he loued for my valour chaunged his determination hearing my reputation to resound and that I had in this young age thorough my good conduct ouercome the common enemie vnto our Nation whereupon I was iudged by him worthie to commaund the same and sending to offer his daughter vnto me in mariage he made choise of me to succeed him in this monarchy hoping that I would ease his old age and that I would guide the yeares which remained vnto him in peace thorough my trauell and the reputation of my armes He was not deceiued in me hauing honoured him alwaies as my Lord and loued him as another father carying my selfe so cunningly during his life that at such time as his death happened I kept this great Empire without any cōmotion therin but rather all subiection and obedience I will tell thee my son that I did not only succeed him in the Empire but also in the loue of all his seruants whom thou doest see about me who haue serued me faithfully these twentie yeares euer since I haue enioyed this great large countrie vnto whom the late Emperour my vnkle did promise only recompence of their seruice but my selfe haue bene so much acccompanied with good hap that I haue bene able to giue vnto them I leaue vnto thee then these seruants who are worthy to be kings honor them and raigne with them they will be faithfull vnto thee and haue remembrance of me for to serue thee faithfully and do know how to excuse thy youth and guide the same beleeue their counsell And taking Odmar by the hand pulled him on the right side of the place where he was set and looking vpon the other side he turned vnto the young Prince his sonne saying vnto him This side and place here shall bee kept for Axalla who is absent whose faithfulnesse and affection he had prooued the worthy acts of whom were so recommendable vnto all this Empire and himselfe that he would speake no more vnto him of the same that he commanded him to beleeue their counsell euen as he had done wherein he had found great good that the Prince of Thanais was his kinsman that he should esteeme of his faithfulnesse and serue himselfe therwith that he might assure himselfe he would yeeld him obedience euen to the spending of his owne life In the end that hee recommended vnto him so manie worthy Lords and Captaines who had serued him faithfully in so many warres he had made for the greatnesse of the Parthian Empire ouer the which hee had left him to commaund without anie desert but for a faire hope and for that he was his son And giuing his hand vnto all the Princes and Lords which he had caused to come before him hee presented them vnto his sonne saying vnto him that this was his Empire and good fortune and demaunding his seale of the great Chanceller hee put it into the handes of the young Prince and caused the same to be redeliuered vnto him againe and hauing continued a certaine space without speaking he said vnto him My sonne loue iustice minister it as well vnto the litle as vnto the great this is your dutie and he shall ease you therein sometimes Remember your self that the weapons which you haue in your hands are but to make execution of the same this is the cause therefore that it behooueth the warres you begin be iustly enterprised and then will they haue happie successe As his speech was directed vnto the young Prince he had the Chanceller neare him wherupon during the same there was a great noise more then was accustomed in the Emperors outward chamber and asking what the matter was they caused a Lord to enter in sent from Axalla nowe the Emperour had nothing at all left the care of his affaires as he was accustomed although they were somwhat the more slowely dispatched who brought newes of the happie successe of two battailes wonne in Natolia by the Armie led by Prince Axalla victorious ouer Calepins forces and declaring this happie successe in his affaires the messenger of these newes said vnto him that he hoped the next sommer his person marching forward the Empire of Greece should be easie for him to conquer seeing the astonishment the enemies had He answered him that he neuer doubted of his souldiers affections but that hee was called by a greater then himselfe and vnto a more happie conquest seated in a more high place whither he must needs go Tell Axalla said he vnto the Lord which spake vnto him that from hence forward hee must receiue my sonnes commandements And drawing a ring from off his thombe cōmanded that it should be carried vnto Prince Axalla to signifie vnto him the contentment he had in his seruice and in witnesse of his faithfulnesse He demaunded in generall of the health of all those of his Armie recommending them vnto his sonne euerie one according to their vertues and desertes amongst the rest he recommended the seruices of the Prince of Thanais commaunding his sonne to honour him as his kinsman and to continue him in the charges and honours the which he had put into his hands for that he did deserue the same that hee should be well serued by him And returning againe to speake he commanded his sonne that if he committed his armies vnto any man to be cōmanded it shold be vnto Prince Axalla a thing notwithstanding which he did counsell him to do the latest he could because it was so precious a thing and that if it were possible he should not trust it with anie man but himselfe that it was fit for the Parthian Emperors to be in the middest of their armies amongst the soldiers euen as householders are with their children that by this meanes he should preserue this great Empire which he left to him by inheritance hoping in time he would deserue it by his vertues And as his last wordes he perswaded him to
The great humilitie of the Tartarians vnto their Emperour The notable answer of the Emperor vnto Odmar Tamerlan his oration vnto his soldiers vpoÌ„ his going forward against the king of China The crie of the souldiers vpon the Emperours oration A wall builded by the king of China forty leagues long The temperature of China The Prince of Thanais ouerthrew a troupe of horsmen led by the king of Chinas brother The Prince of Thanais gaineth a Lord of the mâ—untains to doe the Emperour seruice Vauchefu Conference between the Emperour and the Lord of Vâ—châ—fu The speech of the mountaine Lord vnto Tamerlan Hostages offered by the mountaine Lord vnto the Emperour Calibes oration vnto Prince Tamerlan Fiftie thousand men sent into China by a secret passage vnder the leading of the Prince of Thnais and Axalla A secret way found into China by the conduct of the mountaine Lord. Axalla ouerthrew the Chinois that kept the wall of partition The custome of the Chinois The Emperour wonne the wals of China The mountain Lord rewarded with great gouernement The Chinois cruell vnto their enemies A good aduertisement for Generals Warres in China made by Tamerlan with his wise proceedings therein Axalla made Captaine generall of all the footmen The siege of the citie of Paguinfou A great suburbe wonne by Axalla in the night The Gouernors speech vnto those of the city to stay them from yeelding The situation of the citie of Paguinfou The siege of Paguinfou The citie of Paguinfou yeelded vnto Tamerlan vpon the death of their Gouernor Reward for deserts Axalla skilfull in besieging of Cities Tamerlan his godlines The king of China his magnificence The customi of the Chinâ—iâ— The proceeding of Tamerlans army towards the enemie The order of the Princes battaile against the king of China The beautie richnesse of the king of Clâ—â—â—â— Army Tamerlan his speach of the king of China The battailâ— between the king of China and Tamerlan The king of China wounded and taken prisoner Tamerlans victory ouer the king of China The custody of the king of China deliuered vnto Axalla A great slaugh ter of the Chinois Tamerlan thankeful vnto God for his victorie Calibes wounded Tamerlan his speech vnto Odmar of the goodnesse of God The comming of the king of China prisoner vnto the Emperor TamerlaÌ„ Tamerlan his prinâ—ely entertainment and godly speech vttered vnto the prisoner King of China The cruell custome of the Chinois A description of the king of China A dâ—scription of China The proceedings of the Emperors Armie after the victory his resolution in the same â— Maxime Tamerlan straitely obserued his promise and kept his word truly Embassadours sent from the kings brother of China vnto Tamerlan to visite the king Odmar set vppon the kings brother at the passing of ariuer and slue fiftie thousand of his men A stratagem The king of Cauchina slairâ— The citie of Quantoufou yeelded into the haâ—â—s of Axalla who besiâ—ged the same Axalla his entrance into Quantoufou with great magnificence An Embassage from the king of Chinas brother vnto Tamerlan to treat for peace the kings deliuerance The answer of Tamerlan vnto the Embassadors Conditions agreed vpon betweene Tamerlan the Chinois Odmar left Gouerner of China for Tamerlan A good aduertisment vnto Conqueâ—ours The tribute paid by the king of China vnto TamerlaÌ„ fiue hundred thousand crownes yearly Tamerlan caused all the idols within his conquest to be beateÌ„ downe establishing the worship of one God Tamerlan turned his fauour vnto Axalla Two hundred thousand crownes of yearely rent giuen vnto Axalla by Tamerlan The meeting betweene the great Cam Tamerlan at the City of Cambala in Caâ—aio Axalla rewarded by the great Cam for his good seruice and faithfulnesse A message sent by Tamerlan vnto Baiazâ—t The proud answere of Baiazet Heaâ—iâ— parting A notable saying of Tamerlan Tamerlan his dreame Tamerlan his iourney against the Turke Tamerlan returneth from the conquest of China vnto Samarcand The Moscouite â—â—leth Tamerlan against the Turke A sound deliberation Axalla gouerned all the â—state his commendation The commeÌ„dation of Prince Axalla Consultation about the way the armie should take to the Turkes Empire Tamerlan his chiefest trust Bachu Tamerlan huÌ„ted by the way towardes the Turke Baiazet marched vnto the siege of Constantinople Axalla a principall worker against the Turke for the relieuing of the Greeke Empire and against Capha the place of his natiuitie The gouernment Axalla did chase Tamerlan marched within his armie â— description of the Georgians with theâ—â— countrey Notable iustice amongest the Tartarians Guines a great Astrologian The custome of the Tartarrians towards their Emperor Tamerlan his saying of battels A good aduertisement for Princes The causes of Tamerlans warre against the Turkes Foure thousand ParthiaÌ„ horse sent to descrie A stratageme A proud answer of a Bassa made vnto Tamerlan Tamerlans reply vnto the Bassa How Tamerlans army passed the night before the battaile fought against the Turke Tamerlan his custome before a battaile The maner of the march of the Turkish footmen The order of Tamerlan his battaile What the Turks I anizaries be Tamerlan his principall Maxime of warre The battaile betweene TamerlaÌ„ and Baiazet Tamerlan his notable victory obtained against Baiazet wherin he was taken prisoner Tamerlan his wisdom the cause of the victory wherin performed Baiazet brought before Tamerlan with his pride Tamerlan his saying of Baiazet The despaire of Baiazet after he was taken prisoner Baiazet Tamerlans footstoole to mount on horsebacke Tamerlan his pollicie for to encrease his citie Samercand Axalla cruell against the Ottomans for the deliuery of Greece Presents sent by Tamerlan vnto the great Cham his vnkle The effect of the Greek Emperors Embâ—ssage vnto Tamerlan Thâ— worthy answer of Tamerlan vnto the Greek Embassadors The worthy mind of Tamerlan Bonfires made in Constantinople for the worthy answer receiued from Tamerlan The meeting of Tamerlan and the Greek Emperor at Bursia Tamerlan his secret going to Constantinople The rare things in Constantinople The Greeke Emperor gaue vnto Tamerlan faire horses The Empresse deliuered of a goodly boy Tamerlan his oration vnto his souldiers at Calestria perswaâ—iue to follow him vnto new enterprises Tamerlan his care of his sicke soldiers verie commendable and imitable The Soldan his braue resolution A battell betweene the Soldan of Egypt and the Emperor Tamerlan Axalla taken prisoner Tamerlan his victorie ouer the Soldan The Emperour Tamerlan his army deuided into three seuerall parts marched sundry wayes Certaine Citieâ— submit themselues vnto the Emperour Tamerlan Damascus taken by assault Coracin yeelded vpon Composition Tamerlan his comming vnto Ierusalem and his godly reuerent behauiour thereiâ— Cherit Tamerlan called the Iews the accursed of God Damieta woâ— by intelligence in the night Practise with â—â—â—ues of Caire The Sige of Caire Perswasiue reasons of Tamerlan for to â—oue his souldiers not to returne before they had won the City of Caire from the Soldan Consultation Axalla his worthy
and yeelded thanks vnto God for his victory as his custom was he caused money to be distributed vnto the Captaines for the cure of them which were wounded He went directly vnto Quantou hauing giuen commandement vnto Odmar to go euen beyond Quantou to the end that the kings brother should not put any greater forces thereinto and if it fell out so he should not faile to fight with them and hinder them from the same for his purpose was to besiege it I will not forget to declare how the kings brother had sent Embassadors to obtain leaue for to know of the kings health and for to see him the which the Prince did willingly suffer to the end this other should not declare himselfe king who would haue brought him more trouble then the other He attended for the euent of Quantou and had his eye vpon the successe of this siege Now the kings brother hauing receiued newes of the affaires of the besieged he determined hauing receiued aide from some of his confederates and also as soone as he had ioyned together his forces either to succour it or to fight a battell and came straight vnto Porchio hoping he might make a bridge of boates whereof there be great store in these same countries The Prince vnderstanding this caused a trench to be made at the ende of the bridge for to keepe it against the enemies there did he place three or foure thousand men to the end the bridge might alwaies be at his commaundement and as he did perceiue the enemie approch hee shewed himselfe in battell ray all along the riuer This passe-time continued tenne or twelue dayes vntill such time as the kings brother hauing caused a great number of boates to be gathered together had made a bridge in a verie narrowe place of the riuer whereof the Prince being aduertised he made no shew he knewe it keeping himselfe within his Campe from whence the said place was some tenne leagues from vs called Cambin Then our scoutes brought vs word that the bridge was made presently thereupon the Prince commaunded Odmar to mount on horsebacke with fifteene thousand horsemen and that he should suddenly set vpon all those that were passed ouer and sent all his footemen after him we set forward all our horsemen after the which the Emperour himselfe did coÌ„duct hauing left a sufficient strength within Rochio The Prince hauing considered the time of the diligence the which the kings brother might vse in passing ouer his armie together with the aduertisement which he had receiued made him accordingly aduaÌ„ce his army so as we departing at midnight came thither by noone and Odmar halfe an houre before vs in so much as he hauing marked that there were no more of them passed ouer then he was appointed to charge he staied in hope that halfe of them would passe ouer and also he looked for the Prince who did set forward being behind the mountaines which were within a league of that place causing some to descrie from houre to houre what the enemie did Now beeing enformed that the halfe part were passed the which was fiftie thousand men good he aduertised the Prince thereof and went himselfe vnto the fight and finding them in very ill order and nothing at all aduertised of the enemies nearenesse he gaue the charge and vtterly ouerthrew them there remained dead vpon the ground some fiftie thousand men but it was not without great fight strengthened with the fauour of the water and a great Marrish wherein they were encamped Notwithstanding our footemen hauing wonne the banke of the riuer beganne also to winne the boates and to seuer them by the meanes of a great boate the which wee with diligence caused to runne downe being full of artificiall fire so as at the same very time that they which were within the boate did drawe neare they retired out of the same hauing first kindled the fire within the boate the which with a great force rushed against the bridge of boates and ouerthrew it and where it was resisted did burne This did greatly astonish them that were passed to see their returne cut off The kings brother was not yet passed vnto the other side of the water and he which first had gone ouer was the king of Cauchina who was slaine at the first charge fighting very valiantly in the forefront The kings brother did see his men slain and drowned could not remedie the same This second ouerthrow was of no small importance although it was but the third part of the kings brothers armie and that there remained vnto him as yet a hundred thousand fighting men but there was no great hope that hee durst present himselfe before our armie The newes hereof being reported at Quantioufou the Prince was of opinion that one should carrie thither the king of Cauchinas head for he was one of the kings greatest vassals thereby to assure them of the victorie and that they should not hope for any succor On the other side they did see Axalla who pressed them verie neere and what endeuour soeuer they made yet did they marke that daily they lost their honour and that by little and little they approched neerer vnto theÌ„ in such sort that these 15. dayes they had beene continually at hand-blowes with our men In the end they gaue knowledge vnto Axalla that they desired to make triall of the Emperours clemencie Answere was made vnto them that they had better occasioÌ„ to trust vnto the Princes mercie at this present then vnto their owne forces and hauing by interpreters long time discoursed with Axalla they demanded eight daies respit wherin they might aduertise the kings brother of the estate of their affaires and that if they were not succoured within fifteene dayes they promised to yeeld theÌ„selues so as it would please the Prince to keepe them in the same fidelitie that the kings of China had kept and maintained them Axalla made answere that he had charge from the Prince to receiue them vpon coÌ„position and to make them proue all gentlenesse as soone as they had yeelded vnto his mercie but for preuenting of so long delay for that the Prince was in person within the countrie he would â—end and impart this vnto him and beseech him for the same and attending therfore they should in the mean time deliuer hostages for this purpose and that from this time forward he did graunt them truce vntill the Prince had signified therein his pleasure Thereupon Axalla dispatched one of his faithfull friends of his countrie vnto the Prince to carrie vnto him these good newes the which was more welcome vnto the Prince then the ouerthrow he had giuen vnto the enemie and agreed vnto all that Axalla demaunded referring all vnto his sufficiencie and fidelitie and relying thereuppon he would marke what the kings brother meant to do After this last disgrace he was determined if the enemie did not retire to passe ouer the riuer and to pursue
submitted them selues vnto the Prince and commaundement was giuen vnto Axalla to take order therein This Lord which had refused the commaundement of the kingdome of China and of so many good Cities did plainly shew that there is nothing more deare nor that a man doth more esteeme then his countrey whereof after a sort he now receiued possession Behold Axalla who in the end made there the choice of his resting place notwithstanding the greatnesse he might promise vnto him selfe being the second person in the Court of the greatest Monarke of the world making no reckening thereof he rather placed his hope in this litle shoare of Mar Maiore then in the limits of Scithiâ— and China and for to succeed after his master vnto all his great conquests for that hee had all the souldiers at his commandement and great credite amongst all the people ouer whom his Prince commaunded Now the army had spent some time in refreshing it selfe to the end it might be gathered together when any neede should require the Prince determining from hence forward to march within his armie the which he had not done vntill this present hauing spent his time in pleasures leauing the burthen of conducting his whole armie vppon Axalla Now as soone as we came neare vnto the holy mountaines the Circassians aâ—d Georgians sent vnto the Emperour for to offer vnto him all the helpe and assistance they could for his iourney Nowe they be Christians and a very great Nation who haue beene alwayes tributaries vnto the Grecian Emperour acknowledging this Empire euer since they were conquered by Pompey For these Nations being part of those ouer whom the great Mithridates raigned at such time as Pompey subdued them they were very desirous of the comming of this great power the which seemed to be sent from heauen for to deliuer the Grecian Empire from the cruell bondage of the Ottomans Axalla drew many of this people vnto the Princes seruice who are greatly esteemed for their braue courage and strength being all of them tall men verie beautifull wearing long haire they are verie expert in warres and haue often resisted the power of the Ottomans by reason of the aduantage they haue within their countrie the which is hard to come vnto they for the most part vpon the first rumor of warre burning all their houses and making verie great wastes to hinder the enemies and by these meanes they are able to resist any power whatsoeuer that shall come to assalt them The Prince tooke great pleasure to beholde these faire people and was very glad to heare of their valour and carefull to prouide that they should not be iniured in anie thing at this present time they were vnder the Empire of Trebisoâ—da the which the Grecian Emperours possessed The Prince was euery where receiued verie friendly and they brought vnto vs all the helpe of victuals that might be to supply the want of our armie Here had he certaine newes of the siege that was before Constantinople where the Emperour was shut vp and all his estate brought vnto great necessitie Baiazeâ— hauing a very great and mightie armie who neither beleeued nor once thought that we would come vppon him so exceeding barbarous was hee that he would not endure anie man so much as to speake onely vnto him of our armie as despising it he was so proud and there he caused all the bordering people publickely to bee forbidden to make any vowes and prayers for our prosperitie For I will declare a truth that wee marched with such order and the souldiers hauing such commaundement that none of the people where wee passed were iniâ—red in the passage of our armie iustice raigned so amongst vs. Insomuch as if a souldier had taken but an apple he was put to death and this was seuerely obserued ouer all a thing vsuall and especially in this iourney the which was the onely cause of ouerthrowing the tyrannie of the Ottomans and of this proud Baiazet So we arriued at Bachichiche where the armie refreshed it selfe for the space of eight dayes Vnto this place came the Embassadors of Guines vnto the Emperour whom the Prince did greatly reuerence for his holinesse The saide Embassadors offered on the behalfe of their maister all assistance and ayde vnto this enterprise and brought faire horses vnto the Emperour the which their maister had sent vnto him with assurance of good successe in his enterprise for this foresaid Guines did prophesie and was a great Astrologian The Emperour seemed greatly to honour this Embassage and sent vnto the saide Guines great store of rich furres and vessell of gold whilest we soiourned in that place the armie made a generall muster and were payed as well the horsemen as the footmen the Prince hauing made an oration vnto them as his custome was at such time as his souldiers made their generall muster and informed them the manner he would haue obserued in the fight to the end they might obserue the military discipline whereof he was verie curious with his Captaines And also vpon this same day it was permitted vnto euerie souldier for to behold him with more boldnesse then on other dayes for as much as he doth for that time lay aside his Imperiall Maiestie to humble himselfe and become familiar so farre foorth as to exhort his souldiers vnto vertue So the Emperour after he had caused generall prayers to be published wee departed from Bachichich and they reckened that there was in our army three hundred thousand horsemen fiue hundred thousand footmeÌ„ of all kinds of Nations The Emperor was aduertised that the Ottomans were become masters of all Greece in so much as the Emperor was of opinion that Baiazet would passe ouer into Europe wheÌ„ he shold perceiue that he approched at the least wise the reason of war made him iudge that he wold do so but it fel out farre otherwise for as soone as we had gone beyond the Georgians and were come vnto Buisabuiche Axalla whom the Prince had not seene in eight dayes because he ledde the head of the armie came vnto the Emperour knowing verie well that he could not bring vnto him more acceptable newes then hee did bring the which was that Baiazet had raised his siege for to come and defend his new conquest and that it was a most certaine thing that he was resolued to come vnto a day of battell that he had caused all his forces to come out of Greece as many of them as he could drawe from all partes trusting not vppon the multitude but rather in the boldnesse and experience of his souldiers who were well trayned vp in the warres This did greatlie reioyce the Emperour but yet it was not with insolencie of vaunting but rather with the countenance of a personage who iudged the euentes of battels to be ordinarily doubtfull And hee sayd that a small number well conducted is oftentimes victorious We soiourned three dayes at this