flagge in the starre-bord side of the mast The middle battaile wherein were 61. galleies dyd the General himselfe Don Iohn gouerne and he had a blew or skye couler flagge These thrée battailes consisted of 161. Galleies and were so enstructed that the middle battailes with the two winges on either side néere to it went forth with equall pace one neither before nor behinde an other but the winges were so farre distant from the middle battaile that thrée or foure gallies might be put into that voide space betwéene them the which was left to that ende that euery one of the battailes might turne themselues as vse and profit should require Aluares de Basan the Marques de Sancta Cruz commaunded ouer the battaile of succour whose flagge was white borne in the puppe But this battaile had 38. galleies of whome eight vnder their Cheifteine Iohn de Cordona went about 20. or 25. miles before all the fléete for to descrie and had in commaundement for to signifie vnto the fléete by swift fragats what they had séene or found but if they should descrie so great a number of Shippes that they suspected it to be the Nauie of the enimie then they should retire to the rest of the fléete and foure of them succour the left winge and so many with Cordona the right The great galleies that are called Galeazes and were set about halfe a mile before the middle battaile and the winges and Antonie and Ambrose Bragadini had the conduct of the two that went before the left wing and the two that went before the middle battaile were gouerned by Iames Guory and Antonie Duodi and they that went before the right wing were commaunded by Andrew Pisauro and Peter Pisano But euerie one of the Galeazes were almost a mile one from another that they might after a sorte protect and gouerne the whole Fleete and because they that were not so easilie rowed with oares as the rest of the Gallies the high Admirall Generall had commaunded that if the winde did not serue for them to sayle that then they shoulde be towed by other Galleyes whereof he had distrivuted the charge to certaine Captaines for he himself Colonna had taken vpon them to tow with theyr Galleies the Admiral Galeaze of Frances Duodi had committed the Galeaze of Iames Gori to Sebastian Veneri to Christopher Leyni the Galeaze of Andrew Bragadini to Augustine Barbarigo the Galeaze of Antonie Bragadini to Antonie Canali the Galleaze of Andrew Pisauro to the Prior of Messina and the Galleaze of Peter Pisano to Iohn Andrew Doria The high Admirall Generall hadde chosen a place for himselfe in the verie middest of the battaile and was garded on the right side with Antonie Colonna the Admirall of the Popes Nauie and on the lefte with Sebastian Veniero the high Admirall of the Venetian Nauie And Colonna was strengthned on the other by the Admirall Galley of Genowayes whereof Hector Spinola was Captaine and hee had with him the Prince of Parma and Venerio was also defenced on the lefte side with the Admirall Galley of Sauoy of whome Leyni had the gouernment and she also carried the Prince of Vrbine But behinde at the puppe the Admirall Generall Colonna and Venerio had the Galley called the Prince of Spaine and also the Galley of the greate Commendador of Castilia The right side of the middle battayle where it was separated from the wing dyd the Admirall of Malta commanded by the Prior of Messina close vp but the lefte side the Captaine of Peter Lomelyno vnder the gouernement of Paulo Iordano Orsino At the right wing Iohn de Corclona had ioyned himselfe to the side of Doria In the lefte wing Augustine Barbarigo had on the one side Marke Quirini and on the other Canali But in all the battayles Galleyes of the king of Spaine of the popes and of the Signories of Venice were blended together without distinction These things being dispatched the high Admirall Generall commanded all the Captains and Maisters of the Gallies that they should do their best for to see that al those vnder their charges did leade a godlie and holie life for therby it would not come to passe that God speciallie in so iust a cause woulde help them in that they went about Things being thus ordered they departed from Messina the sixtenth of September being Sundaie hauing sent the shippes for burthen the daie before vnder their Captain Iohn Dauolos and vpon sundrie occurrents and occasions went to diuerse places in the kingdome of Naples and then backe againe to Palermo in Sicile and from thence to sundrie places in the Isle of Corfu and then to port Gomenizearo a great safe hauen on the continent Here because the weather was cloudie and they had no good windes they thought good to suruey their Nauie that if anie thing lacked they might prouide it and the same night ariued there Gildas Andrada and Iohn Baptista Contarini who had giuen in as far as Zante had learned that the 28. of September the enimie was in the gulf of Patras their Nauie was in ill case for about ten of their Foists small gallies with the Moceniga Constantina ships for burthen carrying sicke men the which was yet afterward found to be false were gone toward Modone the which newes made all our men growe in heart and courage and excited them to pursue the enimie But yet the aduerse tempest continued still wherefore the high Admirall commaunded the first of October that all things shoulde be layde vp in their places and the next daie hee tooke a generall muster and spoiled foure Galleies of all their souldiours and equippage that he might furnish the rest the better The sixt of October the winde was layde wherefore they ioyfully launched out of Port Gomenizearo and had their Nauie thus particularly distributed and their battailes thus arranged In the Battaile that went before the rest of the fleete to descrye were these Galleies and their Captaines Galleyes Captaines 1 The Saint Magdalene of Venice Marco Contarini 2 The Sunne of Venice Vincent Quirino 3 The Vice Admirall of Sicile  4 The admirall of Sicile Iohn the Cardona the Admiral of the Sicilian flett of Dauid Imperiali 5 The Admirall  6 The S. Ioānica of Sicile  7 Saint Catherine of Venice Marco Ciconia 8 The Our Ladie of Venice Peter Frances Malipetrol ¶ In the left Wing The names of Galleies The names of Captaines 1 The Admirall of Venice Augustin Barbarigo the high and chiefe Prouiditore of the Venetian fleete 2 The Admirall of Venice Antony Canali Prouiditore also of the Venetian fléete 3 The fortune of Venice Andrew Barbarioo 4 The Archer of Naples Martin Pyrola 5 The treble hand of Venice George Barbarigo 6 The double Dolphin of Candie Frances Zeno. 7 The Lion and Phenix of Cania Frances Mengano 8 S. Nicholas of Cherso Colanes Drasi 9 The victorie of Naples Occauo Rocardi 10 The Lomelina Augustine Coneuali 11
with Dares a thing that they had thought impossible they beganne to bée a little afraid In our Nauie the Drums and the rest of the instruments played and sounded still incessantlie and all our whole fléete went forward in the forme of a croisant with their ranges verie well kept and euerie Gallie was so farre one from another that the Dares of the one dyd not let another for the which consideration the rowers were forced to marke and obserue exactlie the motion of their fellowes that the order which had béene before appointed by the Captaines might bée continuallie kept And now the two nauies were not far from asunder when the maiestie of God being wearie of the prosperous successes of the most cruell tyrant and taking compassion of the wrongfull and heauie oppression of the Christian common wealth decréed at the length one daie to deliuer and extoll the name and honour of Christ our sauiour and dulie to punish the tyrant And he first beganne this thing when hée did by a certaine meane beyond all mens expectation alaie the winde that hetherto had blowen against our men and ill for them and made the Sea so quiet and calme◠that it might séeme to bée rather lande than water This happened about the leauenth houre and now the Nauye◠were almost vpon the verie point to ioyne together when the Sunne that had passed the fore part of the Heauens did with his beames strike the enimies who stoode Eastward at which time a certaine lyght small winde good for our men beganne to blowe againe from the West in déede so greate that it carried the mists and smoakes from the sight of our men vppon their enimies Now a péece of Ordenances shot out of Ali his Admiral Galley and ans wered by two other shotte from the two wings was a signe for to assaile our men with a mightie séese So then they making an hideous crie mended theyr course rowing towards our men a maine which béeing descried by Venerio he strengthened his Gallie at the puppe with the verie well furnished Gallies of Iohn Loredano and Catharino Malipetro And Colonna did the like calling two other vnto his defence and now they were come so néere together that one might reach another with their Ordenance wherefore our sixe Galeazes who went before all the rest of the fléete verie lustilie assailed the enimie with continual thūder of shot And because they neuer missed they made such a slaughter and spoile that they layed the greatest foundation of breaking the enimies and the neerer they approched the more mischiefe they did them In this terrible storme of the Ordenance the enimies could not repaire themselues wherefore being stroken with feare they kept not their cankes yet they reselued to goe forward with obstinate hearts that passing betwéene our Galeazes who they thought had borne no Ordenance on their sides they might enclose the rest of our Nauie And when they passed betwéen them our men beganne to thunder vppon them ten times worse and did indomage them so much the more as they were staied and their course hindered by the wind that blew against them for that being a litle augmented did let them so that they could not soone passe beyond the storme of mighrie pellets and also it carrying all the smoake vpon them made them that they could sée almost nothing and that also gaue our men that shot their great Ordenance lustelie out of the Galeazes time for to recharge and shoote off their péeces againe with whom almost the third part of their Nauie was destroied and broken not without the death of many men So that now our men heard a mightie cracking and noise of the falling downe of Masts and saile yardes and of the Galleyes broken trauerse and drowned many Gallies were séene light in fire and other stoode destitute of maisters to guide the healme Moreouer there was séene an infinite number of men oares and saile yards barrells hogsheads and all sortes of weapons swimming in the sea therfore was this accident most worthie of wender béecause these sixe Galeazes alone the vse of whom had neuer ben before found out in sea fight did make such a slaughter and spoile of the enimies by turning themselues round and shooting now from the stem then from the puppe and sides In this so great a checke Mehemet Syroch that lead the right wing of the enimies seuered himselfe a little from the rest of the fléete that he might prouide for the safetie of his charge and créeping close to the shoare came against our left wing But that being espied by Augustine Barbarigo he went forth to méete him kéeping his ranges and araie most exactlie and taking occasion by the helpe of a certaine mountaine called Mahanguli did so stoppe and shut vp his waie that he could not passe by no not with the least of his vessels And Marino Contarini the Nephew of Baibarigo vnderstanding that so great a number of Gallyes ranne against his vnkle made in and impelled with too good a perswasion of his owne valour and affinitie of bloud rowed in before all the rest of his fellowes so that the great ordenance thundering on both sides a mightie fight was begunne in this place The left wing of the enimies which Oluzali lead and our right commanded by Doria were almost ioyned sogether but that both the Captaines being verie skilfull in sea fight did either expect some occasion to be ministred to haue a faire hand but by diuerse and differing meanes For Oluzali béeing readie both for fight and pollicie obserued which waie the victory enclined but Doria because he knew himselfe farre inferiour in forces for that Oluzali had ninetie Gallies and he himselfe but fiftie held his enimies in suspense as much as he could for the which reason hee made out into the Sea with certaine of his Gallyes almost a mile from the rest of his wing In the middle battayle Don Iohn Colonna and Venerio kéeping their ranges verie wel and close had with their battaile met with the middle battaile of their enimies but yet before they came to hand strokes they had shot off their great ordenance twice or thrice yea and some of them fiue times which was both a great terrour also a detriment to the enimie so much the more in truth because that many of their péeces woulde not goe off by reason as it was afterwardes found that our men had shot their Gunstones into them and againe those that woulde goe off could little endomage our men because the deckes of our enimies Gallies were so much higher than ours that although they did leuell their péeces a little downward yet the shot dyd alwayes flie ouer our Gallyes But notwithstanding these incommodities they lyke men in a rage rowed in still and ioyned with our men at which time there arose a mightie tempest of arrowes and smal shot and all the whole sea séemed to burne by reason of so many arteficiall fires cast on
the one side and the other by diuerse engines And now in some places foure Gallies encountered with thrée and sire with foure and in other also sixe with one and one leaping into the other Gallies made a great slaughter with swords daggers kniues battleaxes arowes wild fire and other short weapons and also when many woulde for diuerse causes retire themselues they were hurledhead long into the Sea the which was thereby now become as redde as bloud In the meane time Syroch had in the right wing of the enimie felte the force of our valyant men of the lefte wing and sawe that hée coulde not effect that which hée hadde thought to haue done because hée beheld his Galleyes to lie broken their Saile yardes and Masts fallen downe and other things caried vp into the ayre by the shot of our great Ordenaunce Wherefore he endeauoured to his vttermost to kéepe his men in their duetie but yet for all that euer he coulde doe many of his galleies at length coueting to escape out of so great a slaughter and garboile and to saue themselues ranne headlong for hast on the shore after which mischance most leaped into the Sea that they might escape into the maine by swimming but many being wounded and many vnskilfull of swimming or else hindered and impeached by some other meanes stayed still because they had some hope in the clemencie of the Christians that they would saue their liues At the which place this olde manner of the nation of the Turks which is now plainly become a custome is worthie of noting For at the beginning of an encounter they doe shew singular fiercenesse with a most vehement féese but a little while after when they doe perceue that they are stoutly resisted they casting away courage betake them to flight And certes at this time they could not hope for helpe of their infinit number of footemen and horsemen as they are wont in battailes by land Wherefore when they could not withstand the valour of the Christians who hauing entred their gallies slew all they founde they within short time forsooke their Gallies and ranne away at the which time the Christians that had bene before prisoners in the Turkish Gallies perceiuing that now they were come into the hands of our men taking the Turkes their owne weapons brake of their chaines and manackles and valiantly reuenged the crueltie of the tyrannie which they had suffered vntill that instant Marke Quirmi and Antony Canali who were in this same wing but in an other part made out but yet they could not so soone shut in this wing of thenimies but that they had first all leaped into the sea Yet all the galleies were taken by our men and those that were left in them were all slaine for to reuenge their crueltie But of our Captaines there died in this left wing Marino Contarini Vincent Quirini and Andrew Babarigo But Augustine Barbarigo being shot into the eye with an arrow receaued a deadly wound the which did incontinently bereaue him of his speach of whose death we wil speake hereafter Also Marke Antony Ciconia was very sore hurt with wilde fire In the middle battaile Don Iohn de Austria encountered with Ali himselfe and two other Captaines that commanded Admirall Gallies And Ali had in his Admirall Galley thrée hundred Ianizars with harquebusses and an hundreth with crossebowes who fought all verie valiantly both with shot and swordes And againe with Don Iohn were foure hundred chosen harquebuziers of Sardinia vnder the conduct of Lopes de Figheroa campe maister and many other Gentlemen and valiant men besides the fought with great prowesse Colonna plied with might and paine to laie a boord the Galley that encountered him and was vehementlie stirred vp thereto because he sawe a mightie slaughter of his enimies committed by his fellowes before his face Neither did also Veneiro lesse execute the dutie of a good Admirall for that his Gallie was to fight with thrée principall Captaines of the enimies and seauen Admirall Gallies to whose succour also did other euer and anone come But in the meane time when the great Commendador of Messina sawe that our thrée high Admiralls were to fight with such a great number of the enimies he taking with him the Gallies of Loredano and Malipetro went thether with a great spéed and valour and thrusting into the middest of the troupe committed a great slaughter But Loredano Malipetro entering into the thickest of the fight like valyant men were straight waie slaine with the ordenance but the rest that were in their Gallies were so farre from béeing dismaide with their death that they rather hauing encreased their courage and after a sort their strength with desire of reuenge and anger began to fight ten times more fiercelie so that within short time they had taken two Gallies of the enimies and so many had Veniero and Colonna ouercome that fought with them And almost at the verie same moment Don Iohn of Austria who vntill now had borne the charge and force of fiue Gallies and had conquered thrée of them did take the Admirall royall of Ali whō he had slain but had beene before beaten thrice out of her with greate slaughter after that he was come as farre as the mast So then whēn Ali was slaine our men ioyfullie cried victorie victorie for although then had done the like before yet it was then doubtfull because both sides yet fought most eagerlie and verie great spoile and slaughter was yet committed on both sides But now the enimies resisted our men no more so that they did acknowledge them for victors wherefore our men were now busied in gathering together the pillage and rather in binding than killing the enimies And now a verie great number of principall men had ben either taken or slaine by our men but almost an infinite number of Ianizars and other souldiours insomuch that they onelie escaped that foreséeing the entire destruction of their fléet by the pittifull spoile that the Galeazes made had fled awaie at the verie beginning of the battaile in skiffes and other small vessels as Portau Bassa did who straight after the beginning of the fight stale awaie priuitie into the maine in a small vessell and saued himselfe by flight There died also of our Captaines in this middle battaile Iohn Loredano Catherino Malipetro Hierome Veniero Fances Bono Iohn Baptista Benedicto a Cypriot and Iames Tresino of Vicenza and ther were wounded Iohn Bembo Theodore Balbi the Prior of Messina and many other noble men knights In the left wing of the enimie when Oluzali vnderstood that his fellowes were discomfited and perceiued that hée might be assailed broken by Doria who did now acknowledge the happie euent of this battaile began diligentlie to consider what meanes he might make to saue himselfe Wherefore séeing certaine of the Gallies of our ryght wing diuided and separated from the rest hée taking holde of that occasion valiantlie charged them But cur men
good indifferent greate many of them that serued without paie other authors doe make the number of them two thousand So then Don Iohn de Austria the Admirall Generall of the league Marke Antonie de Colonna the high Admiral of the Popes power Sebastian Veneri the Admirall of the Venetian forces consulted what was best for them to attempt there were also present at this consultation the great Comendador of the knights of Malta Ascanio de Cornia Andrew Doria Augustine Barbarigo Marke Quirino Antonio Canali the Secretarie of the Venetians with the Scribe and sometime also the Princes of Vrbine and Parma Paulo Iordano Orsino the Marques de Sant Cruz other among whom Ascanius de Cornia after he had heard many mens opinions spake to this effect For two or thrée causes onelie most Honourable may a Generall with honour refraine to ioyne in battaile with his enimie Of whome the first is if hée shall gaine lesse profite by the fruite of the victorie than hée maye feare detriment if hée happe to bée ouerthrowen whereof take this example When the Duke of Guyse not many yéeres agoe had inuaded the kingdome of Naples the Duke of Alua had done vnwiselie if hée would haue giuen him battayle for the French could haue lost no more in that battayle than their armie but if the victorie had inclined to the French partie wée dyd leese with our armie the kingdome of Naples too The second is if he doe vnderstand that his enimies armie will bée broken and scattered without fight whereof the inuincible Emperour Charles the fift your Highnesse his Father of sacred memorie maye bée an example For when hee made warres against the Protestants in Germame he wold neuer ioyne in battaile with them because hée vnderstood that their armie would bée dispearsed without battaile neither could the strength of that league long indure and continue Finallie for a third cause may a Generall shunne battaile if he doe know that his power is so much inferiour to his enimies that hée can in no wise hope for victorie But most Honourable none of the former causes dubtlesse can moue vs for although the losse of this Nauie of the Christians bée a matter of verie great consequence as some haue sayde before mée and that wée doe graunt that the victorie will fall on our enimies side yet notwithstanding if wée do fight valiantlie as it becommeth vs it is likelie also that their Nauie will bée so sore shaken and spoiled that it cannot bée easilie and lightlie repaired by the Turke neither againe are our Princes of so small strength that they shall not bée able to repaire our power at the least as much as shall bée sufficient for to defend their owne But if that we doe obtaine the victorie then whereas wée may hope for other greater matters than speciallie the enfranchisement of Greece Moreouer the which we ought chiefelie to consider and holde for a certaine as I haue often admonished also héeretofore that we can doe nothing neither with this present power neither with anie other that shall bée supplied vnto vs hereafter nor doe anie thing of moment agaynst the Turkes except that we haue first desaited and broken their Nauie But that it will be dispearsed through wearinesse or lacke of things necessarie we cannot hope but rather our enimies may promise themselues the same of vs. Séeing then that our power is now so great that we may hope for victorie in battaile mine opinion is that in anie wise wée ought to fight neither is this present occasion in anio ease to be let slippe But whether our forces be so great as theirs that in déede is to be considered The forces consist as farre as I can conceiue in men and in gallies As for the men yea although they be such as it hath sayd before me that is to wit that the Spaniardes and Italians are for the greater parte fresh water Souldiours and of small experirience and also that the Almanes are of small seruice in Sea fight and that there is but a small number of Harquebuziers amonge them yet I doe not see howe our enimies can by anie meanes be in this point better furnished both by reason of the great plague that we doe vnderstand raged and raigned in their nauie the last yéere and also because they are forced to haue a great armie in Ciprus But now of the greatnesse of their Nauie we doe heare diuerse reportes so that I cannot pronounce of certaintie whether that ours bée the greater of the smaller For séeing I am smallie experimented in sea affaires I cannot tell with how many or how great common gallies and Foists of the Turkes our great Gallies may bee matched wherefore I will leaue the iudgement of these things vnto other This onelie I doe pronounce and thinke that wée must trie fortune for warre matters cannot so be managed but that fortune may doe much in them Therefore let vs departe hence with this Fléete and saile either towards Brindisi or Corfu for when wée shall bée so néere our enimies wée shall bée able to vnderstand some certaintie of their state and thereby take aduise and vnlesse some difficultie of getting victualls doe let I doe thinke it better that we saile to Corfu than to Brindisi because the enimie must néeds passe that waie when he saileth into the Leuant But before wée doe departe hence I doe thinke that wée must first and chiefelie doe one thing and that is fullie and assuredlie to determine with our selues that wée must fight and let this bée the firme and fixed resolution of vs that whensoeuer wée shall light vpon our enimies that wée will assaile them and to this ende let all thinges bée before hand disposed and ordered For if wée goe hence doubtfull then wée shall bée forced to take aduice at the verie instant and if wée doe chaunce to fall vpon our enimies on a sodaine wée béeing out of order and vncertain what to do shall easilie bée ouerthrowen and scattered And these are the things most Honourable that I doe thinke wée ought to doe but yet so that I will willinglie subscribe to them of more skill When Cornia had made an ende of his spéech all men assented to that he had sayd for they being forced by necessitie did vnderstād that this was the onely way to doe wel for to set vppon the enimie couragiously when occasion should be offered Wherefore Don Iohn that he might omit nothing that dyd beséeme a good Generall commaunded what euery man should doe afterward and how and in what order they should goe foorth He deuided all the Nauie into foure battailes that is to wit two winges a middle battaile which they called the fight and secret succours In the eight wing were 53. Galleies vnder the conduct of Iohn Andrew Doria and they had a gréene flagge in the toppe of the mast The left wing consisted of the like number of galleies and were ledde by Augustine Barbarigo with a yelow
5 Aligan Assan These were also Foistes 6 Cus Ali. These were also Foistes 7 Giuzel Ali. These were also Foistes 8 Curtat Celebin These were also Foistes 9 Dely bey 10 Sandagy Memy this was also a Foist 11 Dardagno Reis and he had an Admirall foist of Constantinople 12 Deli Dorni and he had a gallie 13 Caidar Memi the gouernour of the Isle of Scio. 14 Shetagi Osman These had Foists 35 Haeder These had Foists 16 Delius Heder These had Foists 17 Armat Memi These had Foists 18 Susan Reis These had Foists 19 Giafer Bey 20 Cabil Sinam his was a foist 21 Amurat Reis These were foists 22 Sariogy Grafer These were foists 23 Mor Ali. These were foists 24 Piali Murat and this was a small Gallie 25 Caragiali Rais. These were Foists 26 Murat Alius These were Foists 27 Iumez Alius These were Foists 28 Assan Sinian a Gallie of Constantinople 29 Bostagi Murat a Foist 30 Deli Suliman This was an Admirall Gallie of Constantinople The Nauie being distributed in this manner they lanched forth the seauenth of October and came to the coast of Galanga two houres before Sunne set and there they stayed But our men because they had decréed to fight determined with common consent to depart out of hand from the vale of Alexandria that making towardes Patras they might doe what in them laie to prouoke the enimie to battaile Yea and if perhaps they would refuse it that then they should goe farther forth euen vnto the mouth of the gulfe of Patras and by battering the Castels and pittifullie wasting the places adioyning vrge thenimie to battaile Therfore Don Iohn the high Admirall Generall beeing verie desirous that those things which had béene decréed by common counsaile might bee executed and namelie being at that time earnestlie desired and egged on by Augustine Barbarigo a verie valiant man and verie zealous of the Venetian safetie departed from the vale the same night which went before the seauenth of October béeing Sundaie although hee had no verie good winde and kept his course to wardes the rockes Cruzulari which are not farre from the maine with the intent to assaile the enimie the next morning in the breake of the daie But they on the other side had the same saterdaie shewed great signe of ioy triumphing before the victorie because they thought that they had now alreadie gotten our Nauie wholie at their deuotion and wrought their pleasure therewithall Wherefore they also launched from thence the eight of October verie earlie in the morning hoping to finde our men yet in the Hauen for they did not thinke that they woulde méete them and were now in their waie And so they sailed with their Sailes somewhat lowe and a good winde towardes Cefalenia and as if GOD hadde of his immeasurable power then directed these two most mightie fléets one against another although they were neuer aboue twelue miles one from other yet one of them all this while did not sée another for certaine eminences of the lande one sailing againste another not farre from the Nauie And when both kept on their course and our Nauie was gotten out from the Rockes Cruzulari in no verie good araie because the rockes did impeach them and our enimies were passing the foreland called Peschieras and of the Gréekes Mesolognias they did first descrie one another Wherefore our men reioyced that they had happilie espied their enimie and now they beganne to make all things readie for the fight they set vp their netting they laied weapons of all sortes at the sides of the Galleyes and in other conuenient places they armed the souldiours with harquebusses holbards pikes pollaxes and swords and disposed them in their places and there were in euerie common gallie almost 200. men that vsed swords in the Admirals as some were greater than another 300. and in some 400. men Which things béeing dispatched they bestowed the great Guns in their places béeing charged with chaine shot and other square shot and stones and brought forth trunkes to cast wilde fire with all And hauing made readie all things with singular diligence at last they enfranchised all the Christian prisoners that had béene condemned to the oare pulling off their yrons and armed them for to fight valiantlie for the name of Christ who had made them frée and without difference mingled them among the rest and they in hope to obtaine libertie did promise to performe the duetie of valiant Souldiours And whilest that these thinges were thus in dooing euerie Galleie was come into his appointed place and the Galeazes hadde be towed thether whereas they shoulde bée by them to whome the charge hadde béene committed and now all the whole Fléete was with singular silence sette and placed in conuenient order and araie But our enimies comming on-ward as fast as we dyd also prepare themselues to fight And when they saw that Iohn Andrew Doria the Captain of the right wing being accompanied with many Galleies stretched out his wing more into the seaward they hadde thought that he had fledde As also many of our men when they saw the enimies to make out into the sea with their sailes hoised vp aloft they then thought that the enimie had fledde And this false coniecture on both sides made both our men and our enimies the more bold and couragious to fight The two Nauies being thus furnished arranged did set forward to fight valiantly and occupied so great a space of the sea as séemed vnto them sufficient to kéepe them from running on the shore and making thereby shipwrack and so came faire and softly one towards the other And now our men had shut and locked all the cabines a certaine few excepted for the hurt men to be carried into and out of whome the scribes were to supply things necessarie And that whilest they were sailing towards the battaile they might repaire the strength of their bodies they distributed Bread Wine Chéese and such like victualls vnto the souldiours thoroughout euery Galley But in the meane time that the souldiours were at their victualls the high Admirall Generall him selfe Don Iohn of Austria going a bord a Skiffe accompanied with Don Iohn de Cardona went spedely about all the whole Nauy omitting no one thing that doth beséeme a Prince and a valiant Generall He exhorted both the Captaines of the Galleyes and also all the rest of the souldiours for to fight valiantly for the name of Christ for their Sauiour himselfe would be present to help them if they dyd the duetie of stout souldiours and that he would giue them assured victorie That this was the onely occasion to reuenge so many iniuries receaued and to attaine immortall glorie Whiles he spake thus many aunswered him couragiously that he should not in any wise doubt of their prowesse for they were come thether for no other entent therfore they would accomplish the duetie of valiant men This being done he returned to his Galley Royall neither was he
Alua in An. 1580. Out of Comes The Battaile of Saint Michaell fought by Sea betwene the Marques of Santa Cruz and Philippe Lord Strozzi in An. 1582. Out of a letter sent to the king of Spaine by the Marques and also out of the booke intituled the Explanation of the true and lawfull right of Antony king of Portugall c. The Battaile of Langside fought in Scotland betweene Iames Erle of Murray and the Erle of Argile in An. 1568. Out of Buchanan FINIS THE SECOND Booke of Battailes The battaile at Dreux in France fought betweene Lewes of Burbon Prince of Condee Generall of the Protestants their forces and Anna Montmorencie high Constable of France and Generall of the Catholike armie in the yeere of our Lord 1562. and the 19. of December taken out of Popelliniere LEWES the Prince of Condee hauing receiued aides out of Germanie and also gathered together the French forces of the Religion did take the field with about 8000. foote men and fiue or sixe thousand horse men two Canons one Culuerin and foure field péeces came before Paris the xxviii daie of Nouember in Anno. 1562. and departed from thence the tenth daie of December following after a vaine parle of peace that he despaired of taking the Citie partlie for the resolute courage of the Citizens who wonted at other times to bée fearefull and cowardlie and partlie yea and speciallie because the Catholikes had drawen into the Citie a great armie of Frenchmen and forreners and marched towardes Normandie for to receiue the succours of men monie prouision brought out of England vnto New Hauen thereby to be able to content the Almaines that now began to murmure to demand paie But on the other side to stop let the ioyning of the Prince with the English the Catholike armie parted out of Paris vnder the conduct of Anna Montmorencie the high Constable of France coasting to rights by waies nothing good was on the 17. of Decēber come to the side of the towne of Dreux the riuer of Eure within two litle leagues of the prince who by an incōuenient ouersight which yet was the falt of the Marshals of the camp lodged the night with the battaile at Yuoy beyond more néere to the enimie by one league then the auantgard lead by the Admirall who had his quartier at the village of Neron but the next daie the Admirall repairing vnto the Prince it was agréed vpon that the daie following the auantgard should betimes march forth beyond the lodging and battaile of the Prince and so take againe their old due order range and by this time had all the Catholikes passed the water the which when the confederats vnderstood some of thē thought that the battaile would be presentlie presented them but the Admirall was of another opinion because the Sun was not then aboue an houre a halfe high and thervpon euerie man fell to fantasying imagining the good the ill the which might come of so great a masse of occurrents which were presented on the one side the other and séeing that the most part assured themselues that some notable battaile would be fought euerie man iudged of the euent thereof according to his knowledge practise in the feates of armes Neuerthelesse feare in some heate in other ignorance in diuerse made their iudgements so diuerse that it was a wonder to see it Many marked on the parte of the Protestants two faults so much the more to bée blamed as they are of great consequence and yet ordinarie with the warriours of this age and time The first was that no man was sent forth to suruey and take view of the enimie for the Catholikes which the Protestants might sée were gone to sound the foord that they might then passe ouer their armie presentlie or els that night as in truth they did The second fault was that in liew of going to lodge in the good and strong villages néere the riuer and the which the Catholikes seized the next daie euerie man returned to his quarter whereby the night following the Catholikes had meanes inough to passe the water to lodge themselues in the villages about to their aduantage there being so little order good looking to things on the Princes side that he was neuer aduertised thereof although there was scarcelie two leagues of ground betwéene the two armies Likewise also many of the Catholikes did iudge that their Chieftaines did manifestlie amisse in this that they did prepare themselues to giue battaile directlie in a place where the Campaine of Beause did end considering that al their force was in their footmen and the Princes in his horsemen wherevnto adde the great multitude of wagons that the Reisters carrie with them it being a thing of certaintie that if they had let the Prince passe to the borough of Trion as he pretended he shuld haue had such déepe and hollow waies both on this side and beyond and in passing further should haue found the Countrie so full of trées that the Catholikes might with the third part onelie of their footmen haue defeated the Prince and taken all his cariages without anie hazard and another thing there was saie they which made their falt more in excusable that séeing they were maisters of all the Countrie of Normandie on this side and beyond the riuer of Seine it was in their power to constraine the Prince to yéeld himselfe to their mercie or else to driue him backe euen to the gates of Orleans without hazarding of themselues anie whit at all The Prince hauing in that better iudgement than the Admirall armed himselfe two houres before daie signed many dispatches to be sent into Albemaigne other places frō whence he hoped great succors wold come because the auantgard which was to come frō Neron séemed to be slow wherof the prince complained much he sent many gentlemen one after another for to hasten them but for all that euer he could do it was farre forth daies before that they came So then at length his armie marched but after the accustomed manner without aduertising the companies perticularly to prepare themselues to the battaile either by solempne speeches or perticular or by anie other aduertisements than a few wordes short but verie couragious and with a good grace insomuch that many Gentlemen found themselues disarmed when they should go to the charge fought without either harnesse on their backe or helmet on their head of this armie parted into two bodies of men of armes the vantgard lead by the Admiral had about 305. French horse foure Cornets of Reisters sixe Ensignes of Almaines and twelue of French men the battaile whereof the Prince had the conduct contained 450. lances Frenchmen sixe Cornets of Reisters sixe Ensignes of Almaines and twelue of Frenchmen besides sixe cornets of Argoulets which might serue for light horse vnder the conduct of La Curec but they had not marched
aboue a leage and a halfe when the vantcourers aduertised the Admirall that they had discouered on this side the water a great troupe of horse whome he hauing commanded them to assaile at a signall giuen as they did with assurance that himselfe would follow them at the héeles sodainlie the battaile which the Constable lead appeared at the side of a village The which being reported to the Admirall and afterward to the Prince they caused all their horsemen to set their launces vpright ranging their battailes within a good Culuerine shot of them Afterward séeing that their enimies came not forth they two went further with only Dandelut who had a third daie Ague was mounted on an hackney apparelled for all harnesse with a furred robe vntill they came to a place from whence they might easilie iudge who had the aduauntage of the place whereby they were perswaded that it was not for them to assaile the enimie whereas he was that is to wit at the head of a village betwéene Nogent and Lormay towardes the which place the Countrie séemed to be plaine but it was not so indéede but they must néeds go vp an hill and downe againe insomuch that the Prince to passe ouer his men and to auoide the furie of their artilerie wherwith all they were well furnished was forced to hasten his people to march so fast that he put them out of breath but because they marched slowlie they abid at the least thrée volées of their péeces which might make a great checke and affright the armie in the which not all men had their eares accustomed to the sound of such flutes Furthermore the armie Catholike did couer so great a compasse of ground that if they encountered in that place one part of them might compasse in and charge the Prince in the side and so by that meanes he being inclosed should bée at the mercie of his enimies These things being considred and presupposing also that the Catholikes were not verie sharplie set to fight a resolution was takeÌ„ to go directly for to lodge at Trion following the intention the they had when they departed froÌ„ Ormoy thether were the Marshals of the lodgings sent The better to represent vnto you one of the most renowmed battailes that euer was fought in this Realme I will first figure out vnto you the seate and qualitie of the place which afterward was embrued with the bloud of so many gallant men Afterward I will set as it were before your eies the estate and disposition wherein these two armies maintained themselues before during and after the conflict Which béeing done yée may easilie iudge to whom the aduantage of one so notable occurance ought to be giuen vpon the end of the league and leuell champains of Beause Nogent le Roy doth present it selfe to Normandie pretie néere to Dreux a little towne at the foote of an hill wherevpon stands a Castle of sufficient strength within the towne by the side whereof passeth the riuer a Countrie fertile well peopled betwéen the which two Countries that are separated by the course of Eure the which comming out of Beause for to water Chartres doth trauerie Noâ—mandie euen to Pont de L'arche below the same doth léese it selfe in the Seine the nurse of Paris is a couert of certaine woodes and a number of little Towneshippes of whome the Catholickes had alwaies to that daye kept the aduantages as they that séeing themselues stronger in footemen and weaker in horsemen then the Prince would not hazard ought but where the place did fauour footemen for lacke of whome the Prince was constrained to take a contrarie course The which was the cause that at his parting from Lormoy néere Nogent he had purposed to take Dreux more for to force the Catholickes to an open and generall fight then for the importaunce of the place where Sourdeual commanded with an hundreth light horse and fiue Ensignes of footemen But the Cheiftaines Catholickes followed him coasting alwaies within fiue or sixe leagues but holding their waye thorough countries so strong and such couerts that the Prince could not finde any possibilitie to encounter them but with his disaduantage And in the ende the Catholickes séeing occasions and meanes to preuaile in that countrie by reason of the great number of their footemen resolued for to fight and therefore the .xix. daye did set forward to get before the Protestants and if they could get to Dreux before the Prince there to offer him battaile at the head of the towne vpon an high péece of ground lodging in the village two great Bataillons of footemen which garded xiiii Canons placed and prest to play before them and a little before on the side a number of Enfans perdus whome they had chosen out of all the Regiments The two flankes of these Bataillons were two great troupes of horsemen for mutuall intersuccour of the footemen and horsemen as was best for their behoofe Moreouer they had chosen a place so fauourable that the Confederates could not charge neither th one nor the other but by one way of a xiiii or xv hundreth paces the which also the Herquebuzes Catholicke did no lesse scoure then dyd their Artillerie Also a little below they had a small vnwalled towne for to gard their baggage the Riuer of Eure néere to their back But being resolute hot to fight they aduanced themselues farther for to get betwen two Villages by a woods side with far greater aduantage then before Herevpon the Prince following his resolution begaÌ„ to turne head towards Trion shewing his right side to his enimies who perceuing the Argolets one esquadroÌ„ of Reisters to be a faire marke discharged vpon theÌ„ one volée of great Ordenance which did affraie them in such sort that almost all the Argolets ran awaye the Reisters tooke the way in a litle valley for to couer theÌ„ against the Canon shot Wherevpon Anna de Montmorency Constable of France general of that Armie taking occasion to goe to the charge for to ouerthrow break theÌ„ all intirely as he had assured many the his owne battel alone was more then sufficient for to ouerthrow all the Protestant Armie caused the principal of his troupes to come néere to him vnto whome he made such a like speach At the length my maisters friends I haue brought you within sight of our enimies who haue alwaies hetherto made semblance that they sought battel the which now they cannot flye but also with the losse thereof coÌ„sequentlie of all the rest the they haue possesse in France For whether ye be assailants or defeÌ„dants the aduantage is assured you as well for number of men that doubleth theirs for the order disposition of the Armie for the qualities of the armes furniture as also for the commoditie of the places which fauoreth vs in all sorts if they wil come to vs. Adde therevnto a thing more considerable that we doe maintaine
the cause of God who wil haue but one Religion in the world that is to wit the aūcient Catholick Romane frō the which these mescreans infidels haue lewdely cut of themselues we doe also vphold the partie of our king soueraigne prince who cannot permit other exercise in his Realme then the of his predecessours finally we fight for the weale of our natural coūtrie for the suertie whereof we hauing euer to this day done infinit exploites fought in so many places with such honour and profit as your vertuous and holie desires haue deserued we should now be of lesse beléefe then they are and more timorous then women if we should not assure vs all that this acte as the last of so manie trauailes passed shall be crowned with the good honor and felicitie that all good and couragious people cannot but desire Moreouer thinke ye that we are not héere to quarrel for other mens lands nor for the defence of the borders of anie Lordes nor to enlarge the Empire of the Crowne of France but for the saluation of our soules for the maintenance of the Religion of our ancestors for the holie alters for the sacred reliks for the reuerent Priests and the wonderfull and awefull mysteries of our Religion In sum it is for the honour of Jesus Christ and then secondarilie for the conseruation of our owne liues and of the life of our Prince and of his Officers and by a consequent for the honour good and suretie of the state the which these mischiouous heretikes would no lesse reuerse than they haue done alreadie our true and Catholike faith so defiled by the mortall venim of their pestiferous heresies We might well haue hastned the battaile but that the counsaile haue alwaies bene of aduise for to staie for the cōming of all our forces as wel naturals as alies and strangers for to make them all pertakers of the present honour attended of all yet neuerthelesse rather remitted than denied anie one of you Wherefore assure your selues of the victorie if ye do not beelie and denie your valour héeretofore march resolutelie to the fight kéepe wel your rankes succour one another as shal be néedfull holde your selues certaine and assured that this one daie will bée the beginning of your honourable libertie and of a treble miserable bondage of the enimies of God of the king and of all good people But now he had caused the Artilerie to plaie vppon the formost of the Protestants who were therewithall so galled and affrighted that many going out of the rankes made them beléeue that their Generall refused the battaile for to gaine still ground which caused them to begin to make towards the troupes of the Prince who shewed vnto them his side with a dismarch and an araie and appearaunce so proude that the armie shewed how great Captaines dyd leade it The Catholike armie was compassed of fiue fiue great battailons of footemen intermedled and interlaced still with their horsemen because they were weaker than the Princes horses as their footmen were stronger by a treble The Catholike armie séemed to bée diuided into partes rather in the respect of the Chieftaines that gouerned it than for anie difference of troupes as the ancient fashion was to diuide an armie into an auantgard a battaile and a rereward for the Catholikes represented the forme of an hedge the which béeing bias high low straight and crooked according to the nature of the places where they stood made the confederates to sée more or lesse the bands Catholyke according as the nature of the passage did permit wherein the thrée chiefe Captaines seemed to bée well accomoded and placed either to receiue or to giue the charge in this battaile If you will call the troupes lead by the Marshall of Saint Andre the auantgard it was composed of ninetéene companies of men of armes Frenchmen thirteene ensignes of Spaniards so many of French and eleauen of Almanes with foure péeces of Artillerie all placed on the left of the Constable who béeing chiefe of the armie lead the battaile which was néerer the enimie than all the rest of the troupes and it consisted of xvii Estanders of men of armes three of horsemen xxii ensignes of Suisses and xvii of Frenchmen and Britons with eight péeces of Artillerie The Duke of Guise lead the rereward for to helpe the occurrents which might be presented but had but a few men they almost all standing on the right side of the Constable who stoode formost of them all and euerie one of the thrée Chieftaines hauing before them their Enfans Perdus on foot to begin the game The summe of their armie amounted to 19000. footemen and 2000. horsemen and the Prince was about 4000. horsemen all apparelled in white Casaques the which the Prince had caused them to weare for a marke of the purenesse of their conscience in the dessigne by them made for to maintaine the honour of God and the publike with 6000. footemen diuided into two battaillens of Almaines and Frenchmen Then the armie Catholike marching in this order against the Princes that shewed them his side ariued betwéene two villages L'Espine and Blainuille distant asunder 1200. pace The which space not béeing capable to comprehend the armie Catholike in length it happened that the battel Catholike was farre beyond the auantgard Protestant so that it stoode much behinde it Wherefore the Prince imagining that they marched directlie to him for to fight hée without farther leasure to make publike prayers to God for the victorie as the Parisians did that made the shrine of Saint Geneuiefue to come downe for to emploie her as an intercesseresse to God for their behoofe made his troupes tourne head with as much spéede as hée could but as a whole armie is not easilie remoued so specially by Chieftaines that haue alwayes made more of the estate of actions of the bodie than of the spirit and wit prising higher a furious valliance shan an order and araie militarie whereby the troupes accustomed to tourne and change in all sortes and in a moment doe carrie awaie moe victories without great losse than all those hardie and outragious feeses the which cannot bring but a miserie irreparable the disorder shewed it selfe to bée such that the Admirall and the auantgard found themselues ouerright against the Constable and the Battaile and the Prince and his battaile that was opposed and set agaynst the auantgard of the Catholikes was so farre behinde it as wée sayde that the Prince coulde scarce sée it at all Moreouer the onelie battaile of the Constable stretched almost as farre in length as all the whole armie of the Prince And for lacke of order if that the constant resolution of some had not serued for an example vnto the rest of the armie the Protestants had béene that daie the more vnhappie In summe that backwardnesse was the cause that the Prince and the Constable bare all the brunt the Constables horsemen that strengthned his
battaillon béeing charged at one end by the Admirall and the Battaillon of the Suisses that made the other ende by the Prince as I will tell you But as the troupes of the horsemen Protestant were seuered in diuerse small Battaillons of two or thrée companies Frenchmen with as manye or moe Reisters on their side so they made diuerse charges And to set the battaile abroach the Prince set forth out of a little valley wherevpon he marched and resolued to go to the charge because that the Artillerie of the Catholikes being well leuelled lighted among his bandes with great slaughter of good men as well of one Nation as of the other but in stead of going directlie against the auantgard Catholike which was farre from him hée left it on his left hand tourning head against the side of the esquadron of the Suisses which strenthened the end and vttermost side of the battaile of the Constable the which some went about to disswade him from as well because he should thereby leaue all the auantgard of the enimie whole who might charge him on the backe or side at their pleasure as also because his footemen tarried thereby behinde all naked and abandoned to the mercie of the rest of the Catholikes Moreouer seeing that he was the stronger in horsemen he ought not to assaile the footmen of the enimies who would of themselues either break or yéeld shortlie after if the horsemen of the Catholikes were defaited but the heate of the Prince pricked him forward to effects and inconueniences which yée shall sée For hauing assembled the principal chiefe men of the armie with the Marshall of Hessen and certaine other that vnderstoode French for to report afterward the substaunce of that hée shoulde saie vnto their Captaines and souldiers hée spake to this effect My companions and good friends if that I had not long time and namelie by the false alarme yesterdaie knowen your couragiousnesse and resolution to fight I woulde stretch out my selfe in discourses and remonstraunces as much as my leasure woulde permit for to represent vnto you your deuoire in an accident of so greate consequence as this is but the néerenesse of these tyrantes which doe attend vs without daring to attach vs and your determinate courages which are knowen vnto mée by so many feates of armes whereby ye haue alwaies gotten honour ouer your enimies doe dispense with me for saying of anie other thing vnto you but that time occasion meanes doe present themselues to daie more than euer héeretofore not onelie to make the fame of your valiance to runne throughout the whole world but that which is farre greater and iuster praise of so many paines passed and of the vertuous indeauour which you haue shewed in this action the rest and tranquilitie of your Gentlemanlie soules the enfranchisment of your bond consciences and the free exercise of your religion for maintenance whereof God yea the great God of Hosts hath assembled you héere out of so many Countries and quarters so that it is more than a worldlie hononour that yée ought to séeke for in the issue of this battaile although that you cannot want it as also yée shall gaine and get an incredible bootie of so many noble men who haue alwaies feared you and fledde your fight neither durst they now approch you in anie equall and indifferent manner but fortified on all partes for the iust distrust that they haue of their partie the feare of your approued prowesse But for the honor of God by whose secret motion wée bée incited to the defence of his holie name yée must assure your selues that hée will leade and guide you himselfe that hée will double the force and dexteritie of your arme and will in such sorte fauour your furious esfortes to the mischiefe of this rascall Papist which is nothing but a blowen bladder and a vaine bragger without heart or hardinesse so that yée hauing resolutelie charged broken dispoiled and slaine these men the rest of the runawayes will send vnto you the white paper for to permit you to liue as yée will your selues Haue not yée made them runne away in all parts of France Haue ye not couped them vp in Paris as it were foxes in their earthes Haue not ye beseaged and beate them so often in this the chiefe Citie of the world out of the which they durst not put their heads for feare of blowes doe ye think that they are now more hardie What other spurre doe you expect to prick you forward for to purchase their ruine then so many losses of your goods so many of your places ruined so many of your wiues so many of your daughters defiled so manie blasphemies so many denyings of the name of God Such and infinit other barbarous facts farre more detestable will be I doe assure my selfe a sufficient occasioÌ„ for you to grow in heart strength and diligence for to clense the world of such wicked soules This doth greatly gréeue mée that wée must blouddie our hands in the bodies of our cosins of our allies of our neighbours and good friends Our victorie cannot be but lamentable but theirs deadly and what ende so euer then counter shall haue it will rest pitifull to either of the two that shal be blessed and embraced with a good houre But because we must iudge of the desert of all actions by the vprightnesse of the occasions of them we haue a strong consolation in this that seeing the motife of these diuisions came of the ambition of the Triumuirate So beâ—â—â— Guys◠〈◊〉 And 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 CoÌ„â—â—â—â—â— we shall neuer be thought to haue caused much lesse to haue begunne these warres We haue neuer sought ought then to liue peaceably vnder the Edicts of our king On the contrarie side they armed themselues for to destroy and murder our poore bretheren at Vassy onely for this because they dyd pray vnto God according to the libertie which the king had caused to be published thoroughout his whole Realme Seing then that they would take our liues from vs what dishonour and punishable vilanie will that be not to vse meanes desensiue True it is that first nature then a certaine conformitie of maners entertained by certaine lawes which we doe call bandes politicke the spring of the amiable ciuilitie that goeth betweene man and man hath so allied vs that few doe hold them for friends But if that they degenerating from vertuous passions doe pursue vs as enimies we haue so much the more iust cause to estéeme them for such because the honor of God is the true and first foundation of their hatred for the maintenance whereof we ought to expose all that we haue and leaue vs nothing at all And for the rest assure your selues that a multitude of men assembled against the ordinance of God against right against all reason diuine humane shall neuer doe faire exploite vertue hath no sympathie with wickednesse So then kéepe your selues together without
this daie All the time of these hot attaches the auantgard Catholike kept themselues close together and stirred not one foote for the space of about an houre and an halfe beholding with a discontented eie the euents of so meâ—tall encounters the feare of whome bredde soone inough in some a desire to take backe againe the waie to Dreux after that they vnderstoode and in parte had seene the entire discomfiture of their battaile with the taking of the Constable But the Duke of Guise had soone inough considered that after such charges and endeauours the Protestants could haue neither weapons nor araie for themselues nor their horses to sustaine and abide the shock of so many fresh men and furnished fullie with all necessaries Moreouer hée knew that their batthillon of French footemen amounting to 500. ill armed and destitute of horsemen who nowe went about to rallie with them was not able to abide him béeing resolued to die or else to carrie awaie the honour of so renowmed a battaile Wherefore vsing the counsaile of Biron he drew out 200. horses of his troupes making a good number of Harquebuziers to march on his right side and the Bataillon of Spaniardes after them while in the meane time hée made this spéech vnto the Chieftaines and personages of greatest marke that hée found néere him in that quarter Maisters good friends the onelie discouerie of this bed of honor on the which are now laid so many braue warriors your kinsmen your neighbours your allies and your friends cannot be vnto you otherwise than verie lamentable but againe therefore it is the stronger more forcible occasion for to make you runne with bowed heads against these mischieuous murthering Lutheranes who making no account of the léesing and damning of their owne soules in the fire of euerlasting punishment after that they hadde defiled our Churches and holie places with so many villanies haue with a more than brutish furie massacred so many good Catholikes throughout the whole Realme are also so rashe and so shamelesse as to attainde the sacred person of the King and of his most faithfull Officers for to confound the Stater for to tourne all thinges vpside downe and for to establish a tyrannie most agréeable to their proude passions and haue gathered together a troupe of Théeues of Roagues of Banqueroutes and spend-thriftes and of men condemned to diuerse punishmentes and other sortes of malcontents Who haue bewitched by certaine Preachers and other Huguenotes and so stronglie inchaunted my Lorde the Prince of Condee that hée is made head of this vnhappie troupe which you doe sée alreadie defaited by those violent endeuours that they haue sustained by our battaile Séeing then that they are so broken what resteth for you but that raising vp againe the honour of the Generall of this armie their Prisoner yée goe noblie to the charge and bring awaie the victorie the which otherwise the enimie will carrie awaie with their no lesse honour than the vnrepayable domage of vs and all Christendome Yée néede doe no more but looke them in the face For their horses tired with so many charges and long carriers will no more than the men wearied and vnfurnished of weapons sustaine one moment the gallant lustinesse of your fresh dismarch Doe but dare to attempt it and yée shall get the noblest victorie that euer Nation gained as on the contrarie part it will redound to so much your greater dispraise if that séeing yée haue aduauntage in all things you doe let so faire an occasion slip and holding your armes a crosse and fighting onelie with your eies ye will suffer the enimies to remaine maisters of the field of the battaile But to the end that the valiant may not be without knowledge of their reward and that these villaines doe not remaine vnpunished for their villanies I doe assure you of the liberall recompence of our king I doe sweare vnto you by God that I will shew my selfe so liberall towards them that I shall sée or heare beare themselues valiantlie that they shall neuer lacke goods besides the curtesie of the bountie of their Maiesties and the honours which the lawe of armes and the custome of the Countrie doe giue But those Chelmes and enimies of God shall bée fullie assured of the same yea and a more cruell death The most reprochfull name in Dutch whih they doe thinke to escape by running awaie for recompence of their villanie and punishment of example to all other that dare vsurpe the name of Souldiours and men of warre with an euerlasting inhibition of burying them but to lie in the field to haue none other graue than the bellies of dogs of wolues of birds other beasts that shal glut themselues of theÌ„ at their pleasure On on then my friends and let vs sée who hath most desire to sacrifice honourablie the rest of his daies for the seruice of God of the king and of France Vpon this resolution and béeing well followed by these troupes hée charging on all partes this Bataillon of footemen had a faire daie they béeing first retired that should haue conducted other and as well by wordes as Gentlemanlike examples of their persons haue encouraged them to doe their beuoire and afterward all the Souldiours but not so spéedelie as they could because they were on horsebacke and the other on soote so that none of them fought but the thrée or foure of the first rankes after they had shot off one volée of their foure field yéeces At the same time the Marshall of Saint Andre with all the rest of his horsemen went to range with the two sides of the battaillon of the Almans which did close vp the vtter bouÌ„d of the auantgard In the front whereof were seauen or eight hundreth French Harquebuziers shooting at the Reisters which had rallied themselues returning from the chase of those that had béene broken as I tolde you before Who séeing their French footemen and Lansquenets defaited and so greate forces comming against them retourned with a pretie trot towardes a woode that was néere them In the meane while Dandelot although hée were pressed with his ague yet hée forced himselfe to giue order for all thinges that were néedfull And séeing those Lansquenets of the Prince to flie crosse the village of Blaynuille néere wherevnto the Constable had béene taken hée gallopped to cut of their waie and to make them make head to a troupe of horsemen that chased them a good waie off but they had no order once to staie they were so afrighted it being most certaine that these fiftie yéeres there entered not into France more errant cowardes than they were although they had the fairest apparaunce in the worlde So that Dandelot with whome abode not aboue seauen or eight horses and who by reason of his age had no other armour than a furred Cloake could not reioyne with his fellowes but retired without great impeachment towards Trion into a place where he reposed and
that our courage redoubleth in aduersities making them to know that with the losse of our braue companions we will reuenge the wounding and taking of our Generall March then forward gallantly and lustely and as they that doe fight with heartie hatred making all the world sée that as Germanie France are two Nations of one originall so that th one can not bring foorth more resolute souldiours then the other Thus they being all encouraged marched directly to the village of Blaineuille wher the first fight was made There the Catholickes were in great number ranged in thrée esquadrons manie of whome imagined a while that the Admirall and his people séeing they came againe so soone and specially séeing that they had neuer a lance were come to yéelde themselues to their mercie but they soone knew that it was to begin againe the battaile For although their forces were vtterlie vnequal in number specially the Reisters on the left side being slipt away without doing ought yet the reencounter was very furious and mortall to a great number of gallant men In so much that the Duke of Guyse the better to breake or to slacke this furious dismarch that the Admirall made vpon him folowing his first point néere to the Mill against the village of Maumontell caused to come with all speed the French footemen lead by the young Chunte de Brissac their Colonel in Piemont Martigues and other which yet could not be perceiued because he had set them in battell behinde the horsemen they being without pikemen were 2000. harquebuziers with the Spaniards who all shooting incessantly against the Admirall hurt manie horses and a number of the Confederates thorough theyr so hot and so long a showre of harque busse shot Who yet could not let but that the horsemen of the Catholicke were perced lustelie by the Admirall with two hundred horse and by 600. Reisters in another quarter and in the end were forced to recoile and giue place to blowes and they had ben wholie broken if that the Harquebushes had not slacked the course of the horses and the furie of the Protestants who hauing now changed their trot into a gallop béeing chafed valiantlie to execute the charge behaued their hands so well that of all the horsemen on the side of the Duke of Guise there remained not with him vppon the place aboue foure score or an hundreth who in the end went to rallie themselues by the helpe of their great bataillon of Frenchmen who bare all the brunt for the which it was well cheapned by the Admirall who turned round about to finde a place of breach and ouerture whereby he might doe some great matter to the losse and euerthrow of the whole bodie of the armie But for lacke of lances and because the Admiral was not followed by all the Frenchmen nor the Almans they could neuer pearce them nor do other God than destroie and endomage many of their troupes The sight had now endured aboue fiue houres and hardlie could one discerne the white scarfes which the Admiral and his ware from the red of their enimies when he caused his troupes to close together putting the Reisters that he had left in two esquadrons and marching in the middest with the French horsemen and commanding Bouchauanes the Lieuetenant of the princes Cornet for to tarrie in the taile with about 50. horses The Duke of Guise likewise rallied his men séeing that the Admirall retired assaied for to pursue him with all his footemen as long as their breath wold serue them and a verie few horsemen that were left about his person but they had scarce gone seauen or eight hundred paces but that the darknesse of the night did take awaie the sight one of another So the Admirall retired a pace with those footemen that were saued the great artillerie and all the baggage of the armie a good league from the place of the Battaile to the village of Neufuille where hée lodged You sée howe the Protestantes retyred from the place where they had attached their enimie whom they left in the possession therof for to search spoile and burne the dead and to lift vp at leasure the spoiled confederates At the same time the Duke of Guise went to lodge in the suburbes of Dreux a little league from thence the place of the battaile remaining voide vnlesse it were of them that were appointed for the effects before said a great number of dead men lying héere and there spoiled of all about them and the Artillerie of the Constable with foure field péeces of the Princes Such was the end of the battaile of Dreux in the which God balancing the victorie as it pleased him made manie warriours to marke thrée notable occurrances and verie rare in such feats of armes The first that ther was no skirmish before the battaile the second that both the Generals were taken prisoners and thirdlie that they rallied so often As touching the dead the Catholikes sayd after that they had buried them the next daie that they found them to bée eight or nine thousand But other said assuredlie that there were dead on the place not aboue 5000. without accounting the hurt men that died shortlie after who were no small number At the reuiew which the Admiral made foure daies after he found that there remained of the French footmen neere one thousand of about 2500. that had ben there neere 900. Almanes of thrée thousand that should haue béene in their regiments of whome about 1400. that had yéelded themselurs prisoners in the chase that we spake of were sent home into their Countrie Now of horsemen to speake the most he found not missing aboue 140. both of French Reisters not comprehending those that were taken prisoners So that there died on the Prince his side but about 2200. footmen But on the Catholikes their part the abatement of the Suisses was meruailous of whom 17. Captaines were slaine their Colonell Freulich being dead before at Paris of a laske The rest of the men slaine on that side were almost all horsemen who were hardlie handled by the Reisters as well at the taking of the Constable as at the last charge in the which among other the Marshall of Saint Andre the Chieftaine of the auantgard hauing béene taken prisoner and charged behinde by a Gentleman to get a great raunsome Baubigny who had at another time taken at the heart a certaine displeasure done by him comming vpon him slew him with a Pistoll shot ouerthwart his head Many other knights and Lordes were slaine there as D'Annebault Dr Gemy with his Guidon and the Marshall of the Logis la Brosse a great fauourite of the Duke of Guise and a sonne of his It was a long time an opinion both during after the battaile that the Duke of Guise was slaine But some had taken his Esquire from him who was not much vnlike him in stature whom the Duke had mounted on one of his best
that led Roussiere prisoner whome they recouered and sent him to Puygaillard who was so ioyfull thereof that this incouraged him more to hasten his companies for to folow the luck of so good a beginning And vpon this making all his people to assemble vnder their Ensignes he placed in the front one of the companies of the kings gard to serue for Enfans perdus to skirmish with the formost of the Protestants vnder the fauour of the hedges and bushes that I haue described vnto you before As the footemen ranged themselues to march in battaile the horsemen came péece by péece and man after man to be at the medley whome he deuided into two hedges within a fielde néere to the vale of Erant directly lying betwéene Saint Gemme and Luson But afterward séeing that from that place he discouered not his enimie enough he made them passe on the left hand of the way for to enter into a Viniard which stoode almost ouerright directly against that valley where the footemen hadde encamped themselues But by reason of the diches that they must needes passe with whome I haue alreadie tolde you the most part of the way is enclosed to kéepe those that passe by that they come not into the Vines they were forced to make their horses leape ouer the dike one after an other and in like order afterward to put themselues in battaile as they ariued one after an other in a row at the place appointed the which the horsemen of the Protestants who were alreadie in battaile marked and séeing the Catholickes as it were to rise out of the groūd before them would not giue leasure to aboue sixe or seuen score horses to take range of battaile and to put themselues in estate of defēce but that they charged them before they were all assembled and in aray for the reencounter while in the meane time the footemen of the Catholikes ranged themselues also by little and little vnder their Ensignes towards the vally Eraut where I doe praie you leaue them all to take range of battaile that you may sée the disposition that in the meane time the Protestants gaue to all their companies for to sustaine the assaile of Puygaillard or according to occasion to charge to their aduantage The dawning of the daie approching beganne to chase awaie the thicke darknesse of the night when the scoutes of Puuiant aduertised la Noue that Puygaillard not willing to rest at Saint Gemme made his footemen to march forward a great pace on the lefte hand and his horsemen directlie to Luson and that he heard the noise of the formost that marched in battaile without the Borough which was the occasion that he set Puuiant in the front with fortie horses and before him la Roch with fiftéene or sixtéene horsemen and yet farther before Saint Estienne with thirtie helmet men and certaine Harquebuziers leauing at his backe twentie horsemen that Bruncliere lead Afterward he ordered the rest of the armie at leasure The footmen whereof were quicklie ranged in battaile vnder the charge of their Colonell Payet at the foure wayes of the Mill Chapitre flanked by the troupe of Soulize to whose side la Noue sent those horsemen that he himselfe woulde leade Héere was the grosse of the armie which la Noue caused to encampe in that place as well to supplie the necessitie of succour that Puuiant might craue as for to couer and hide the plaie and to kéepe the besieged stronglie in breath to the end that hée might take from them the knowledge of the armie that Puygaillard hadde brought and consequentlie to impeach them from issuing out vppon the taile of the Protestants whilest they fought with other Catholikes in front as Hambal dyd a Tesin against P. Scipio whome hée put to flight by reason that he had sent certaine Numidians to charge him in the taile during the battaile And without doubt all things séemed to laugh on Puygaillard if that fortune had not ouerthwarted the course of his desseines for he should neuer haue put him selfe betwéene two enimies although the Protestants were few Sée what hapned to the Fidenates that had put themselues betwéene Mamercus Aemilius the Dictator Quintius his Lieuetenant for they were wholie broken Lykewise Aluian the Generall of the Pisans was vnhappie because hée béeing assailed at Saint Vincent by Bentiuogli the Generall of the Florentines on the Front on the side and behinde sawe all his whole armie defaited These troupes were not so soone set in araie but that the Enfans Perdus aduanced in two bands without the bodie of the foot men in number of 100. or 120. harquebuziers lead by the Captaines Normand la Garde had the signall to charge almost at the verie same time that Puuiant and Saint Estienne were at the charge Now sée the forme of the battaile Puuiant who lead the greatest part of the forces of Poitou had distributed all his troupes in forme of an hedge by reason of the small number of his men Moreouer his troupes did not follow one another straight but as it were bias to the ende that all his troupes might bée séene within the waie of Fontenay fearing that Puygaillard woulde cause some of his troupes to march along that side to giue them the flanquado In the meane time Puygaillard set his men in araie and made the more hast because it was tolde him that the Protestants came to séeke him I haue tolde you before that betwixt Saint Gemme and Luson there is nothing but Vines enclosed with hedges and thicke bushes and certaine large plots of plaine ground which are seuered from the waie the which is straight and forth right and of a good largenesse and flanked on both sides with like defences Hauing set one front of Enfans perdus behinde those hedges and in certaine ditches and chanells that are there and namelie behinde the bushes of certaine vines separated one from another by a plaine field the which is leuell inough hée made one regiment to aduance into the valley Eraut and set the rest of the footemen more on the left hand of Saint Gemme hée would haue flanked them with horsmen but he had no leasure to doe it as I will tell you You haue séene the desseines the number the iourney the conduct and disposition of the two armies for to fight now it resteth for you to beholde what was the charge the medlie the pursuite and the flight of the lesse happie and how the victorious followed their good houre I sent Saint Estienne otherwise called young Violle-uigne followed by their helmet men to the front of the Protestants armie As soone as he sawe the Catholikes range themselues in battaile one after another in a rowe he aduertised la Noue who rightlie presuming that if Puigaillard had time and leasure to order all his troupes that he might carie awaie the honour of this battaile gaue the word of S. Estienne and commanded him to go resolutelie to the charge to
made many Catholickes and Protestants note and marke as afterward some of them dyd often confesse that as footemen are at this day furnished and conducted they must not fight in the plaine against horsemen vnlesse they be flanked or sustained by horsemen séeing that the very Suisses who kéepe their rankes best and rest most assured to rallie in case they be broken wil no more march vnlesse they be flanked with French Harquebuziers and horsemen namely against the French horsemen Sée what happened to P. Valerius and L. Aemilius against the Vosces and Latines who had ouerthrowen their footemen if their horsemen had not come to their succour And what of our blacke bands before Naples who being incited by to much hardinesse as they which had passed wel before were so ill entreated by the Neapolitan horsemen because they had no horsemen to susteine them that their braue enterprise was bpoken as were the Suisses by the Protestants at the battaile of Dreux and by king Frances at the battaile of Saint Brigide néere Marignan vpon the Milanese The footemen in generall were endebted and bound to la Noue and Soubize who caused the boucherie of the Frenchmen to cease they yéelding to haue their liues saued except one Captaine Ensigne Colonell who preferring death before dishonor the which he thought he should deserue by suruiuing so many valiant souldiours slaine wold not abandon one so honorable a péece of silke but with the losse of his life And doubtlesse the suretie and sauing of an Ensigne is of such consequence that any good souldiour will neuer omit to doe his deuoire to kéepe it for any dauÌ„ger that shall be presented him in so much that he will resolue to fight vnder the shadow of his Ensigne euen to the last breath of his lyfe Sixtéene Ensignes and two Cornettes were taken and about 500. slaine and 700. or 800. prisoners sent away with a white rodde in their hand Many Captains died there as Marguarin other but all either Liuetenants or Ensignebearers for ther were not one but la Hiliere a Captaine in chiefe of a companie of the Regiment Reall Of horsemen lesse then thirtie dyed for they saued themselues by flight Vpon a sodaine the victorious presented their Ensignes before the Fort which yéelded the foure Ensignes whereof made vp the number of two and twentie brought to Rochel And because that Mascaron complained of la Noue for the contrarie to the promise of assured compositioÌ„ he had certain baggage taken froÌ„ him which had ben permitted him to carry away la Noue tooke 400. crowns of a prisoner which he caused to be caried to him to content him and to maintaine his promise But the carier being slaine at the taking of the Minister de Chire at Mozeuill as I will tell you in an other place the money was not deliuered vnto him But to returne backe againe to our battaile the dismissed souldiours retired attributing the occasion of all the ill hap vnto the ouer hot hast of Puigallard and for that it was accompanied as some say with a contemning of the Protestants In déede he little practised the example of Paulus Aemylius the Consull and Generall of the Romans who trauailing with an armie thorough Macedonie against Perseus the king of the Macedons had marched almost all one whole day a great pace for to ioyne with the enimie and to come to fight the which was presented vnto him But although his people made countenance of accepting of the good offerre crâ—ed of themselues that he should leade them to the enimie yet neuer the lesse because be saw theÌ„ wery by reason they had marched preatie long with their bagage on their back all bathed in sweat lilling their tongue half a foot out of their mouth for extreeme thirst that tormented them their eyes mouthes and faces full of dust and burnt vp and halfe roasted with the scorching heate of midday he would not present them to the battaile nor bring them in sight of a fresh and aranged enimie seeing that for lack of strength many rested and stayed themselues vppon their bucklers and iauelins sticked in the ground for to hold them vp but contrarie to the opinion of many commaunded the formost bands to lay downe their burdens and baggage that they carryed and measure out the front of a Romane campe They were not so delicate as our bands be for the meanest of whome a dosen of baggage carriers and so many gouiats or drudges after them be not sufficient And when Publicus Nasica one of the best qualited gentlemen in the army tould him that it were better to pursue the enimie who vnto that day had alwaies fledde before them then to leaue him one night frée for the flie longer and to renew the paine of the Romans in séeking him farther he aunswered modestlie without shewing of himselfe anie whit altered for that bold aduertisement I haue had héeretofore the minde that you haue now Nasica and you will one daie haue that which I haue now Many diuerse accidents of warre haue taught mée to know the time when to fight and when to refuse But séeing that leasure is denied mée to saie anie more content your selfe for this time with the authoritie of an olde Captaine neuer contemne your enimie more than you haue had good occasion One ought also to consider the commoditie of the place the circumstance of time the qualitie of the furniture the number of men of warre the forme the manner of the fight the good heart and hardinesse of his men the obedience of his souldiers the authoritie and braue reputation of the Generall which both serue oftentimes to bring to a good end an exploit wel conceiued But so it is that alwaies fortune doth saie and sing aloud and cléere that all is hers and she doth plaie in enterprises of warre as fréelie as the fish doth in the great and wide Ocean But of all other the olde bands that serued Puigaillard as the best footemen of this age did take verie impatientlie to bée spoiled of their weapons What said one after that I haue done notable seruice to my king for the space of fifteene yéeres together shal I suffer such dishonour And shal I after twentie yeres and I after thirtie and I after fortie sayd another beare the scorne of a souldier disgraded Good fellowe for Gods sake leaue me sayde they but my harquebusse but my pike but my sword take all euen to my shirt that the face of his maiestie may not sée me in the habite of a gouiat and drudge But the Souldiers victorious growing in despite because they could not take from them their liues for the countermaund of their Generall stopped their eares against such praters The which one of the Captaines an Ensigne Colonell perceiuing for to shew in what honour wee ought to holde the Armies and degrees that haue béen given vs and also what difference there is betweene a chiefe of marke and a simple Souldier loued
enimies and in such sort he kept his enimie continuallie occupied with alarmes and skirmishes vntill such time as Colonell Mondragon ariued with a new supplie the which Lodouicke vnderstanding retired a little and withdrewe his armie to the towne of Walkenbourg where the 18. of March Sanchio Dauila vsing a stratageme flue aboue 500. of his enimies Wherevppon they retired wholie into the towne fearing that their armie that consisted almost of all fresh water souldiers although they were moe in number yet would bee broken by the kings armie who were olde souldiers and farre better experimented in exploites of warres and namelie in supprises embusses and camisadoes And when Lodouicke sawe that by reason of the resistance that was made against him it was impossible for him to come vnto his brother nor to passe ouer the Meuse in that quarter he made semblance as though he would returne backe againe into Germanie and to that effect remoued his campe But Sanchio Dauila doubting that he wold passe the riuer lower because a long time he heard no newes of him caused his armie to dismarch the which with the regiment of Mondragon was 4000. or 5000. men and as he marched a long the riuer side to kéepe the passage he vnderstood of treason within the towne of Nieumegen and how that those within would yéeld vnto Comte Lodouick that he might passe ouer there Wherefore to preuent that enterprise he incontinentlie thrust a garison into the town and continuallie followed his enimie vntill such time as he was aduertised that the Earle woulde fortefie himselfe not far froÌ„ a small village called Moken two leagues from the kings campe by the riuers side The Earle had chosen this place because he sawe that his purpose of taking Nieumegen was discouered and also that hée might enter into Flandets vpon the first occasion that should be presented vnto him Betwéene his campe and his enimies there was a riuer without a bridge which kept the Catholiks from comming vnto him But Sanchio Dauila to bring his iourney to an end and that he might léese no time marched to Graue a towne in the confines of Brabant where he caused a great bridge to bée made with all possible spéede of many Botes and Barkes by the which he passed the riuer in the sight of the Earle and encamped himselfe in his enimies quarter When the Earle sawe this he remoued his campe towards night néerer to Moken not being minded to fight and stronglie fortefied his campe To whom Dauila gaue many alarmes that night fearing least they would steale awaie priuelie in the darke The next morning both armies stoode aranged in araie of battaile and the Trumpets called to the encounter Then Sanchio to léese no time caused a certaine number of harquebuziers with 100. pikes in the manner of an esquadron to back them for to assaile the enimies their trenches al the rest of the armie standing to look what the enimie their horsemen would doe This esquadron gaue in lustelie on the enimie who also receiued them couragioussie but were at the length broken and their trenches wonne vpon them many of the Earles footemen crying out monie monie and refusing to fight for lacke of pay Lodouicke being rather chafed than affrighted with this vnlooked for and sodaine flight and trecherie of his footmen couragiouslie charged the enimie whom this good happe at the beginning had made hot with his horsemen who also after many hadde solde their liues déerelie were in the end forced to giue place to the force of their enimie and to saue themselues by flight But the thrée noble men Christopher Lewes and Henrie refusing to saue their liues with shame honourablie ended their daies in the battaile When the Spaniardes shoulde haue prosecuted the good fortune of this battayle they fell to mutenie for their wages and two thousand of them forsaking their Ensignes and Captaines hasâ—ed to Antwerpe for to extort from the wretched citizens 35. monethes pay for themselues and their fellowes And also the kings fléete that lay in the Hauen being affrighted with this fray got them farther from the towne wher they were sodainly assailed by the Flissingers and all either taken or sunke So that the Spaniards hadde not a shippe of seruice left them in the low countries and in that predicament doe continue euen to this day ¶ The Battaile of Giblou in Brabant fought betwene Don Iohn de Austria and Mounsieur de Gugny Generall of the armie of the States in the absence of the Comte de Lalaing In An. Do. 1578. the last of Ianuarie DON Iohn de Austria Gouernour of the low Countries not long after he had sent out of the countrie all the forreyne forces and the States of the Countries fell so at two pieces that he for feare of being supprised couertlie vnder an other colour withdrew himselfe out of Brabant and fortunately thorough the practise of the Comte Barlemont and his valiant sonnes who almost onely of the nobilitie fauoured him supprised the Castell of Namur a place of great consequeÌ„ce for the recept of forraine forces and entrance into Brabant After he had furnished this towne and castell with all necessaries he went into the Duchie of Luxenburg the which onely prouince continued in his obedience there to expect men and money from the King who still fauored him and also other aides The Comte Barlemont leuied a regiment for him in Loraine and the Comte Mondraquert an other in Luxembourg also xix companies were sent him out of the Countie of Bourgogne and Charles Manfelt sonne to Peter Comte Mansfelt and gouernour of Luxembourg brought him 7000. Frenchmen also the dismissed Spamards who were not yet gone out of Italie accompanied and encreased with certaine Italian troupes leuied and ledde by the Prince of Parma Octauio Gonzaga and other were returned that he hadde now about 16000. footemen and 2000. horsemen With the which power he marched towards Namur for to make head against the great armie of the States that lay not farre from Namur winning wasting and harrying all euen to the gates of the towne And it was Don Iohns good happe to enter into Namur with 78. men the verie same night that the armie of the States whether because their cheife Captaines were retyred to Bruxelles or by reason of the colde weather for it was Ianuarie or because the souldiours demaunded their paye or for all three causes began to remoue their Campe to trusse vp their baggage to retire their artillerie and to doe other such things as in warres doe giue suspition of feare Don Iohn meruailing thereat issued out of the towne with the Prince of Parma and Octauian Gonzaga the Generall of the horsemen for to view the Campe of the enimie who came as we told you before euen to the gates of the Towne and all thrée went vp vpon a little hill from whence they might well discerne all that passed and then returning into the towne sent for the Maire and the
counsaile of the towne for to consult what was best to be done In the ende it was determined that the Colonell of the companies of Bourgogne called the manne of Gibrao should issue out at one gate with one thousand Harquebuziers of his Regiment and the Counte Reux with as many at an other for to skirmish with the enimies on two sides not onely to the entent to assaie their forces but also to take some of them prisoners of whome they might learne what the enimie was minded to doe When the Souldiours were thus issued out the enimie receaued them in suche sorte that Don Iohns men were forced to retyre â—ncontinentlie with some litâ—le losse but yet neuer the lesse with two prisoners the which was it that they dyd desire by whome they knew that the armie was conducted and gouerned by the Lord de Gugny in the absence of the Conte Lalaing that they had charge to retire themselues that night vnto the towne of Giblou néere Louuaine and that for this effect the artillerie had alreadie begunne to march and they dyd also particularly declare many other things that were enquired of them When Don Iohn vnderstoode this he caused the men of armes that were there abouts to be assembled and at the breake of daye he found there eight Coronets of horsemen Italians and Spaniards together with whome Don Iohn issued out of the towne with intent onely to take a view of his enimies or to giue them some skirmish as they had done the day before The enimie that saw him conte with this troupe of sixe huÌ„dreth men stayed although they were in march and shewed them their faces they aranged theyr troupes and placed a good part of their best souldiours who were Frenchmen in an embush betwéene trées that grew there Then afterward they did set the horsemen on the left hand of their esquadron and the front was all of Mosquetayres in such sort that the arriereward came to make the auantgard and with it ioyned the battaile because that the auantgard hauing begun to march forward galantly could not come in good time The Lord of Gugny shewed great valoure and industrie in setting in array such an Armie within so short a time séeing he dyd dispose it so well as though he had had long time to haue done it and in such sort as if it should haue encountred with a great armie He composed his rereward which was first to be charged reenforced as wel with mosquetaires as with six thousand horse of thrée companies of braue valiant French footemen and xxiiii companies of Walons who were two regiments the one gouerned by the Conte de Eghmont and the other by the Conte de la March otherwise called the Lord of Lumay He had in the battaile xiii companies of English men and Scottes and two other regiments of Flemings the Colonels of whom were the Counte de Bossu and the Lord of Champagnie In the auantgard were the regiments of the Lord Montignie and the Lord de Heze both which regiments were either of them of ten or twelue companies and euerie companie had 150. men They had also besides many other Gentlemen that serued on their owne charges in hope of aduancement The kings campe séeing this good diligence entertained them still by little and little making a stand as they that had neither forces nor intent to ioyne in battaile with their enimies vntill such time as a Captaine of a companie of Italian horsemen called Mutio aduanced himselfe a little forward with his companie béeing followed of some few souldiers and so betwéene the one and the other there beganne a skirmish when the kings men had so valiantlie charged and ventured so farre that it séemed verie hard and dangerous for them to returne backe and to retire by reason that the Frenchmen and the mosquetaires shewed by their first furie great resistaunce and gaue an honourable charge on the Spaniards but with little damage the Prince of Parma séeing this buckled down his helmet and taking his shéelde made a shew as though hée would encounter them hauing lefte the footemen at a corner of the horsemen who were seauen hundreth men and nine Ensignes of the Ordinaunces euerie Esigne of fiftie men of arms and an hundreth and fiftie archers whom wee doe call light horse The intent of Don Iohn was nothing lesse than to fight considering as wée haue tolde you the small number that hée had but hée made semblance that hée would doe it staying for mo of his people for his whole armie followed that hée might retire safelie But when the Prince of Parma that was formost in the field with a valiant knight called the Lord of Billy otherwise Colonell Robles aduanuced to encounteâ— and charge his enimies they siedde at the first reâ—â—counter without anie resistance and flying they ouerranâ—â—â—â—d desâ—â—ted the esquadron of their owne footâ—â—â—â— which were in the waie that they shoulde passe And 〈◊〉 meane time the people of Don Iohn being come in followed the horsemen that fled and perfected the defait of the esquadron and slue still following the victorie vntill they draue them into Giblow Besides those that were slaine there were taken prisoners about foure hundred souldiours and of the principall Captaines aboue thirtie among whom was the Lord of Gugny who was taken by the verie same souldiour that at another time had taken him in the towne of Antwerpe They gained 70. Ensignes of footemen and many Cornets of horsemen and all the monie that they had to paie the souldiours good store of munition and sixe peeces of artillerie After this Don Iohn diuided his armie into two partes and sent the one vnder the conduct of Signeur de Hierges to Bouinges whether the Frenchmen and certaine Almanes were fied he himself went with the other vnto Giblou whether the noblest and best of his enimies their armie were retired Who considering the present furie and the small hope that they had of succour yeelded them selues to the mercie of Don Iohn who chose amongst them twelue of the best to remaine prisoners whome he sent to the Castle of Namur for to exchange for other if occasion required the rest he sent awaie with a sticke in their hande without anie weapon vnto the estates and yet neuerthelesse amiablie receiued them that would turne to the kings sernice The Lord Hierges did as much to Bouinges for after that the artillerie had made a brech those within neuer staied assault but yéelded the next daie in the morning with the same conditions that they of Giblou did were vsed in like sort There were slaine saith Dinoth in this iourney on the states their side 10000. and but ten men on the victours part After this ourthrow Don Iohn tooke Louaine Tilemont Arescot Sichenen Diest Spie Niuelle Philippe ville and the whole Dutchie of Limburg The battaile of Couwenstein dike neere Antwerpe fought betweene Alexander Prince of Parma and Monsieur de Haultan the Admirall of Flissing
receiued them verie couragiouslie trusting not so much to their own strength as they assuredly hoped for spéedie succour from their fellowes But Doria who I tolde you before had made out into the Sea with a parte of his wing that hée might suspende Oluzali from fight was too farre off for to come to succour them presentlie but he had prudently fet a compasse as farre as the Galleaze of Pitano that he might assaile Oluzalion the back But when Oluzah had perceaued him saw that he prepared to come against him with many of his owne Galleies and other of the left wing he passingly plagued these fewe that he had assailed and sodainly flying vp into the sea fled away with many of his Gallies But he had also taken of our Gallies and being tied to his gallies had dragged after him the gallies of Peter Bua of Corfu of the Prior of Messina and of Lewes Cipico of Trau In this forious and fierce conflict Benedict Soranzo although he had receaued thrée wounds in his face yet he fought most valiantly with a few men defended his galley a good long while vntill that the forces of the enimies being mightely augmented they tooke away from him with his Galley his life also for a sacrifice vnto Christ Neither yet was his death vnreuenged for when the enimies were entred into the Galley there was a fire kindled in the munitions wherewith the Galley was consumed and the enimies cast into the aire There dyed here also besides Soranzo Hierome Contarini Marke Antony Lando Marke Antony Pasqualigo Iames Medi George Corneli and Peter Bua But among them that were grieuosly hurt was Lewes Cypico of Trau For after he had fought valiantly and had but onely sixe men left him and had receaned seuen very great wounds he being at the last vanquished was carried away with his galley But he and the Prior of Messina were soone succoured and rescued their Gallies taken away from Oluzali who had towed them after him as taken prisoners and they themselues were brought backe againe aliue In this encounter with Oluzali there were much endamaged besides these a galley of Sauoy an other of Florence and a third of Spaine and although both in this wing and also in other places many of our men had bene grieuously hurt and staine yet so great was their valour that with the aide of Gods goodnesse they lost not one galley but that of Peter Bua of Corfu which was carryed away by the enimie And now at the 21. houre the enimie was vtterlie broken and ouercome so that the rest of the Gallies that remained were all taken by our men without resistance But they could not pursue Oluzali because it was almost night and also for that he beeing got vp into the maine Sea was said to bée gone too farre for to bée recouered But this now was a most memorable and horrible spectacle that all the sea was séene red of bloud and almost an infinite number of dead carcases were séene swimming therein and a wonderfull number of cries were heard of the wounded and swimming men as well of the one side as the other calling for helpe yea and oftentimes our men and the enimies would at one time take holde of one péece of woode séeking thereby to saue themselues with such shriking roaring and pittifull cries euerie where as woulde haue amazed a man and all these thinges seemed to bée so much the greater and more pittifull as the aire waxed darker by the approach of night After that the Fléete of Oluzali was now come into our mens handes they fell to getting and gathering together of the prise and pillage and therein they spent that little of the daie that was lefte and at euening went merrilie with the Ottomanicall spoiles into certaine Hauens called Petalici And this was the successe of this battaile by Sea which doubtlesse was very great for since Augustus his time ther was not so great a battaile fought by Sea And this victorie of ours ought to be esteemed the more worthie of admiration because it befell vnto vs néere to that place where Augustus Caesar did long before discomfite Marke Antonie at the foreland of Actium where now Preuesa is Neither doth it also lesse make for the augmentation of the renowme of this famous victorie that although they fought but onelie foure houres yet they trode to péeces the head of that great Serpent of the East and brake the strength of Selim that most mightie tyrant The first houre of the night after all our whole Nauie was brought into the Hauen through the singular industrie of our Captaines there sodainlie arose so great a wind and so great a tempest that the inhabitants of that place did affirme that they neuer in all their liues felte the like But our men lying ther safelie wer so careful for the healing of the sicke and wounded that the Captaines did take them into their owne cabines Now to grow to an end singular was the wisedome and diligence of our thrée high Admiralls Don Iohn de Austria Marke Antonie de Colonna and Sebastiano Venieri in learning out the state and intent of the enimie and also their industrie in sage consulting and discréete appointing what should be done and then again no lesse praise worthie was the dexteritie and readinesse of the rest of the Captaines in the executioÌ„ And in perticular the Marques de Santa Cruz that lead the battaile of succour shewed rare prudence in sending of succour with singular spéed vnto those that were oppressed by the enimie and finallie wonderfull was the valour of the common Souldiours in the action and fight And to conclude all that were there present at this battaile and fought for the name of Christ their sauiour if they bée aliue may glorie that they were pertakers of this so great a victorie but if they lost their liues there they doe inioy the rest of the blessed and hauing exchanged this mortall life for immortall doe possesse the true fruite of the victorie the which may bée a great comfort to their parents and kinsfolke For séeing that we doe knowe that no man can be borne immortall of mortall parents the onelie waie to obtaine immortall life is to get glorie and praise by vertue and valour The number of those that were slaine on our part as farre as could bée vnderstood were 7656. they were these Augustine Barbarigo the high Prouiditore of the Venetians who hauing as I tolde you before lost the vse of his tongue by a wound when he vnderstoode that our men had obtained the victorie lifting his handes vp to heauen dyd declare the valour of his heart by euident signes and thrée dayes after the battaile depâ—rting out of this mortall lyfe into heauen carried with him the triumph of the Turkish tyrannie Seuentéene Captaines of Gallies Eight men in compleat armour Fiue Chaplaines Priests Sixe Contes of Gallies Fiue maisters of Gallies Sixe Scribes Seuen Pilots A hundred and
except onely his brother Muley Banacar whome as soone as he had ascended the seige royall he bereft of lyfe But an other brother Muleâ— Hazar he cast in prison and sent certaine men to murder his youngest vncle of all that then liued at Tasblet But when he vnderstooee of the trecherie he sought himselfe â—â—fâ—tie by flight went to Tremissen with the household furniture royall And being thus escaped out of the hands of the cutthroates he opened a way for himselfe to the kingdome For this is he thâ—â— reigneth at this present in Marocco called Muly Hamet The death of Abdallas and the 〈◊〉 of things that had happened in Barbaria were soone brought into Turkie and when Muley Mahamet had with singular diligence ordered and appointed those things that séemed vnto him necessarie for the establishment of the state of the kingdome at the same time Abdelmelec vsed that diligence that within few daies he came to Argier with mandates of the Turkish Emperour in whome it was conteined that the Captaines in those parts should supply vnto him all things néedefull for the warres And straightway he had ready to take the field fiue thousand harquebuziers as well Turkes as Azuagas warlike men and well practised in feates of armes With these he marched to Tremissen taking vp by the waye so many horsemen of the Alarbes as he could get and gather together When he came to Tremissen he was very honorably receaued and there stayed sixe dayes for to make prouision of all things necessarie for the warres and he with his younger brother Hamet whom he sound there leuied twelue thousand speares and foure hundreth Harquebussiers on horsebacke and toke with him out of Tremissen twelue field pieces with victualls and all other munition Being furnished with these forces he marched to take the Citie of Fes But although Muley Mahamet who was that time at Marocco was certified of the enterprise of his vnkle yet he did so contemne him and did so despise his forces in comparison of his owne that he tooke no regard thereof vntill he saw that the matter was come to good earnest in déede and that he vnderstoode that Abdelmelec hadde now assembled his forces at Tremissen And then he leuying men in hast and in a hurlie without choise encamped a league or two miles from Marocco and commaunded all the subiects of his kingdoms to repaire vnto him spredding a rumor that he would assaile the Christians of Tangar that by this allurement they might take armes more chéerefully because the Moores doe desire no warres more than those that are kept against the Christians These forces being made readie and furnished with great Artillerie he commaunded them to march towards Fesse and because the greatest part of his power had ioyned with him in his iourney as soone as he came to Fesse he mustered his armie which then consisted of foure score thousande horsemen with speare and shield thirtene thousand footemen harquebuziers and foure thousand harquebuziers on horseback with sixe and thirtie field péeces At the same moment that Mahamet did set foorth with his armie against Abdelmelec there came vnto him a noble man Ambassadour from Sebastian the King of Portugall who promised him in his masters Maiesties name aide against the Turkes and his Vnkle But Mahamet being made more proude for that he saw so great an armie and so strong vnder his commaund contemned the benefit of the king of Portugall Wherefore as soone as he vnderstoode that his vnkle was departed from Tremissen he marched against him with that heate that theyr Armies mette betweene Fesse and Tremissen the seuententh of March in Au. 1576. The Battaile was begonne about euening and the furious tempest continued so long vntill that Mahamets armie being wearied both in heart and bodie turned their backes The fault of that flight was ascribed to one Dugall who being Captaine of the Andalousians reuolted from Mahamet to Abdelmelec with two thousande verie choice harquebuziers The which when Mahamet hadde perceaued who as soone as the Battailes hadde ioyned withdrew himselfe a nule off prouiding for one and standing vppon a Wagon did beholde the fight a farre off and was afrayde least the rest of the Captaines following that example would also take part with his enimie he immediatlie stole out of his Tent and with fiue hundreth horsemen posted a pace to Marocco leauing his Souldiours to the furie of the enimie and all his Treasures and riches to the spoile So Abdelmelec got the victorie without much sweete or bloud on either side and doubtlesse Mahamet might haue easilie defaited and destroied Abdelmelec his power with the tenth part of his armie But Abdelmelec hauing obtained so famous a victorie sent a good great troupe for to pursue and take Mahamet but he himselfe béeing receiued with great ioy of the Fessans was proclaimed king by them and the rest of the Cities and Townes of that kingdome And because he hauing caught an ague was not well in health he determined to rest a litle while in the Citie of Fes there dismissed the Turkish forces which came with him vnder the leading of Rabadan Bassa to the king of Argier For that Bassa had no more in his commission but to accompanie Abdelmelec to Fesse and to put him in possession of that kingdome So Abdelmelec dismissed all his Turkes except a few that hid themselues when their fellowes went awaie that they might gratifie the new king and become his subiects who were in number 1500. verie valiant and stout men But that we may returne to Muley Mahamet as soone as he came to Marocco he repaired his power he leuied soldiours in all parts of the kingdome he opening his Cofers monyed the Captaines rewarded the souldiours and went about more diligentlie to winne all mennes good will with giftes than euer he had done in his life before hauing regard and respect of this onelle that he might wash out with some notable victorie the shamefull blot that his vnkle had giuen him and to make amends therefore So by this carefulnesse and diligence he got together ten thousand harquebuziers scotemen and a thousand on horsebacke but fresh water souldiours and besides them thirtie thousand horsemen with speare and shéelde The which forces with foure and twentie field péeces he brought into the field and prouided so much victuals as was néedfull for that iourney But if happened that also at this second muster the king of Portugal sent againe an Ambassador vnto him with Letters againe offred him aide against Abdelmelec his vnkle But he made the verie same answere to the second Ambassador that he did to the first but that he mustering all his whole armie brought it in the sight of the Ambassadour that his maister might vnderstand that he had no néede of the Portugalls When Abdelmelec had a little recouered himselfe of his ficknesse at Fesse and had augmented his armie with sixe thousand harquebuziers after the departure of the Turkes whereof we tolde
great peale of great and small shot in token of ioye And there hée was forced to pitch vp his Tents and to lie there in a Campe certaine daies staying for other forces and to recouer his strength weakened by sicknesse Wherefore as soone as those forces that hée looked for were come he sooke muster of his whole armie and found fiftéene thousand footmen harguebuziers of whome fiue thousand were verie choice olde souldiours and the rest fresh water souldioure and of none experience Then he had two thousand Argolets two and fortie thousand Alarbes with shéeld and spere sixe and twentie field péeces verie well furnished and Gunners verie good and readie Moreouer all his whole armie was verie well prouided of victualles and his souldiours well paide the which is one of the chiefest thinges in warres and whereof the Generall ought to haue most speciall care So his souldiours were paide euerie moneth a Duckate or péece of golde wherefore they were also all readie to abide all extremitie for Abdelmelec and to spendr their liues for him except the horse men of the Alarbes whome hée little trusted as he that was not ignoraunt that they were full of falsehoode nor gaue their mindes to anie thing else than to gette booties and to rob they cared not whom And that I may tell you all in few words he had more trust in none than in those fiue thousand old souldiours harquebuziers But the thing that gréeued Abdelmelec most was that at so great and perillous a battaile whereat hee must néeds be present himselfe and order it vnlesse he wold endaunger the whole state of his Kingdome hee dyd finde himselfe to bée so weake and quite broken with sicknesse the which the burning Dogge dayes dyd increase Wherefore he laie still there eight or nine daies vntill that the king of Portugall constrained him yea vnwilling for to march forward and to encampe at Alcazar In the meane time the king of Portugal béeing issued out of Arzill and readie to march mustered his armie wherein besides the thousand stipendaries that he had left to kéepe the fléete and the two thousand that hée had sent to Massaga he had fouretéene thonsand footemen and two thousand horsmen a great part armed Moreouer there were thrée thousand pioners and aboue a thousand cochmen and almost an infinite number of drudges flaues Negroes mullotters horse boies land resses and those swéete wenches that the Frenchmen doe merrilie call the daughters of delight for now the world is come to that we thinke we cannot kéepe wars without these snailes So that all the insauorie companie of baggage did excéede sixe and twentie thousand persons He had also sixe and thirtie field péeces and 1500. wagons full of mattes vessell and householde stuffe onelie for noble men He might in deede haue brought a greater power in this voiage as wel out of Spain as out of other Countries but that he giuing credite to the words of Muley Hamet who said that the armie of Abdelmelec would reuoult vnto him he dismissed many Spaniards that would haue gone aboord at Caliz and did more easilie discharge them that vnder pretence of sicknesse desired that they might goe home In the armie that followed him were thrée thousand Germanes sixe hundreth Italians two thousand Spaniardes sire hundreth Souldiours of Tangar two thousand fiue hundreth light horsemen in whome hée reposed his greatest trust The rest were Portugalls And the greater parte of these forces had their wages sparingly and verie ill paide them and were distressed with want and many other ills for now victuals beganne to faile the which were so sparinglie distributed that many died for hunger The fault was in the purueiours who do full often in the time of wars through their knauerie cast princes generals into extreme calamities But that which was worst of all the greater part of the armie consisted of fresh water souldiours who were without skill of martiall discipline neither had euer séene battaile or campe That I may omit those eight thousand that bare long pikes then the which kinde of souldiours there is none of lesse vse and seruice more vnfit for wars in Barbarie By that time the king of Portugal had mustered his armie Abdelmelec was come to Alcazar with an armie full of fury and wrath Which caused the King of Portugall his Counsell to desire their Prince in no case to ioyne in battaile with his enimies who did farre surpasse him in men and might but rather that he would march with his armie to Larissa take that fortified place and prouide for himselfe But when Abdelmelec knew by espies almost euerie houre what was done in the campe of the Christians and how weake the Portugall forces were and how coldly all things were ordered and therefore did sée that the wretchen king being in the prime of his yeares was néere to death and desiruction he wrought by all meanes he could that he should not be forced to fight a battaile because he was not otherwise verie ill affected towards Christians Wherefore he laboured priuile and secretly by certaine men and they mostly merchants to certifie the king of Portugall of the guiles and deceits of Mahamet that had brought him into these daungers and so present ruine and ieoperdie of life But although these aduises of Abdelmelec were not vnknowne to the king of Portugall and his counsaillours aduised him the verie same that Abdelmelec dyd and went about to withdraw him from his purpose yet he wilfullie contemned all that could be sayde not onely that he might fulfill his burning desire to fight and to trye his strength and valiant heart but also chiefelie because he trusted the promises of Mahamet which he beléeued to be verse true To he short his Counsaile laboured to their vttermost to disuade the king from ioyning in battaile but rather adeised him to march to Larissa and they wrought so much by blaming and brging him that the king at length yéelded to goe to Larissa Wherevpon the Nauie was commaunded to make saile towards Larissa he himselfe marched by land the therwards going out of Arzil the 29. of Iulie which was tues daie and thrée daies he marched but making small iourneies by reasen of the multitude of haggage that followed the armie and then he fraied the fridaie because he looked for some aide from Arzil The Saterdaie verie earlie he began to march againe and at length came to the riuer of Mazaga which runneth to Larissa and there he lodged watches and wardes being diligentlie appointed and set after his vsed manner for feare of the Moores that were dispearsed round about him At that time Abdelmelec remained at Alcazar verie weake and sicklie and although he heard that the Portugall was gone out of Arzil and was encamped at Mazaga yet he would not stirre out of his place vntill that he vnderstood by espies that his enimies made towards Alcazar For hée would haue suffered his enimie to haue taken Larissa
thinking that the Portugall being contented with the taking of it would from thence returne home But when he was aduertised that the Saterdaie morning his enimie marched forward he also at the same time made towards Arzil by Alcazar And when he had marched with his armie a little more than halfe a league that is aboue a mile he encamped on a certaine high downe in the sight of the Portugails who were a league from that hill and were encamped on a great and pleasant plaine And being néere to the riuer of Alcazar he commanded his Tents to be pitched on the banke of the riuer not farre from confluence of another riuer that goeth to Larissa After that noone was past he and his armie refreshed themselues from the heate of the Sunne in their tents hée taking his rest in an horse litter In the meane time hee sent forth certaine horsemen for to bring him more certaine newes of the enâ—â—ie and placed souldiours before the waroes for to let that none of his people should flie out of his campe to the Portugall and Muley Hamet When the king of Portugall was come the Saterdaie morning to the riuer of Larissa was encamped néere to the place where he thought ther might be a foord fouÌ„d to passe ouer his ordenaÌ„ce was minded to go to Larissa then Mahamet a subtile fellow ambitions and deceitfull thinking with himselfe that if the Portugall should enter Larissa and did consider the power and most puisant armie of Abdelmelec that then hee would returne home and doe nothing and leaue him forsaken and alone to be deuoured of his enimies he resolued to talke with the Portugall that daie and to dehort him from the iourney the he purposed towards Larissa and the he might the better bring it to passe â—he began with a craftie tale to tel him that many Moores horse men had fled vnto him from Abdelmelec that the rest of the armie went about to do the same That if he should goe to Larissa then all men would blame him as one fearefull and such an one as reposed sasetie in running awaie That Abdelmelec was naked of friendes for hée handled his Souldiours hardlie and that they didde therefore minde to doe him a mischtefe either by slaying of him or else by forsaking him in the battaile That it was better and more wisedome to march toward Alcazar namelie séeing that enimie that came against him had not so much heart as to goe about to impeach him He added also other arguments making for his purpose by the which hee diss waded the Portagall from going to Larissa and to saie the truth it had otherwise bene an harde matter for him to haue gon forward séeing the his enimy was so néere The Sundaie morning verie earlie the Portugall remoued his campe and went vp a long the banke of the riuer that he might come into the high waie that leadeth from Arzil to Alcazar and when he had found a foord he staied and commaunded the pioners to make it readie against the next daie But Abdelmelec vnderstanding the intent of the Portugal caused a signe to be giueÌ„ by sound of Trumpet the euerie man should make himselfe readie to fight Wherefore in the afternoone he marching forward almost a quarter of a mile stayed and commaunded his armie to breath vntill he vnderstoode what his enimie that was about halfe a league off ment to doe For as we haue tolde you before Abdelmelec had determined not to ioyne in battaile except the Portugall did first desire it When the Portugall being encamped along the Riuer of Larissa heard that the enimie made towards him he was forced also to remoue his Campe and to put his people in array of battaile not for to fight because the fourde of the Riuer could not be passed ouer without very great difficultie and also there was a great troupe of Moores that dyd continually prouoke his men with skirmishes but that he might defense himselfe and he vsed the mightie Riuer in stéede of a wall against the enimie In this sort those two Armies when either did looke that the other should beginne the battaile kept themselues in the rest of the day So when it drew towards night and Abdelmelec saw that the Portugals stirred not out of their place although the chiefe Captaines were verie instant on him to fight and to giue the signall of battaile yet because night was at hand he commaunded the retreate to be sounded and ledde his Armie backe to their Campe. But yet he commaunded proclamation to be made in the Campe by sounde of Trumpet that no man should put of his armour nor lay downe his weapon that night and also commaunded the watch to be doubled as he also did the night before that no man could flye out of his Campe vnto Muley Hamet And doubtlesse this watch was the cause of Mahamets ouerthrow because that no man durst to goe out of his ward tente In the meane time Abdelmelec was fully resolued to fight for séeing he had heard that many horsemen and men that had abiured the faith were fled out of his Campe and did feare that if he deferred to fight the next day that then the greater part of his armie would reuolt he thought that he must staye no longer but determined to goe on forward and to aduenture the battaile Wherefore he commanded that it shoulde bée signified by a Trumpet that all men shoulde be in a readinesse and prepared either to liue or die After that the king of Portugall sawe that his enimies were retired into their camp he also did the like and lodged in the verie same place from whence he came He assembling in counsaile the chiefe men of the armie that night determined the next day being mundaie to offer the enimie battaile And it is the constant same of all men that Muley Hamet gaue him counsaile to beginne the battaile the next daie in the euening not so much because by this meanes the souldiours of Abdelmelec might the more commodiouslie rououlf vnto him as for that he coulde not by reason of the darknesse of the night remedie it if anie confusion did arise in his armie This counsaile as good and wholesome was approued of all men and therefore the king commanded that the same night it shoulde bee proclaimed in the campe that the next daie béeing mundaie as soone as it was light the ordenance and the carriages shoulde bée speedelie passed ouer the water through the foorde For if they had tarried longer no doubt the enimies wold haue impeached their passage which also was the cause that the battaile was not begâ—n in the euening but sooner The foord béeing made readie the armie straight waie passed ouer and they encamped beyond the riuer and also the king began to arange his battailes to set forth his bands and to dispose his ordenance in commodious places He also made a long Oration to his souldiours and exhorted theÌ„ with curteous louing
our men in that quarter where his menne fledde that he might repaire that winge broken and shamefully dispersed and to staye them that fledde and to turne them againe against the enimie But the souldiours of his gard knowing his extreme weakenesse tooke his horse by the bridle and would let him goe no farther But when he would haue set his hande to his swoord to haue rid himselfe out of their handes he perceaued that his armes and hands were as stiffe as a stone with the palsey whereof he conceaued so great griefe at the heart that leauing himselfe forward vpon the pommel of his saddle he lost his speach and neuer spake worde after but that shuld they â—o forward fatter the which was done but no farther then a man could cast a stone In the meane time the gaâ—d â—ooke â—â—â—king from his horse and layd him in his horselâ—â—ter where he gaue vpp the Ghost within halfe an houre after Yeâ— his death was subtilly dissembled they bruâ—ing thâ—◠〈◊〉 was layde downe to rest him But although the Christians vanquished in the first encounter yet the rest of the king of Mortugall his Armie knew not how to vse the victorie For because there was no man to commaund what was néedeful to be done or did send the bands of succours with aide they did suffer a goodly victorie to slip out of their hands When the Moores saw so great a discomsâ—ture was giuen by the enimies their onely horsemen neither was there any man that backed them they sent out a thousand Argolets and many other who made the Portugalls before victors to flye with that force that they running vpon the middle battaile of their footemen mightely disordered all the whole armie of the Christians The thing was done in the sight and presence of the king who through the counsaile of them about him was yet in his Coch but as soone as he sawe the flight and disorder of his men hee spéedely mounted on a horse strangely bardbed and accompanied with the Duke of Auero and other men of armes charged the enime But although he were carried against his enimies with that force and féese that he brake their araie againe yet because the armie of the Moores did not abandon the place those horsemen that were scarse fiue hundreth were forced to retire whom the Moores followed with such force that flying many of them they forced the rest to runne among their footemen with such hast that they ouerranne and troade to death a great number of their owne footmen and committed a miserable misorder and slaughter In the meane while all the forces of the Mahometan armie running downe from the hill began to charge the Christians with great violence In that conflict the Duke of Auero was slaine and many other noble and valiant men and also the horse of the king of Portugall was slaine but hée himselfe safe and vnhurt and the great ordenaunce which serued the Christians to no vse in this battaile was taken Now as touching the right wing of the Moores the souldiours thereof neuer ceased from the beginning of the battaile to powre downe showers of shot vpon the Christians yea and moouing out of their place but alwayes kéeping the croisant figure of their armie they beganne to inclose the Portugall armie and to charge the hindermest battaile of the side Wherefore the king who had mounted another fresh horse perceiuing that the hindermost battayle néeded succour taking with him fiue hundreth men of armes who hadde beene appointed for that purpose charged the third tune the Moores that were vnder Muley Hamet the brother of Abdelmelec whom he did so skarre that he forced them to giue ground more than halfe a league slaying many and scattering the rest But séeing he was alone and had no man that woulde follow him he was forced with great griefe and full sore against his will to retire to his armie for to beholde the sorrowfull sight of the entire discomfiture of his whole forces For the Moores in the lefte wing after they hadde taken the Ordenance of the Christians pursuing the victorie dyd also so discomfite those Christians that stoode néere to the banke of the riuer that they ranne vppon the forces of Muley Mahamet that stoode betwéene the Christians and the Riuer and made miserable spoile and slaughter of them yea and many of Mahamet his men ranne vppon the Christian troupes Muley Mahamet séeking to saue himselfe by flight as he would haue passed ouer at the foord of the riuer of Larisla which is myrie and moorish was cast out of the saddle by his horse that striued and struggeled to get out of the durt and beeing vnskilfull to swimme was drowned and perished in the riuer The victours Moores following the vanquished came to the warde of Muley Hamet the brother of Abdelmelec and there either slue or carried awaie prisoners the principall men of the Christians being inclosed and as it were brought into a pinfolde So then our men being thus enclosed on all partes and not hauing Gunnepouder for that through negligence had taken fire and was all consumed nor anie other thing to defende themselues or else had with indifferent slaughter as wel destroyed their owne fellowes as their enimies ranne awaie amaine so that through headlong and hastie flight one ranne vppon another and many were squised with the weight of horses running ouer them with a miserable slaughter For yée might sée the heapes of men troden downe and squised lye as thicke as sheafes of Wheate cast downe in a Barnes floure The enimies also that did insatiablie thirst for Christian bloud shotte off their Harquebusies thicke and thrée folde vppon them with whom they did hurt not a fewe of their owne men and foulie tare them But as for the eight thousand pikemen whome the Portugall had in the field séeing they did nothing else then leaue so many pikes for the barbarous enimie experience it selfe taught how little good they dyd in the battaile For when the King vsed them for so many harquebuziers whom he shuld haue sent against the enimie by taking them he deuised assured ruine for himselfe And although the Christian state was now become desperate yet the king of Portugal ceased not to indamage the enimie now in this quarter now in that being accompanied with no nto then seuen or eight souldiours of Tangar for the noble men gentlemen horsemen of Portugal were so cowardly and so delicate they say that many of them leauing their horses got them to shadowy places and vnder the shadow of the wagons for to coole themselues with this minde that when they saw all lost they might séeke to saue themselues by running awaye And so when they began to flye part on foote and part on horseback towards Arzill from whence they came the Moores folowed them with such violence speede and specially the horsemen who were yet fresh that they made a miserable slaughter of them Yet king Sebastian forsaketh not his
the daie before there had ariued at Villa Franca the thrée ships that had ben left at Lisbon who departed from thence the next daie after the Marques in companie with the same carauells They reported also that the three shippes after they had fallen with Villa Franca were forced backe againe into the sea and that two of the carauels were taken by the enimie The other with the horses belonging to the Generall of the field and others went back to the sea being chased by a French ship Whervpon the Marques sent some perticular men to vnderstand somewhat of them of the Iland who would not suffer them to come on land but discharged their péeces at thē But there was a Priest that told them that the Iland was for his maiestie that he knew nothing of the French armie others willed them to go to the Citie The Marques vnderstanding what had passed learning by one of the pinasses that had bene sent with Captain Aguirre that the other pinasse with the Captain was taken by a French ship other barkes that came frō the land He did then suspect that the Iland had rebelled hauing sent for Don Lopes de Figueroa General of the field to conferre with him about the landing of some good number of men that they might haue spéech with them of Villa Franca and likewise to take in fresh water and hauing sent to the Captaines Michael Oquendo and Rodrigo de Vargas for to take notice in what place they were best to anker in the meane time they that were in the top of the Admiral Galeon espied certaine ships néere to Ponta Delgada wherabouts standeth the chiefe Citie of the Isle and the Castle Wherevpon the Marques supposing that those ships should bée of the enimies he altered his determination and made straight waie to Ponta Delgada and by and by they discouered mee ships and then they perceiued that it was the nauie of Don Antonio so the Spaniards do cal Antonie the king of Portugal So our armie approching vnto the enimies hauing now certaine knowledge of them for that they prepared themselues towards the sea perceiuing them to be about 60. ships of great and small the Marques called a counsell with the aduise of Don Pedro de Tolledo Campe maister Generall the Marques de Fauora Don Pedro de Tassis Comptroller generall Don Francisco de Bouadilla maister of the camp other Captaines knights being called therevnto they determined to present the battaile to sight with the enimie who did the like put themselues in araie so they discharged a péece of ordenance towards vs in tokē of battaile With that the marques commaunded a banner of defiance to be put forth shot off one peece of ordenance and sent Captaine Marolin Captaine Rodorigo de Vargas to aduertise the whole nauie to set thēselues in order of battel which was done in this maner In the forefcont was a rank of ships galeons on the right hand of the Admiral was placed the galeon S. Mattheo wherein was the Generall of the field the comptroller generall on the left hand was the ships wherin went Don Francisco de Bouadilla the maister of the campe and foure ships mo to be assistaunt the ten Biskaines with the other ships in whom wer the Captains Michael de Oquendo and Vilia Visiosa were placed in the rereward And by reason that the ship wherein Don Christopher de Erasso went had strained the head of her maine mast by meanes whereof she could not beare her top saile she was forced to staie behinde and could not therefore take her place accordinglie to the great griefe of the Marques to lacke his helpe at such a pinch The Marques himselfe went in the galeon Saint Martin which was Admirall of the fléete He gaue this order for the battaile that in the vppermost fight vpon the poope should be 20. Gentlemen pistolets 20. caliuers below all the Gentlemen of Portugal except sir Iames de Castro who was vpon the poope lowest of all should be for help succour sir Antonie Pessoua sir Lewes Osorio sir Goston Ronkelio Colonell Mandonario Captaine Quessatha other foure pistolets vpon the hatches of the galcon 40. pistolets vpon either side vnder the charge of Captaine Gamboa néere to the chamber of the poope was the bodie of the gard with 40. souldiors most of them perticular speciall men which had ben in office before vnder the charge of Augustine Deherrara for to helpe and succour where should be most néede In the stearne of the ship was Iohn Suffono a Gentleman of Milan and the Sergeants of the Captaines Austen Deharrara and Gamboa with xv pistolets and x caliuers in the great top was the Sergeant Sir Frances Galeio with eight caliuers and in the top of the trinket sixe besides those that were in the small tops Vnder the hatches where the great ordenance doth lie were the Captaines Sir Christopher Deaccouia Scouetho and Iohn Alter the sergeant Tauste Esquiuel with euerie péece of ordenance one gunner sixe men to helpe him euerie one had an instrumēt called Hauspikes with the munition that was vpon the hatches was Marcelus Carraceolus and like seruice was beneath And for the kéeping of the gunpouder was Captaine Grimaldo appointed with foure mariners He commanded also that there should stand hard by the sterne of the galeon the great boate called the Salua and foure small ones for to carrie directions and fill tubs with water and hogsheads in diuers places of the Galeon and likewise to distribute pikes in conuenient places He also charged the mariners to be in the shippes apparaile and the Captaines Marolin and Roger Deuargas as sea men of great experience to attend on the ordenance and other necessaries All this was executed very speadely with great chéerefulnes for all this was prouided before they approches vnto the Iland This being done with great noise of Fifes drums and their banners displayed our nauie set foorth to assaile the enimies who did the like in good array But because the winde was calme they could not fight that daye but went to seaward And yet the Marques could not vnderstand of the state of the Iland but afterward within night arriued to the Admirals Galeon a Pinasse wherein was Domingo de Adutriaga maister of a shippe called the Catelina Who brought a letter from Don Iohn de Castilio containing as foloweth IN the armie of Don Anthonio there are 58. shippes of whome 28. be great shippes and the rest small and in them are 6000. Frenchmen If our armie be not strong enough to fight with them then if may draw nigh to the Castell which is for the King And I would wish you to haue a great regard to it for if you should loose the victorie great inconuenience would ensue Furthermore the Maister and his company declared that Don Authonie with his armie came
she did defend her selfe very valiantly being likewise assailed by two other shippes who after they had discharged certaine ordenance at her passed forwardes At the same time came other 2. French ships vpon the Captaine who beginning to fight with her she gaue them two such welcomes with her ordenance and harquebusse shot that one of them was ill to passe and almost sunke and so they retired hauing shot many péeces at the Captaine the Captaine at them At which time came the ship of Don Francisco de Bouadilla who was néere the Captaine who did likewise anoie the French men greatlie with their shot All this while did the Admirall and vizeadmirall of the French armie fight with the Galeon Saint Maâ—theo who did defend her selfe and offend her enimies valianâ—â—e â—he Camp maister General Don Lopes de Figueroa Don â—â—dro de Tassis ouerséer generall with the rest of the Gentlemen and souldiours that were in her couragiouslie shoâ—ting at the enimies both with great shot harquebusse shoâ—â—â—â— musket shot The marques perceiuing that the Spanâ—â—h nauie was too windward of the French and séeing the distresse that the Galeon Saint Mattheo was in by reason of the two Frenchmen he commanded the Captaine to turne towards the enimie and so did Don Christopher de â—rasso and the rest of the ships of the Spanish armie and the ships of Miguel de Oquendo Villia Viciosa other Bishaiâ—es which were before the stearnmost by changing of the wiâ—â— were then the formost who came and boorded the Admirall of the French Nauie who fought with the Galeon Saint Mattheo and afterward came the shippe wherein went Michael de Venesa who fought with the Captaine of France like a good Captaine and so in lyke sort did the souldiours that were with him and because his shippe was betwéene the marques coulde not at that time boorde the Captaine of France but passed forward In the meane tâ—â—â— the Admiral of France was in fight with the Galeon Saint Mattheo and thrée shippes moe who boorded her Villia Viciosa béeing one of the thrée hauing boorded the French Admirall at the prowe was slaine with many of his companie as shall be declared The ship of Oquendo did boord her a stearne and did enter his men into her and began to sacke and tooke foure prisoners and the ensignes The battaile beganne now to increase with that came two other French shippes to rescue their Captain putting aboord her thrée hundred fresh men she got from them In the meane time the Marques gaue another charge on the enimie with much shot and at the last boorded with the French Captaine prow to prowe and so grapled together where was a cruell fight on both sides shooting the one at the other both with great shot and small for the space of an houre vntill shée yéelded where were slaine aboue 300. French men and the Gentlemen and souldiours that were in the two fights did defend themselues valiantlie so likewise did the two Captaines Augustine Deharrara Gamboa and their lieuetenants The Marques like a Generall went through the fights encouraging his people to the assalting of the enimie foreséeing and ordering all things néedfull to be done The artillerie both below aloft did great good through the great diligence of those Captaines that had the charge thereof The battaile betwéene the other ships did proceede giuing and receiuing great charges one vpon the other The battaile continued fiue houres and at the last the enimie fled Don Anthonio was departed in a small pinasse with another ship the night before the battel Some ships were sunke some spoiled hauing slaine all the men that were found in them and some fled to other ships And for that we could not tow their ships the Marques commanded that we should burne them sinke such as we could as we had begun to doe The Carauell with the horses that had bene taken was recouered It is thought that there was of the enimies aboue 1200. slaine drowned and beheaded besides many that were hurt of them the escaped in the ships that fled There might haue ben taken many mo of their ships if we had had time marriners sufficient for to haue towed them but they were suffered to depart without men and spoiled it is certaine that the Admirall which was left for half drowned other foure or fiue ships more were cast awaie in the Isle of S. Michael and it is thought that other haue done the like in other places The number of those that were slaine in the nauie of the Spaniards was 224. men and of those that were hurt 553. which is in all 777. Besides some that were burnt with wild fire among whom was the comptroller generall Sir Peter de Tassis in the face The names of the principall men that came with Don Anthonio of whom some are prisoners some were slaine 〈◊〉 some ranne awaie Philip Strozzi Captaine Generall was taken prisoner and hurt with the shot of an harquebusse wherof he died as soone as he came into the presence of the Marques The Earle of Vimioso was prisoner and hurt with an harquebusse shot and thrust in with a sword whereof he died in the Generals ship the daie after the battaile The Countie Brisac lieuetenant some saie that he escaped in a boate of his ship other saie that he was slaine with a shot the truth is not knowen Monsieur de Piamount maister of the campe Generall was slaine in the battaile Of the principal Captaines of the eight regiments that came in the armie which was 6800. souldiours accounting the aduenturers some were slaine and some fled awaie The Lordes of Townes and Castles that were taken aliue Monsieur de Bocamaior Lord of Rousela Monsieur Iohn Delatus Lord of Heria William de Sanclear Lord of Sanclear Lewes de Clen Lord of Bronnes Peter de Oule Lord of Quenes Gilbert de Louel Lord of Vuel Peter de Bean. Monsieur de Gal Lord of Gal. Monsieur de Gifford Lord of Giffordel Monsieur de la Onet eldest sonne vnto the Lord of Gresoul Edward de Langert Lord of Piel Fabio Gansete sonne to the Lord of Gansete Monsier de Vda Lord of Vda Monsieur Fransoius Lord of Montilla Monsieur Laquesbay eldest sonne of the Lord of Biapolis Monsieur Robert Debella eldest sonne of the Lorde of Veseola Monsieur Guillam Mason Lord of Falla Monsieur Bigart de Piloart Lord of Manterie Monsieur Beltram de Amigat Lord of Stituias Monsieur Iailato Lord of Sans. Monsieur Philip Mentado Lord of Sabrussa Monsieur Iohn de Bocca maior Lord of Rosilla Claudio de Pomolin Lord of Popalin Iacobo Lasarean Lord of Lasserian Monsieur Demondoc Lord of Mondoc The Gentlemen prisoners that were no Lordes of Townes nor Castles were in number one and fiftie and of marriners and common Souldiours thrée hundreth and thrée The marques séeing that there was peace and amitie betweene the king his maister and the French king knowing
hands of the Hamiltons when they ruled yet the citie it selfe was a wast thing nor populous for the greatnesse easie to enter in all parts Other reasoned on the contrarie part that all things doe depend on their first beginnings that their departure would be infamous and next coosen to flat running awaye that suspition of feare was then vtterly to be shunned least they did encrease the courage of the enimies and bring their friends out of hart that they were néere neighbours vnto the mightie families of the Cunigames and the Semples and on the other side to Lenneux the kings priuate patrimonie that from thence those that were next would come within few houres and the rest the next daye or at the farthest within thrée dayes that they would be a sufficient guard namely with the helpe of the citizens vntill the succours farther off were come This opinion preuailed at the Councell table The French Ambassadour went to and fro betwéene both parties rather like a spye then a peacemaker as he pretended For when he sawe at the first the forces at Glasquo small and the power about Hamilton shewed greate he vehemently encouraged the Quéene to giue battaile Now had the Regent gathered together his friends out of the néerer parts and looked for other out of Marchland and Lowthian And when they wer come being about 600. very choice men he graunting them but one day to rest themselues minded so march to Hamilton and out of hand to giue them battaile if he could for he thought delaye would be hurtfull to him and his but profitable for the enimie as whome the farthest parts of the kingdome did fauour In the meane time he was aduertised the next morning betimes before daie that the enimies were gathered together from many places where they lodged for they trusting in their number for they had in armes aboue 6500. and they knew that the Regent had not full 4000 were determined for to march by Glasquo and leauing the Quéene in the Castle of Dunbritton at the pleasure either to sight or draw forth the warres or if the Regent which they hoped not would méete them in the waie to giue him battaile neither did they doubt of the euent of the fight But he that had resolued of himselfe to prouoke them to battaile as soone as he could bring forth his men stoode certaine houres in araie of battaile before the Citie in the open field in the waie that he thought they would march But when he sawe that their army marched a long the farther side of the riuer he straight waie vnderstanding their purpose passed his footmen ouer the riuer by a bridge and his horsemen by the foords which were then frée of the tide of the Sea and commanded them to march to Langside That is a stréete vppon the riuer of Carth through which their enimies their waie laie seated at the foote of an hil on the Northwest the East the North with a descent but on other partes decreasing gentlie into a plaine They hasted thether with so great spéed that they had almost gotten the hill before that their intent coulde be perceiued by the enimie who also coucted that place yea and had the shorter waie But two things happened ill for them and well for vs the first that Gilespicke Cambel the Earle of Argile who was Generall of the Quéenes armie being taken with a sodaine paine had fallen downe into a sound and by his fall staied the whole armie a while the other was that their armie being euer and anone downe in a bottome could neuer sée at one time all the kings armie and therefore they taking it to be small as in truth it was did both contemne it and also the disaduantage of the place At length when the Quéenes armie drew néere and sawe that their enimie had gotten the place where they thought to haue lodged they tooke another little hill ouer against it and diuided their armie into two battailes All the strength they had they placed in their forward wherewith if they coulde ouerthrowe the enimies battaile that stoode against it they supposed that they should conquere the rest without fight they being feared with the flight of their fellowes The kings Chieftains had also diuided their armie into two battailes in the battaile on the right hand were Iames Douglasse the Earle of Morton Robert Lord Semple Alexander Lord Hume Patricke Lord Lindsey with euerie one his followers and in the left Iohn Alexander William Earles of Mar Gleucarne and Taich and the Citizens of Glasquo the harquebussiers kept the stréete below and the gardems by the high waie WheÌ„ both armies stood aranged the Quéenes gunners being beaten froÌ„ their ground by the kings abandoned the place and on the contrarie side the kings horsemen being inferiour to the Quéenes by one halfe were not able to abide the charge but fled And when the Quéenes horsmen had thus discomfited their counterpartie they assaied to mount the hill that they might also disorder the ranges of the footmen but being repelled by the kings archers and a part of his horsemen that had rallied and returned from their flight they returned backe In the meane time the left wing of the enimie dismarching into the high waie downe a long where the hill descendeth into a valley did although that they were galled by the harquebusses yet béeing gotten out of that straight spread forth their battailen There the two esquadrons hauing before them on both sides a thicke trench of pikes fought with such vaior on both sides for the space of halfe an houre the victorie inclining to neither parte that those that had broken their Pikes dyd hurle their daggers stones and péeces of their Pikes and finallie whatsoeuer came to hand at the heads of their enimies But when some of the hindermost rankes on the Kinges side fledde whether of feare or falsehoode it is not well knowen doubtlâ—sse their flight hadde affrighted them that fought but that the thicknesse of the rankes woulde not suffer them that were in the fore rankes to perceiue what was done in the hindermoste and also those of the second battaile hauing marked the daunger and séeing no man comming against them ioyned them selues with the auantgard by deflecting certaine of theyr bands by little and little towards the right hand with their ranges whole When those on the aduerse part were not able to abide their charge they being driuen back as it wer with a great ruine ranne away neither had the vanquished escaped without some notable losse séeing the hearts of many were priuately incited by anger and hatred if that the Regent sending out horsemen into all quartiers had not commaunded that none of them should be slaine that fledde The second battaile of the kings that had stoode still vntill they sawe the discomfited enimie to flye in euerye quarter without order and then at last turning themselues to pursue them that turned their backes loosed their rankes The Quéene that had stoode almost a mile of to behold the fight tooke her way towards England with the horsemen of her part that retired out of the battaile whole but the rest ran euery man that way that would soonest bring him home There dyed few in the fight moe being worne with wearinesse and wounds were found lying euery where along the countrie the number of all slaine was about 300. but the prisoners were moe On the kings side were not many hurt and among them men in the chiefe range Alexander Lord Hume and Andrew Stuart one man onely was slaine the rest of the armie except a few horsemen that folowed the fliers farrre went ioyfully to the towne where after they had giuen thankes to God who had giuen them almost an vnblouddie victorie against farre greater forces then their own they gratulating one an othâ—â— went to dinner This field was fought the xiii of May the eleuenth day after the Quéene escaped out of prison The French Ambassadour who had stayed the euent of the battaile and had in his conceite promised assured victorie vnto the Quéene being now defranded of his hope cast vp his visard and without once taking his leaue of the Regent to whome he 〈◊〉 presâ—â—ded to be sent and taking such horses and guides as he could for soonest get galoped towards England but being robbed by the way Iames Dowglasse the Lord of Drumlanrick procured that he had that againe which he lost for the honour that he bare to the name of an Ambassadour although that he knew that he tooke part with his enimies The Regent spent the rest of the daye of the battaile in taking view of the prisoners some he let goe frée some vpon suerties the principall were kept still and chiefely those of the familie of the Hamiltons and dispersed into diuers prisons The next daye the Regent went foorth with 500. horse and tooke the abandoned Castells of Hamilton and Defran The like terror forced the Quéene to goe into England either because she thought there was no place in that part of Scotland safe enough for her or because she did little credit the fidelitie of Iohn Maxwell Lord Heris FINIS
iourney that he would needes wilfully launch forth both against winde and tide thorough the which rash part it came to passe that one of his shippes striking vpon the flattes was lost within the sight of the Citie of Antwerp and an other néere to Roiner-s wald in Zeland yet he being nothing dismayed for this vnluckie losse went forward with his iourney and lay at anther not farre from Flissing staying there as he was commaunded for Romero who also had an vnluckie abodement at the beginning For when the Comendador came downe to Bergen to the fléete and they according to their maner would welcome him with a peale of ordenance the barrelles of Gunpouder that were in one of the shippes caught on fire and tare the shippe and the men therein into péeces and yet better was the beginning than the ending For the Prince of Orenge hauing some intelligence of the intent of the enimie as hard it is to finde a sailer a Catholike commaunded Monsieur de Boisot the Admirall of Flissingen to spéede him with all the forces of his Fléete the which some report to be an hundreth great hoies and Fliebotes leauing the great ships still before Middelburg spoiled of their men and munition for a vaine skarcrowe to Dauila And such in déede was the diligence of Boisot that Romero had scarce weied vp anker when he presented him battaile in the sight of the Comendador The two Admiralls shippes of whome the one had two hundred the other an 180. men encountered the one the other verie fiercelie se that the Spaniards had boorded the Admirall of Flissengen and had gotten as farre as the mast when they were valiantlie driuen out a gaine by the Flissingers and namelie through the succour of a Flie bote that timelie laide Romero aboord on the other side and Iulian was forced to saue his life by swimming after he had séene foure of his shippes drowned and ten taken and the rest flying fast towardes Bergen but yet the Flissingers tooke foure in the chase They report that almost a ridiculous déede of a boie of Soutlant a village néere Flissing much hasted and helped the victorie Fortune shewing that her force and ficklenesse is séene in nothing more than in vniuersal conflicts and battailes This boie whilest all mens heads eyes and handes were busied belowe with fierce fight stole of the flagge of the Admirall of Spaine and wrapping it about his middle slidde downe therewithall into the Admirall of Flissing and then holding it vp cried victorie victorie not to the small terrour and discouragement of the Spaniardes it béeing thus séene on a sodaine When Sanchio Dauila heard of this ouerthrowe hée wayed vp anker and hasted him to Antwerpe for feare of a foile Héerevpon the valiant Mandragon surrendered the towne of Middlebourg whereby the Protestants became Lordes of all Zeland yea and of the Sea also the which they doe reteine still to this daie and euer since they first tooke Flissingen fortune hath fauoured them on the water As not many moneths before the Duke of Alua commaunded a Fléete to bée rigged at Amstelredam and to be conducted by the Comte Bossu to encounter the Nauie of North Holand the which the Earle did rather to accomplish the commaundement of his gouernour than of his owne good will because hée knew right well the strength of his enimie the which hée coulde in no measure match yet because hee would not séeme to be a coward and gréene liuered he with nine or ten shippes assailed aboue thirtie of his enimies The battaile was passing well fought on both parties as well at the first with the great Ordenance as afterward with small shot push of the pike and sword and target And at the first the victorie séemed to encline to Bossu but at the last the North Holanders being fortefied by a new supplie of ships the timely ariued carried awaie the victorie For while parte of them had enuironed the Admirall of the enimies casting down vpon thē incessantlie frō their tops vnslacked Lime in such sorte that they coulde not tell which waie to turne them to saue themselues from the furie thereof their fellowes had so lustelie assailed them on the other side that they within were constrained to yéeld vpon composition although they had before béene of opinion to haue put fire to their pouder and haue destroied themselues fearing that they shoulde finde no mercie with those of North Holand The which the other ships séeing hoised vp all their sailes and hasted amaine towards Amstelredam the which they all recouered except the shippe of Captaine Vesthen the which was sunke with Canon shot the Admirall a great shippe called the Inquisition wherein was found greate riches and was taken with the Comte Bossu many Captaines and carried with great triumph and ioy to Horne The battaile of Mockerheid fought in Gelderland between Lewes Earle of Nassau and Sanchio Dauila in the Easter weeke Anno. 1574. Out of Stratius THE March following this discomfiture of the Spaniards at Barrow the Comte Lodouicke of Nassau accompanied with his brother Henrie and Christopher one of the sonnes of Federike the Paulsgraue of the Rhin came downe towards Brabant with an armie of about eight thousand men leauied in Germanie hoping according to promise to haue had Mastretch Antwerpe Valencenes and Gaunt deliuered vnto him But the Comendador hauing intelligence of the approch of these troupes commaunded Sanchio Dauila to dismarch with the forces that then besieged Leiden and to hasten towardes Mastritch for to let the passage of Lewes ouer the Meuse The which hée happelie did béeing ariued at Mastritch the fourth of March a little before the Comte could come thether Wherevpon Lodouicke wrote vnto his Brother the Prince of Orenge to méete him the next daie at a place betweene the Rhin and the Meuse called Herwerd with his forces shippes barkes and boates for to bée readie to helpe him to passe ouer the Meuse And although the Prince liked nothing of this aduertisement because it was impossible for him within so short time to send downe to that place all necessaries for that desseine yet hée went with his arme as farre as Gouicque néere Bommel often saying these wise wordes Although I woulde bee gladde to see my Brother héere yet I would to God hée were with his armie an hundred leagues hence for the Prince did consider that he could not come without extreame daunger as at the last the ende shewed As soone as Sanchio was come to Mastritch hee sent forth certaine horsemen to suruey his enimies armie and to bring him word what number they were the which they did finding the Earle mustering his men about a few miles from Masricht which made him abandon his first resolution that he had to bid them battaile out of hand because they did dailie increase séeing that he found himself farre too weake yet the eight of March he laide an ambush of 200. men who slew certaine good souldiers of their