the towne and their still silence arguing a new feare doubt did recall the soldier to a more difficult and harder peece of seruice to the beginning of a new labor Wherfore both the spirits and the eies of all men were intentiue to receiue and to repell the assailantes and to trouble them in their proceeding keeping them aloofe from the wals at the beginning with force of arrows quarrels harguebusse all other kind of shot whereby they might be hindered from making their approches But perceiuing that notwithstaÌ„ding al their deuoir they marched close on with their ensigns without all fear and that they made rouÌ„dly to the wals they threw downe vpon them huge peeces of timber and store of stones both small and great besides artificiall fires as baskets and fagots nointed with oile and pitch and so set on fire in such sort that the Infidels being sore terrified with the fiercenes of the fire whilest some of them hasted to quench it and others to auoid it they could not present any great number of ladders against the wall and of those which were set vp the most part were burnt and fired During this contention and confused noise their commander himselfe with part of his troupes somewhat remoued from thence hauing slaine some of the defendantes had raised vp ladders against that part of the wall where fighting eagerly incensing his souldiers with often admonitions he encoraged theÌ„ to enter in on that side which was almost naked and void of defence There wanted not in the soldier obedience nor readines nor in the common sort forwardnes or corage but of themselues they were sufficiently enflamed For al of them pricked on with an exceeding fury almost enraged as if the one of them had enuied the other they did striue to purchase the credit to be the first man that should enter well knowing what high fortune and rewardes besides the crowne due vnto him that first got vpon the wall were prepared for that man that could attaine therunto But Perlat with a good number of Dibrians running speedily to the place and filling it with fresh men in stead ofthose which had bin slain did soone disappoint both the exhortations of the Turkishe commander and the endeuors of the souldiers For bringing a whole shoure and tempest as it were of shot vpon them both the assailants were by that meanes oppressed and all their engines and other prouisions were broken in sunder and dispersed Therupon began the cry to be renued within the towne the Infidels were repulsed with greater fear then danger for but 30. were slaine of that coÌ„pany and about 18. of them wounded Notwithstanding they desisted not froÌ„ pursuing the assault by all other means till such time as they heard the retrait sounded and yet was it only a meere obstinacy and a most wilful humor that made theÌ„ so to perseuer and shame rather then corage pressed them forwards on al parts so that the Christians had good and sufficient leisure to refresh them selues But the sodaine comming of Scanderbeg did soone after yeelde them some more aduantage to refresh them for the approch of their friends gan now to be discouered the thicknes of the dust with the great noise made through the trampling of their horses did euidently bewray their comming to the eies and eares of euery man The long stay of our men for before their arriuall the assault had continued more then 3. long houres grew vppon this occasion because after many opinions debated in counsell it had bene aduised as the surest and safest course that the first onset to be giuen vpon the enemy should be protracted a while till such time as the Turkes hauing left their tents void empty should employ the forces of their whole camp against Sfetigrade and that euery man should be busied in his particular charge and duty supposing that then would be the fittest time to make them yeeld an accompt of their expedition and to quit the assault which they had vndertaken But the prouident Ottoman was not found so negligent and sleeping neither did this Emperour being so wise and polliticke shew himselfe faulty in so grosse an ouersight absurdity as to make head with his chiefest strength against the towne and to leaue his back bare open in the mean time to the mercy of the Albanois For the truth is he had placed a strong mighty court of gard about 500. paces from the wals in the midst whereof himselfe stood enuironned with his ordinary gard both as a surueior and encourager of his people and besides he had prouided a strong battallion of yong men purposely picked and chosen to the number of 15000. all horsemen to whom he had giuen in charge to course vp and downe and to discouer all places and on all partes for feare least some stur and tumult might be raised behinde them at their backes Nowe Scanderbeg hauing gotten within 2. miles of the enemy with 7000. good horse 3000. foote he had according to his custome made a deuision of his companies appointing Moses to lie in an ambuscado with all his footmen and 2000. horse to preuent the diuerse inconueniences which might fortune to befall him He himselfe with the rest of his horsemen taking the wide and open champion did march on with great fury and violence against the enemy and with a great and notable cry before he came to the encounter he added corage to the besieged discomforted the assailants Therewithall the Battallion roiall of the Turkish horsemen which as I haue sayd before stood there ranged to that intent and purpose with all speed went to meet him and with a ful careere made head against them The Albanois nothing abashed at their great multitude but keeping close in good order of battell went to the charge with such brauery that at the verie first onset they beate them backe and disordered them and many of them being entermingled in fight together did with their swords or cimitaries rudely and fiercely entertaine each other The Infidels holding good for a time by reason of their numbers only did within a while recuile all together and casting away all shame by a fearefull kinde of flight by litle and litle did seeme to confesse that the Epirots were no men for them to deale withall Whereof as soone as their Prince had knowledge and seeing that he fought on all sides with so great misfortune and bad successe as if God himself had bene against him he commanded presently to sound a retrait and pointing with his finger to the small number of the Christians he spake thus vnto his souldiers What a shame and reproach is this ê™ he what hath so small a troupe of theeues and robbers had the power to make see you turne your backs Nay I my selfe haue seene it also which if you were men of any valour would make you blushe for verie shame What haue your
succor the Dainians These troupes were greatly aided and augmented by the cōming of two persons by nation Albanois Lech Dusman Peter Span or Spaniard These men had sworne and promised to Scanderbeg their continual seruice deuoit against the Turks and they neuer failed him but the confederacie and amitie which they had contracted for a long time before with the Signiory of Venice by reason that they were neare neighbors to Driuasta and some other places of the Venetian iurisdictiō besides the bond of innumerable benefits receiued frō their estate in times past did now bind thē to their assistance and were the occasion of their preparations to do them seruice Scanderbeg was no whit abashed at the difficultie and greatnesse of this warre but did receiue these newes with great ioy and gladnesse and without anie further delay deuided his forces which exceeded the number of 14000. men he appointed to employ against his enemie onely 7000. horse and 2000. foote The resisidue hauing prouided for all occasions hee left to hold the siege before Dayna The which notwithstanding the rumour of the enemies approach he determined notto leaue or to abandon Thus the vndaunted Chiefrain by his singular prudence hauing seperated his forces into 3. partes did thereby occasion his aduersaries through a vaine foolish kind of hope to triumph ouer him and to grow the more in heart and courage against thē For the Dayniās seeing Castriot to be absent did think now that they were no longer besieged for their courts of guard at the portes were not so strong as was vsuall but they grew to be neglected the wals were not so well manned and oftentimes might the souldiours of the enemy without ioyntly with the citizens within haue entred into their gates which were diuerse times left open To be briefe they growing in a maner careles of al things only the imminent danger of famine did seem to perplexe them which neither was to be contēned by their audacity nor auoided by their valor and magnanimity Notwithstanding the honor reputation of their faith which they had once passed promised did assure their corages did bind them to endure the rigor of all difficulties Besides the aduertisements touching their confederats who aduanced them selues with great iourneis to mitigate these mischieues to deliuer them from this misery did greatly comfort their afflicted spirits made them to conceiue an assured hope of deliuerance Moreouer perswading themselues that Castriot was not able to make head against so great a puissance they did look euery hour in great care and expectation to see some messenger and to heare some certaine newes of the victory which in their opinion they did promise vnto their owne fancies So is it for the most part with all men who the more power they doe in their mindes attribute vnto fortune with so much the more deuotion are they obedient vnto her You need not doubt but that Mustapha was exceedingly ioyous of these troubles tumults in Epire and by reason of the absence of Scanderbeg his courage which was before abated did now begin to returne to be reuiued a certaine secret obliuion of his former misfortune had now abolished the remēbrance thereof out of his mind Faine would he haue assailed the garrison there left vpon the borders and willingly would he haue made a sacrifice to the iust wrath of his Prince and to his owne ambition of those souldiers whom he supposed to be weakened by the absence of their Chieftaine and the rest of their companions He had an infinite desire to be made a partner with the Venetians in this glorie and triumph ouer his deadly enemie and he was more intentiue to the present aduantage and opportunitie then mindful of the charge and commaundement of his Soueraigne But on the other side the seueritie of Ottoman and the sundrie examples of others whose disobedience had bene most grieuously punished did with hold stay his doubtfull and variable mind Last of all though he were partly perswaded that the Sultan would not disallow his resolution grounded vpon so good an opportunitie yet he tooke this to be the surest way that men should rather deeme him negligent by the command and direction of his lorde and master then fortunate by his owne pride and temeritie In the middest of all these tumults whilest the hoast of the Venetians being assembled at Scutarie did there consume the time in the prouision of things necessarie Scanderbeg had passed ouer the riuer of Drynon with his army which was an euident signe of his hardinesse and assurance and preuenting the counsells of his aduersaries he marched on resolutely to encounter them euen within the bowels of their owne dominions and as a man may say vpon their owne dung hill The Venetian could not endure this brauado but dislodging incontinently with his armie he passed on to affront him presently now did the cries of the souldiers and the rebounding sound of the drums trumpets on either side bewray the approch and cōming of the enemie Then did euerie man take a good courage to himselfe cheerefully did they make shew of their fierce and coragious stomacks The very eies of the souldiers seemed to flame with fury on either side was heard a mighty noise an argumēt of their wrath and choller Then were praiers vowes and shewes of deuotion in the mouthes of the leaders also of the souldiers and euery man shewed himselfe a good Christian and recommended himselfe vnto God Either part did hold their armes to be iust lawfull and ech did assure themselues that they were in the right that they had the better cause quarrell The intent of euery of them was only to repulse the iniurie and all of them seemed to haue like reason for the warre the Prince of Albanie to recouer the possession of the towne detained from him contrarie to all right and equitie and the others to defend and protect thē who had chosen them for their protectours The former were encouraged through their merits deserts in so many valiant acts exploits daily atchieued vpon the Barbarians through the remembrance of their honor renowne lately gotten vpon Mustapha the latter though they were wel prouided for all things needfull for a greater warre and though they might not without good cause promise vnto themselues the hope of victorie yet if they should happen to haue the worst they were not for all that such as would be dismaied or stoupe to the fortune of the enemy for euery man knew the vnuanquished power of the Venetians that they were able continually to supply new greater forces to maintaine the quarrell to bring the warre to a better issue in such sort that this enterprise of Dayna was like to be the confusion of the Duke of Albany Yet did the hard miserable estate of the besieged greatly perplex them because they were certified
base or rascall persons nor the swordes of countrey clownes that could giue such strokes and cruell blowes He determined therfore to take out of his whole armie foure thousand horse such as were most fierce and venturous to the intent the fewnesse small nūber of his people might not stil cause them to returne with shame and disgrace them he enioyned both to scatter those forragers and to put them from their horses and then with diligent search to raunge throughout all the mountaines hils valleyes woods and secret places to discouer the ambushments of the Albanois Neare about the time of these directions the souldiour whom the Dibrian had sent with his hurt companion was arriued in presence of Scanderbeg and hauing deliuered his charge to some of his fellowes who came to meete him and willing them to haue a care to the curing of his wounds himselfe ranne vp and downe in the sight of the souldiers as one almost out of his wits and calling manie by their names he cried with a loud voice Arme arme the enemy is comming all their camp is in arms they haue taken their allarme and pointing with his finger he shewed them the dust as an argument of their comming At the first Scanderbeg was somewhat moued abashed fearing least his people had miscaried for of all the troupe he saw but two onely returned and both of them as it were shamefully flying the one of them also halfe dead embrued and polluted with the warme blood that yet issued from his wounds and the other by the foolish crie and exclamation which he made did shew himselfe full of feare and ill assured But after he vnderstood by him how all things had passed his sorrow being turned into laughter and his care into boldnesse confidence he willed his men to be al of good courage and that euery one should be in a readines with his horse armor By this time had our Sentinels which were placed vpon the height of the mountaines discouered Moses and the Turkes comming after him ouer the plaine champion euen readie to fall into their ambuscado and to be deliuered to the sword of the Epirots For at the first our men made no great haste but rode on driuing their beasts faire and easily bending their course sometimes here sometimes there and rather attending for them then flying from them but as soone as they perceiued a farre off that the Infidelles were issued foorth of their trenches then leauing both their sackes their carriage they prepared themselues to a round and speedie flight Wherefore hauing poasted ouer the plaine in a moment they got to a hill which on the North side being opposite vnto a certaine valley did couer the center and bottome thereof where our men lay close and couertly encamped and before they were ouertaken with the danger or that the enemy could presse too neere vpon them they did secretly conuey themselues among their fellowes both they and their horses so spent and out of breath with their continuall coursing and trauell that it made shew they had fled in good earnest The enemie perceiuing that they were in a moment gotten out of sight thinking because they were so suddenly slipt away from the top of the mountaine that they were hidden in the bottome of the valley They followed directly after thē without any feare or consideration But as they came neere vnto the place to the intent they might more easily enuiron and enclose them both on the one side on the other all scattered out of order they prepared themselues some to gaine the top of the hill and others by some meanes or other to enter into the valley But at their arriuall notwithstanding hearing a great neighing of many horses they began to be astonished to stand still without speaking a word but vsing silence for a season till such time as the noise of the horses being more certainly discouered and growing more sensible to be heard did manifestly discouer the ambuscado of the enemie Then did all things seeme greater vnto them by sight of the eye then they had imagined by the eare and the vncertaintie of the danger being interpreted as is vsuall according to the greatnes of their feare did easily perswade this people thus amazed terrified to betake themselues to present and speedy flight As they were ready to breake make away Scanderbeg cōmanding the trumpets speedily to sound putting them in a wonderfull feare as not expecting any such thing made head against them went to charge thē on the right hand Tanusee on the left hand the footmen frō a loft out of those ragged woddy places of the mountains where they lay in ambush descending suddenly vpon thē all at one instant with great fury did beat them downe ouerthrow them neuerthelesse they did abide surprised rather with a kind of admiration astonishment then of any certaine resolution to endure the fight But when they saw that necessitie did enforce them that the furie of the Christians did vrge thē to do their best then setting spurs to their horses with singular fiercenesse they got possession of the mountaine where first lifting vp their lances casting thē against the enemy as if they had bin darts for that the vprightnes of the place the vneuennes of the ground being withall very steepe did not suffer them otherwise to helpe themselues with those weapons they kept the souldiers for a time from cōming neere them But Peic Manuel being gotten vpon the hill on the other side with a company of footmen of which 200. were archers as many crosbowes did soone beate them off the place droue them downe with more then good speed Beneath were they beset on all sides with our forces aboue them did the intollerable violence of the shot so gaull them that there was scarce any free place for the miserable wretches to get forth In this extremity drawing forth their Cimitaries deuiding thēselues into two troupes desperately they rushed vpon their enemies as men that had closed their eyes against all perils with a greater slaughter of their companies they opposed themselues to the blowes swords of the enemy But it was no difficult matter for the greater to beat back the lesser nūber for men fresh sound to put them to the retreat who were wery sore trauelled especially in the right side where Scanderbeg himself with a grosse troup both of horse foot armed with pikes did stand in manner of a wall or strong bulwarke This was an occasion that the Turks did altogether resolue thēselues to try the vttermost of their valure therfore ioining themselues close together in one strong squadron they gaue in vpon the left side and with an equal desperate kind of fury they made thēselues way with their swords euen through the midst of our battallion and thus purchasing thēselues a
enemies euen the Gods at their command and do they cary victory with them in their bosomes and haue you nothing but your swordes and those vnprofitable and your hands dead and without life and your bodies feeble and subiect to the sword and iniuries of your enemies Behold how they do yet abide you and stirre not a foot from you wherefore stay you Can you endure that a handfull of such base infamous persons should present them selues as conquerors before your eyes whom you are able to swallow vp whole both horse and armes Reuenge your owne bloud my souldiers and if the common reputation doe any thing at all moue you reuenge the deaths of your fellowes and companions at leastwise your owne priuate wrongs and iniuries Vpon these his speaches and exclamations all of them sodainely turned their faces towards the enemy euery man leauing al other busines ran confusedly on all sides and those also which were on the mountaine descended to charge the Albanois But the Prince of Epire would not attend them though they were almost breathles out of order but retiring speedily to the place prouided for his surety he kept the aduauntage which he had gotten in that encounter without any losse except of one only and 3. wounded and so came ioined himselfe with Moses holding that the only way for his safegard from the enemy Of the Turkes there were slaine some 60. or better of which number men say that Scanderbeg slue fiue of them with his owne hands The Barbarians did not pursue them far because the Sultan doubted of some secret traine or counterwaits and the rather for that he had some apparaunt signe of the other troupes in the ambushment wherefore he commanded them againe to a second retrait It was a notable sight to see how in one and the same instant the Barbarians on the one part did charge vpon the Christians and on the other part themselues were charged at the backes by those of Sfetigrade The Turkes scoffed at Scanderbeg as he retired from the fight and being not able to hurt him with their swordes they prosecuted him with taunts and villainous speaches But Perlat on the other side was much more troublesome and despitefull vnto them and did more grieuously importune their companions for he not onely angred thē by the hearing of his quips and fine girding speeches but he vexed them also with good store of blowes at their backes both with pikes shot and other kinde of weapons For as soone as he perceiued that at the only name of Scanderbeg they gaue ouer the assault and descended a pace downe the mountaine he embracing the occasion offered him with a traine of three hundreth men quicke and well armed issued out vpon them with a great clamour and playing vpon them with his shot as thicke as haile he went on beating killing and chasing them euen to the foote of the mountaine Thus was that day most vnfortunate to the Ottoman and all his enterprises for that time fell out to be vaine and vnprofitable The assault was broken off the enemy was not seized vppon but without any losse vanished out of sight The audacity of the defendantes was augmented and encreased and the most part of the Turke his readiest and best souldiers lay dead before the walles of Sfetigrade besides the incredible hauocke and spoile of his munitions and artillery and other prouisions for the assault For the number of those which were slaine in that iourney was reckoned to be full three thousand and more then foure thousand hurt and wounded and infinit engines and instruments for the warre were broken in peeces and consumed with fire This victory cost the towns men the losse only offorty men but of them that were wounded the number was very great yet was there an inestimable quantity both of armes and other baggage found before the walles and caried into the towne whilest the enemy was busied in the pursuite of Scanderbeg which was some amends for the losse and dammage they had sustained For that day the Turke gaue no other attempt but retiring him selfe from before Sfetigrade he spent the whole night in sorrow and sadnesse silent and melancholicke On the other side the Prince of Epire holding him selfe sufficiently contented with this good and happy successe in that this discomfiture and repulse of the enemy did yeelde some time of respite to the besieged he made no longer stay there then whilest his souldiers must of necessity to breath themselues But he imediately after returned to his first campe where hee had left his baggage at his departure and there his people refreshed themselues both with sleepe and victuals The next day early the first thing hee did was to send away messengers who rode post to cary the ioyfull newes of the victory of Sfetigrade both to Vranocontes and to the other townes and peoples vnder his obeysance He him selfe the day following with two hundred horse onely taking his way through the height of the mountaines went to take a view of the demeanour and countenaunce of the enemie All things were there in quiet and the towne at good rest by meanes whereof being returned to his tentes he soiourned there two dayes longer and the third day trussing vp his baggage he remoued his camp into the vpper Dibria there entrenched him selfe in a place strongly seated and well defended about fifteene miles from Amurath The principall cause that moued him so often to remoue from one place to another was as I take it either for feare least the souldiers abiding long in one place certaine might accustome them selues to ouermuch idlenesse or least the enemy might thereby take some course and occasion either by some draught layed to surprize his person or to guard him selfe the better from those traines which the enemy should prepare to entrappe him Amurath all this while being exceedingly malcontent for the vnhappy euent of this first assault and badly digesting in his stomacke the rude repulse sustained by them of Sfetigrade after hee hadde now sufficiently tormented his thoughts with vaine consultations griefes and complaintes once againe hee called together the ministers of his rage and vengeaunce charging them diligently to consider of the site of the place and on what side the towne might be best inuaded and offended The place being once assigned he appointed the ordinaunce to be planted against it and then consumed three whole daies in battering the towne on that side thinking to haue dismanteled it by the the force of the Canon but their labour was all in vaine for albeit on that part the flankers of the wall were beaten downe and though fortifications which had bene made by hand did tumble to the ground yet the excellent and naturall strength of the place would not suffer it to be forced neither by any violence or industry that could be vsed against it For if it had bene laid wholly open and no man
ouerrun sacke and waste the countrey but he was euer deceiued of his expectation for I neuer heard that either then or at any other time during the siege of Sfetigrade any such thing was enterprised or vndertaken by Amurath Wherefore Scanderbeg seeing that all his draughts did turne to smoake and that he could finde no fit matter whereupon to discharge his choller he returned to his campe more agreeued then he went forth It was now the two and twentieth of Iune about two houres after noone that Scanderbeg as one that hadde of a long time beene kept fasting from the bloud of the enemy which hee so eagerly coueted mounted againe on horse backe and taking with him Tanuse and fiftie other tall souldiours he went about his ordinary and wonted taske namely to vnderstand some newes of the enemy Now it happened as he beheld their Campe from aloofe that he found all still without any stir or noise nothing being to be seene that caried any shew or countenaunce of enemies but the ensignes and standardes onely the men lay wallowing all along vnder their tentes pell mell amongst their horses for it was at that time when the Sunne being in Cancer and in the extremity of heate did burne and broile their bodies most intollerably Castriot therefore seeing them in this plight turned his face to them in his companie and with a smiling countenaunce as the report goeth spake vnto them in this maner O what a goodly sight haue we here my friendes See here the Emperour of the Orient euen Amurath the terrour and feare of nations see here this armie the Conquerours of the world who haue so often adorned beautified their Barbarous houses with the spoyles of Hungarie the treasures of Asia and the wealth riches of Morea see I say how they now lye buried and ouerwhelmed with sleepe and ouercome with sloth and griefe hauing bene lately vanquished by the garrison of Sfetygrade by a Towne of so small force and estimate that they seeme to be in case rather of men besieged then of such as besiege others Hardly can any minde be satisfied with this sight to see how filthie and vncleane a shewe they make on all partes resembling very beastes and brutish creatures O that the great Princes of Christendome were here now present to behold them I doe not thinke but doe fully assure my selfe of it that ioyntly with me they would shed teares when they should come to measure the indignitie of their misfortune by the infamous estate and by the vile habite and base shewe of the vanquisher For your partes my good souldiours as you cannot now behold this filthie spectacle proposed before your eyes without the singular disdaine and contempt of these base miscreants so I pray you let the remembraunce of this sight be so deepely engrauen in your stomackes and imprinted in the very bottome of your harts that they may continue still mindfull of your libertie Go to then let vs make hast while the day yet lasteth and whilest the representation of this spectacle remaineth fresh in our memory let vs returne to our campe to take vp our ensignes to arme our cōpanions whilest our enemies thus laid along all at their ease ouercome with sleepe drowsinesse do offer themselues as a prey to our swords and do inuite vs and giue vs such oportunitie to the cutting of their throats This sayd he pricked forward and being fully replenished both with hope and choller he returned to his Campe where without giuing any respite vnto his souldiours scarce so much as a litle to refresh them selues and causing them to carie victualles for one day onely and no more with singular diligence he willed the ensignes to be displaied and commaunded all the companies to followe him with all celerity For the guard and custody of the Campe he left onely fortie souldiers for the residue of those that stayed behinde were but vanlettes and men of seruile condition A litle before the Sunne setting the earth began to be couered with a darke mist during the which the Princ of Epire with a soft and easie pace was gotten neare the Turkishe army but he euer hadde some horsemen continually riding and scouring the countrey before him to suruey and regard all places round about and after their ordinary and accustomed manner of searching by turning and winding here and there on all parts to sound euery forrest and daungerous place least there might haue bene laied some ambushment to surprize and beguile him who was his craftes-maister in such traines and artificiall sleights of policy For this expert Chiefetaine either was continually in feare and doubt or else he did purposely faine and dissemble a kinde of feare by a certaine singular dexterity of his spirite to the intent hee might make his souldiers more wary circumspect and aduised and the more attentiue to all accidentes whatsoeuer And this was the reason as the report is why he was wont commonly to haue these speeches in his mouth That many more excellent captains triumphant armies haue bene ouercome vanquished by surprizes then in open and set battell that he had rather fight against ten men resolutely and openly being prouided for them then against two vpon any vncertainty suspition either of place or any other inconuenience Because that all things whatsoeuer which are doubtfull are more suspitious and fearefull and vpon asuddaine do seeme more hard and difficult When Scanderbeg was come within a quarter of a league of the enemy he made a stand being not minded to aduaunce his ensignes any farther till he had first sent two souldiours to whom he had promised a good summe of money to the tentes of Amurath to see and vnderstand the doings of the enemy Moses likewise voluntarily tooke vpon him with a gallant and chearefull courage ioyntly with them to be an actor in the matter for that he thought there was not any great confidence to be reposed in their skill and sufficiencie Immediatly therefore leauing their horses for that being on foote they might the moresafely deceiue the Turkes sentinels he being disguized in a varlets garment a Sclauonian sword by his side went chearefully on and was soone out of sight with both the other souldiers who followed him without any feare at all They in the campe when they saw that Moses did not spare to aduenture himselfe in that enterprize conceiued a singular hope in the matter neuerthelesse they still expected in great perplexitie by reason of the darknesse of the night which made them somwhat both in feare and doubt what would be the end of this attempt and to what seruice they should bedrawen when this worthy spy should returne to make report what he had sene Neither did the Dibrian deceiue them of their expectation for I may iustly speake it he did not onely compasse all the trēches fortificatiōs of the infidels to take a view notice of euery thing but
enemy Neuerthelesse Scanderbeg did publiquely ratifie and allowe both his fidelitie and all his actions not onely in plentifull speeches and often discourses by word of mouth but to his wordes he added also deedes of no lesse value and estimation For he recompenced him with a great summe of money and certaine sayre horses and with many other ornaments and rewards which he gaue vnto him albeit Perlat was very loath to accept them Thus was Perlat sent home to his owne house with great encrease of honour reputation This personage being borne in Emathia was preferred to a spirituall dignitie which they call Proto-sengeli we commonly name them Abbots he lead a maruellous strict austere life in singular continency and wonderfull integrity he was also very learned and passing eloquent besides the grauity of his yeares which accompanied his other vertues did as much or more adorne and beautifie all the rest of his perfections These things thus concluded and finished Scanderbeg perceiuing that the Sultan was busily employed in fortifying of Sfetygrade and did wholly apply his minde to that worke he tooke with him fiue thousand horse and hasted with all possible speed towardes those partes with a purpose to interrupt and disturbe him in his endeuours But hauing stayed there the space of two dayes coursing vp and downe here and there through the woods and ouer the high mountaines without finding any matter worthy the speaking of he attended there still watching some oportunitie in hope at the leastro surprise some of their forragers or some of the enemies scouts or by som other meanes to endammage the enemy nor did the souldiours returne altogether without bootie For as it is vsuall in any great army there were taken many men and horses as they raunged carelesly abroad in the countrey Now after that Amurath had sufficiently repaired the walles of Sfetygrade according to the shortnesse of the time and that the place was furnished and stored with corne and other prouisions for one whole yeare as though his minde did foretell him that it was like to be besieged he resolutely determined and concluded with him selfe to retire his forces out of Epire and to returne into his owne countrey Touching the cause of his so speedy departure many are the fables lyes which haue bene commonly bruted abroad yet without any certainctie whilest that each one would seeme by coniectures to search out and to set downe the counsels and determinations of Ottoman Some impute his sudden discamping to the tumultes of Hungarie others to the troubles of Greece and some to those of Persia Many doe hold that the losses and dammages receaued in Albanie and the diuers trauels and difficulties of this warre did chase him so soone out of that prouince with an intent neuerthelesse to returne thither againe with more puissant and fresh forces to plant his campe before Croy because that citie did seeme to require greater meanes and more redoubtable forces to terrifie them For my part I am content to approue both the one the other of these opinions as hauing all of them some shew and apparaunce of truth Notwithstanding the last seemeth most likely and probable being ratified and confirmed by the issue and euent which is a witnesse infallible and without reproofe or perhaps it were not amisse to say that the houre and time limitted and appointed to this aged Ottoman by the destinies was not yet come and as the Poets fayne lieentiously The sisters had not spunne nor fully ended The fatall threed whereon his life depended But whatsoeuer was the cause of his returne the last of Iuly he commaunded to truffe vppe bagge and baggage and that the carriages and parte of his horsemen should goe on before The next day at the sunne rising hauing first in the night time fired their lodgings and some other furniture of their Campe him selfe marched after the others with the residue of the armie who with excessiue ioye did make an exceeding noyse both by their loude cryes and clamours and by the sounde of their ordinaunce and cannons which they made to roare with often shooting off at their departure The Turkish monarch did euer vse in times past and so did he then take his place in the middest of all his batallions where being mounted vppon a white horse and enuironned rounde about with his armed Iannissaries he needed not to be affrayed of any tumult or perill For in the vaungarde the Beglerbey of Asia and in the rereward the Bassa of Romania both being in good order of battell did assure and garde the middle battell in which him selfe marched They that write of this expedition doe in a manner all of them agree that Amurath returned out of Epire with fewer men then he brought with him at his comming by thirtie thousand hauing lost fully so many in that action Besides that a great parte of his prouisions for the assault and also many of his ensignes were spoyled and taken by the Christians which he neuer caried away againe with him But all these losses and hinderaunces did Scanderbeg enlarge with the ignominie of a new slaughter and he renued the misfortune of their estate with a fresh calamity For vppon this returne of the Sultan the Albanois hauing intelligence giuen him where he lay encamped that the enemy did dislodge he put him selfe on the way to pursue them with all his army which was 8000. horse and 3000. foote and liuely pressing them in the rereward without any intermission he held on still killing and destroying them and he gaue his souldiours good occasion to flesh themselues and to shew the fury and eagernesse of their stomackes vpon all those who either were found to slacke their pace or by any mischaunce and inconuenience were left behinde their companies for there was none of them but were gleaned vp and they did dearely buy it with the losse of their liues The Barbarians did often make head against him with their whole army to sustaine and repulse the violence of their pursuite But the Albanois euer dissembling as though he fled did still delude them when they were ready to receiue him sometimes withdrawing him selfe into the next vallies and hilles adioyning and then sodainely againe appearing in sight sometimes would he charge them in front sometimes in slanke and sometimes in the rereward and thus still skirmishing with them as they went on he plagued them with a thousand discommodities In this maner mocking and abusing Amurath and his army he continued so long in pursuing them that for sixe miles together he neuer left following them close at the heeles pressing and annoying them with innumerable iniuries The Emperour of the Turks being extreamly vexed with the shame ignominie of this abuse and at the slaughter of his people commaunded the Bassa of Romania to stay behinde with 30000. horse for the surety and free retraite of the residue charging him that if
delay before that he had proclaimed any generall muster for the assembling of his old bands or for any leauie of new souldiers he dispatched away to Sfetigrade 300. horse and 500. footmen which he had then ready at hand to comfort aide their companions to whom also he sent many gifts and presents to shew that he approued those exploits which they had already done willing them to go on to perseuer in the like and whatsoeuer they could with safety enterprise against the enemy they should not neglect it nor suffer them to take any rest till such time as himselfe comming with greater troups with all other prouisions fit necessary for a siege might bring the town to be at his discretiō This done he bent all his thoughts to the gathering of new forces so that within few daies he had assembled an armie of 18000 men of which 8000. were horsemen and the residue did serue on foote His preparations being all ready his cariages sent away before himself marched after with all his hoast so that the xx day of September he planted his ensignes before the wals of Sfetigrade His owne person his horsmen were lodged no farther from the wals then so as an harguebusse shot could not reach them for the garrison of the Turkes was in a manner all harguebussiers the best that Amurath could choose The footmen were quartered somewhat neerer and to the intent the enemy should not be able to offend them with their shot they raised vp in manner of a Palyssado a great quantity of rafters plankes wherof he had made great prouision behind the which the footmen might stand remaine in suertie The Albanois were almost all of them archers the residue being Italians and Almaines did serue with harguebusses crosbowes There were also some Sclauonians who being more skilfull in the vse of the sword then of the bow vpon the newes of this leauie of souldiers being allured with the desire of prey purchase did come to serue with the Albanois voluntarily and without any pay at all There were in those daies that came daily into Epire out of all Nations to serue to take pay vnder Scanderbeg for that of all the Captains of Christendome he only was still busied and emploied and was neuer out of armes but in continuall seruice as the mortall and deadly enemy of the Turkes and Miscreants For this cause many of them that were retained being emised both with the sweetnesse of daily booties and pillage and by the pleasantnesse of the countrie did set vp their rest to remaine and dwell there for euer But the truth is that the most part being enriched with the spoiles of the Barbarians growen wonderfull wealthy did afterwards returne home to their owne countries There were also some Frenchmen to the number of 50. or more who serued in that armie they were appointed to haue the managing disposing of certaine small field pieces for they were entertained specially for Cannoniers with the which they might annoy the defendants rather then the rampiers of the towne For I do not find that there were brought thither any other greater peeces either for batterie or to make any breach because it seemed that to force the citie by the scalado was most to the purpose These things thus ordained the chiefest matter of most importance rested yet behind and that was to prouide for the tranquilitie of the whole campe for the more assured continuance of the siege namely to shut vp all the passages from the enemie for by this meanes both the besieged shold be out of all hope of comfort and the Turkes should be debarred from comming to succour or relieue them In this seruice was the old garrison emploied and there was ioyned vnto them a supply of 800. foot 1000. horse of the new leauied troupes All which forces being deuided into two parts the one moity of thē he sent with Streese the other moitie with Tanusee into diuerse quarters for the better gard of the residue of his bands and to detaine all succors from the besieged This was no sooner concluded on but it was as soone put in execution And thereupon Scanderbeg thought it high time to set his souldiers on worke by giuing a braue assault vnto the towne to let them know the fiercenesse of his fury For you must vnderstand that the seuen first dayes after the Christians had presented thēselues before Sfetigrade they were vncessantly occupied in enclosing entrenching of their campe in building ordering of their lodgings because they thought they should haue wintered before the towne And during all that time they had not in any sort molested the besieged neither in word nor in deede which made the souldiers now of all hands assemble about their Prince demanding euery houre that they might be suffered to assaile the enemie But Castriot being vnwilling to attempt any thing by armes til he had first assaied al other meanes he did for a time restraine the forwardnesse and heat of his men till such time as he had sounded the minds of the defendants He sent therefore two souldiers to carie vnto them the same capitulations which the citizens of Sfetigrade did lately accept of Ottoman But the Turkes made no more reckoning of his offers then as of a thing of nought but with notable resolution they sent him this aunswere That the place which cost them so much bloud was not to be sold for wordes that he should offer hardily the bodies of his people yea his own head for the price of the redemption of that towne and that then he should well knowe whether that their faith were dependant vpon the water of a well as was that lately of the Dibrians This aunswere was no newes to Scanderbeg neither did it come contrarie to his expectation for he foresawe and coniectured how the Turkes were affected Wherfore he thought good to haue recourse to the sword he determined to set the Christians a worke as they had before desired and he tooke vnto him courage not as one that would vse many words but as an enemy that would make them feele the weight of his blowes The next morning therefore about breake of day hauing caused his troups to approch close vnder the wals he first gaue the onset vpon the suburbes lately assigned by the Turkes to the poore citizens which he caused to be ouerthrowen burnt Many of those who inhabited in the same at the first sight of the Christians ensignes had their refuge to their ancient friends and allies the others dispersed here and there and being retyred vnder the walles did safegard themselues by the fauour of the same of the souldiers which stood aboue for their defence In like maner the buildings next the towne were without hurt except such as the fire being caried frō one to the other did consume with the like confusion The fury
and pleasant talke and deuises For his sickenesse being engendred through the impatiency of griefe and discontentment did require to be lenified and mitigated with things confortatiue purposely applied to put away melancholy and the cure was to be wrought with some new and pleasant delights which might cheare vp his drooping thoughts and reuiue his spirites which were so greeuously perplexed This was the estate of their affaires for a time during the which the Turke founde him selfe thus sicke and out of quiet notwithstanding he could yet for all that in some sort giue audience and speake vnto his people without much payning of himselfe and he was able to giue them directions and to prouide for manie accidents which seemed then requisite and necessarie till such time as Scanderbeg being aduertised of this indisposition and crazinesse of his person did altogether draw out of his bodie that litle strength and vigour which remained and was yet left either in his members or in his courage by meanes of two or three inuasions which he made vpon his campe At the first and second time there was not much harme done nor scarce any thing executed worth the remembring for that the promptnesse and vigilancie of the Turkes in defending of their trenches did hinder and disappoint the purpose of the Epirot besides that their mindes were more attentiuely busied rather to the defence of thēselues then to the offending of the enemy But this did more more chafe and incense the hardy courage of Scanderbeg who taking the benefit of the night as the time most proper naturall to procure tumult feare confusion marched with all his horsmen towards Tyranna because the place being more plaine and easie for horse to serue in by means therof the tents of the Turks wold be the more subiect to the inuasiō of their enemies It was now past midnight when the Christians being on foote their cōming was discouered by the noyse and neighing of their horses The darknesse was greater then was vsuall or accustomed and the heauens being couered and obscured with thicke and grosse cloudes did yeeld forth no light nor clearenes at all and therefore hardly could any thing be done or ordained against the violence and furie of the Albanois Neuerthelesse according to the opportunity of the time did they prouide a remedy the souldiers were disposed in order according as they could best imagine by the hearing not hauing the sight of the enemy Neither was the quality of that season lesse cōtrary suspitious to the Christians also And howbeit that ordinarily the assailant hath more resolution assurance then the party that is surprised yet did a certen horror seize vpon them seemed somewhat to daunt their courages not any of them durst set forward or march one before another In the midst of this doubtfulnesse and staggaring as it were both on the one part the other Scanderbeg taking to himself about a hundred horse of his vauntcurrors seuering himselfe from the bodie of his troups aduanced forward with great furie euen to the enemies trenches to prouoke them to issue out and hauing incensed them with high cries clamors and casting of darts in amongst them he drew forth some of them from their appointed stations who separated themselues from their companie with purpose to set vpon him and in hope to haue defeated him but the greatest mischiefe lighted vpon themselues part of them being ouerthrowen the residue were glad quickly to returne frō whence they came Scanderbeg continued for a time coursing vp and downe here and there and as one that deluded dalyed with them he sought meanes to haue drawen forth some greater troupe to charge him but seing the time to passe away in this vaine and friuolous expectation and that the darknesse of the night by little and little bganne to weare away by the drawing on and approch of the day he returned to his companie without any further fayning or dissembling he ordered his troupes with very excellent good skill and deuided them betwene Streeze Tanusee for Moses was left with the infanterie at Tumenista hauing readily instructed them what they should do he lead them on against the enemie The first onset was with shot wherwith they plaied one vpon another and the most of the fight was in that order for the Albanois was in doubt least if the rankes should ioyne and be mingled together in the darke of the night his souldiers should be scarce able to know their felowes frō the Infidels for which cause he would not suffer them to presse in vpon the enemy neither had they come at all to handystroakes if it had not beene long of the Turkes them selues who presuming vpon their huge multitude did cause a strong battallion of horse to make out towardes the left side and so purposed to haue enclosed the Christians betweene them But Scanderbeg seeing them a little separated from the rest of their mayne armie did presently withdrawe him selfe from their trenches into the open fielde and deuiding his troupes also a sunder to the intent the fight should be maintayned on both pattes he made against them speedily and charged them with great furie both before and behinde At the first onset the Barbarians receiued him with a braue and hardie resolution expecting that fresh succours should haue seconded them from their campe but the long tariance and slackenesse of their supplies and the decrease of their owne strength which by litle and litle fayled them and the furie of the Christians encreasing together with the aduantage they had gotten against them made them at length to set spurres to their horses and they neuer thought them to runne fast enough till they had gotten within their campe A great number of Turkes and some Christians also left their liues in that conflict before that the Infidels betooke themselues to flight By this time the day beganne to breake and the multitude of the Infidels beganne to growe so great and encrease so mightily that they constrayned Streeze and Tanusee to retyre The Turkish troupes would gladly haue pursued them in their retreate but for feare to displease the Sultan they layde aside all desire of reuenge and busied themselues in recounting their owne losses and misfortunes Besides that slaughter onely which was made in the fight there happened not any disorder within their campe neither was there aine bootie or pillage gouen but onely some small spoyles which were founde vppon the dead bodies for you must note that the fight was both begunne and ended without and not within the trenches of their campe The great men and Chiefetaines of the armie did very aduisedly seeke to conceale this discomfiture from the Sultan to the intent his melancholique humour might not haue any further matter for to worke vpon Neuerthelesse they could not by anie meanes keepe it from the knowledge of the olde man who was verie iealous and full of
dangers or hazards whatsoeuer for his safety and for the maintenance of his crowne and dignity It was a strange matter to Scanderbeg to see the newes of his discomfiture so published and spred abroad and then did he begin to haue a more cleare and perfect knowledge of his disgrace and the blemish of his reputation then he had before whilest the wounds of his souldiours and the losse of his men were yet greene and fresh in remembrance Wherefore with an vndanted corage he did openly make knowen vnto them that they should not thinke the estate of Epire to be such as they imagined or that they wanted sufficient forces to recouer their good fortune but rather that they were able to surmount their former exploites and to purchase themselues now greater honour vpon the enemy then euer and with this answer they departed highly contented and well satisfied The winter following he spent partly at Groy and partly in Dibria and other places of the prouince the garrison of Dibria he diminished reduced to the ancient nuÌ„bers of 2000. horse and 1000 foot setting good and strong watches and ordaining many spies purposely dispersed abroad to discouer the attempts of the Infidels who al this dead time of the yeare were not any way molested with the roades or inuasions of the Christians For all the countrey for a good way round about had bene harried and wasted so that to giue in any further vppon the enemies countrey neither the quality of the time and dicommodity of the cold weather would permit nor was Scanderbeg willing to suffer them for his mind deuised vpon greater matters and of more importance and he reserued the mortall hatred of his minde to some more notable kinde of vengeaunce by meanes whereof the coldnesse of that season did passe away in great tranquillity and quietnesse Now was the newe Spring come on and both the earth began to be embellished and beautified with the greene grasse and all things growing fresh and gay and the sweetnesse of the aire made euery thing pleasant and delightfull Then Moses as a continuall spurre in the eyes and eares of the Turkish Emperour did importune and egge him on without ceasing and was instant and vrgent vpon him to begin the warre and to bend his forces against his owne nation Mahomet who had his chiefe hope and expectation vpon him and the time also seruing him very well did not in any thing gainsay his desire for his mind did long before tend to the same end And you must imagine that all thâ—â— dead line of the winter season which was about sixe moneths whilest Moses remained with him in Court he did most carefully sound and examine euery particular of his actions and behauiour in such sort that he had noted in him great signes and euident demonstrations of constancie and fidelitie and of a minde wholly alienated from Scanderbeg Besides the better to put himself in the good grace and liking of the Sultan he had by many euident testimonies and tokens giuen him proofe of his sufficiencie and vertue as much as was possible in that time of peace and intermission of armes and he made great shew of his strength valour and resolution inso much as it is reported and as afterwards Moses affirmed it openly that Mahomet demanded of him whether Scanderbeg had many such men about him as himself and he answered most modestly that he had infinite such And thereupon the Sultan highly commended the modestie of his speech Then Moses as it is commonly seene that when shame keepeth vs from praising our selues openly we do secretly and indirectly as it were by circumstance attribute to our selues that which we detract from the reputation and honor of another descending by litle and litle by degrees from talking of others to Scanderbeg did seeke to diminishe his reputation and to lessen the opinion of his deserts and after a long discourse he made a promise vnto Mahomet that if it pleased him to repose that trust in him onely he would proue him selfe in that warre bodie to bodie against Scanderbeg and would aduenture the hazard of a particular combat and that he would not desire any greater numbers to worke his ouerthrow and confusion then an armie of fifteene thousand horsemen onely so that himselfe might haue the chusing the ordering and disposing of them The Ottoman as he was soone and easily intreated to graunt him the charge and commaund of this armie so did he referre the whole care thereof to his iudgement and discretion and gaue him the reines to do as he thought best The souldiers which were prest to go in that voyage for Albanie did infinitely misdoubt the weakenesse and feeble strength of so small a companie neuerthelesse the wonderfull confidence and braue resolution of their new Generall did enforce them to hope well and to conceiue some good opinion touching the happie successe of that iourney Besides the great credit and authoritie of Moses with his owne nation and his strong alliance within the countrey was a matter worthie to be thought vpon and did greatly encorage all of them and did put them in hope that they should find great ayde by them of the countrey which the Dibrian also had assured to the Sultan And it may be that he himselfe was perswaded no lesse for he gaue out that he had had conference with some of the most auncient and principall persons of the prouince and that many of his confederates and intelligencers did keepe themselues close and in secret and did rest at his deuotion and that suddenly assoone as they should see his troupes within the countrey they would be readie to come and ioyne with him and bringing a good number of lustie and able youths they would take armes and bend their force against Scanderbeg Thus all things being throughly prepared and he in a readinesse to take his iourney about the three and twentieth of Februarie in the yeare 1453. he departed from Andrinople displaying his vnhappie ensignes in the sight and within the proper bowels of his owne natiue countrey We will leaue the ingrate and vnkind Moses bending his traiterous armes against Epire and in the meane time altering our discourse to yeeld you the more contentment by this history let me intreate you to giue me leaue to dwell a while with that fierce and haughty minded Prince young Mahomet who calleth vpon me to accompanie him in his iourney to Constantinople which he hauing for a long time delayed and deferred yet meant not to breake off nor to giue ouer for altogether You haue read if you remember it in the beginning of this booke with what egernesse and vehemencie his aspyring and his ambitious heart did affect to see the Imperiall Diademe of Greece set vpon his owne head neuerthelesse the iealousie which he had to defende and rescue one litle place in Epyre had made a stay of his goodly progresse and glorious
of our auncient fortune now left vs but our generous harts and deuout soules whereas this Barbarous Scithian it may be our sinnes haue bene the cause there of hath encreased his forces and hath amplified his Empire beyond all discourse of humane reason humbly therfore most holy father I do prostrat my selfe here before your holines I do inuocate call vpon your sacred name I do implore your aide succours most worthy Prelats Cōsult I beseech you make prouisiō take such order that I may haue some meanes to resist against so many tempests stormes of the war that I may with the lesse perill of my life preiudice of my affaires be able to beare sustaine the brunt thereof if the priuate miserie of your soldier do nothing moue you if the afflictiō of your chāpion̄ do not passionate you at least-wise let the cōmon necessitie the imminent perill of your flock the future desolation of the estate of Christēdome stir you vp perswade you is there any seruitude more greeuous thē the Turkish bondage what accidēt can happē more bitter to godly Christiā soules thē to see their infants now vnited vnto Christ by holy baptisme redeemed by the pretious bloud of the son of God to the eternall cōmunion societie of the faithfull afterwards againe to be cut away and separated from him to be nusled in the execrable blasphemies of Mahomet to be made open professed cruell enemies of Christ and his Church to make warre against heauen and to perish in eternall death and damnation Is there any thing more hard and lamentable then to see our owne children issued from our owne bowels to become our enemies and to see them made the onely meanes and ministers to cut our throats and to worke our ruine and destruction it cannot be but this seruitude and bondage of Christian soules is an euill much more greeuous and intollerable then death it selfe This Oration of the King of Epyre was harkened vnto with no lesse attentiuenesse then accepted with the allowaunce and good liking of the whole Consistorie and euery man sayd openly that it was most requisite and necessarie to succour with all speede and diligence their Christian brethren and not to suffer so noble a prouince and so vertuous a people to be deuoured and swallowed vp by so cruell and bloudthirsty an enemie But all these smooth speeches fayre wordes and goodly promises whereof they gaue him plenty proued in the end nothing else then court fauours vanished into smoake what the cause thereof should be I know not but so it happened that at his departure from thence which was soone after he had litle and very small succour of Pope Paul the second who though he were a Venetian borne yet was but badly affectioned towards his owne countrey to the which Scanderbeg was a most inward and faithfull friend ouer and besides the strict and ancient knot of friendship and confederacy which had beene preserued and nourished with great deuotion betweene him and that common-wealth Three thousand Crownes were deliuered into the hands of Demetrius Franke who being one of the chiefe and principall citizens of Driuasta and cosin to the Archbishop of Duraz was treasurer to Scanderbeg and this was all the aide that he found or had from them yet did not this any thing trouble the Prince of Epire neither was he discontented at this sory and simple entertainement but praising God for all he tooke his leaue of the Pope and returned into his owne countrey He was once in the minde to haue gone as farre as Venice but taking aduise vpon the matter and not finding it expedient by reason of the piteous estate wherein he had left his kingdome and countrey of Epire he contented himselfe to send thither his Secretary to let the Senate of that city vnderstand the hard successe of his voyage to Rome and to animate perswade them to ministersome aide succours vnto him the which he obtained as you shall heare Scanderbeg being vpō the way of his return towards Epire went first to Scutary where Iosaphat Barbare had great command and authority of whom we haue spoken heretofore and there hauing made a notable leauy of the subiects of the Venetians he adioyned them to his owne forces In like maner Lech Ducagin and Nicholas his brother being brauelie mounted came vnto him with 400. valiaunt horsemen and as many footmen all of them most expert and skilfull souldiers To these did adioyne them selues a hundreth men at armes armed all in white and 500. footemen Italians being in the pay and entertainment of the Seigniorie of Venice within Scutarie besides 1000. good horse three thousand footmen gathered out from amongst the Scutarians the Driuastines the Antiuarians the Lissians and the Dirrachians in so much that those aides being vnited and incorporated all in one did make vp the full complet number of 13400. chosen men For you are to note that the Princes peoples of Epyre Macedony Sclauony and Dalmatia which were leagued and allyed together did not faile to send ech of them certaine forces all which made their rende vous at a place appointed and were at the command and disposition of Scanderbeg who deuided them into two troupes one part whereof he committed to the conduct and leading of Lech Ducagin aboue named being a knight of no lesse policie then hardinesse in the warres and Nicholas Moneta borne in Scutarie the Vaiuoda or gouernor of that citie being a Gentleman of great estimate and valure had the guiding of the other part of those forces Now it was set downe and appointed that these troupes being dislodged from Lissa and hauing cut ouer the plaine countrie or fieldes of Pharsalia and the forest of Ionimes should make their approach and charge vppon the enemie on that side And that the King of Epyre being accompanied with his owne bandes both horse and foote should make towardes the mountaine of Cruyna there to assaile and set vpon Ballaban on the otherside who had enclosed fortified himselfe exceeding strongly and conueniently vpon that mountaine But before I will leade our Christians any further into the countrie I holde it not amisse to figure and describe vnto you the site of the place where the Mahometan had entrenched him selfe to the intent the matter may be the better represented to your sight and made more plaine and apparant vnto you I told you long sithence that Croy is in Epyre in the fields of Emathia or Pharsalia seated vpon the high crest or ridge of a mountaine which in the circuit and compasse thereof is on all parts enuironed with many steepe downefals excepting in one only place where it is very hardly to be approached and is deuided and cut off from the mount Cruyna which being very nigh continuing on euen close to the towne doth seeme much higher then the same and to
increased by them The two champions thus resolute and well assured being furnished with short daggers for longer weapons would not the streightnesse of the place permit made their entry into the field were there left with great silence on all parts It is not to be imagined that here needed any great counsel and aduise or any rare and extraordinarie hardines and resolution but onely a certaine promptitude and readines and a quicke and deliuer agility of the hand Both of them now standing vpon their gard and ech readie to offend the other the Scythian gaue the first charge and onset vpon his enemie against whom dressing and bearing the point of his dagger he stroke at his belly with intent to haue stabbed him Scanderbeg bending his bodie in all partes and bowing it arch-wise almost in forme of a bow with his left hand seized on the right arme of the barbarian and stayed the blow and in the same instant aduancing his poignard at one blow he cut his throat and that with such dexteritie as he deuided all the arteries of it asunder So that with his tongue yet staggering and stuttering in his head he tumbled to the ground litle wanting but that he filled al the place with the massie hugenes of his bodie But being soone and speedily remoued by those that stood neere at hand to behold the fight and diuerse of the Courtiers also flocking together full of ioy and gladnes about the Victor they led him safe and sound vnto the presence of Amurath vnto whome being exceedingly ioyous of his good happe with his hands yet all bloody his champion presented the head of the dead Scythian Then were deliuered vnto him the rewardes ordained for the partie that should obtaine the victorie which he accepted as it were vnwillingly protesting that he did not hazard himselfe in that enterprise neither for gold nor siluer but onely to maintaine the honor of the Court and to represse the arrogancie of the barbarian So great was the modestie of this braue Epirot that thereby he allured vnto him more and more the good will of ech person the naturall bountie and dexteritie of his gentle heart abolishing the enuie and hatred which the excellency of exceeding vertue doth vsually engender in men of his sort and calling I hold it not amisse here in this place also to recount one other exploite which he atchieued with no lesse honor and commendation and with like courage by force of armes At such time as he followed Amurath into Bithynia in a voiage which he made thither rather for his pleasure and recreation then vpon any occasion of warre There were at that time in the citie of Bursa which is at this present the capitall city of the empire of Asia two Persians named Iaia Zampsa being of a very faire goodly stature most sumptuously apparelled as is the manner of that nation they came to seeke out the Turkish Prince demanded entertainment in his seruice Ech of thē pleaded in the behalfe of the other and by magnifying and extolling their owne acts the one sought to further the others sute with mutuall testimonies and soothing vp of ech other that it seemed to proceed more of a kind of impudent and shamelesse audacitie then of any valure or resolution in them At last Zampsa the younger of the two spake vnto Amurath in this manner To the intent most mightie and puissant king it may not be thought that we are come furnished onely with glorious speeches and great wordes to demaund thy pay and that the certaintie thereof being vnknowne vnto thee we be not condemned of vaine arrogancie nor of foolish hardinesse and forward temeritie behold here we are readie to make proofe before thee of our courages if not haughtie yet at least desirous of honor and glorie Though there be here many braue men and full of valure we chalenge them all to take armes that it may be tryed whether we be worthy or vnworthy to liue vnder the commaund of thy greatnesse Then shewing that they had no other armes but their horse sword launce and shield and that their bodies were not otherwise armed they sayed that they would combat only thus appointed Amurath as he was both courteous and gracious after he had spoken vnto them with a kind of benignitie he promised them that they should want nothing which on his part might be conueniently yeelded vnto them And then turning his head and looking here and there round about him he stayed to see if any one would receiue the chalenge But perceiuing that euery man stood still and mute and that all his seruants did by their silence bewray a secret confession and acknowledgement of their faintnesse backwardnes supposing it would be smally for his honor reputation if the presumption of those Persians should so rest vnpunished casting his countenance vpon Scanderbeg as being well acquainted with his hardines and fierce courage by meanes whereof he made no doubt but he would vpon any termes vndertake it though the perill were very doubtfull and hazardous he thus spake vnto him What is thy cause of stay my sonne in whom all vertue and valure doe abound so exceedingly This doth belong to thee and the glorie of this victorie doth tarrie for thee Go to then once againe at this time let the gallantise and brauery of thy youth and thy inuincible arme be made yet more famous and memorable by some notable act in this spectacle Litle entreatie needed to encourage him to this attempt for hauing kissed the prince his feete according to the Turkish custome he called for horse and armour to be giuen him and issuing forth with great applause of the people into the middest of a large plaine appointed for the combat with a braue audacity he called his enemies vnto him demaunding of them what order they ment to obserue in the fight The conclusion was that Iaia should first assay his fortune and if he were victorious that then the fight should be determined but if he were vanquished then his companion should succeede him and at all aduentures to abide the hazard of the like condition Scanderbeg would not refuse their order albeit the kings seruantes who accompanied him into the listes did alleage the inequalitie of the order affirming that it was against reason that the party which had the victorie against the one if he hapned to be either weary or wounded should endure a second enemy fresh and sound notwithstanding after that the presse of people was auoided out of the place the trumpet gaue the signall of the battell and the champions set spurres to their horses fetching a full course ech against the other Then the Persian hauing fastned his lance in the shield of his aduersarie bare himselfe close coutched with all his force full vppon him thinking to haue throwen him from his horse and therewithall he brake his staffe vpon him On the other side the Albanois who ranne
perswade the courages of his men at armes whose eares were deafe and would not hearken vnto them for but a verie fewe of them were reserued aliue and such as of whom they hoped to haue great ransomes Scanderbeg did neither openly approue nor in his heart did he condemne this seueritie yet it was that which he most desired doing alwayes the like to the intent he might altogether abolish the name of Turkes out of the prouice For the residue of his affaires because he could not be present in all places and for that the present occasions did require expedition and extreme celeritie he made a diuision of his troupes Some of the chiefest young men he sent into diuerse parts of the countrey here and there to dispatch that which remained as to stirre vp their confederates and to preuent their enemies Amese with about two hundred men was appointed to enter within Croie for he was certified that there were not sufficient forces to gard the place and yet was that to be regarded as their principall garrison Him selfe riding and posting into all quarters sometimes on one side sometimes on another and hauing a verie carefull eye to all occasions he employed and spent certaine dayes for the recouerie of some other places and to gayne by his presence the amitie and good affection of all parties There remained one onely point but of greater labour and difficultie then all the rest and that was the subduing of the other townes in the reducing of the which to his obeisance consisted no small importance of the recouerie of his estate Bâ—â— for that they were all defended by good and strong garrisons of the Sultan it was aduised that the fort ought to be enterprised with more puissant and brauer forces and with mature and readie deliberation For this cause it was concluded that all those whom he had departed and deuided into sundrie quarters and vpon diuerse charges should reenforce and with as much speede as might be augment their bandes with fresh supplies and this done they should repaire incontinently to Croy Scanderbeg himselfe tooke his way thither forthwith and there continued attending their comming Litle distance of time was there betweene his arriuall and theirs and the report hereof did drawe manie others also into the action For manie noble and excellent Captaines especially of his allyes came to seeke him speedily and well accompanied amongest whom were Musache de Angeline so called by the common sort being his Nephewe by his sister Angelina and the two Streeses Goique and George brethren his Nephewes also by his sister Iella and Gyne Musache the husband of Vlaica for Iohn his father before his decease had married all his daughters to diuerse Princes and great Lordes of the countrie excepting Mamisa who was giuen by Scanderbeg to Musache de Thopie after the recouerie of his Realme and the pacification of his estate Also from Steuen Cernouiche who had espoused Mara and had by her many goodly children he wanted not ambassages to visite him and to congratulate his good fortune and prosperitie besides great succours that he sent him both of men and money More then these there did gather assemble together from houre to houre such a concourse of people comming resorting vnto him that they came at length to exceede the number of 12000. men on his parte Castriot being notably encouraged by this fauour and good affection of his friends and subiects and seeing them fully prest and readie to march he would not set forward vntill he had in full counsell deliberated vppon his affaires and that he had vsed some exhortation vnto his armie Thus therefore or the like in effect he spake vnto them I see not here braue Captaines and valiant souldiers any new vnexpected matter nor more then I haue heretofore in my minde coniectured or that my hopes did make promise of vnto me as often as I called to mind the auncient worthinesse of this Nation and your singular deuoire towardes my deceased father For be it spoken without presumption of my selfe I neuer doubted but that I should alwayes retayne the same minde and the selfe same loue and affection to my countrie and that I should be alwaies of like courage for the recouerie of our publique libertie In like manner your desires your vowes and your wishes were in effect together with mine ioyntly but as one and the same thing For manie times whereof willingly and freely I doe delight to make often rehearsall you did by all manners and meanes of affection and dutie conuite me vnto this charge whilest I was yet abiding about Amurath Peraduenture in your opinion I might seeme to haue beene forgetfull of my countrie to haue forgotten mine owne honour and it might be you thought me carelesse of our deliuerance and freedome at such time as I sent you home to your houses charged with sorrow without any certaine hope without anie apparance or likelihoode of anie generous or honourable thought seene or discerned in me Certainely my good citizens by that dissembled remissnesse and default of mine I prouided both for your suretie and mine owne securitie the estate of our affayres being then of that qualitie and disposition as they required rather to be put in execution then to be consulted on besides that I haue in you a greater necessitie rather of a bridle to restraine you then of spurres to pricke you on to the recouerie of your libertie True it is that I concealed from you my deliberations but the cause why I so long forbare to make knowen vnto you my readie will and affection was not for that I either suspected your loyaltie or that I had not sufficient knowledge of your good hearts for your selues were the first that entred into this dangerous course and made me acquainted with the secrets of your thoughts but that which turned and withdrew me from it was the frailtie of mortall men and the inconstancie of mens mindes the which as in all other actions it is brittle variable and inconsiderate so must it be drawen with force and violence and not guided by any gentle entreatie and vsage to seeke and purchase libertie For it is in nothing stable and constant neither doth it obserue any good order or direction and if there fall out any the least occasion or opportunitie which may giue any hope or plausibilitie for the purchasing thereof or for the attempting of it onely not a thousande swordes not a million of perils not manifest death and apparant hazard to loose both life and goods might haue diuerted and turned vs from our purpose But after that the matter once in vaine attempted had made knowen your endeuors either must you haue endured a most cruell punishment or a bondage farre more hard and intollerable all hope had beene quite taken from you in time to come and the oportunitie once let slippe had beene lost for euer after so that this fact must haue bene enterprised once
requisite that wee carrie our selues towardes them in all courtesie and vse them friendly and fauourably both in generall and in particular to the intent wee may make others the more tractable and keepe them from being too obstinate and desperate The modestie of Scanderbeg by this Oration was principally made knowen and it was highly commended of all the armie neither was his aduise and counsell in any point either chaunged or ill accepted Moses with three thousand horsemen as vauntcurrers were sent before to Petrella being followed neere at hande by Castriot who led the residue of the forces Some say that hee caried with him certaine ordinaunce founde within Croy the sooner to astonishe those within the towne But others doe affirme that the whole seruice was enterprised and ended without anie helpe of artillerie at all For my parte if it be true as some saye that he reconquered all his estate within the space of one moneth onely hardly can I beleeue that hee would charge and trouble himselfe with such a trayne of cariages especially in the winter when all the wayes were so hard frozen and so full of yse that neither horse nor man could easily trauell but with great difficultie though they had beene little or nothing at all loaden and burdened The armie of the Albanoys being arriued before the walles and the companies quartered into diuerse partes the towne was quickely enuironned to the most aduantage that might be deuised the greater parte of their forces were lodged in Tyranna the greater so named by reason of a lesser seated neere Croye for that the place thereabouts seemed most conuenient and next at hande to encampe in The besiegers and the besieged were both of one minde neuerthelesse Castriot endeuoured first of all by faire and courteous speeches and by great and large promises to sounde their determination and hauing made choise of one of his owne companie faithfull and expert in this facultie and whome he had brought with him of the reliques of the warre of Hungarie into Epyre hee sent him vnto the Petrellians to offer them ouer and aboue the safetie of their liues and baggage anie other reasonable composition vpon condition that they would render vp the place and in case they would abide with him and exchaunge both their lawe and their maister together or if they had rather to returne to their owne Prince againe that he should promise all of them good store of siluer besides rich giftes vnto the Gouernour This souldier being of a quicke spirite and verie subtell with speeches fitte and appertinent to the purpose finding this people alreadie enclyning to yeelde themselues brought them to such reason as himselfe desired and he tooke not the beginning of his perswasion concerning Scanderbeg but in regarde of the mishappes and great businesse of Amurath vppon his discomfiture in Hungarie and the conspiracie of the Christians against the Turkes And then with a firme assurance he came to the instructions of his Captaine often times insinuating for a colour into the mindes of the hearers the prosperous fortune of the garrison of Croye and the miserable condition of the others who laie dispersed throughout all the corners of the Prouince and were left and abandoned for foode vnto Wolues and dogges in the open fieldes The trueth of these perswasions beeing in parte heard and in part seene with their owne eyes they were soone and verie easily beleeued and the conditions were accepted that they should freely depart with their armes bagge and baggage as for other presentes they regarded not The Gouernour therefore appointed certaine to treate with Scanderbeg vppon this point and to ratifie the agreement with solemne oath All matters beeing concluded and ended the Barbarians departed there was a newe garrison receiued within Petrella and the Prince of Albanie being mindefull of his promise after he had honoured and kindly entreated the enemies with good speeches he furnished them with money horse and victuals and after sent Moses with certaine horsemen to conduct them to the frontiers of Epyre for feare least they should suffer some outrage by meanes of secret ambushmentes or open violence on one side or other by his owne followers as diuerse others had suffered the like vsage Beholde nowe in the discourse of these affaires howe the exceeding and wonderfull good fortune of this Chiefetaine doth bewray it selfe no lesse then his singular and excellent vertue and as God did succour him in preseruing him from the traines of Amurath when he abode with him In likecase I may iustly auerre that at the verie time of his setling and reestablishment in his Signiorie he did not onely fauour him but did also fight for him The towne of Petrella though small in circuit is notwithstanding inexpugnable by reason of her situation both for the nature of the place and the height of the mountaine vppon the toppe whereof it is seated besides it was aboundantly prouided of men armes and munition Neuerthelesse in the winter time being a verie hard and vnfit season for the siege of townes it made so little resistance against him that hee lost not in the winning thereof so much as one souldier nor as the common saying is a worde wast or in vaine Herein also haue we to commende his singular patience which stoode him to great purpose and his bodily strength which was hardened to all trauailes besides the infatigable and vnwearied vigour of his spirite whereby he executed all offices and dueties of charge with great promptnesse and celeritie But to the matter The fortresse being regayned and all thinges necessarie ordayned and prouided he made not anie abode there not so much as a day an houre or anie moment of time but at the verie instant trussing vppe his baggage hee ledde his forces against the other townes so speedily as though they had fledde away before him All places were couered with snowe the faces of his men were euen shronke with colde their handes frozen their bodies benummed and almost senselesse yet would he suffer no man to enter into the towne saue onely the garrison neither would himselfe set foote within it to make others as it were ashamed by the example which himselfe gaue them But one thing there is reported of him of farre greater maruell which I may not suffer to be forgotten and that is that from the first day in which he entred into Epyre euen to the perfect and full recouerie of his estate it was neuer knowen that he slept at any time full two houres in a night which may bee reputed a miracle proper to a bodie of some diuine nature and to a supernaturall force and vigour It may well be that he attayned to this patience of labour and sufferance of hardnesse by a custome in often watching by daily exercise and by the greatnesse of his forces Some doe holde which the auncients also did excuse in that great personage Papirius Cursor that he was a
ample and large occasion either to commende you or to accuse you for at this present I doe not thinke it needefull either to prayse or dispraise any man For what iudgement can be made of a souldier onely brauing and vaunting himselfe within a campe Then will I make the censure of your deserts when I see your swordes smoaking with the bloud of the Turkes when my selfe both as a beholder and an encourager will immitate your prowes being prodigall both of life and safetie At that time will I heape vpon you all sortes of commendation and rewardes But if any one of you doe feele his courage to waxe colde through cowardice measuring our forces by those of the enemie if he thinke that those who surmount in number will surmount also in vertue Let him freely depart and dislodge from hence I speake it in a good houre for feare least going with vs hee serue rather to make vppe the number then to giue vs ayde or succour let him retire hence to his owne home presentlie Or if all of you be of that opinion and that this feare be common vnto you in generall If neither God nor man can make you ashamed let vs then reenforce and strenthen this our armie with some newe supplyes or else let vs turne our faces and retire speedily But he which shall redoubt and stand in feare of the follow with a troupe of horse and to couer themselues vnder their sides by meanes whereof they might be the better able both to safe gard themselues from the enemie and to endammage the Barbarians the more grieuously who mistrusted no such kind of matter in their ordering betweene the one and the other of these troupes stoode George Strese a Knight most hardie and couragious accompanied with the souldiers and all the youth of Croy round about him hauing so disposed of them purposely that he might be both the beholder and encourager of his citizens After the squadron of archers followed the maine bodie of the infanterie namely the bands of pikes and targatyers conducted by Aidyn the brother of Gnee Musachee Vranocontes a sage and expert warrior with the rest of the horsemen led the rereward and the supplies This was a strong and close batallion compounded of the flower of the olde souldiers and best men holding themselues firme like a bulwarke for the rallay retraite of the other troupes before that they should be broken or forced to recule the Romaines named it Triarij The troupes of footmen that marched with him were commanded and had in charge that assoon as they should see their fellowes to breake forth in the am buscado and the enemie charged behind and entangled betweene the two points or wings of the armie they should suddenly spread themselues and opening their rancks should giue way vnto the men at armes and that then with a new terror they should disorder the enemie and with one and the same charge strike in vpon them being alreadie wearied and sore trauelled and that then the said footmen closing and ioyning themselues againe in troupe in their owne places should together with the supplies stand fast and keepe the batallions from being broken or endammaged till such time as they might see manifest and apparant likelihood of victorie and the enemie in full disaray and disorder In this manner had Scanderbeg martialled his troups and caused them to holde close without suffering the trumpet to giue the signall of fight till he sawe the Bassa also arranged in order of battell and aduancing forward For he feared least that the souldiers disbanding themselues through ouermuch haste and rashnesse to the encounter and breaking their orders by reason of their too great furie and desire to aduance themselues should bring the estate of the whole armie to some encombrance The Generall of the Turkes considering the order of our battelles aduanced forwarde and by way of mockery often repeated these wordes Euer euer quoth he doe the greater deuour the lesser and with open throate he laughed both to see them so raunged and at the foolish pompe of the Christian marching so formally as he thought to his owne funerals One of the Ottoman legions was come forward with great hardinesse before the others but being charged speedily and neerely by the forlorne hope of the Christians they gaue backe and forsooke their place as suddenly before that the two armies had affronted ech other and at the verie first beginning they suffered thēselues to be beaten backe euen within their trenches retyring themselues faster then a good pace But the Prince of Albanie misdoubting some Turkish stratageme sent forth part of his horsemen both to stay the furious pursuit of his souldiers and to bring euery man into his place The like hapened in the left wing and therefore both the one and the other being retyred to their troupes they prepared themselues againe to the future conflict and to come vnto a full battell with both the armies Now were the Mahometists the more encouraged for that a few of theirs in a mockerie as it were had deceiued many of the Christians wherefore when the maine fight beganne Tanuse and Moses parting betwene them the two wings of the enemie went fiercely to the encounter And Castriot with the like furie pricking forward cheerefully with his horse did assaile the Batallion of the enemie that himselfe had made choise of At one and the same time also was the ambushment ready to breake forth of the wood with most high and loud cries and clamours before that the enemie with all his forces had giuen in vppon our squadrons and before that all were come equally to the medley Manie companies of the Turkes perceiuing this especially those of the rereward being possessed with a sudden feare leauing both the campe and the charge betooke themselues to flight so that they in the vowarde being surprised and inclosed by the two wings of the Christians did see themselues exposed to the butcherie and slaughter of the middle legion There was but one batallion onely of the enemie which Scanderbeg was not able to breake nor durst to set vpon so well was the same defended and reenforced by the Barbarians who had made it of their greatest number of their people as a sure and safe rampier for the safetie of the whole armie There as it was soone after knowen did the Bassa Haly being enuironned with the stoutest and strongest forces of all his armie maintaine the euent and hazard of the battell for a verie long time wauering and vncertaine In this meane while Aydin hauing charged vpon the middle warde of the Turkish armie and pressing hard vppon those legions had filled all with murther and bloudshedde and the tumult was there more bloudie and desperate then in anie other part of the fight For the enemie seeing that there was no meanes of fasetie left him but onely by armes with the greatest furie that might be forced in vppon our men with
puissance made the Christians to keepe good watch ward throughout their hoast and in all the quarters of their campe euery man being cōmanded to make himselfe ready to the battell Vladislaus in the meane time and the other Princes his confederates entring into councell did consult vppon the seuerall occurrences of their affaires debating vpon many and diuers matters which were propounded of no small weight and consequence but the conclusion was that they would hazard the fortune of the field in case that Amurath would accept the battell The whole charge of the armie and the ordering and marshalling of the seuerall squadrons and troupes was committed to Hunyades to dispose of it as he saw cause in the execution whereof he made shewe both of his best deuoire and endeuour and of all the skill and experience which he had of a long time purchased by the practise pursuit and managing of armes For he so placed and ordered his armie that behind them and at their backes they had the mountaines to defende them the one of the flankes was garded with the marrish aboue mentioned and the other was fortified and defended with chariots chayned and bound together The Turkes were the first that beganne the fight the which hauing continued for a while the vantgard of the Turkish armie was receiued so couragiously and pressed with such furie by the Christians that as if the victorie had beene alreadie gotten by them the same was soone disordered and put to flight and pursued more then two miles off in so much that Amurath himselfe had beene driuen to shift for his owne safetie if the two Bishoppes of Varadia and Strigonia who were better skilled in their Portuisse then practised in armes had not disbanded them selues vnaduisedly and forsaken the place assigned them onely for the chasing of the enemie on that side where they were broken which was the occasion that a great and freshe troope of Turkish archers on horsebacke charging in flancke on that side which they had abandoned and left vndefended did finde an easie entrie in vppon them and they greatly troubled the rankes of our footemen with a shower and tempest as it were of their shotte and arrowes which they powred vppon them thicke and thinne Hunyades with his Valachians running speedily thither presently vppon his arriuall chaunged the fortune of the fight which continued for a long time doubtfull and vncertaine Afterwardes hauing his eye open on all partes and to all occasions wheresoeuer he saw his owne forces to haue the worst he succoured the left wing which as then also was sore encombred and was not able to sustaine and endure the shocke of the enemy but he notwithstanding still vphelde and maintained them in good point Yet would he not hinder but that Amurath in the meane time founde the leasure opportunity to re-ally himselfe and by the encouragement of Haly Bassa he made head with his squadron of Ianissaries and renued the perill of the encounter Hunyades was in great doubt feare of his young king whose fiery and haughty courage did giue him great cause to suspect some hazard and misaduenture by his rashnes and temeritie And indeede it fell out that the vnfortunate Prince of an hardie and inuincible courage had broken in vpon the rankes of the Ianissaries fighting and beating with the men at armes vpon the troupes of horse which serued for the gard of Amurath his person Great was the number both of men and horses which were there laide on the ground some of them being slaine and others hauing their legges cut off or maymed In so much that they could not any longer march vppon the plaine ground but they were constrained to make themselues way vppon the heapes of dead bodies ech pressing and rushing vppon others so egerly and fiercely that a man would haue iudged it rather a meere rage and furie then any ardent and vehement desire of victorie that animated them on in this conflict The Ianissaries stoutly sustained the force and violence of the Hungarians which were in company with their king yet did he himselfe in the end breake in amongst them and they most politiquely receiued him into the middest of their battallion whereof it ensued That being held either as dead or taken prisoner at the same instant that the Turkes were now turning their backes and readie to flie away the Christians also on the other side as hauing left their king did beginne to abandon the place and in steede of fighting fell to plaine flying In this manner both the one partie and the other beganne to giue place to their enemie in so much that ech of them was ignorant of their owne good successe and aduantage in so suddaine and variable an inclination of their fortune Vpon these alterations Iohn Hunyades seeing the Christians in disaray and most fearefully and shamefully to forsake their rankes he made himselfe way through the middest and thickest of the presse and being come to the place where Vladislaus then was he shewed him the disorder the affray and confusion of the Christians hee cryed and called vnto him he requested and entreated him to turne bridle and to yeelde vnto the present mischance and not to hazard all to vtter mischiefe and to the misfortune of an entire discomfiture that there was as yet great good hope of the victorie and that it attended and stayed for him considering that the losse on his side was so small and of so litle account that it appeared in a manner as none at all and that therefore it were good he did retire himselfe within his Chariots and trenches with his men safe and sound as they were ere they were altogether scattered and dispersed For the losse of his life alone would not onely hazard and endaunger his owne realmes dominions but the state of all Europe and the whole bodie of Christendome All these perswasions and reasons notwithstanding the king still thrusting himselfe most vndiscreetly into the midst of his enemies after a sharpe furious conflict his horse being wounded hought he was in the end ouerthrown to the groūd and so slaine in the companie of many of his Nobles both Hungarians Polonians Hunyades for a time held good and made resistance endeuouring and assaying diuers times to haue rescued the kings body but all was in vaine For the head being cut off and fastened vpon the end of a launce the Christians vppon sight thereof being on all partes terrified and abashed did seeke by maine flight to purchase the securitie of their owne persons excepting certaine Valachians with whom their Chiefe and leader Huniades seeing that he could not stand against the huge multitudes of the Infidels tooke part also with the rest in the retreate Holding it no disgrace after the decease of the king that some should remaine to reuenge the ignominie of this ouerthrowe and to extinguish the memorie of so dishonorable a defeat And
Court of the Sultan sodainely as a man that went euer furnished and appointed to all casualties and accidents of warre taking the occasion of time and place He first of all seized vppon a certaine streight and narrow valley named Mocrea which was the onely place where the Turkishe Captaine was able to passe and he disposed it full of souldiours all hardy men and well resolued The Bassa began now to approach and the huge thicknesse of the dust raised by the treading and trampling of their horses did euidently discouer that the enemy was neare at hand Our men keeping their stand did attend with no lesse silence the discouery of the enemy til such time as they saw them entred into the hollow vallies and enuironed with high and craggy rockes full of woods and that they were entangled on all sides in the thicke and huge forrests Then issuing out vpon them with great fury violence sodainly and vnexpected they presented them selues to the enemy There were of footmen about the number of one thousand fiue hundred besides two thousand horse at the least But these were reserued to a further and better peece of seruice The Turkes who had enough to doe and were sufficiently beaten with the discommodities and disaduauntages of the place were on all sides assailed both before behinde and in flanke by the Infantery who killed and slew them at their pleasures They notwithstanding not forsaking their ranckes but defending themselues with great hardinesse as long as there was any hope of victory did stoutly continue in the same place where the enemy had first charged them But the horses did rather hurt and hinder then benefite or succour their maisters and were in the end the losse and ouerthrow of the riders For being as men besieged they receiued and tooke more wounds by far then they could giue or inflict vppon their enemies And yet when as all appearaunce and likelihood of escaping this daunger was cleane taken from them euen then did they shew themselues more valiant and hardy then euer they maintained the fight with the greater obstinacy almost all of them keeping the selfsame place to the very death where they had once set footing and taken possession whilest they were aliue Some few only being excepted whom either the shameful desire of life or a more vrgent resolution taken vpon the place for they scorned to die such a kinde of death the desire whereof was more foolish and contemptible then honest or commendable did make them to humble themselues on their knees and to lay down their armes which made the conquerors to saue their liues and take them to mercy There were of them taken prisoners 760. but of those which were slaine the number was much greater Thus the Barbarians making hast to the prey became themselues to be an easy prey to their enemies giuing vnto the Christians a ioyfull testimony of their misconceited false imagined victory Ferisey seeing the vantgard of his owne army enclosed surprised and the enemy busily fleshing themselues in their slaughter plying themselues vpon this occasion as hauing gotten a fit subiect for their glory hee turned bridell with the residue of his troopes and being smally mindfull either of his Princes instructions or of his owne naturall fiercenes he was vtterly vnwilling in so sodaine and vnloked for an accident and in a place of such disaduauntage to make any further triall to his cost perhappes of a worser Fortune doubting both the danger and the number of the enemies to be greater then he supposed Hee therefore turned his backe to the Christians and in his retire hee cried out aloft that it was more commendable in an expert Captaine to saue some then to lose all especially in such a place where euen as dumbe beastes they must giue their throates to the cutting True it is that there be some who write that he was slaine in the fight by the handes of Scanderbeg But the horsemen of the Albanois did not suffer their retraite to bee altogether without bloudshedde but keeping continually in the taile of them as they fled they did kill many of them which stragled and stayed behinde and they pressed vppon them hard pursuing them continually till such time as they grewe to be somewhat wearyed and depriued rather of strength then of will and appetite to chase and follow them These matters being thus dispatched and the Turkes put to flight without any great hurt of his owne companies Scanderbeg with all those troopes which he had with him did inuade the territory of the enemy filling and satisfying the desires of the souldiers with the sweete contentment of prey and pillage The misfortune of Ferisey was seconded with the like desaster mishap of Mustapha no lesse vnhappy vnfortunat For the Ottoman vnderstanding of the rough entertainment giuen by the Albanois to his forces that their flight was not only profitable but more then needfull and that their fortune in this case after they had bene enforced to take that oportunity had deserued no iust cause of blame or reprehension to be layd vpon them he hauing his mind maruellously troubled and perplexed and being vtterly impatient of all rest and quietnesse night and day imagined and cast with him selfe touching Scanderbeg bending all his counsells and the vttermost of his despite and malice how he might worke his ruine and destruction Besides his thoughts affected nothing more he being vtterly ignorant of his owne mishap then one day to see the fields of Epire where he did hope to find some matter to execute his long wished and desired reuenge of so many outrages and iniuries both of old and lately committed in such sort that some secret force and operation of the heauens did seeme to draw on the fate of his old age which of it owne nature was fearefull faint and timerous but the troubles which were reported to be as then imminent from the Hungarians did not permit and suffer him freely as then to discharge his rage and choller against the Epirots The glorious old fellow with the like humour of wrath and malice did not for beare to reproch and menace Huniades saying that this was not the first time that the tumults and troubles of Hungarie had saued and preserued the state of Albany neuerthelesse because he could not suffer nor endure the bloud of his souldiers so lately shed nor that the bodies of so many valiant warriers should lie on the earth without any reuenge and especially because he was perswaded that the profitable example of the former might keepe others hereafter from the like surprise learn them to be wiser and for that the troupes of Ferisey seemed to haue bene vanquished not by any prowesse of the Christians but onely by the disaduantage of the place he committed the care of this businesse into the hands of Mustapha of whom afterwards he did often but not with any great good successe serue
place of his Campe and did performe rather the part of an encorager thē of a soldier seeing no hope of safetie left by armes and being constrained to yeeld to his misfortune he shifted himselfe from the danger by the swiftnes of his horse at one of the ports of his camp which was farthest off frō his enemies Immediatly hereupon the conflict began to be more moderate and lesse cruell with lesse slaughter bloudshed by reason that some casting away their weapons did submit themselues to the Christians the residue partaking in the necessitie of their Captaine did shift for their liues with quicke spurring of their horses Manie whom the earnest desire of their profit had drawne far from their fort misdoubting the ill successe of their companions by the cries and noise of the enemie which they heard a far off did endeuor to saue themselues by flying but there was scant any one of thē that escaped for diuerse great troups of archers lay in waite vpon the passages who annoying thē with the abundance of their arrows did by that meanes discharge their anger vpon them Some hold that the whole power of the Turkes excepting Mustapha and a few of the principall who were best mounted was slaine in that battell But in my opinion they come nighest to the troth who write that there were slaine about 5000. men but a far lesser number taken prisoners which amounted not at the most to aboue 300. and the most of thē mightily disfigured or maimed by their many and grieuous wounds because that the soldiers being incredibly incensed vpon the sight of the pillage gotten frō their fellowes and the extreme spoile desolation of their countrey were caried away moued to vse the greater furie and crueltie towards them Of the victors there were wanting but 20. horsemen and 50. foote who were rather ouerrun with the horses then slaine by the sword of the enemy Thus the Albanois being now possessed of the campe the ensignes the baggage the cariages of their enemies they inuaded also and ouerrun their territories where with a prize and bootie more assured and of better certaintie they recompenced that losse dammage which had bene receiued by the Turkes with a greater vsurie and aduantage About the same time that these things were so happily atchieued against the infidels it is reported that Lech Zacharie of whom we haue before made some mention was vnfortunately murthered by Lech Ducagin the sonne of Paul This man was a personage who made himselfe famous through the happie and prosperous successe of his wicked actions yet borne of a father who was a good man and most vertuous Other reason I find none of his secret hatred and malice nor any occasion of his conspiracie against him but onely a damnable desire of Empire and dominion a sweete yet mischieuous maladie naturally grounded and rooted in the mindes of mortall men For these two Princes being next neighbours each to other and Ducagin perceiuing the other to be without issue hauing no hope of any lawfull heires he thought belike that the succession of his estate would easily fall escheate to him that could first and soonest seize vpon it whereupon he both depriued him of his life and at the same instant he iniuriously vsurped a great part of his signiory Yet could he not absolutely fully accomplish his deuillish intent which he had so wickedly begun and attempted For the Daynians who inhabited the capitall towne chiefe fortresse of that countrey by their consent faith and fidelitie the onely meane wherein they could make shew therof did testifie their loue and affection which they bare to their Prince And whereas the Ladie Bossa the mother of him that was slaine being very old and aged was not a litle pensiue and sorowfull in that she had suruiued her sonne they defended her estate with great loyalty till such time as she induced thereunto by the counsell and practise of others and by the perswasion of her friends or imagining that the infirmitie of her aged yeares and the weake spirit of a woman was not sufficient to go through with so great a charge especially the state of her affairs being so troublesome and tumultuous she conueyed her selfe to* Scutary or Scodra and resigned both her selfe and the surplus of her estate which was left her into the hands and power of the common weale of Venice casting vpon them the charge and whole burden of all the quarels and contention which was like to ensue and growe betweene them and the neighbour Princes and Seigniors about the right of her dominions See now how fortune prepared her self to make Scanderbeg famous renowmed on the one side by the armes and forces of Italie in that she bred a iarre betweene him and the Venetians and on the other side by Mystapha who in the presence of Amurath as an vpright iudge although enuious against his enemy with a great discourse and abundance of good words both to couer his owne misfortune to excuse the fault of his companions did highly extoll the inuincible prowesse of this personage and his incomparable experience in the Art militarie oftentimes repeating that it was needfull to prouide other maner of forces and with a more mightie kind of warre to tame his furie and fiercenesse that this was not the way to sound the mind to try the stirring thoughts of Scanderbeg by such rodes and inuasions and by the spoyling and wasting of the fields that these were meanes rather to incense and animate the harts of the Albanois who were a nation of a braue nature and of a high corage that these ambushments and wiles of warre were not to preuaile against him that was his crafts-master in such subtilties but that they would always redound to their ruine confusion and more then that by the course and custome of so many daily victories by litle and litle they should ingender a contempt of the name maiesty of Ottoman among the Christians that in his opinion the best way was either altogether to abstaine giue ouer frō making war vpon him or else to frame themselues to follow the wars with so full resolution that they might at once and without any more a do vanquish and subdue this enemie and so make a finall end conclusion of the warre of Albany These reasons and allegations of the Bassa though the Sultan did take small pleasure in the praises of his aduersary could not seeme to proceed of pusillanimity or want of corage seeing he had before his eies the like misfortunes of all those whom he had at any time sent and emploied against Castriot Somtimes Haly Bassa and somtimes Ferisey who of all others was least faulty did put him in minde of their calamities more singular and notorious they did excuse vnto their Prince Amurath the vnfortunat vertue of Mustapha Wherefore he also changing his mind a common
their first encounter were repulsed by the archers but when they once came to approach and ioyne neere ech to other and that the vse of their arrowes did serue to little purpose the Targatyers couering them selues with their targets and the residue of those which were light armed came to the sword and fought with the enemy hand to hand In the meane time Scanderbeg couering the Archers with his troupe of horses and causing them a little to retire them selues gaue them the meanes to vse againe their bowes more conueniently The Pike men for that they were safely armed with good and strong corselets had aduentured them selues the more hardly and came to assault the enemy the more cruelly whereby they put their fellowes in good hope of victorie There began the wings to ioyne on both sides with high mighty cries which madethe very aire to resound againe The Albanois exceeded the other in number and goodnesse of their horse yet was the place indifferent to them both and no more for the vantage of the one then of the other for the place where this field was foughten was in the middest of a goodly large plaine and champion and neare adioyning to the riuer of Drynon The Venetians being for a while equall to the enemy rather in forces then in courage did for a long time maintaine the fight about their Generall with variable and doubtfull fortune till such time as the Prince of Albanie and certaine horse with him charging them in the middest did breake through the battell by meanes wherof many being wounded and great numbers of them being dispersed and disordered all hope of the victorie had bene taken from the Venetians had it not bene for the Illirians who rallying them selues on all sides and trouping together in grosse as the agillitie and quicknesse of that nation is singular they made head againe against the enemy and with a greater strength did reassure the corps du Garde of the Venetian Generall valiantly keeping of the enemy yet so as they seemed rather to stand vpon their defence then any way to offend their aduersarie The mayne battels on both sides stood still all this while and kept their ground seeming rather to take a view then to entermeddle in the fight so long as the wings or points being in fight did with doubtfull euent encounter each other But assoone as Tophia saw the right wing of the enemy hardly bestead he taking courage by the former example of Scanderbeg with a troupe of his best horsemen and part of the infanterie presently charged vpon the middest of the left wing of the enemy bringing them also into a new feare and confusion For the Illirians who were placed in the front to beare the shocke of the enemy were not able to endure the charge but made presently to the right wing and there stood vpon their owne defence betraying their companions on the one side whom they had forsaken and on the other side they brought by their comming the greater difficultie vnto Scanderbeg who was there striuing and inforcing him selfe to breake through the corps du Gard of the Illirians The like also did their footemen after their departure for being not able to make their partie good against the Albanois horsemen they scattered them selues here and there and hauing their best assurance in their legges they made them the meanes of their safety which was the occasion also that the horsemen of Scutarie being left naked open to the enemy saw them selues sodainly disabled broken by the Albanois for both their leaders and many others were taken prisoners who being abandoned and forsaken of their footemen and despairing of safety by hauing any farther recourse to armes did yeeld them selues to the disposition of Scanderbeg his souldiers this made the other companies also greatly to feare least that Scanderbeg hauing once broken through that battell of the Illirians which he had already charged should afterwarde charge also the backe of the wings and so enclosing them on all sides might presse them the more furiously But the successe of the vanquishers fell not out according to the fearefull imagination of the vanquished so mightily doth prosperity oftentimes dull the minds of men For the leaders when they saw themselues to haue this aduantage tooke no greater regard of any other thing but held themselues contented that they could present vnto their souldiers as it were in shewe and triumph their enemies bounden and captiue Castriot likewise not regarding the common souldiers but disdaining as it were the bloud of the inferiour and priuate sort did wholly enforce himselfe to enterprise vpon the Generall but a great and strong troupe of horse did hinder him from approching neere him and by that meanes disappointed him of his purpose The fight thus continuing on all handes Moses who had charged vpon the left wing of the Venetian armie where they of Scutarie serued did draw all men to the regard and beholding of the fight on that side Great was their labour and their daunger for either partie shewing themselues both stout and inuincible did maintaine the fight egerly and couragiously and they did so vncessantly contend ech to force other as though the fortune of the fight had depended vpon them onely It seemed that they were not very vnequally matched and in that respect they fought for a long time with like aduantage and hardly could it be discerned whether partie had the better But at length the strength and force of the Dybrians seeming to be weakned with faintnes and wearinesse and both themselues and their horses being well nigh tyred with continuall fighting as men vanquished willingly they would haue giuen ouer and they were almost readie to leaue the battell had it not beene for Moses their Colonell who sharpely reprehending them euen as they beganne to recuile did sometimes blame their faintnes and wearinesse and sometimes did accuse them of feare and cowardice and being thus in point of being almost vanquished he taught them howe to vanquish and to be victors ouer their enemies crying out in this manner vnto them What a shame is this my friends how lewd and foule an example is this of your vnwonted feare and timerousnesse Is it possible that the Dibrians can forsake their ranckes and places assigned them as long as they be liuing or can they be content to lose their honor and glorie purchased by armes and to giue it to their enemies where are those souldiers which discomfited the forces of Haly Bassa who tamed the pride of Ferisey abated the puissance of Mustapha and who with the spoiles of the Turks haue enriched the houses of the Albanois Where is now the fiercenes of your haughtie and proud courages where be those your looks which were so full of threats and menaces within your campe where be those your promises of victorie and triumph is this the way to recouer Dayna to Scanderbeg is this the way for you to prepare your entry
into the towne which you haue besieged what did you neuer proue the vertue and valure of any enemy till now haue you not found them any where else to be stout and valiant and did you neuer see the swordes brandizing in any place but here onely Behold howe your fellowes and companions are on all sides victorious and they do alreadie in ech quarter of the field recount the frutes of their valure and hardinesse Tanusee hauing taken their Captaines and caried them bound into the campe hath either dispersed or vtterly defeated and destroied the middle battell of the enemie see I pray you how Scanderbeg hauing broken the strength and bodie of the Sclauonian troupes doth now passe away the time in binding them together like beastes and taking of them prisoners onely we here on our side haue nothing but feare and terror and the memorie of our flight most shamefull and dishonorable The souldiers seeing themselues so sharply reproued and rebuked by Moses tooke hart to themselues and their courages were so enflamed with a most ardent desire to repaire their fault that a man would haue iudged them not to haue bene the same men but that both horse and men had bene chaunged euen in an instant The conflict being then renewed the fortune of the fight grew likewise to be chaunged and the Scutarians by litle and litle beganne to be repulsed yet did they for a while hold good by meanes rather of their multitude and great number then through any hardinesse or greatnesse of courage At the last Humoy coniecturing by the former speeches of his enemie his brothers misfortune the griefe whereof through verie impatiency made him scarce able to holde his weapons forgot his companions and went though all too late to succour his brother where striking into the middest of his enemies in so doing he both assured the victorie to the Dibrian and left also vnto the posteritie an euident testimonie how needfull and requisite it is for a chiefe or Generall to keepe amongst his troupes and how greatly it importeth the good order and safetie of his companies to enioy the benefit of his presence for no sooner was he departed from his charge but they were suddenly dispersed on all sides turning their backs to the blowes furie of their enemies Likewise on the other side the Generall of the Venetians being now forsaken and left destitute of the strength of his corps dugarde yet holding still good and keeping his troupes close in order more through pure shame then for any strength or puissance that he had he sustained the force of the enemie and maintained the fight continually But when he once perceiued that his souldiers were on all sides put to a doubtles flight and that all of them made default alike himselfe also setting spurres to his horse for companie least he should be made a partner with the others in their misfortunes prouided by speedie flight for his owne safetie Scanderbeg all at leisure pursued those that were scattered ouer the fieldes because that the long and continuall trauell of his souldiers did greatly detaine and hinder them by reason the battell had bene foughten with that obstinacie and held out to that extreamitie that they were hardly able to haue continued fight any longer yet as wearie as they were they did not for all that suffer their flight to be free and without any disturbance for Scanderbeg had publikely commaunded that all the ensignes should pursue after them and follow the chase euen to the gates of Scutarie It may be that this great Captaine being led on both with anger and with glorie did hold it a goodly matter that these enemies who stood in infinite and thicke numbers vpon the walles should now see him and his armie to be the conquerors In many places did they light vpon the tayle or rereward of those that fled and a great number of such as made the least speed came into the handes of those that followed them for they were commanded not to kill any of them when they were once come verie neare and within the view of the towne then making a stand with their armie in order they continued there a long time with their colours wauing al aloft in the wind hereupon the victors assembling themselues in troupes not farre from their companies thus arranged with high cries and exceeding signes of ioy they presented their prisoners before the eyes of the townsmen who were wondefully sad and pensiue at this misfortune and affliction concerning them so neare both in publike and particular On the one side the grieuous sight and miserable condition of their friendes and allies did suggest vnto them new prickes of warre and despight on the other side their late losse did confound and abate their courages and furthermore the care of the Captiues which staied and withheld them did keepe them from attempting or doing any thing against the enemie for doubt least it should incense the vanquishers to vse the prisoners with more extreamitie After that Scanderbeg had permitted his souldiers all at their pleasures to reioice themselues in the honor of their victorie he caused to sound a march for the day was then well neare spent and euerie man prepared himselfe to the retraite tooke their way to the siege before Dayna but vaine was the hope and conceit of Scanderbeg in that he thought the inhabitantes would haue opened their portes and receiued him forthwith as his subiects and haue submitted themselues vnder the lawes and conditions that it should please him to impose vpon them for albeit the sudden discomfiture of their friendes and confederates and the necessitie of victuals encreasing daily within the towne did redouble both the griefe and the care of the Daynians by reason that the companies of Albanois left before the place expressely for that intent and purpose had hindered them from foraging or making any other prouision yet did they not conceiue any one dishonorable thought within their hearts for the redemption of themselues from so many mischieues and wants which oppressed them But euen in the middest of these extremities prouiding and disposing all things with notable constancie and singular good discretion they began more sparingly then they had accustomed to share out the munition and victuals vnto the souldiers allowing either of them so much onely as should suffise to sustaine their faithfull soules and as the saying is might hold bodie soule together As for the aged persons there was no order taken for them because it was supposed such persons should not want anie meanes wherewithall to helpe themselues either by the naturall strength and situation of the place or by their fidelitie which was of all other the most assured rampier Now when Castriot had ioyned his victorious troupes to those which lay before the towne he pained himselfe but in vaine to represent vnto their grieued heartes the motions of vaine feare With great shewes and ostentation with many
may afterwardes against vs and our liues more freely execute their outrage and crueltie What may my vncle thinke when he shall see the deformed shape of this Towne and her walles dismantelled and ouerthrowne by those whom hee hauing of late taken prisoners in the fieldes and neare the bankes of the riuer Drynon did so curteouslie and gratiouslie in the open view and sight of each man restore to libertie and send home free without raunsome to their owne countrey to the intent they should now a new take armes against him and renew the old fiercenesse and rancour of their hartes Go too then let vs pardon the Driuastines let vs forbeare to touch or inuade their territorie whilest that we our selues doe finde all kinde of hostilitie executed against our persons We are now come to this passe that whilest we carie our selues with such clemencie and are so proue to pardon our enemies we doe animate and stirre vp the armes of all the world against vs and breaking the bonds wherein other are tyed we do bring the yoke of bondage vpon our owne neckes this entreatie ought the enemy to finde when he is at our mercy That as we ought not to exclude all shew of pittie and compassion from them so should we not be transported so farre to pittie them as to be more pitifull then standeth with reason wherein can any man finde him selfe iustly agreened with vs if we vse that which right and the law of armes doth permit vs There is no man can lawfully accompt or call those cruell with whom he standeth vpon tearmes of like enmity and betweene whom there is equall contention both of life and death Thus on the one side did matters passe on with complaints and murmurings On the other side Mustapha hauing sent forth his souldiers into the countrey did not suffer the Garrison of Scanderbeg to be at rest but by their continuall and daily roades and inuasions which they made vppon them they did more and more terrifie them For the Albanois shunning the fight continually did stand vppon their defence sometimes relying vppon the strength of their trenches and fortified places rather then vppon their valour and force of armes And sometimes sallying forth in small troupes and faining a flight they by a kind of mocking and skorning of the enemy did entertaine him and gaine time vpon him Wherefore Mustapha perceiuing that all his endeuours were in vaine and that there was small hope to oppresse the Garrison hee had no desire to make any attempt against their fort and as vnwilling was he to pursue them in their flight for feare of ambuscadoes and such like pollicies which were vsuall and familiar with his enemy Onelie with good aduise he ordayned and prouided good guardes and sentinelles and imployed the residue of his strength and forces to wast and spoile the countrey neare adioyning vnto him till such time as being enfourmed of the comming of the Prince of Albanie hee retired the whole strength and force of his armie and went to encampe him selfe within litle lesse then two myles of the enemie The place which they made choise of for the battell is called Oronochea and is in the vpper Dibria vppon a certaine faire plaine yet of no great breadth and about sixe miles from Croie Scanderbeg with his freshe and new forces were likewise entred into the Campe of the Epirots where he was no sooner arriued but he caused proclamation to be made by the sound of Trumpet that no person should issue foorth nor depart thence without especiall leaue and license and immediatly he set euery man a worke about the fortifying of the Campe Mustapha in the meane while on his part not stirring nor mouing any whit at all On both sides therefore all was quiet and peaceable by meanes whereof the Albanois hauing sufficientlie ordered their affaires and hauing strengthned their armed forces with strong and well defenced rampiers they began to fortifie likewise the fortresse with armes men and souldiours and Scanderbeg making a generall view and muster of his companies to know the number of his men and the certaintie of his forces the old bandes were three thousand and fiue hundred horse and six hundred foote strong For albeit Castriot had left there little lesse then fiue thousand men at his departure when he went to make preparation for the warre against the Venetians yet afterwardes he drew foorth a great many of them vpon diuers speciall reasons and good considerations the whole number therefore of their forces being reckoned and accounted then present were neare about six thousand fighting men with whom hee purposed to affront the forces of Mustapha and to hazard the fortune of that glorious triumph and yet were not all of them employed for the vigilancie and circumspect prouidence of this pollitique chieftaine would not permit that his fort should remaine naked and empty without defence what soeuer chance should betide him but he ordained 300. chosen men for the gard and custodie of the same His army very aduisedly and vpon good consideration did he deuide into wings the fore front of the which cōsisted altogether of horsemen whom he made the chief force and strength of both the battallions placing in each of them a thousand and fiue hundred horse for feare and doubt least his footemen being vnable to indure and beare the charge of the enemies horse should at the first onset be disordered and ouerthrowen and this was the cause that he placed but very fewe of them in the backe of his two winges the greatest part of his infanterie being reserued in the middle battell which was likewise couered and supported with fiue hundred horse to the intent the battell being not troubled and disordered at the very first encounter on all partes both on the one side and on the other the horsemen should make head against the horse of the enemy Whilest the Prince of Epire with the strength and body of his armie thus ordered and arranged did containe his souldiers in great silence and not stirring his ensignes but attending the dismarch and setting forward of the enemy Behold a certaine Turke disbanding and seuering himselfe from the rest of his company whose name was Caragusa presented himselfe in the middle space of the field which lay betweene the two armies and gaue a signe of defiance challenging some one of them to the combat from thence aduancing him selfe neare to the ranckes of the Christians with a high and loftie voyce he called for the most hardy and aduenturous person in all their companie to assay him selfe against him body to body At the first there was a generall silence and no man gaue him a word but euery one stood mute as men who were no lesse doubtfull to refuse the challenge for feare of shame and disgrace then to accept the combat the hazard whereof was so daungerous but Paule Manessey who was knowen to bee a verie readie horseman and an excellent
rest of the squadrons Sometimes the presence of Paul Manessey did greatly vrge them for that by the glorious and honorable opinion which they had in their champion lately slaine their fearefull thoughts and cogitations did measure all things in their enemie to be greater then they made shew of sometimes againe their hearts were incensed and inflamed with wrath according as either the deformed image of their slaine champion or the shadowe of his dead bodie vnreuenged did seeme to appeare before their eyes and to present it selfe to their remembrance Moreouer the great rewardes and recompences which was the greatest and chiefest inuitement to pricke them forwarde proposed and promised by Mustapha to him that could kill this enemie whom they hated grieuouslie did encourage his people to be the more desirous and forwarde to endaunger themselues by meanes whereof manie being reallied and assembled in troupes about Paul alone they pressed vpon him to the vttermost of their powers and as men that cared not for anie of the rest him onelie did they ayme and shoote at There was not anie one of them but did striue euen with the hazard of his owne life and with deadly wounds to purchase the pretious reward of that head which was so highly prized But the obstinate prowesse of this Cauilier caused the fonde and foolish desire of the Turkes to turne to their owne pernitious and extreame dammage For being well garded with a troupe of such as were most hardie and valiant he was able enough to sustaine their furie and violence and to contemne their vaine presumptions At length perceiuing a farre off that one of the Barbarians had disbanded himselfe from the rest of his troupes and was verie hotte and importunate vppon those of his companie he turned himselfe towardes him without anie word speaking and hauing gotten neere vnto him he discharged so full a blow with all his strength ouerthwart his head and redoubled one or two strokes vppon him that he ouerthrew him headlong off his horse making him to take the measure of his tombe vpon the hard earth When his champions sawe him lie dead vpon the ground they beganne presently to turne the bridle neither caring to reuenge his death nor to warrant his body froÌ„ the outrage of the enemy This made the Epirots when they saw them to stande as it were in a studie and certaine of them flying to presse vpon them the more fiercely and to charge them with the greater fury giuing them no time to breath but handled them rudely till hauing them in full chase they left all the aduantage honor to the conquerors Paul pursuing them still as they fled did gleane and take vp some of them that made least speed and with bitter and biting termes he thus tauntingly exclaimed vpon them Whether flie you saied he you base companions are you so forgetfull of all good fellowship hath not Caragusa here neither brother cosin nor so much as a friende amongest so many of you who in honour of his corps that lieth here dead and disfigured will vouchsafe to reuenge him which is the last good you can do him being past all your aide and helping Behold me see me I saie who doe here now call vppon you and giue you the defie whom of late your selues did first of all prouoke in hope of a wrong conceited glory Abide staie a while take with you the bloudie spoiles of your companion which so voluntarily I doe proffer vnto you But the Turkes more mute and dombe then fishes had minde of nothing but of speedie fight and running away and with an infamous kinde of silence did neither approue nor reproue the tauntes and reprochfull speeches of the enemie And thus within a while hauing by litle and litle gotten the aduantage and libertie of the open field they did quickely vanish out of sight so as hardly could they heare the sound or noyse of those that chased them onely the archers did trouble them with great obstinacie as for the rest of the troupes they abstained from pursuing them because wearinesse and extremitie of trauell had dulled both the force and the spirits of the Christians Notwithstanding hauing gathered vp the ensignes half moones which lay euery where dispersed ouer the field for the Turks in their standards ensignes doe beare this for their deuise the souldiees with wonderfull great ioyes making the aire to resound with their pleasant clamors and rude riming songs did euen striue and contend who should carie them to the tents of Scanderbeg For all had gone well on that side a good while before and the Turkes being either slaine did lie dispersed ouer the fielde in great heapes or being reserued according to the right of armes with their hands fast pinioned behinde their backes did giue euident and open testimonie of their owne bad deuoire and the clemencie of their enemies Mustapha himself with twelue others likewise of the most principall and chiefest persons were brought prisoners vpon an Hungarian horse in great pompe and triumph to the intent he might be seene of all men making the sight to be so much the more worthy and notable and mitigating as it were the misfortune of the other prisoners For the pernitious humor of ambition and a pestilent desire to purchase vnto himselfe the greater glorie by the proofe and triall of his resolution had caried him furiously into the squadron of Scanderbeg where being enclosed and destitute of all aide defence of his souldiers and of all the meanes either to escape away free or die honourablie the vnfortunate Chieftaine made choise to coÌ„pound with the losse of al other things yea and of his libertie also for the sauegard and preseruation of his life onely I can not say certainly whether in all the time of the warre held with Amurath there were any exploit atchieued more notable or more fauored by the diuine power then this So worthily did this iorney make shew of euery man his good courage and desert neuer was there any leader nor any souldier nor any other person of what degree soeuer that did euer returne more honorably charged with reputation and glorie either in publique or in priuate The report is that there were slaine of the enemie 10000. And that there were taken onely 82. prisoners and 15. standardes This happie and fortunate ouerthrow cost not the Albanois much bloudshed for he lost as they say scarce 300. men The campe of the enemy did greatly enrich the Christian souldiers for that the Turkes who had soiourned certaine monthes vppon the marches borders of the prouince had gotten together purchased good store of prâ—ie booty there were also found very goodly spoiles vpon theÌ„ which were slain and a notable number of good horses but albeit the souldiers helde themselues reasonablie well satisfied with pillage yet for all that was not the wrathfull and fierie courage of Scanderbeg sufficiently appeased but that immediately and
neuerthelesse when he perceiued and vnderstood that his scoutes did on all sides returne vnto him with more then posting speede and their reportes did agree all in one saue that they differed in the number and quantitie of the enemies forces of which they coniectured diuersly for the Turkes were not yet seene nor discouered altogether neither were they descended all of them into the plains neither were their Batallions so vnited and ordred that a true and certaine estimat could be made of their iust numbers Castriot thereupon choosing out of his whole army 4000. horse and 1000. foote whom he commaunded to follow him and dislodging as secretly as he could from thence drew directly towardes Sfetigrade where he knew that the enemies were to encampe themselues It was in the dawning of the morning in the twilight that the souldiers had the signe giuen them to set forward The day following notwithstanding when it was scarce the third houre of the night they came to encampe within seauen miles of Sfetigrade betweene which towne and Croy were litle lesse then 60. miles There Scanderbeg hauing chosen a place sure and commodious for his company caused it to be entrenched round about making it by that meanes more strong and defensible Afterwards hauing distributed both horse and foote into the seuerall quarters of the campe he commaunded to set the watch and to place the courts of guard and then secretely to search out what places were fit to serue for ambuscadoes meane while he forbad all of them in generall to make any fires within the trenches All things being thus disposed and set in order and euery man being commanded to vse silence he taking with him Moses Tanuese de Thopy went to suruey and consider vpon the forme and situation of the campe and countenaunce of the enemy and with great secresie sometimes through the thickets of the forrestes sometimes by the secrete passages of the vallies he gained the toppe of a certaine mountaine directly opposite against Sfetigrade from the height whereof hauing diligently noted and surueyed all things by faire day light he tooke his way very quickely backe againe into his owne Campe. The execution hereof was not without maruellous contrariety of opinions for seeing the barbarians were encāped vnder the wals of the Towne and were possessed both of the mountaines adioyning and of the fieldes vnderneath them the chiefe leaders did not see any great likelihood or appearance without some notable losse of their men how to execute any thing with good successe because the daunger was manifest and imminent that so small a number charged with so great a puissance sometimes in the plaine and sometimes in the descent of the mountaines should easily be broken ouerthrowen They doubted also which was a cause necessarily constraining them for that time to abstaine from all reason of fight least the residue of the royall troupes comming vpon them sodainly and vnprouided they should be all entangled enclosed and shut vppe in the middest of them and for the same reason they held it as perillous to call the garrison forth to helpe them It was held therefore more expedient and a course of more certaintie and safetie to separate deuide if it were possible by their ordinarie sleightes the power forces of the aduersarie and being once sundred deuided to draw them into places of greatest disaduantage Nothing was done notwithstāding for that day because the night comming vpon them did prcuēt their determination only there were sent forth certain scoutes on all sides both far neare to discouer the approch of Amurath and that the enemy should lay no ambushmēts to entrap thē The moitie of that night was allowed thē to take their rest the residue was imployed in diuers actiōs affaires for that the Prince of Albanie changing his first lodging went to encampe somwhat nearer the town so that he was not now aboue 5. myles from the enemy supposing hoping that being once entised forth to fight the nearer he was to them the more easily they might be ouerthrowen Wherefore after that euery man had sufficiently rested himselfe taken some repast all of them being ready at hand with store of such things as were needfull requisite first those places which were fit for ambushments he filled with able and lusty men and the thickets and bushes he enuironed on all sides with store of souldiours of which number such as serued on foote were placed in the wings and steepe of the mountaines not easie to be approched or in the thicke of the woods and bushes himselfe taking his place among the horsemen kept at the foote bottome of the mountaines all along the plaine and in the crookes and turnings of the vallies This done he called vnto him Moses Musache de Angelina a gentleman of special marke one of the chiefest among the horsemen whō hauing exhorted with many good and friendly speeches he sent accompanied with 30. others all young men both hardy and couragious willing them to allure forth the enemy out of their trenches and to draw them within the daunger of his traines and ambuscadoes You must not thinke that Scanderbeg did forget to make choise of his companie out of the most worthy sufficient of all his bands both the men their horses besides they were disguised in the apparell furniture of simple souldiers least that their militarie habit being any thing rich and sumptuous should discouer their attempt which he had an especiall desire to keepe secret There was scant any of the souldiers but had an other horse loden with corne to driue before him to the intent they should be taken for forragers indeede who returned from gathering it abroad And that nothing might be wanting for the aduantage of this martiall pollicie to beguile the enemy they were enioyned to bend towards the town by such waies as were least vsed frequented on that side where the mountaine was free and not garded by the enemy that they should make shew as though they ment that way to enter into Sfetigrade These leaders being very expert of a quicke excellent conceipt did not omit any thing of that which was commanded them and the souldiers also with singular obedience resolution did follow thē most chearefully not doubting any dāger that might befall them Vpon the dawning of the day and by that time that the starres began to grow out of sight by the breake of the morning they were now come within little more then a myle of the tentes of the enemy at such time as the Turkes sentinels hauing discouered them from aloft began first by signes shewed in the aire then by their often cries clamors to bewray them They nothing troubled not abashed with their noise did only hasten their pace somwhat faster for as yet neither needed they to feare any danger from the enemy neither would their flight haue bene
to any purpose At the lēgth one of the Turkish squadrōs being wakened by the sentinels yet by reason of their sleepe being in some doubt taking their weapons in their hand they aduanced them selues forward began to rush vpon thē supposing them to be shepheards or peasants loden with corn The Albanois disdayning the smal number that came to assault thē prepared themselues with more courage then reason to receiue them notwithstanding vpon their first approch reculing a little backe they turned their backes faining them selues to be afrayde The Barbarians coniecturing their feare by their flight pursued after them with great speede and charged them behinde in most rude furious manner Then they all at once stopping their horses turned about and making head against them with their swordes drawen they went on and drew neare to encounter them as being enforced by necessitie either to incurt the last extremitie of danger or else by opposing their bodies and turning their faces to make resistance and to repulse the violence with which they were so egerly pursued for that whilest they held on this their dissembled flight they were in manifest daunger their enemies horses euen breathing close at their backes yet were not the Turkes any whit abashed for all this but couering them selues with their large targettes and measuring the enemy by their habite onely they approched them and were the first that gaue the onset against them One of them borne in Asia being of a mighty stature and wonderfull strong made marched before his fellowes with a heauy mace of iron the which after he had oftentimes whirled about with his right hand to giue it the more force with a mighty cry and clamor and with an incredible violence he threw it ouerthwart the whole troupe of the Albanois the which being close knit and ioyned together albeit they sustained no harme thereby yet could they not auoyd the force of the blow cōming against them so violently and rudely For being caried with a maruellous force into the middest of the troupe a yong Dibrian tooke and bare the blow vpon his target and therewithall the others following their fellow the fight was begun ech assailing other with his Courtelax The number of the combattants being almost equal their armes not much vnlike it was a very goodly and pleasant sight and it gaue good grace vnto the combat For the Turkes were no better armed then the Christians by reason they made such hast out of their trenches and did in a maner contemne their e-enemies The weapons wherewith they were armed was but a cimitary and a shield In one point only the Infidels had the disaduantage and that was that the very choise and best men at armes and the floure of the youth of Albany was there in place where as their company on the contrary were intermingled with people of no reckoning men of valure both together for that according as the skoutes had raised them confusedly and in tumult so did they issue forth both one other to the fight This was the occasion that euen in the very first fury of the encounter their fortune did appeare to be far inferior For the Asian in whom consisted the strength of the rest being slaine by the hand of Moses the others were suprized with an incredible feare dispairing not only of the victory but also of their life safety if they had not speedily some succors from the campe Wherefore by litle litle retiring themselues in the end they began to shew their backs and with change of fortune by a most shamefull flight forsooke the field in the which but a little before they had so hotly and fiercely pursued others Albanois gaue them libertie to flye where they would without giuing them any ill wordes or in shewe of their victorie making any cry after the vanquished but gathering themselues soberly neare vnto their captaines without any regard had either of the bodies or of the spoiles of those which were slaine they returned to their beasts of cariage as men that desired but to saue themselues they made hast to driue them the way from whence they came Their audacitie and courage was greatly augmented through fortunat successe of this encounter yet did they defer all their ioy till such time as they had accomplished a happy cōclusion of the enterprise which they had vndertaken It chanced that one of their company well knowen amongst his fellowes through his manifold good desertes in the wars found himselfe to be greeuously wounded in somuch that his continuall complaints and the impatiencie of his paine proceeding of his wound did greatly trouble the contentment of all the rest and did not a little discomfort his companions for one of the Turkes with his sword had thrust him through the left shoulder so as he had not sufficient strength either to carie his armes or to guide his owne horse Moses tooke great compassion of his griefe and dismounting from horsebacke he tooke him downe with his owne handes and set him vppe behinde one of the souldiours to whose charge hee committed him willing him to haue a care that he did not fall from behinde him because if he galloped his horse his handes were not able to sustaine him and that he should make hast with all speede possible to carie him to the Campe to the intent before any other allarme or tumult were raysed by the enemie he might be gotten within the tentes amongest his companions as for the rest of his fellowes they were all sound and not one of them besides him returned hurt from the medly Of the Circumsized there were fiue slaine and eight wounded few to count of but yet many in regard of their small number By that time that the horse whereon the two souldiours were mounted had caried them quite out of sight there was heard a maruellous cry and noyse in the Campe of Amurath for those which had bene wounded at their returne filled all with their plaints and exclamations and shewing their deformed and vnmeasurable woundes they set all the hoast of the enemy in a tumult and a rage especially such as were of any affinitie to those that were slaine Wherefore not respecting any cōmand made to the contrarie they disbanded them selues on all sides from their ensignes without any chiefe without order and all discretion according as their anger and desire of reuenge enflamed them but proclamation being made ouer the whole armie by the commandement of their commander that no man should stirre or bouge euery man retired then they arranged them selues in order of battell before his tents there attending his pleasure Their Generall did greatly doubt the accustomed sleights and traines of the Christians suspecting that vnder pretence of forraging some notable deceipt and guilefull pollicie might be lurking and the rather for that the strange largenesse of the woundes of his souldiours did plainely argue that it was not the arme of any
passage with great losse bloudshed the remnant fighting flying al at once prouided for their owne safety Then began a sudden confusion and the Albanois forsaking both their ranks the keeping of the mountain euery man forgetting all other matters tooke care only to pursue the vanquished made hast to the executiō laboring by all means possible to make the others also in their fight copartners of the like mortall calamity bloudy slaughter In that tumult when they sought to issue thorough the enemy more were beaten downe ouerthrowen by their owne weight the armes of their fellowes then by the power of the aduersary Notwithstanding there escaped of them litle lesse then 2000. the residue remained behind for a gage and their carkasses whilest they were yet panting being dispoiled were left naked vpon the ground in those very places where their destiny had laid them Of those that fled about 80. were taken prisoners the residue were not pursued aboue 20. paces or little more because of the sudden retreat sounded by cōmand of Scanderbeg who cōtented himself with this victory alleaging that if he should suffer his souldiers to fulfill their own desires to the extremity vpon their enemies there was great danger lest he shold pay dearely for this prosperity There were won frō the barbarians 3. Ensigns or Cornets for more had they not brought with thē The horses of those which were slain being full 1000. or better did greatly augment enrich the booty the residue were killed in the fight Of the vanquishers were 22. only wanting about 15. wounded Thus did the Prince of Albany by a notable prey victory reward recompence the losse of his corne vpon the bringing whereof into the campe of the Turks lying before the towne euery one of thē made great ioy triumph expecting hourely that these victuallers should haue bin led thither tyed bound to their appointed punishment to haue bin offered as a sacrifice to the vnhappy ghosts of those 5. who were first slaine But when they saw afterwards contrarie to their imagination the massacre and hiddeous shew deformity of so great goodly a companie of pure despite and vaine indignation conceiued they made great lamentation and through extreme sorow they stood for a time as men inchaunted and amazed not without maruellous feare trembling of all the armie and doubting least the Christians animated with this prosperous aduenture should come on with the like successe to force them within their campe For they suspected that the numbers of our men were much greater that all the Prouince had bene in armes before them Their chiefest care therefore was to set a good and strong watch ouer all the army and carefully to arrange euerie companie in order of battell neere the tents of their seuerall commaunders and to enuiron them round about and accordingly the bands were parted into their places Their horses were kept standing with their bridles on as if they had bin assured that the enemy would haue visited thē immediatly But the Albanois was otherwise determined neither did this victory cause him to be the more high minded nor yet made him any thing the more loftie but he redoubted as much the enemy as they stood in feare doubt of him he did looke euery houre that they should attempt somwhat vpon him to abolish the dishonor of their last ouerthrow and especially for that the report ran firme constant how the army roiall was at hand This made Scanderbeg to looke to his busines more carefully therfore the first thing he did was assoone as it grew dark night quietly to trusse vp baggage to depart encamping 5. miles farther from the enemy The next day before sunne rising he sent Tanusee towards Croy with 50. horsemen ech of them a varlet both to hasten away those forces which he had left there with George Streese and to haue the guiding of that conuoy which was sent for the conueiance of the horses and other pillage lately gotten from the enemie into other places within the Prouince where he willed they should be transported for their more safetie and securitie In 7. daies space was all this ordered dispatched and the whole troupes vnited and incorporated And yet about two daies before the arriuall of these supplies to the campe there came in sight 5000. Turkes vaunt currours of the armie royall and a three houres within night they pitched their tentes before Sfetygrade The day following about the shutting of the euening thither also came Amurath himselfe in person with the rest of his armie and all his carriage It was in the yeare of our redemption 1449. and the 9. yeare after that Scanderbeg had recouered his estate vpon the 14. day of May a time wherin the corne beginning to grow ripe and the medowes full of grasse did yeeld abundance of food and forrage to campes lying in the fields the Barbarians do vsually willingly obserue that season as most fit for the wars especially in forreigne expeditions This was it also that moued the Ottoman expresly to forbid his souldiers to waste or spoile any thing within the enemies country nor to tread down their corne to the intent whē it shold grow ripe be readie to reape it might serue for the prouision of his army The Ottoman at his arriuall before Sfetygrade did make a glorious shew ostentation of all his forces before the towne and this he seemed to do not without any reason but vpon good consideration aduise both because it is the custome of that Nation to the intent he might by the sight therof terrifie the inhabitants First of all the squadrons of his footmen the Asappy were set in order after them the horsmen the Tymariots the Subassys the Saniackes and other Chieftaines euery one in their place marching before him went in this order round about the walles making great triumph with military cries loud clamors which were seconded also with the thundring cracking noise of the artillery great ordinance This done they went to prouide their lodging fastning their ensignes on the ground pitched their tents in diuers places The greatest part of the infanterie and common souldiers were encamped at the foot the neighbour woods neere adioyning the towne for feare of some ambushmentes which might be laide behinde them Afterwardes by a posterie gate named the Dibran he admitted the ambassadors into the towne The Bassa onely with three souldiers and two of his seruants were receiued in and they were conducted through the middest of the market place into the Church of the virgine Marie where the councell being appointed to be helde none but the auncients and the principall of the towne were called or assembled for all the younger sort were excluded least that any mutinie should arise among them The Turkes Embassadour pretending that it was his part to speake because
he went euen through their inmost courts of gard passing searching the most secret places of their campe I am not ignorant that some haue ascribed the proofe of this hardy and audacious fact vnto Standerbeg of which for my part neuerthelesse I will not robbe nor depriue Moses relying in this matter though there be no great certainty thereof vpon the pluralitie of opinions which do defend it how beit that this was not the first time that Moses merited this commendation neither was this peculiar to him alone For it cannot be denied but that euen Scanderbeg did aduenture himselfe to the like hazard especially during the siege of Croy with the like courage and good successe I will not say counsell and good aduise seeing in this case there is not any thing in a maner gouerned and guided by reason but by meere chance and fortune And therefore I dare not much commend in a Generall of an army that valour or vertue which is carelesse so prodigall of his life and safetie How beit fortune her selfe seemeth to haue exempted Scanderbeg from reproofe and blame in this behalfe in that she did continually so accompany and second the endeuors heroicall cōceipts of this worthy personage that it was a thing very seldome seene in that age it was a spectacle both rare singular to see a happy issue euent still ioyned with counsell wisedom that vertue should be so attēded by fortune But we shall haue occasion elsewhere to entreate of this matter let vs now returne to our campe with Moses who being perceiued a far off by the court of garde for the moone was then at the full and did shine all night they went to meet him and receiued him with infinite ioye and gladnesse and so conueyed him to the generall Then might you see the priuate and common sort of souldiours mingled pell mell with the nobles and chiefe commanders all of them running in great desire to vnderstand what he had seene what he had learned and what likehood he brought either offeare or hope When it it was knowen that all was well and that matters stood in good case and this ioyfull newes being dispersed published to euery one of them Scanderbeg knew that the wished houre did now approch for them to march on against the enemy he bestirred him selfe therefore on all sides and you might haue seene him sometimes there amongst the rancks and squadrons of his armed souldiours taking order both for the men and their armes Now disposing of some in the vauntgard and others in the rereward each one to his charge And there withall he encouraged them with many braue speeches and exhortations Although sayd he my good friends and companions both the present time and all things in a manner round about especially your valour and prowesse so often manifested may summon me now to be silent yet the noueltie of the course which we now take and this vnaccustomed fashion of fight which now we are to begin it may be will giue you cause to think that my speeches are not needles nor impertinent considering that it behoueth you now at my command to yeeld some new testimony of your auncient vertue against the enemy in the darknes of the night and not as heretofore you were wont in set battell open and orderly raunged This is the cause that I do now freely speake vnto you and as instantly as possibly I may I do pray and entreate you I do exhort you and I do require you that euen the night it selfe may shew you to be mindfull of your noble courage to be mindfull of your honor reputation which you haue purchased and continued so many yeares For now cannot I be either a beholder or encourager of the valour or of the sloth of any of you onely the moon-light shall be the witnesse of your valure and your valure must animate and encourage you Notwithstanding the successe and issue also of this nights seruice will giue an open testimony of your deuoire and my selfe wil be the particular iudge of your seuerall desertes when I shall see your victorious handes bring me the bloudy spoyles of our dead enemies their ensignes encountred and conquered before their trenches and the heads cut off from the carcasses of their slaughtered bodies These and such like speeches did he vse vnto his souldiours as it were in iest and meriment admonishing them notwithstāding in any case to abstaine from the pillage of their campe least in thinking to satisfie their vile couetous humour their booty might happen to proue fatall vnto them and be the occasion of their death and destruction that nothing could be more pretious neither could fortune offer any thing of better value to the braue souldier then the throat of the enemy This done and hauing made their praiers and vowes of all sorts vnto God for the obtaining of victory about the fourth houre of the night hee caused his ensignes to march but the clattering of their armour and the neighing of the horses did discouer their comming to the skoutes before that they came to the tentes of the enemy and they giuing the allarme to their Captaines filled all parts with disorder tumult and confusion Vpon this so sodaine and vnexpected a noise the tents of the Graund Seigniour himselfe were striken with feare and terrour and the old man being soone awaked as a man amazed and destitute of all counsaile did prouide as well as he could vpon so desperate an accident But Scanderbeg for all this neither slacked his course nor abated his fury and although he perceiued by this tumult that all the campe was in an allarme and that the souldiers did runne in and out to the gardes and passages of the campe yet did he not diminish any part of his fury and fiercenesse formerly conceiued but with high cries and wonderfull noise he inuaded their trenches and fortifications The first quarter that was assailed was where certaine souldiers of Asia lay encamped who being by chaunce the first that were encountred had their tents and lodgings ouerthrowen in an instant and themselues as they stood vpon their defence being partly slaine partly put to flight did draw on the like fury and destruction vpon others that succeeded in their roomes For many who had taken armes in great hast tumult came to make head against the enemy but being not able to make their party good by reason they were vnequall to our men both in number and in fiercenesse they were quickly cut in peeces or driuen to forsake the place From thence the Christians passing further on they found diuers tents and pauillions voyde and emptie which they caused to be fired and the cordes being cut in sunder they left them thus ouerthrowen in poore estate Thus did Scanderbeg a long time continue victorious without any losse or bloudshed of his men till such time as a strong batallion of Turkes being
rallied and gotten close together did come forth and aduaunce forward from the hart and strength as it were of the Campe to repulse the shame and ignominie of this dishonour Then began the fight to be doubtfull and ambiguous the place was couered with dead bodies and dyed with much bloud For the Generall of the Albanois making head against them with a troupe of harguebussiers and crosbowes and all his companies of archers and bearing them off brauely at the first encounter when they came to charge him he gaue them such a volley of shot both with bullet and artillerie and he handled them so rudely that growing at the very beginning to be astonished and the night redoubling their feare they stood a while in a doubt whether they should presse forward or returne backward neuerthelesse trusting to their number wherein they thought them selues the stronger for there were more then 14000. fighting men they resolued at length to try the extremitie and last hazard neither would the Albanois in any case quit the place which he had once set foote on but marching still on with obstinacie perseuerance he prepared himselfe both to giue to take blowes with like hardinesse resolution For albeit he could not pierce any further into the campe of the enemy because the thicknes of the presse and multitude trouping close together did hinder them yet would he not for any danger whatsoeuer giue ouer this occasion of so notable a victory Wherfore ioyning close with the enemy setting foote to foote sword to sword target to target they came to encounter together man to man and hand to hand all of them taking good heede to keepe them selues from entermingling with the enemy for feare least in this confusion and in the darke they should not be able to discerne their friends from their foes And their fight did seeme in shewe and resemblance to be in the nature of a particular combat for so eger and furious was their fight that they seemed like mad men and so vehement was their hatred which they bare each other not so much in publique as in priuate that euery one did imagine the enemy then before him to haue bin predestinat vnto him and therefore each man did his best and the vttermost of his endeuours to lay hold on the bloudy spoyles of his enemy Now did it appeare on all sides how notably the late oratiō of Scanderbeg was fixed imprinted in the memories of his souldiers and what effect his particular preceptes instructions had wrought in their harts For on all sides the Circumcized yeelding vp their soules did sigh and grone vnder the hands of the Christians and their throats as they were cut a sunder did euen crackle make a noyse through the aboundance of bloud which like streames issued from them so ardent a desire had euery one of the Albanois to shew vnto his Prince the heads seperated from the carcasses as the certain euident pledges of their faith which they had giuen him the assured markes of their prowes vertue But our men did not lōg enioy this libertie of killing massacring because the Turkes seeing how their batallion was pressed ill entreated did now retire on all sides both those which were whole those that were wounded all together and they conueyed themselues into the most secure and safest places of their campe euē to the lodging of their Prince By this time their whole army being drawn out of the seuerall quarters of their campe orderly raunged as the time tumult would permit they made towards the place of the combat where purposing to haue done their best against the Christians their comming was not so furious and so violent as it was in vayne and vnprofitable for they euen vpon the first flight of their enemies being partly wearied and partly satisfied with the slaughter were departed And albeit they were scant a mile from thence yet durst none of them be so hardy as to follow after them for feare of ambushments They remained therefore and abode still in that place till such time as the morning light did discouer the horrible butchery and the sorrowfull obiect of the dead bodies of their companions which them selues did bewaile with warme and bitter teares It is generally agreed that there were slaine 2000. and more then 500. hurt and wounded for two and fortie of the Christians which lay buried amongst the heapes of their dead enemies whom afterwardes being found though their bodies were stone cold and their eyes pale as in dead men is vsuall though their members stiffe and cold had lost their vse ordinary functions by the departure of their happy soules yet these miscreants neuerthelesse through a vaine desire of reuenge most inhumanly tearing them in peeces did endeuor to satisfie their rage and malice vpon the deafe and sencelesse trunkes of their dead carcasses This meane while the Prince of Albanie had gotten ground and being past cleane out of sight and hearing of the enemy he caused his army to make a stand in a certaine valley which the inhabitants call the fayre valley and was about fiue miles from Amurath There did he make some stay to the intent both to breath his companies and to set his troupes in better order by the benefite of the day light as also to prouide for thē that were wounded whom visiting one by one he did gratiously comfort and without any respect of the dignitie of his estate with a souldiourlike regard as one that had bene but a meane footeman him selfe did handle and looke vnto their woundes All things being well and diligently ordered and disposed he disloged thence with his ensignes displayed and came to his Campe about the eleuenth houre of the day a little before noone He had made the lesse speede because the wounds of his souldiours did much hinder him so likewise did the extremitie of the heate and the burthensome cariage of the preye and booty gotten from the enemy Besides there was a great number of prisoners both good and bad for whatsoeuer was found within the enemies tents was taken and caried away Amongest the rest of the pillage there were 230. horses and seuen ensignes but the heades of the Turkes cut from their bodies which the souldiours held and caried in their handes as the notable markes of their priuate vertue did singularly grace beautifie the fight of this triumph And Scanderbeg forgot not both with high praises and rich presents and rewards to honor all of them openly and in publique The prisoners were sent into the next townes there to abide till such time as they were ransomed The ensignes with certaine moueables and riche ornaments were sent vnto the Princes his associats the rest of the spoiles were graunted and parted amongest the souldiers After this for a while was the campe in good rest and quietnesse and they had leysure to repaire their forces
of the enemie he was determined suddenly to breake in vppon their campe On the other side Ferybassa was readie prouided to receiue him with the forces which the Sultan had giuen him to that purpose For he did not thinke that the Albanois had anie other intention but onely by a faint and false allarme to hinder the assault that was begunne and to make the Turkish bandes to retyre from the walles euen in the chiefest of their furie wherefore to preuent him in this point he made towardes him and would not suffer him to passe forwarde till they had debated vppon the matter Scanderbeg feigning a kinde of feare beganne softly to retyre drawing on the enemie who still followed him some seuenscore paces farther and then with all his forces well ordered to the battell marching againe forwardes directly against him he charged him most furiously The Turkish Captaine who had beene euer desirous of battell did not in anie sort refuse him but hauing seene the small number of the Christians who were but nine thousande men or little more for Scanderbeg had left the residue of his troupes being but fifteene hundred at the most with Musache about a mile and a quarter off for the safegarde of the others if anie misfortune should betide them he opposed against them all his footemen and foure thousande horse whom he placed in the front before them and with these he made head against the Albanois and receiued them to the shocke The rest of his horsemen with a wylie and fine stratageme he caused secretly to withdrawe themselues from the bodie of the armie and a farre off to fetch a compasse about to the intent they might get behinde the Albanois at their backes and so hauing them enclosed and entangled on both sides they might shut vppe the passage and bereaue them of all meanes and possibilitie to saue themselues and perhappes also take Scanderbeg aliue But this olde beaten and expert souldier did presently discouer the deuise wherefore leauing Moses to maintaine the fight of the middle battell himselfe with a troupe of horsemen most readie and resolute setting spurres to his horse turned aside to the right hande where at the first sight hee staied the course of the enemie that hastened to haue enclosed him and afterwards comming to handie strokes and pressing rudely vppon them he made them giue ground and in the ende to change their determination and to looke to their owne safegarde There were of the Turkes more then foure thousand horse whereas the Albanois did not fully make two thousande Neuerthelesse for a while the hope of the victorie rested indifferent on both parties and their courages were equall though their fortune were not alike for that there fell a farre greater number of the circumcized Musache likewise hauing beene called foorth by some of the Albanois had now charged the Paynims on the left hand and with all his forces kept the rest of them there employed In this manner both the armies being deuided tripartite did represent on the one side and the other the forme of three sundrie fightes and combats Moses behaued him selfe wonderfull aduisedly and seemed to vse rather pollicie then force against the enemie For neither would he giue the bridle to the furie of his souldiers nor would he aduenture them to the hazarde ouer hastily till such time as he perceiued that the two winges beganne to haue some likelihoode of good successe and had made an entrance to the victorie to the intent he might reserue the strength and vigour of his men fresh and lustie Till then therefore he helde the rankes of his battell firme and close ioyned together and with a kinde of subtiltie seemed to temporize and to prolong the fortune of the fight till the comming of his companions This made Feribassa the more fierce and insolent and to presse vpon them without any intermission and oftentimes would he vse to encourage and hearten on his souldiers with these and such like speeches On on my good souldiers vse the fauour of the gods take the benefit of the victorie whilest the swords of the Christians doe stand as it were amazed and whilest their forces doe growe faint Goe we on to seeke out these heads which are vowed to the slaughter and to cut in peeces their cursed bodies See how they faint on all sides scarce can we discerne any tokens of enmitie in our enemies neither doth their countenance nor their voice nor their gesture make anie shewe that they haue a minde to stande vppe long against you Or it may be that they doe purposely delay the combat and attend the comming of the night because as theeues and robbers they are vsed to the night It behoueth you to aide your selues with the light and you must keepe them from this policie and take that opportunitie out of their hands euen now whilest we do exceede them in number and do surpasse them in valure If we staie for the night the lesser numbers will be equall to the greater and the cowards will match the most valiant and hardie But what do I blame these or why doe I presse vpon them whose obstinacie will soone cease and vanish as the surges of the sea when the tempest is gone and past We must cut off their head and then the bloud of the other as it is but vile and base so is it of no force nor resistance Where is this wicked fugitiue the author of so manie mischiefes I my selfe alone will dispatch him of his life without the hazarde of any of you if it be my good happe to encounter him in the battell And I will sacrifice the bloud of this sauage and wilde beast whom so many theftes and robberies haue made insolent to the soules of our slaine brethren friendes and kinsfolkes I haue my friendes of a long time bene of this minde and this my desire is not of any sudden or new affection It is long since that my thoughts did ayme at this combat and my spirit hath beene euer enflamed to seeke the punishment of this wretched vnhappie runnagate I will once make proofe whether this my sword can cut well or not whether that bodie of his be penetrable or that it be fatall to those that encounter him And I will see from whence he hath that corporall strength and vigour and in what this happie warriour whose fortune hath beene of such long continuance doth excell and surpasse all others In this manner did the Barbarian speake vnto his souldiers and then swelling with pride and furie more then was befitting a Generall of an army he went vp down searching and seeking amiddest the presse and casting his eies on all sides to see if he could finde out Scanderbeg and his minde being set on nothing else he made signes with his hands and with his voice still calling and demaunding for Scanderbeg The souldiers were nothing discontented with the hearing of these vauntes and albeit the prowes
that the armie of the infidelles was so harried weakned and beaten with so many slaughters and rough discomfitures that it was greatly diminished and empaired I come now to Scanderbeg and his people whom I left making their benefite all at pleasure of the victory which they had gotten and gathering the spoiles of the dead bodies before that the Ottoman troupes descending from the mountaine did giue ouer the assault This done he retyred himselfe with tryumph for his double victorie to his campe where he spent the rest of the night in singing of songs and other sports The bootie carried away was so maruellous that the souldiers seemed not to care for it but especially they had such plentie of horses that there was not any of the souldiers in a manner but had some giuen them Many of them were giuen to the Princes neere adioyning with other rich and costly presents purchased from the enemie Moreouer there were infinite marchants which came purposely both from Italy and other Nations who buying of them for ready money or for exchange and barter of other marchandize did daily rid and carie them out of the countrie The whole Prouince of Epyre began now to leaue all feare and to be secure from the terrour of the Turkish armie and the Ottoman grew to be little redoubted but rather contemned by all in generall now that they saw his forces so beaten broken and discomfited and euen Scanderbeg also was of the opinion that Amurath would of himselfe raise his siege from before Sfetygrade and trussing vp his baggage after so many calamities suffered and endured would depart and not make any longer stay in the countrie Neuerthelesse he daily sent out spies and others to sound the counsels secret deliberations of the Sultan but yet for all that he could heare no newes from the campe of the enemie Wherefore as one that mortally hated idlenesse he made choise of 2000. horse taking the way of the mountaines he went abroad to search and enquire in what estate all things stoode and he was in great perplexitie because he could not any way learne nor coniecture what were the counsels intent of the Ottoman nor what course he was determined to take If he could intercept any of the foragers or vassals of the Turke so it was otherwise he was like to remaine doubtfull and in suspence as before for either to inuade his trenches or to come openly to fight with him was but meere folly neither was there any surety to be hoped for by any such course because he feared the number of the Turkish forces whole and vnited and the engines which lay couertly prouided for the fortification of their campe of the which he had had aduertisement by those that were come vnto him from the enemie All this notwithstanding he coursed still vp and downe sometimes heere sometimes there to shew himselfe to his enemies and vpon the appearance and shew of his small numbers to draw him foorth to fight in hope of some good and happy exploit But all these deuises did litle or nothing auaile him for that the Infidels as if themselues had bene besieged did not stirre a foote out of their trenches and rampiers by reason that the Sultan had pronounced the rigorous and terrible sentence of death to be executed vpon all those who should dare to aduenture without licence either to issue forth to fight or to make any mention of fighting with him The Albanois seeing that matters did not fall out to his desire and expectation returned to his campe full of care and discontentment there to take further aduise what course was most conuenient both to deliuer the towne that was so straightly besieged and to expell the enemie out of the countrey considering he was not able to vse open force against him neither would he be brought to enterprize or aduenture any thing rashly and vnaduisedly To solicite the potentates and townes of Epire his confedederates to take armes and with them to aduenture the fortune of the whole estate to the doubtfull chance of battell seemed a course of litle or no safetie For put the case he were assured of the victorie yet could not a matter of so great consequence and difficultie be effected but with much bloodshed of infinite of his people Amongest many opinions propounded in councell this was laied downe as the most safe and commendable to continue the warre according to their accustomed manner and that be should suffer the power of the enemie to vanish and wast away and to grow into contempt till being consumed and spent by their owne secret discommodities and inconueniences and his forces growing from day to day to waxe more faint and to decay he should voluntarily desist from his attempt and by his owne losses and dammages might be driuen to leaue the prouince which he had so vnfortunately inuaded that he had not God be praised any occasion to find himselfe aggrieued neither with the faith and loyaltie of any person nor yet with his owne good fortune and that touching those of Sfetigrade there did appeare so many so notable signes and euidences of their good perseuerance that euerie man might hold himselfe contented and his mind well satisfied Besides that the towne was so well fortified and defended of all things needefull for the besieged that they had not onely good store of necessaries for their ordinarie vsage but more then enough though they should mispend and abuse them and therefore what course soeuer the Turke should take either by abstaining along time from assaulting of their walles or by giuing the same new and often assaults it should be to the ruine and confusion of his owne people or that whilest they should be most busily employed and troubled about the assault they might easily approach with an armie from the field and so annoy or endaunger them within their campe that both on the one side and the other they should reape nothing but shame and infamy euen in the face and view of Amurath These things did Scanderbeg alleadge openly and in publique making a shewe in outward appearance and carying a countenance of great cheerfulnes and assurance but inwardly and in his hart his mind was violently troubled and perplexed with diuerse cares and pensiue thoughts and imaginations and he did diuine of the counsels and practises of Amurath no otherwise then the issue and euent of matters did afterwards make manifest He was no lesse in doubt and feare of the sad and silent behauior and of the slothfull and idle quietnes of Amurath then of his armes and all his forces and he had reason for he knew by long experience his naturall disposition and his subtile cariage and demeanour He daily considered with himselfe also that gifts and large rewards were able both to assaile and to peruaile against any towne or fortresse He knew that couetousnes and the hunger of gold hauing taken hold in mens hartes
of the assaylauts did not in this place proceed any further because there were but few Turks there abiding but only Sfetigradians Epirots who although it might wel be supposed as was apparantly to be seene that they were but badly affectioned to our men yet Christian charitie made them to be more remisse and pitifull and they measured the persons by the habite and affections of their hearts in times past and not by the estate present Moses was not idle in the meane time for perceiuing them of the towne to be busied on that side in defence of the suburbes and in quenching of the fire he lead against the great gate three thousande souldiers all stout men and hardie whom being couered and shrowded with pauishes against the iniurie and force of the assaylantes he did animate on with all his might to force and breake downe the portes The Turkes whose number was more then sufficient both to defend so small a place and to yeeld readie supplies in all parts came running thither speedily from all quarters and some of them from aloft with great store of shot others with great stones long peeces of timber did prop vp defend the port on the inside making them stronger then they were before by meanes whereof they caused our men to quit the worke which they had vndertakē And thus was the issue of that attempt without any great losse of mē for the Christians hauing not then as it chaunced brought any scaling ladders with them they did not long striue in assaulting of the walles but they discharged their choller that day both on the one side the other with bow shot and harguebusse shot only Scanderbeg hauing caused to sound a retreat albeit Moses being chafed set in a heate by litle and litle with the furie of that fight did call and cry vnto his souldiers to bring their ladders and other engines for the assault neuerthelesse all of them vpon the cōming of their Generall did presently retire and in a maner against their wils returned ech man to his quarter Thus were the courages of either partie at that time the more incensed and sharpened by the proofe of that small light conflict for that the fight was broken off without any hope or doubt either on the one side or the other The residue of that day did Scanderbeg spend in diuerse consultations deuising vpon the short surest way to force Sfetigrad For the strong situation therof which made it almost impregnable and the great puissant garrison wherwith it was stuffed did euidently make shew that the perill would not be small if they should attempt it inconsiderately or vnaduisedly and the late example of Amurath by his ouerhardy and too peremptorie experience did coole the courages of the Christians from being too forward in committing of themselues to the hazard of the like inconuenience It was concluded therefore for the more suretie that during the daies following the enemie should be drawen forth by small light inuasions and with as great subtiltie wylines as might possibly be inuented he should be entised to issue out and to make some sallies vpon them hoping by that meanes in time either to diminish the forces of the garrison without any great losse of their owne people or else making shew by little and little of a dissembled and fained flight to toll the Infidels out from the guarde of their portes and then suddenly at the same instant setting vpon them with great furie they might happen to surprise the citie during the tumult of that alarme and astonishment if so be the Christians did presse hard vpon the Turkes in their flight and did striue to enter with them pell mell into the towne The execution of this counsell was no longer delaied then till the next night the darkenes and secrecie whereof did giue them the opportunitie to attempt it in such manner as shall presently be deliuered Moses was appointed to haue the leading of 300. chosen horse to prouoke foorth the enemie Zacharie Groppe on the one part with 500. horse and Scanderbeg himselfe on the other part with the like number of horsemen placed themselues very close and secretly in an ambuscado For these companies taking the benefit of the darkenesse of the night and creeping with as great silence and secrecie as they might by the pendant of the mountaine hid themselues in a place verie fit and conuenient for an ambushment and where the enemy would not haue any doubt thereof euen amongst the hollow winding turnings of the vallies and amidst the woods next adioyning full of bushes bryers where the scouts of the enemie could not haue any knowledge of their being For hauing partly put out and partly couering and keeping close their fiers they went forth on the backside of their campe The time it selfe also did in some sort aide them to the concealing of their enterprise for all the long night the ayre being full of moist foggie vapours and the earth being couered with darkenesse and with obscure and thicke cloudes the continuall thunder and lightning did so hinder the sight and hearing of euery man that it was an easie matter to deceiue the Turkish Sentinels The Dybrian in the meane time without staying till the day breake watched and pryed round about on euerie side with his men in manner of a freebooter or robber and approching by degrees neerer and neerer to the walles he wandered vp and downe here there in the sight of the townsemen and did keepe still within their daunger They within Sfetygrade were not all of one minde and aduise nor of like courage Many would not be with held but did exclaime and crie out That it was necessarie to issue out and to set vppon them and that it was a shame for them to endure and suffer that so faire an occasion should be lost some others helde stiffely on the contrarie That they ought to bouge nor attempt any thing without good aduise and deliberation Whereupon there grew a great alteration and dissention amongst them as it is commonly seene in those men who being naturally of a fierce hasty disposition are pricked on caried away by a kind of light incredulitie only regarding the outward shew superficial apparance of things neuer looking nor searching into the marow depth and substance of matters To such men al good and wholsome counsels do seeme vile and naught and they do thinke that all good fortune is then only cleane fled escaped away out of their hands if the ordering and disposing of any affaires be neuer so litle deferred or as it were seasoned and attempred with a litle moderation of some shortand small delay Notwithstanding in the end the better opinion as the euent testified did beare it away euen those whose aduise was to be still and not to stirre at all for they without could not heare any newes
this stay of the assault was welcome to them all For their continuall labour and the heat of the day accompanied with extreame hunger and thirst had in a manner wholly spent them by reason that the suddennesse of the assault had preuented many from taking any repast The residue therefore of the day and the night following they consumed in refreshing themselues both with sleepe and victuals The same night tidings being brought to Scanderbeg of the victory of the Croians it gaue him good cause of ioy and gladnesse and he presently imparted these good newes vnto the Princes and peoples his next neighbours But on the other side the enemie was in great sorrow and discontentment and was seene for many dayes to be very sad and pensiue for the notable losse of that daies worke was very hard to be digested hauing lost in that seruice more then 8000. good souldiers but the Croians had verie little losse and without any great slaughter to speake of It is reported that Amurath kept himselfe close shut vp within his tent for two whole dayes together in debating vpon diuerse counsels and opinions with his Captaines and the Visirs his Counsellers But aboue all others young Mahomet shewed himselfe to be notably vexed and discontented his spirit boiling with fury and choller and his youthfull yeares being yet vnacquainted with crosse fortunes and aduersities had turned all his passions of griefe and anguish into meere rage and madnesse From thenceforth he tooke vpon him to deale in all the affaires of the campe with a carefull eye viewing and reuiewing all the seuerall companies he shewed himselfe so greedie of reuenge that he spared not to labour himselfe extreamely both night and day and was verie watchfull at all times to take the aduantage of any fit occasion but principally he had an eie to that side where the Albanois had lately endammaged their campe For there he placed a strong and puissant court of garde and dressed many ambushments and oftentimes would he watch there him selfe whole nightes in proper person to the intent if fortune did present him any good opportunitie to oppresse Scanderbeg he might not escape againe out of his handes But all these his deuises turned to nothing and vanished away as the smoake by the prouident and circumspect cariage of that expert Chiefetaine the Prince of Albany who being from day to day enformed of all thinges either by such as came to render themselues vnto him or by espials sent abroad of purpose he helde himselfe still and quiet in his campe for a season ordering and prouiding for the safetie of his affaires and drawing on his enemies with delayes Notwithstanding he could not endure to remaine long idle but being very desirous that his enterprises shold surpasse all others in glory reputatioÌ„ he aduised him self of a fine stratageme by which he purposed to surprise theÌ„ who were too intentiue to intrap him One night therefore trussing vp his baggage very secretly he remoued his army to a place called Monticlea from whence he might most coÌ„modiously trauel disturbe the enemy He left Moses Tanusee at Tumeâ—ista accompanied with 500. horse only and hauing set downe a certaine and prefixed time course and coÌ„municated his enterprise with them he willed them to set vppon the trenches of the enemy a litle after midnight next ensuing on the same side where he had last inuaded theÌ„ and that assoone as they had but giuen them a false allarme and made a shew of forcing the barriers of their campe they should suddenly and speedily make away without giuing the enemie any meanes to come to handiblowes with them and that himselfe in the meane time hauing set all things in good order and leauing 200. men for the guarde of his campe would on the other side breake in vpon the tentes of the enemie with the residue of his armie According to this conclusion there was little distance of time betweene the allarme made by Moses and the comming of Scanderbeg For assoone as he perceiued the sudden rumour and terrour of the allarme raised by the Dibrian on the other side he bare in with a full and strong carrer and charged them on that part where they litle doubted or suspected In this manner was the campe of the Infidels full of doubt feare and confusion some ranne here some there making great haste on all sides to oppose themselues against the violence of the Christians One of them wakened another crying that they were enuironned and rounde beset with the enemie But as for Moses he did indeede put them in a feare and that was all he did by reason that those souldiers which had beene lately placed in that quarter by Mahomet did easilie repulse them especially such as were most forward But the night hindered them froÌ„ pursuing after him for that they suspected some ambushment which they had good cause to be in doubt of and especially at that time But the dammage that Scanderbeg wrought them cannot be recounted For their campe was on all parts beaten downe and foully deformed and disordered both by sword fire and yet did not this inuasion continue any long time by reason of the sudden comming and readie arriuall of the Turkes whose presence in so great multitudes did soone determine and ende the conflict For the Christians making a retreate durst not hazarde and oppose themselues against so huge forces as were there vnited especially in a place that was so plaine and euen for it was in Tyranna where they gaue this charge vppon the enemie Neuerthelesse when the Christians beganne to retire the Infidels had no great desire to follow after and if they had it might be they should haue paid well for it for this warie and circumspect warrior had placed all his infanterie and 8000. horse neere at hand to the intent they should be as a gard vnto him behind at his backe and should serue against all such casualties as might befall him Of these companies was he receiued in his retreate with great ioy and high cries and clamors and so passing forward they spent the rest of the night in trauelling to their campe It is reported that Scanderbeg did neuer doe anie exploite vppon his enemie with lesse losse and bloudshed for he brought backe all his troupes safe and sounde without the losse of any one man not leauing vnto the Barbarians aniething saue woundes teares and lamentations as the testimonies of his being with them in such sort that this slaughter and foule discomfiture did make them in a manner quite to forget the calamitie of their late losse which they had had before Croy. No man durst from thencefoorth open his mouth vnto the Sultan or to aduise him to any enterprise for this accident hauing succeeded to their so notable infamie did seeme to reproue all their counsels and deliberations both in times past and at that present Wherefore they had recourse in this their
within their walles and vnder the succour and couert of their bastils and defences will be able with pleasure to affront vs and hauing abundance of all necessaries they may as it were with the one hand hold their weapons and armes readie to defend them sclues whilest with the other they do repaire and renue their forces their rampiets And what shall we do the whilest Onely we haue the aduantage of our corages prodigall carelesse of our owne safeties and obstinately addicted to assaile force the enemy For to speake of any artillery it is not vnknown vnto vs both at the siege of Sfetigrade and at other places how litle good it doth and will do especially in this vnseasonable time of winter and against places so defencible strong by nature seated vpon rocks mountaines which are vnbatterable impregnable I cōclude therfore that it behoueth vs with all our power and endeuors to shun auoyd these vaine attempts and this wilful losse and destruction of our souldiers and it behoueth men of valor and wisedome to attend a conuenient time and season as good and skilful sailers vse to do when they are to make their voyage Neither will this delay any thing diminish or abate our courages nor will it adde any stomach to our enemies Touching the warre of the Persians if I may speake what I thinke of it for my part I do repose little or no trust therein at this time for either wil the report of all those skirmishes and commotions vanish away to smoke and come to nothing or else it is like that the Persians will deferre and put off their armes till some other time of better oportunitie All this notwithstanding most valiaunt Prince the mirrour of magnanimitie we will not hinder thy determinations but if thou doest thinke that thine owne opinion and conceipt in this point be more for the benefite and aduantage of the Estate and for the publike and common reputation we will march on with a good will and will cheerefully follow thy ensignes wheresoeuer it shall please thee to leade vs we will frame and fit our tongues and our speeches our handes and our actions yea the very times and seasons to serue onely at thy good will and pleasure and as it shall seeme good vnto thee In thy company the snow shall be pleasant the showers shall seeme sweete the winter shall be thought milde and all things shall be gracious acceptable and pleasing vnto vs no trauels no difficulties no hazardes nor any kinde of dangers shall grieue or discontent vs so long as thou art our leader and commaunder so long as we may enioy the happie presence of thy vertues and may follow the greatnesse of thy fortunes Scanderbeg perceiuing how his subiects were affected and the rather for that they spake nothing but what was true and certaine he suffered himselfe soone and easily to be perswaded by them according to that curtesie bountie of his good nature wherewith he did euer draw the affections of the cōmunalty to loue honor him Wherefore the Counsell being broken vp the assembly dismissed the souldiers licensed to depart he permitted euery man to retire to his owne home At the beginning of the sommer he had left the Queene at Petralba as afterwards also in the same season of the yere he vsed alwayes during his life to do the like to thintent that during the extreme heate of sommer till the end of Autumne she might remaine there for her more solace and recreation the rest of the yere she vsually spent at Croy except it were at such times as the Turks came into Epire or that the country was troubled with any immoderate forces extraordinary puissance of the enemy For then when it stood vpō the hazard of his whole estate he transported her with all her houshold the most precious things of all her furniture and moueables vnto Colchina a sea towne of the Venetians or to some other such like place farre remoued and out of the way Now that he hadde dismissed his army he him selfe with Amese and very small traine went to the Queene to Petralba Vnder this castell was a plaine of singuler beauty and very pleasaunt both for the admirable recreation which the very nature of the place did affoorde as also by reason of the notable diligence of the inhabitants who had bene very curious and industrious in trimming and husbanding of the soile For it wanted not any fruites vines plants or trees nor any thing in the world which might seeme either to adorne and beautifie the countrey or to make it blessed and happy In this place during that quarter of the yeare did the Queene make her abode accompanied with her Ladies maides and officers On all sides was the plaine enuironned with wood and thickets and with many narrow straights and vallies in a manner vnaccessible amongst the which Scanderbeg held continuall watch and ward keeping a great number of souldiers to guard and defend the place which was also singularly well prouided and furnished with armes men victuals other munitions for all occurrences and accidents of Fortune whatsoeuer Hauing made but small stay at Petralba he remoued with his Queene backe againe to Croy where also he had no long rest For as Vranocontes most sagely and wisely had prognosticated newes came within a while and the report encreased daily that the Persian was retired the tumults of that war appeased and all sturs and commotions pacified and that the Turkish Monarch being freed from this feare did minde to bend his forces against the Albanians Scanderbeg was greatly troubled with these tidings neuerthelesse he told his subiectes openly that in this case it was requisite to vse armes and good counsell and not choller and indignation Howbeit he was in good hope that the enemy would not march in a season so contrary discommodious Yet did he presently moūt on horse backe and taking with him not aboue fiftie horse he left Croy his chiefe citie and drewe towardes the frontiers where Moses lay in garrison there to take some more certaine counsell and aduise for the maner of his proceedings When he came thither he found that to be true in effect which had bene reported vnto him at Croy. For this cause hauing leuied and mustered in great hast about 5000. men he retired with them into the lower Dibria where he was wont to encampe and to winter his armie aduertising Moses and others not to stirre nor attempt any thing till they saw him approch with his troups Scarce did there passe ten dayes betweene these preparations and the comming of the Turkes the which being discouered by them of the garrison in the newe fortresse at Modrissa and being mindfull of the instructions giuen them by their Soueraigne they signified the same accordingly by the shot of the Canon This signall was receiued first by the paizants and inhabitants of the
followed him This accident made them to redouble their fiercenesse against the enemie and did with a kinde of iealouzie so incense and set spurres to their courages that they came trouping thither on all sides as men that brauely despised all daunger and feare of death Then beganne the slaughter and chiefest feare amongst the Infidels then might you haue seene many a Moses then might you haue seene how the Turkes by heapes and companies forsooke and lost their Standardes There was no more question or contention who should keepe the fielde but euerie man thought it best to shift for himselfe by running away The misfortune that followed Debreas made him forgetfull of all good discipline and martiall order and depriued him of all good counsell For without all delay as a man distracted with furie and feare he came poasting thitherwards where as he was carefully busied in rallying of his squadrons and seeking to renue the battell Scanderbeg who had euer caried an eye towardes him came vpon him and with his launce in the rest charged him and with the point thereof ran him cleane through a litle aboue the brest euen vnder the chinne and he endeuoring to auoide the blowe by bending aside his head receiued the staffe wholly into his bodie and he made an end both of his life and of this battell Being fallen from his horse his people couered him with their bodies as long as they thought him to be liuing still looking that he should remount againe to horsebacke but perceiuing his bodie lie dead without a soule and that there was not now any man left which could vpbraid them for flying away they turned bridle immediately and abandoned speedily both their standardes their cariages their companions and their enemies and they held him to be most accursed that in flying was the hindermost Those souldiours that serued vnder Amese in the last iorney at Modrissa hauing still in mind that aduenture as they fought verie warily and carefull of their liues so were they the foremost and most fortunate in their flight the which being made more certaine by reason of the day-light so was it the more cruell and caused the greater bloodshed and slaughter For Musache on the one side and Moses on the other pursuing and pressing close vpon them at their heeles did kill and cut off more of them in the chase then were slaine in the field during the fight and some of them also were taken aliue Much more large and ample no doubt had this victorie bene at least in respect of them which were wounded if the Christians had bene seconded with any Archers or Harguebuzziers but more then their launces targets and courtlaxes they had no other weapons to vse vpon the enemie At the length when they were gotten a good way within the Turkish confines and that the chase now seemed to be more dangerous to them that followed then to those which fled Scanderbeg left pursuing of them and gathered together his troupes who were maruellously glad and ioyfull and so he retired with his prisoners without any losse or dammage hauing not any one of his men either slaine or wounded Thus you see by the strange successe of this battell how fortune disposeth of the purposes of men and doth sometimes fauour them beyond all reason and consideration The Turkes lost 4120 men and therefore the Christians might well say as they might vsually that this victorie was not bought but giuen The bootie by order of the Prince being brought forth in the common and open sight of them all was equally deuided amongest the souldiers to the intent that they which had continued the furie of the fight by following the chase vpon the enemie without any care of sacking their campe or spoiling of the dead might not sustaine any losse or disaduantage To Moses he gaue with his owne hand the horse and armour of Debreas with an honourable testimonie likewise of his great desertes and commendations As for the rest euerie one had a share and fared the better for this iorney and some of them had prisoners giuen vnto them Amongst others Musache his fortune was to haue a yong Turke to his prisoner whose physiognomy and good countenance shewed him to be both of nobilitie and of courage But betweene the master and the prisoner there arose forthwith a pleasant controuersie which gaue occasion of laughter to all the standers by and I will impart the same vnto you The young man hauing some speech with Musache concerning his ransome demaunded of him what summe would content him in the end they agreed vpon 200. crownes which the Turke presently taking out of a litle bagge payed and told out vnto him and afterwardes desiring leaue to depart the Epirot began to smile telling him that he must seeke elsewhere for some other money to make vp his ransome that it was no reason he should thinke to pay him with his owne money that all that coine and what else soeuer was taken with him did of right belong vnto him and was in one and the same case and condition with his bodie and that a prisoner taken in the war could not reserue nor chalenge any thing as his owne The Turke sometimes with reasons and sometimes with entreatie desired him to let him goe But to make short the matter was brought before Scanderbeg who purposely commanded both the one and the other of them to alledge what they could in defence of their right and afterwards turning him to his people he vsed these wordes Truely said he here is a pretie controuersie both of these plead for that which is mine the money Musache which we knew not of we did not bestow vpon thee nor you sir youth ought not to abuse vs with this wile who doe well know that euen the life wherewith thou breathest is but borrowed and dependeth on our mercie so farre is it that thou canst pretend any right to be reserued to thy selfe in anie thing Notwithstanding there is no reason that I should be iudge in mine owne cause but who will not iudge rightly in a matter of libertie and who will not set aside all rigour and rightes of warre in fauor of a prisoner To thee therefore Musache we giue of our owne free motion all that this prisoner hath about him and do thou as franckly and freely giue him his libertie or rather the dutie of nature on this condition that if euer hereafter he fall againe into thy hand thou shalt dispose of him fully and freely at thine owne pleasure and discretion Thus this young Turke being verie glad and exceeding ioyfull that he had gotten his libertie and hauing also both his horse and his armes franckly giuen him by Scanderbeg departed highly commending without ceasing this his bountie and liberalitie praying vnto God hartily to prosper both the King and the estate of Albanie The Christians trussing vp their baggage towardes the euening did retire thence into
appeareth not any precedent signes either by darke cloudes or the roaring of the seas nor any other such celestiall threates and tokens by reason wherof they are suddenly oppressed not fearing any such matter their sayles are rent and torne their mastes blowen ouerborde their gables and anchors are lost and they not able to worke whilest they are busied on all sides to attend their charges and seuerall duties are constrained in the end with the violence of the tempest to giue ouer and to leaue all to the mercie of the winde and weather and of fortune and to haue a care onely of their owne safetie so did it now fall out with the Christians lying before Belgrade For they hauing their eyes alwayes regarding the toppes of the mountaines to see some signe giuen them from their Sentinels had the sword of the enemie ouer their heads before they discerned or perceiued any such matter It is a wonderfull thing to imagine how so great preparations and the sudden approch of the Infidels could be so concealed that euen the very stones and riuers as a man may say did not reueale it In all the warres that Scanderbeg had made he was neuer without spyes fugitiues letters or some such secret aduertisements of his friendes saue onely at this instant when he had most neede of them But it may be that the preparations for the warre of Greece being begunne and continuing so long was the cause he was so deceiued by reason that Mahomet hauing his great armie in a readines for another iorney did on a sudden employ part of those forces and that with singular diligence secrecy celerity so as no report nor espials could easily preuent their coÌ„ming as they might haue done if an armie had bene leauied and raised purposely for this iourney Besides letters and messengers haue not alwayes free libertie of passage And as for the watches and scoutes which were placed vpon the mountaines purposely for the discouering of the approach of the enemie and vppon whom principally did depende the safetie of the Christian armie before Belgrade they neuer gaue them any signe nor token of their comming nor it was neuer knowen what became of them There is great varietie and diuersitie of opinions concerning those scoutes some say they were corrupted by the Turke others affirme that they were surprized and put to the sword by the vauntcurrers of the Barbarians who found them verie negligently walking vp and downe about the fresh and most delectable places of the mountaines taking their pleasure and recreation by meanes whereof they could not giue any signe to the campe as it was concluded For my part I know not well what to thinke of it Touching their infidelitie I suppose it was not a thing so easie to be compassed for albeit it were a matter which amongst a few might soone haue bene contriued yet amongest so many it was verie difficult and in a manner incredible in like case that they should be slaine it is as vnlikely for neither were their dead bodies euer seene or heard of after that nor any reliques markes or apparance of them and therefore some doe affirme and it is most likely that they were taken aliue by the enemie Howsoeuer it was the other watches which were appointed to watch else where could not discouer the enemie till they were come verie neare them and yet assoone as they coulde they gaue them some warning By meanes whereof they had a verie litle and short time to make readie their companies and to put themselues in order for to fight with the enemie Neither was it possible that Scanderbeg should send any scoutes farther off to beat the wayes and to discouer the passages or to prouide better for the safetie of his campe as he was wont because all the whole countrey round about being for the enemie they might easily haue bene entrapped by some secret ambushments or openly distressed by the force of the inhabitants And it may be that his misfortune and destinie did not permit him to deuise inuent any better remedie against that mischiefe which hanged ouer his head For we see it is a common and vsuall course with fortune to oppose herselfe as a stepdame against the enterprises of great personages and being not able to suffer the continuance of their good happe nor willing that it should be perdurable she doth often interrupt the course of their best and most glorious actions But let vs proceed with the scope of our historie These fiue and twentie men which were ordained to watch vpon the mountaine either by treason or by negligence as hath bene â—aied caused great mischiefe to the whole armie For Musache who lay encamped next to that side where the enemie did approach and was to sustaine the first brunt and onset that should be giuen would hardly be perswaded that the Turkes were at hand notwithstanding that the watch did continue the allarme and did in a manner shew him the dust raised by the trampling of their horses Some say that he was found sleeping in his tent others say that he was playing at dice with one of the Gentlemen of the Kings priuie chamber and that the Turkes comming vpon him vnprouided did bereaue him of all meanes of hope to mount on horsebacke and enforced him on foote to seeke to saue himselfe by flying towardes the mountaine But the most common opinion is that he had some time and Ieisure though verie litle to put on his armour and to mount on horsebacke and that he lost his life fighting valiantly euen in the formost ranckes of his companie and that vpon his death the residue beganne to flie For assoone as the standards of the Infidels and their vauntcurrers began to appeare in sight Musache hauing ordered his troups as well as the shortnesse of the time would giue him leaue was at the first in some doubt whether he should stand and abide the charge or betake himselfe to flight towards the maine strength and bodie of the armie But because the enemie was nowe so neare that he thought his flight would cause the greater slaughter of his companie besides for that he tooke not the enemie to be so strong as he afterwardes founde them and being vnwilling also to loose his life with dishonor by any default in himselfe or to abandon and forsake his Prince and the others who were lodged on the mountaine he setled himselfe to receiue the enemie and therefore couragiously he endured the charge and stoutly opposed himselfe against their furie and violence For a time he held good neither his courage failing him nor his forces and he was resolute not to loose his life without a braue reuenge of himselfe and his companie In the ende perceiuing by the slaughter of his companions that his flanckes lay open to the enemie and that his vertue and perseuerance was in vaine and vnprofitable he did assay many times by trauersing and coursing vppe and
turne and to wheele about and went speedily and roundly to encounter him not without some losse both giuen and taken on both parties After a while he withdrewe himselfe aside causing his armie to retire and to recuile a litle till he had renued the ranckes of his battell and that he had gathered together his souldiours that were dispersed and disordered In like manner Scanderbeg was not verie importunate vpon him whilest he thus temporized and delayed the fight but he emploied his thoughts likewise in the reallying of his forces and reuniting them together in one But the Barbarian could not long endure to suffer him for though his owne battallions were sore trauelled and wearied and were not as yet fully reordered and redressed yet did he beginne to presse vpon him and he gaue a freshe charge and onset vppon our men and as it were in disdaine and mockerie he threatned and vpbraided them telling them that now was the ende come of the insolencie and pride of the Albanian and that he should now receiue the condigne punishment of his rebellion and he often repeated these and the like speches saying that he would vtterly confound and destroy this handfull of Christians both men and horses And in verie deede their numbers was much decreased for besides those which were slaine vnder the conduct of Tanusee and in the chase as they fled before the enemie there were more then three thousand slaine with Musache of which two thousand were footmen and the rest horsemen Neuerthelesse Scanderbeg not vnlike a good and hardie pylot who hauing gathered together the remnants of his shipwarcke and hauing scarcely repaired the bottome of his vessell doth yet cheerefully prepare himselfe with more courage then hope to abide the extremitie of a new tempest doth animate and encourage his souldiers to trie the fortune of a fresh combat calling and crying vnto them with a furious terrible voice Follow me my friends follow me your companion in armes not to the conflict but to the slaughter of these cursed dogges and miscreants and then sharply blaming and reprouing them he called ech of them after other by their names saying what cowardize is this that possesseth you what strange feare hath seized vpon you shall we leaue the noble bodies of so many of our brethren friends and kinsemen here lying without reuenge will all of you yeelde vp your ghoasts vnreuenged you haue not here any other then your wonted and old enemie euen that enemie I say whom you were wont to make the ordinarie subiect of your honour and reputation In the middest of these and the like speeches pressed forward with constraint and necessitie which did inuite him to leaue and commit all to the pleasure of fortune he cast himselfe as a man forlorne and desperate into the middest and thickest of the enemies squadrons confirming by an assured proofe beyond all humaine reason that saying of Homer That amongst all other vertues magnanimitie of courage is often accompanied with a kinde of furie and supernaturall violence Thus did Scanderbeg fill all places wheresoeuer he came with bloud and terror sometimes beating downe those that fled from him and sometimes those which did withstande him as a warriour that was inuincible and most fortunate But if euer his valure did shew it selfe it was at this time when he farre passed and excelled all his former deedes and haughtie exploits The rest of his troupes likewise taking example by his valure and being transported with rage and dispaire did breake in vpon the enemie and rushed vppon their weapons as men blinded and hardened against all perils and followed their Generall through all hazards and daungers But the sudden accident and mishappe of George Thopie brother to Tanusee did put the residue in a great feare and astonishment for he being throwen to the ground and almost ouerwhelmed with the shot of the enemie our men had much a doe to free him out of their handes and to set him on horse backe The infanterie of the Albanois could better saue themselues from the violence of their enemies then from their horses for in many places they made way ouer their bellies as they lay ouerthrowen vpon the ground and so did put them to great scath and mischiefe By meanes wherof as there is nothing that doth more awaken the spirites of a man or that doth make him more apt to deuise and subtillize a thousand fine inuentions then doth necessitie they did aduise themselues of this policie to seize vpon all the horses of those which were slaine and which they coulde possiblie come by both of their fellowes and of the Paynims and speedily they mounted vpon them with singular agilitie This was the cause that very many of them were preserued and it did greatly strengthen the rest of the armie for that their forces were by this meanes in a manner redoubled By this time had Scanderbeg broken and disordered a strong troupe of the enemies horse and had pressed in euen to the standard corps du gard of the Turkish General endeuoring according to his wonted custome in most battels to haue made the beginning of his victorie by their Chieftains death so to haue enforced them to yeeld him the honor of that iourney But euen then at that instant those two souldiers who as we haue saied had sworne his death to the Sultan did aduance themselues in that front of the fight and with their swords readie drawen did receiue him to the combat At that verie time and in the same place Musache de Angeline desiring to succour and aide his Vncle receiued a sore wound vpon his right shoulder and the rest of the Epirots likewise being but fewe against many were so plyed and kept doing on all handes both in front and in flancke and at their backes and that so fiercely and so roundly that they had no leisure to looke after their chiefe commaunder who by meanes thereof being now left alone against two as it were by a fatall kind of chance and destinie did cause eche man to turne and bend their eyes to himwardes For the two Mahometans both with their hands and with their voice putting backe and making their companions to retire would needes by themselues alone carrie away the honour of the death of the Prince of Albanie and they thought to reserue to themselues onely the prize propounded and promised them by the Ottoman But it is a common saying That the foole is greatly deceiued of that he thinketh These two Infidels did continue a while coasting and coursing vp and downe round about him now here now there on euerie side to take him at some aduantage In the end eche of them setting spurres to their horses and with a carelesse contempt of their owne death and daunger they came vpon him brauely and with a full cariere charged this fierce enemie whom they hated most deadly and odiously The notorious
skirmish and to beginne the fight would permit and suffer him to doe any of these thinges whilest they were more desirous that his fault should rest betweene God and his owne conscience rather then the enemy should thinke they stood in any doubt or feare of him But Moses his mind ranne on no such matter his thoughts tended to another end for he preparing himselfe to put that in performance which he had earst promised to the Turkish Monarche was in a mind presently to haue giuen the onset vpon the enemie had not the prompt audacitie and hardinesse of Ahimaz a priuate souldier interrupted and deferred for a while that his purpose and enterprise for this Turke addressing him selfe towardes the Dybrian sayd Giue me leaue worthie Generall first to lead thee the waye which the Goddes themselues haue layed open for thee to attaine vnto this present glorie It seemeth vnto me I know not how an vnfit thing and nothing agreeable vnto the right vse of armes that we should come abruptly to trye the fortune of all our forces in a pitched and maine battell and not to beginne the fight by some small and light attempt The desire of this souldier was soone approued and he was permitted to arme himselfe for the combat and withall to send a trumpet to the King of Epyre to vnderstand his pleasure if he would consent that before the beginning of the fight both the one part and the other should make tryall in this manner of their valure and good fortune The trumpet being seene to approach Scanderbeg did imagine according as he wished that the Dybrian would haue drunke water with his wine but when he vnderstoode the summe of his message the name and regard of Moses beganne by litle and litle to vanish out of his remembrance neuerthelesse that which he demaunded was accorded vnto him But some of the Epyrots as the report goeth made this answere That if the Turkes would they were and would be readie by a priuate and particular combat of some fewe persons to exempt the two armies from the perill and hazard of a set fielde Thus at the same time that the Trumpet on the one side did retyre with his answere to the Turkish armie on the other side one of the Epirot horsemen Zacharie Groppe being followed with the clamours of those of his owne companie came forth very couragiously and in very great haste presented him selfe to his Prince desiring him to giue him the honour and preferment of this combat Scanderbeg receiued him very courteously and with very good speeches highly commended and magnified his vertue His companions that helped to arme him prayed vnto God to giue him not more strength and valure nor more hardinesse or courage but onely the fortune and good happe of Manessey He made choise of no other then his ordinarie and vsuall weapons onely he wore vpon his armour certaine rich ornaments as is the guise of souldiers The Paynim who was in nothing inferiour to his aduersarie was the first that tooke the fielde imagining that there scant durst anie man come to encounter him but assoone as he sawe the partie with whom he should haue to deale to come into the fielde throughly armed and with his launce vpon his thigh marching right towardes him he addressed him selfe vnto him and cryed all aloft Soft and faire soft and faire quoth he noble Knight we shall haue time enough to seeke our owne misfortune And therewithall he entreated him that they might talke together and hauing enquired the name and the degree or estate of the Epyrot he beganne to propound certaine conditions not much vnlike those which once were propounded and scorned by Paul Manessey in the like action Whereunto Zacharie interrupting his speeches as vaine and friuolous replyed That he could wish with all his heart that he had more and better meanes to content his desire and if it were his fortune to make his victorie the more glorious This saide ech of them turned about and withdrewe themselues apart and being gone so farre that the full course of their horses might make their stroakes the more violent setting spurres to their horses and giuing them the reynes they tooke their carreer eche against other with their launces in the rest Neither of them fayled in their course notwithstanding their strokes were in vaine for that their launces piercing into their targets which were couered with barres of steele did flie in peeces without any hurt done vnto their bodies yet they holding on their carreer encountred together with their bodies so rudely that both horse and men tumbled to the ground The two champions yet whole and vnwounded speedily got vp vppon their feete and leauing their horses with their swords drawen did affront ech other and beganne a fierce and cruell conflict Fortune would that the sight of this combat should be diuersely enriched and beautified imparting her fauour equally vnto them For hauing continued a long time in fight and no bloud drawen on neither side their swordes fell out of both their handes it might be long of the crookednesse and heauinesse of their Cimitaries which are fittest for horsemen and lesse easie for them that fight on foot or peraduenture it was by reason of wearinesse or for lacke of aduisement and through their ouermuch heat and hastinesse in fighting Hauing lost their swords they did cast away their targets also and as two strong and mightie wrastlers vnarmed with their bare handes they fastened eche on others bodie doing their best and worst by wrastling to ouerthrowe ech other The two hoastes stood and behelde them with equall and like measure both of hope and feare After they had thus a long time wrastled and tugged together resting themselues nowe and then among and neither of them able to moue or to force and throw ech other to the ground they came at length to the last proofe of their force and strength and lifting vp one the other from the earth they tumbled and fell both of them together the Turke vnderneath with his belly vpwardes and the Epirot full vpon him who very quickly and nimbly setting hande on his dagger stabbed him with it into the throate Ahimaz by little and little beganne to waxe faint and his handes leauing their holde the vanquisher hauing freed himselfe from him with great ioy and triumph and with infinite acclamations of the Albanians got vp vpon his feete and laying hold vpon his sworde which lay neere him he did cut off the head of his enemie yet gasping and drawing of breath And being thus loaden with that and his other spoyles he went his way faire and easily towardes his fellowes who were comming to meete him For you must vnderstand that both their horses at the beginning of the combat were gotten and fled to the campe of the Christians which the common sort interpreted as a good token of their victory and good fortune Zacharie had no lesse recompence
other side also the resistaunce of the Turkes was cleane broken and ceased by the promptnesse and valour of certaine Harguebussiers whom Moses had led thither And the Generall of the Infidels with all the rest had quite forsaken and abandoned their campe All those which were found on foote excepting such as by good happe had found either their owne or some other mens horses and so did escape were either slaine or made prisoners Scanderbeg as long as he sawe anie possibilitie or likelyhood that the enemie might againe ioyne or reenforce theÌ„selues did follow and pursue hard after the Bassa but he saued himselfe by the fauour and swiftnesse of his horse who caried him cleere away out of the sight of them that had him in chase Those which accompanied him in his flight had not so good fortune as himselfe but a good number of them were taken prisoners and amongest others a Saniacke called Messeit Neither the Dibrian nor any other of the Christians had neuer any mind nor care of profit and commoditie as long as the chase endured and whilest they had the meanes and power to kill and to followe in execution of the enemie On all sides there were bound and fettered great troupes of those who yeelded themselues and had throwen downe their armes This battell or howsoeuer you liste to tearme it continued vntill such time as the night comming vppon them did finde them to be both Conquerours and to haue the victorie Neither the excessiue wearinesse of the souldiours nor the darknesse of the night approaching and comming on could not withhold their handes from labouring to reape the accustomed prize and reward of their victorie The carkasses of the dead yet hotte and trembling were despoyled and manie were euen then also put to the sworde There were gotten from the enemie twentie faire and goodly ensignes or standardes Of prisoners there were about fiue thousand the horses and other moueables of all fortes were giuen to the souldiers as the recompence of their long labours and trauelles and they were so many that they could hardly be valued Touching the number of those which were slaine the reportes are diuerse they which do reckon with the most do account 30000. and they which do reckon with the least do yeelde to 20000. Of the Christians there were wanting abone a sixtie or little lesse as is generally agreed â—o all partes It is not to be denied but that this so notable a victorie and which cost â—â— litle bloudshed did far exceed and subfaste all humane sense and reason yet ought not the strangenes of the thing to be offensiue to the eares of the readers for if we will looke into the infinite examples of antiquitie which are equally to be marked as being of the like qualitie be they either Romains Greeks or strangers this ouâ— accident cannot want either saith or credit There were found manie tents and pauilions in their enemies camp readie dressed â—â— appointed which for that night were not at all remoued but were generally assigned to the vse of the victors to the end they might safegard their bodies which were fore wearied and weâ— with bloud and swet from the vnholsome ayre of the night and making within them good and great swet they serued them as fit and conuenient places to feast and triumph in for the publicke ioy of that victory till the next morning O the pleasant sport of vnconstant fortune ô the ridiculous estate of humane affaires Scanderbeg is now Lord and Maister of the lodgings of the Bassa the Generall of the Infidels and the rest of the Epirots likewise doe enioy and possesse the tentes and commodities which were not prepared nor prouided for them In many places they found cloath and napkins readie layed and the victualles set vpon the tables wherewith they were merrie and made good cheere at their owne pleasures Thus was the common and vsuall prouerbe verified That there is a great distance betweene the cuppe and the lippe Many horses were found there also readie saddled and brideled as though they had stayed and attended for their maisters to mount vppon their backes but they sawe them lying dead at their feete But this notable spectacle of this new accident and euent and an euident testimonie of the mutabilitie and inconstancie of fortune was Amese the King his nephewe Of late he being a King of three or foure dayes continuance with singular arrogancie and insolencie did ouerrunne all the fieldes of Emathia and was attended vppe and downe the Turkish campe with the handes and voices of the common souldiours but nowe behold how with his handes bound behind him with out any wordes speaking and his countenance cast downe he is ledde towardes his vncle to be made a spectacle to the eyes of the common souldiours who being victorious against him were assembled to contemplate and looke vpon him inuiting them all to commiserate his mishap and some of them to lament and bewaile his hard for me The next morning Scanderbeg fearing least so many dead carkasses heaped vp together especially in that hot season might with stench infect the aire he did vse towards them the last worke of charitie which could be shewed toward enemies burying the maisters and horseâ— altogether in many pitteâ— digged vp of purpose There was a great number found dead vpon the shoares and banckes of the next riuer and of the waters of Albulae according as their feare and flight had caried them The fieldes of Emathia which had bene of old times of antiquitie much renowmed for many great and notable battels were made much more famous by this iorney and by this great slaughter of the Turkes The greatest part of the day was emploied in burying and enterring of the dead bodies so that by this meanes the resort of so many birdes and foules to that place as is before mentioned fell out to very litle or no purpose at all These things thus accomplished the Albanians tooke their way towardes Croie for hauing gotten such good store of pillage and sped so well they tooke no great care of forraging besides that the territorie of the enemie was a good way off and many of them also as you may gesse were not escaped scotfree and vnwounded from this long fight and conflict At their disloding from thence there were two souldiers of one squadron or company who fell to some words and were an occasion that the departure of the King of Albany was somewhat hindred These two at the beginning of the battell had agreed to ioyne together in the Fortune of that daies iourney and whatsoeuer booty was gotten by either of them should be deuided and shared equally betweene them After which hauing plied themselues well in there busines and hauing made a good hand when they came to make partition they fell to some difference and altercation vpon the matter and as is vsuall in such cases from thence to iniurious and reproachfull speeches of
with great deuotion who staid not long but that they came within 10. miles of the Albanois where they encamped but did not in any sort enter vpon their confines Scanderbeg stirred not at all but hearing that the Infidels approched he presently ordered his troups ready to the fight so kept himself quiet within his camp For the common bruit which ran vpon the comming of these forces did giue them out to be so great puissant that it made him to imagine that the enemy would come seeke him out in that same place would not sticke to assault him in his campe And afterwards hauing notice by his espials and skouts placed vpon the mountains that they were encamped vnder Alchria that al their cariage were disposed in that place he supposed that the morning next folowing after they had refreshed their bands they would make towardes him and offer to giue him battel wherefore in the darke of the night and in great silence secresie he filled certaine woddy places vallies neare adioyning with armed men thinking to haue enclosed them in the middest of his forces and so to haue surprized them if they had come forward according as he expected Two daies and 2. nights did he expect them in this maner but he could neither haue a sight of the enemy nor yet heare any newes or tidings of them Wherefore Scanderbeg being impatient of all delaies determined the day following to go and visit them and to prouoke them forth to fight but word was broght him that the hoast of the Infidels being deuided into two parts Hamur did abide stil at Alchria that Sinam with the residue of the army did take the champion plaine fields of Pologue towards Mocrea where was the commō entry into the lower Dibria Modrissa For Alchria where Hamur did make his abode was adioyning to the vpper Dibria to Sfetigrade Thus with notable aduise they lay close vpon both the Prouinces of Dibria to the intent they might hold the Albanians in continual alarums both on the one side the other Betweene these two garrisons or armies there was 30. miles at the least for so much is it from Modrissa to Sfetigrade Wherefore the king of Epire hauing drawn together his ambushments that lay here and there dispersed and hauing ioyned all his forces in one campe determined to leauy a new supply for the strengthning of his bandes to the intent he might the more conueniently part them into seuerall quarters so prouide for the preuenting of all perils on either side All things being sufficiently prepared and his troups being quickly augmented with 1500. footmen newly leauied for it was not possible so sodainely and readily to leauie horsmen he deuided them as speedily though not into like and equall numbers Tanuse and one of the Streezes Scanderbeg his nephewes and Peic Manuell with the third part of those forces were appointed to haue the custody of the lower Dibria in case they found Synam any thing earnestly enclined to the spoile of the countrey that they should make head against him represse his attempts for on that side was the danger much lesser the entrance into the confines of the Albanians was the more difficult by reason that the places were not so accessible but being naturally strong and defenced were entermingled with the vallies of Mocrea and with many rough and ragged mountaines ech seuered deuided within themselues yet so entangled combined that although they were reckonned and comprehended within the lower Dibria did they distinguish neuertheles the realm of Albany from the territories of the miscreants Notwithanding both Tanuse his company were straightly charged that they should not in any case scatter them selues nor be drawen out of those limittes which were prescribed them nor that they should not in any sort aduenture vppon the enemy but onely in the defence of their owne safety The rest of the army did Scanderbeg retaine to himselfe in the vpper Dibria hauing also Moses in his company Wherfore hauing thus reserued the better part of his forces and especially his horsemen considering that the passages there were more free open for the enemie to enter on that side into Albanie he determined if he could to draw forth the Infidell to hazard the fortune of the field and to aduenture the chance of a set battell And he made no long delay nor dwelt not vpon those dumpish conceipts of his imaginations but because winter approched which is an enemy to warlike exploits before the daylight of the next morning did appeare he departed from his campe hauing with him 1000. horse and tooke his way directly toward Alchria Before his departure he very warily conueyed a good number of souldiers into certaine thicke woods and other daungerous places for feare of being enclosed betweene Sfetigrade and the campe of the enemie Hauing marched on for a while in the darke of the night placed his men here and there in ambushments neare the towne he went backe againe to his campe and not resting him selfe any thing at all for that now it was about the dawning of the day he commanded his companies to march to carie with them victuals onely for one dayes prouision As for the cariages and their tents they were not at all remoued but he left a strong troupe of good soldiers for their safegard defence The whole morning was in a maner spent in these preparations and in marching so that he came at length within a mile of his ambuscado By that was it time to take their repasts and it behoued him to deuise vpon some new meane how to begin the fight and to drawe forth the enemy This was an easie matter for men that had bene long practised in that facultie and yet neuerthelesse it required great wisdome and good aduise Moses desired to haue the honor of that employment and it was not denied him and in verie truth amongst all the Albanians hardly could a man haue chosen any other more fit or expert to entise forth the enemy to surprise him Scanderbeg gaue vnto him 600 horse doubting least if he should go more meanly accompanied the policy might be the more easily discouered But altogether in vaine was this his enterprise for Moses hauing spent the greater part of the day in fruitlesse skirmishes returned againe to Scanderbeg whom he found at his wittes end and not knowing what course to take against the enemy for to set vpon the Painim within his trenches with his whole forces both the discommodity of the place the towne being aboue him which commanded ouer the place vnder the succor whereof Hamur had entrenched himself did certainly assure him that he could not do it without euidēt danger Nothwithstanding hauing lead his forces to a hil neare adioyning he staid there vntill night and then he made a signe to his ambushments that they should retire to the
of the Turkes This new and gallant Conqueror Vsuncassan being puffed vp with the wind of his prosperous fortune and with the forementioned crosses and aduersities of Mahomet did send vnto him an ambassade with most rich and sumptuous presents selected out of the huge treasures of the Persians for a shew and ostentation of the glorie of his victorie praying him that he would abstaine from molesting of Trapezond Cappadocia in regard they appertained vnto him as the right dowry of his wife for euen lately before had the gouernor of Amasia ouerrunne and sacked Cappadocia and did make euen Trapezond it selfe to stand in feare of the alarme The Turkish Monarche taking it very scornefully and in ill part that one as he thought inferiour vnto him should seeme to giue prescribe lawes vnto him as it were braue him in his fresh and late receiued calamitie and therewithall the felicity and reputation of this young Prince being very displeasing vnto him he prepared with extreame speede and diligence a mightie army making prouisions for the warre both by sea and land against him and transported it into Asia and hauing caused one part of his nauy sea forces to go before right to Pontus Sinope towards Trapezond himself followed after with incredible celeritie as if he had wings to flie withall he went cleane through Asia with all his forces presented himselfe beyond the opinion expectation of all the world euen to the view of Vsuncassan by whom he was brauely receiued roughly ill handled and greatly weakened in two most fierce cruell battels The one of which was fought by his Lieutenant Amurath Bassa a Greeke discended of the bloud of the late Emperors of Constantinople and who lost his life in that battell vpon the banks of the riuer of Euphrates the second by Mahomet himselfe in proper person in which he was repulsed beaten back pursued euen into the trenches of his camp Howbeit in the third battell foughten at Arsengua or as some say at Tabenda now named Toccara in the fields of Anserina he reuenged his former losses breaking the course of the good fortune precedent victorie of his aduersaries by the helpe of his artillery whereof he had infinite store causing it to play vpon his enemies euen at the instant that they were to begin the fight to giue the onset For the horses of the Persians being terrified dispersed with the vnusual noise thundering of the ordināce did constraine Vsuncassan to yeeld to his misfortune to loose the honor of the field and being put to the retrait he left his eldest sonne Zeinalda dead vpon the place Now come I to my matter I say that Mahomet being reduced to tearmes of some extreamity and his affaires standing but in an euill case by these cruell ouerthrowes which did in a maner shake his estate Empire might at this time haue bene beaten downe without euer being able to rise againe if Italy the other Prouinces of Christendom would haue giuen eare harkened to the continuall praiers and admonitions of the Hungarians the Greekes and the Albanians But they contrariwise being more deafe then had docks did pursue their priuate quarrels and mutuall hatreds contentions and which was much worse not contented to nourish the fire of domesticall ciuill warres they drew strangers to be partakers of their warres and to beare a part in the subiect of their passions for they implored the aide succors of the Albanois in fauor of Ferdinand the bastard sonne of Alphonsus who had appointed him to be his heire to the Realme of Naples against the house of Aniow to whom in right that kingdom appertained And in very truth that Prouince or people of Naples hath serued in all ages times of antiquitie for a notable example of the variety of humaine things and of the vnconstancy of fortune For finding the yoake of them that commaunded ouer them to be smally gratious or pleasing vnto them they were neuer contented and as Publius Sulpitius well saide of them they did neuer liue in quiet except then onely when they had none from whom they might reuolt or against whom they might rebell The manner thereof behold by that which followeth Vpon the decease and death of Alphonsus King of Naples whereof we haue alreadie spoken Fernand or Ferdinand his naturall sonne though illegitimate did enter vpon the crowne and was seized of the Realme by the order of the last will and testament of his father by the dispensation of Pope Eugenius the fourth which was confirmed also by Nicholas the fifth But Calixtus the fourth within a while after vnderstanding of his death the tenth day following by an expresse Bull pronounced the crowne of Naples to be void and escheated to the See of Rome forbidding Ferdinand vnder the paine of excōmunication any way to intermeddle with the administration gouernment therof absoluing also all the Princes Nobles of the kingdom from acknowledging any dutie or alleageance vnto him Ferdinand hauing gotten the copie of his depriuation did appeale from the Pope to the next generall Councell but Eugenius being taken away with a sick nesse only of some three or foure daies continuance euen at the instant that he had stirred vp Peter Lewes Borgias his Nephew to be a competitor to the Realme of Naples it was the occasion that Ferdinand found some remedie against the troubles that were prepared against him Notwithstanding this death of the Pope did not extinguish all tumults within that kingdome for Iohn surnamed Duke of Calabria the sonne of Rene Duke of Aniow was then as it fell out at Genes in Italy and the faction of the house of Aniow did stand waiting but for some opportunity being ready to take armes to begin some tumult vpon the least occasion that should be offred notwithstanding that Frances Sforce Duke of Milan who tooke part with the Arragonois did by an ambassade sent vnto the Princes and Nobles of Naples encourage and exhort them to perseuer in their fidelitie and deuotion to their new Prince and had retained them for the most part either by loue or by force in their dutie and allegeance But because the originall of this warre and the subiect of so many hatreds enmities which haue both giuen cause of encrease to the power of the Ottomans did keep the States of Italy for a time in suspence held the greatest Princes of Christendome for many yeares in care perplexity shall not remaine vnknowen vnto vs it shall be needfull for vs to haue recourse vnto the times that were before in continuing the discourse therof from those daies to this present we must in some sort repeat the matter as it were by way of an Epitome from the first originall of those troubles Charles the 2. king of Naples Sicily and Ierusalem nephew to the French king S.
put his men in minde of their eighteene yeares warres of his noble exploites and deedes of armes in Asia in Macedonie in Thrace in Epyre of so many Chiefetaines and numbers of Turkes and circumcised Miscreants slaine by them and of so many armies of the Mahometistes which they had ouercome and defeated and if by chaunce he came to make mention of anie one of his combats he forgot not the notable desertes and particular commendations of ech man in seuerall The Count Iames fell to recount likewise his famous actes and the late battelles which he had foughten to his great honour and commendation both in the Marquesdome of Ancona in Apulia in Naples and in other parts of Italy Scanderbeg deuiding his foote forces onely into two battallions placed in the forefront his harguebussiers and after them his crossebowes his archers and the slinges the reregard he enforced with his pikes both Sclauonians and Albanians He did not order his squadrons in grosse but parted them into seuerall bandes each at large and a litle distant one from the other to the intent that there might be some space left betweene ech of them by which the men at armes and barded horses of the enemies being receiued in amongest them might passe not trouble nor disorder their rankes This done he placed the King in the left wing being garded with his men at armes both Neapolitans and Italians Moses and Guirize did garde the right side and with their light horses being Dibrians and Macedonians did fill vp the emptie and voide places betwene the seuerall squadrons of the vauntgarde who were willed that if they sawe the men at armes of the French to charge vppon them with their barded horses that eyther they should retyre themselues behinde the rankes of the middle troupes or else gallopping and coursing vppe and downe sometimes here sometimes there they should ioyne themselues to the wings either of the right hande or of the left to giue waye vnto the footemen and to abide the shocke of the barded horses The Count Iames in the meane space arraunged his troupes in a maruellous good order of battell first for the greater terrour to the enemie he placed his artillerie mou 〈…〉 vpon wheeles and cariages in the head of his battelles then followed his Harguebussiers and crosse-bowes intermingled with pikes and corselets in the second battalion were the companies of the Neapolitans and Apulians who were seconded in manner of a reregard with the Genowais and Calabrians flanking the two pointes of their battelles with the men at armes on the right wing the French and on the other the Italians Now beganne the drummes and trumpets on the part of the Arragonois to summon euerie man to do his deuoite and the souldiers on that side raising a huge and horrible â—â—ye went so furiously and vehemently to charge vppon the enemie and with such readinesse and celeritie that their vauntgarde after some fight was ouerthrowen and beaten backe in a manner before their peeces could haue the leisure to playe vppon the Kings battalions whereby you may iudge of what importance industrie and diligence are in the warres oftentimes preuenting the counselles and purposes of the enemie and troubling and confounding their order and directions For the horses were so terrified with the noise of the ordinance that they ouerthrew and disordered their owne troupes especially in the left wing Moses and Guirize did soone augment and encrease the feare and terrour of this affraie for they verie egerly charging and fiercely setting vppon that side did disâ—urnish the maine battell of their horsemen and some of their owne horses which were in the forefront of the battell neare the artillerie ranne in amongst their owne Harguebussiers and archers where albeit they were grieuouously wounded yet did they cause a great confusion and destruction of their owne people insomuch that on the right hand the men at armes of Fraunce were compelled to turne their backes and to betake themselues to flight When the King Ferdinand perceiued the enemie to be in disorder he encreased their feare by pressing in vpon them so that the battalion of the Neapolitanes was left bare and naked of her flanckes This was euen then when the infanterie on the one side and the other being farre vnequall in hope and in puissance came to affront ech other and to ioyne together The Albanois at the first onset beganne of purpose to recuile and giue backe a litle from the battalion of the enemie but anon after all of them at one instant both the wings and the squadrons charging and pressing vpon them most furiously did soone cause them to shake and to disrancke themselues and thus pressing still forward they marched on a while as if nothing had stoode against them the hindmost still thrusting and bearing forwarde the foremost in such sort that they had quite displaced the battalion of the enemies and made them to leaue and forsake their grounde a thing which gaue them so huge a terrour that it was of great force and efficacie to breake them for altogether The reregard of the Angeuin namely the Calabrians and the Genowaies presently beganne to yeelde and to giue ground also and hauing their recourse to the battell of the Neapolitanes they did not onely not sustaine and second them but rather on the contrarie fearing least if they which fought manfully in the forefront should be ouerthrowen and discomfited that then the enemie would breake in next vpon them by litle and litle they beganne to recuile Thus the Genowaies and the Calabrians beganne to make away and turning their backes one part of them retired to the second battalion and another part as being forsaken on the one side and excluded on the other beganne to strike in amongest their fellowes that denyed to receine and entertaine them so that nowe you might haue seene as it were two conflicts at once mixed and intermingled together the Neapolitanes being forced to defend themselues both from these and from their enemies Notwithstanding they would not suffer them for all this to recuile within their ranckes were they neuer so fierce and despitefull but keeping close together and holding their rancks in good order on the open plaine they repulsed these their troublesome companions who were quite forlorne both by their owne flight and also by their blowes for feare least being suffered to enter amongst them they should cause their battalion also which as yet was sure and whole to be disordered and brought in disairay By meanes of this tumult and great trouble the place where they fought so obstinately in the head of the reregard was so filled and pestered with the dead bodies of those which were then slaine and with weapons that the passage there was almost more hard and difficult then through the thickest of the enemies but the pikemen were the first that made themselues way who passing ouer those high heapes of the dead and of their weapons
which lay scattered about and through the bloud of the slaughtered which lay most horrible to looke vnto followed close after their enemies to the vttermost of their powers so that their owne rancks beganne to growe into disorder The Harguebussiers and the crosse bowes when they sawe that their battell being gotten before them was as it were wandering disioyned and separated from them beganne to be greatly astonished and abashed Scanderbeg incontinently perceiued and manifestly sawe the disorder of the one and the astonishments of the other whereupon he caused the pikes to retire themselues backe againe and hauing bestowed those which were wounded in the rereward of the battell he led forth the Harguebussiers and the Archers to the two points for the better strengthening of the pikes and the middle battell By this meanes the conflict beganne to be renued and to grow more cruell and deadly then before and so continued the better parte of the day Many there were that fell both on the one side and the other but the victorie continuing still variable and vncertaine did sway sometimes to the one side and sometimes to the other for now were they busied on all sides and euerie man had his handes full Both sides were equall or not much vnlike in the qualitie of their weapons in practise and experience militarie in honour and reputation and in the greatnesse of hope and of the present daunger but in number and multitude they were nothing equall for therein the Albanois and Arragonois were superiour and did exceede them as also in courage and resolution and the rather for that they had put to flight both their light horsemen and their men at armes and hauing chased their first battell hadde giuen the onset vppon the second Moses and Guirize hauing pursued and followed the chase after the enemies horse that were fledde were now retourned and in a readinesse to charge in vpon the backe of this battalion This last charge and onset did cause their vtter ruine and ouerthrow for many were enclosed and murthered vppon the place and many being scattered and dispersed as they betooke themselues to maine flight ouer the large and wide plaine were forced by the horsmen to turne and returne here and there so that being enclosed and as it were besieged on all sides what with the bullettes and shot of the Harguebussiers and what with the sword both of horse and foote that pursued them many of them were shot and many of them were beaten downe and slaine so that the slaughter on all partes was most extreame and pitifull The number of those which were counted slaine that day in the field both of Neapolitans and of their confederates was valued to be better then foure thousand of prisoners there were taken about a thousand besides fiue and twentie ensignes and standards Of the victors there died nere a thousand The Count Picenin and Duke Iohn with a fewe horsemen in their companie being compelled to yeelde and giue place to their ill fortune did saue themselues after that the combat was past all hope and they withdrew themselues amongest the thickest of those that fled escaping by the goodnesse and swiftnesse of their horses The Counte before his departure had giuen all good and sufficient proofe of his valour both before and during the whole time of the battell and Scanderbeg himselfe both by his owne confession and of all those who were skilfull and practised in armes did yeeld him this praise and commendation that he ordered and martialled his battelles that day with singular skill and iudgement For first his artillerie was placed in the head and front of his battels in regard that the force and violence thereof was intollerable After it followed the companies of mercenarie men and straungers arranged in verie good order against whom he was in hope that the troups Albanois should haue bene opposed After those strange succours succeeded the French battallion to keepe the other that they should not flie when they thought good for that being mingled of so many sorts of peoples whom desire of gaine and not theregard of their faith and honour did draw thither he thought by meanes of the French following at their backes they would be enforced both to abide the shock and charge of the enemy and also hauing wearied and sore trauelled them partly with their shot and partly with the killing and wounding of them selues in the vauntgard the violence and fury of the enemy would by this meanes be much abated And therefore had he placed immediately after them the French and the Neapolitanes in whom consisted the strength and sinewes of their hope to the intent that being in all things equall vnto the enemy they might in this point haue the aduantage of them when that they being freshe whole and lusty should be opposed against the others already wearied and wounded with their long fight against them of the vauntgard As for the Genowaies and the Calabrians he had seuered them a good space from the rest as being a people in whom he had no trust nor affiance whether they were either friendes or foes and therefore had he reserued them to the rereward The Count Picenin after this daies seruice being as it were the last proofe of his vertue being escaped from the field went vp and downe Italy secret and vnknowen as a fugitiue and vagabond in a very poore estate and disguised habite till such time as being allured with the flattering speeches and entising wordes of Francis Sforce then Duke of Millan who beguiled him vnder the colour and pretence of a fained mariage and made him his sonne in law and then shortly after sent him as a friend to King Ferdinand by whom being receiued and entertained as an enemy he was in the end put to a pittifull and cruell death The Duke Iohn being hardly and nearly pursued by the horsemen of the King of Albany by very good hap and singular Fortune recouered Troy where he was receiued and drawen vp ouer the wals with a cord and from thence flying away secretly by night towardes the sea of Genes by good chaunce he found there a Barke which caried him into France The French campe being sacked and the souldiours enriched with the spoiles which they had gotten the King entred into Naples with great pompe and triumph and Scanderbeg with him the prisoners being led on before them Then in signe of gratulation and publicke ioy all the temples were set open solemne processions were made plaies and feasts of all sorts were publickly celebrated for three daies together These things thus accomplished Ferdinand determined in the company of Scanderbeg to take armes for the recouery of all those townes and places which were lately rebelled and reuolted to the Angeuins and so well did he follow and dispatch this voyage that in a very short space he pacified all the countrey and reduced it to his obedience and deuotion by the helpe and
mentioned He held on his course and in an instant subdued Sinope the countrey where Mithridates was both borne and buried and all the Prouince of Paphlagonia and with the like course and successe of victorie hauing planted his Campe both by sea and by land before the city of Trebisonde and hauing pressed and forced it with extreame fury in the end he obtained both the citie and all the royall treasures and riches within it taking prisoner also the Emperour of Trebizond named Dauid and his two sonnes whom most cruelly he caused to be put to death And after he had reduced these Realmes into seuerall Prouinces and added them to the rest of his conquests he bent his puissaunce against Piramet King of Caramania whom he ouercame in battell taking from him many townes and cities in Cilicia and as touching Greece before that time of these expeditions in Asia he entred with force of armes into Peloponnesa commonly called Morea and depriued the Paleologues of the principality of that Prouince by the dissention of the two bretheren Thomas and Demetrius This done he being enformed that the Venetians had restored the wall of Hexamile a worke and building of great antiquity he laied waste and desolate the countrey of Coron and Modon and by sodaine irruption ouerrunning it with foure score thousand horse after he had defeated the Venetians in a bloudy battell and thrust them out of all Morea he appropriated the same vnto him selfe and ouerthrew the wall before mentioned from the very foundation laying it euen with the earth whereas from time of antiquity it had enclosed the* Isthmus or straight of Corinth which is a narrow space of land running about fiue or sixe miles from the Mediterrane sea to the Arche Pelagus or sea of AEgeum Hereby now you may gather and coniecture that this fortunate Prince by this his vsurpation of all these countreis and estates did not a litle encrease the greatnesse of his forces and puissaunce For the countrey of Peloponnesa is the most principall and chiefest part of Greece both for the nobility and the puissaunce of those nations and peoples which did once inhabite it And if we will but behold and contemplate onlie the site and situation thereof it will soone make shew that it deserued the principality and Empire of all Greece by reason that it hath many goodly gulâ—es many points and promontories many great and proude cities and magnificall Prouinces as Achaia Messenia Laconia or Lacedemon Argolica and Arcadia which is seated as it were in the middest of the countrey This Monarch whose hopes did aime at nothing else then the dominion and Empire of the vniuersall world being now puffed vp in pride and growing insolent by the happy successe of those his conquests began to haue recourse to his wonted and former attempts which was to inuade and ouerrunne Scanderbeg thinking to haue oppressed and broken him to nothing For it grieued him exceedingly that this onely man should extend the glory of his triumphes so neare vnto him and should as it were braue him euen vnder his nose Wherefore leuying an army of 20000. men he committed the charge thereof to Sinam one of his Saniackes whom de dispatched away sodainly and speedily to the intent he should surprize and take Scanderbeg at an aduantage and vnprouided But the Prince of Albany standing alwaies vpon his gard had after his returne to Croy in very good time dispersed abroad his espials and renued his intelligencers neare about the Sultan in such sort that he was aduertised of the intent and drift of the Sultan so fitly and timely that both he had the leisure to leauy an army and was the first that tooke the field Notwithstanding he kept himselfe close and in couert attending the approach of the Saniacke whereof as soone as he had notice he marched on against him all the whole night in the darke whereof and vnknown to his aduersary with 8000 fighting men both horse and foote he seized vpon the mountaine of Mocrea and there quietly expected the comming of Synam for there lay his way and that was the place by which he was of necessity to passe There did hetake him so vnprouided and set vpon him so sodainly that he easily defeated both him and all his army and that with so notable a slaughter and butcherie that more then two third parts of them lay dead vpon the place all their ensignes and all their baggage became a prey vnto the Christians who enioyed it as the reward for their paines and trauell Their Generall had much adoe to saue himselfe from the fury and heat of the slaughter by the speedinesse of his flight those which yeelded them selues prisoners and whose liues were saued were redeemed for money the which together with the other spoile the Prince of Albany freely left vnto his souldiers About the same time had the Ottoman Emperour sent an other Turke one of his Chieftaines also named Assambeg with another armie of 30000. men against Scanderbeg who hauing gotten somewhat of this side of Ocrida was made to yeeld so good an account of his voyage that being vanquished or rather vtterly broken and wholy oppressed in one onely battell his fortune was such that he had good experience aswell of the curtesie clemencie of his enemy as of his martiall force and fury For as this Turke was furiously and valiantly fighting in that battell the gardes of his body being all slaine and his sides left all open his horse sore hurt though not deadly himself was also wounded in the right arme with an arrow In this hard plight difficultie of all things being both confounded and discouraged aswell by the remembrance of this fresh discomfiture as by the griefe of his wound and which more troubled him being ouertaken with the darknes of the night but badly accoÌ„panied for euery man as the present danger aduised him had withdrawen themselues out of the way standing more in feare of their enemies then of the discoÌ„modities of their way in the darke of the night did keepe themselues close and secret In this anguish I say griefe both of body and of minde was Assambeg retired rested himselfe vpon a little mountaine or rather in a thicke wood not farre from the borders of the Christians and about foure myles from their campe in a countrey altogether vnknowen vnto him and where he was wholy ignoraunt of all the wayes pathes and passages How be it he stayd not there long ere he was discouered by the vigilancie of the souldiours of the Albanois for that one of them who had bene sent before day to discouer to make search ouer all the coast hauing diligently surueyed all places came speedely vnto his Captaine and acquainted him with the whole matter onely in this one point was he deceaued in that by reason of the shadow of the place the thicknes of the
troupes and the excessiue numbers of souldiours had many times caused confusion and had bene the disturbance and an hinderance to the victorie Now the Infidell as hath bene sayd had fiften thousand horse and three hundred foote The Scanderbegians were encamped at the one end of a pleasaunt valley which they of the countrey call Valcala which being of a goodly breadth it was more long then large The Barbarians had seized vppon the other end of the valley neare to a mountaine which lay at the end of Valcala the entry whereof was very straight narrow and the enemy hauing both the mountaine and the passage in their power and puissance had laied there an ambuscado to the intent that the fight being begunne and the Christians hauing the better if they did pursue the victory and did enter within the streight of that narrow passage to get to the sacking of their Campe they should be enclosed in the middest of their enemies lying there in the ambushment and by that meanes should be at their mercy and discretion The king of Epire who was encamped at the other end of the valley forseeing well that this their neare neighbourhood to their enemies could not be parted without talking nearer together and for that his forces were the weakest he iudged it needfull for him to seeke some aduantage against them and therefore he vsed these speeches vnto his souldiers My good friends and companions I see well that it behoueth vs this day asmuch as euer to make our enemies to feele who we are Ballaban is come to seeke vs and to make proofe whether Fortune will be more friendly vnto him then shee hath beene to his predecessours but before that he begin to march I hold it best that we remoue our Campe to this mountaine which is at our backes Notwithstanding this you must marke that as soone as he seeth vs departing hence he will imagine because we are so few that we meane to flie and therefore it is to bethought that he will immediatly charge vs with all possible violence at our backes which if he doe then do you receiue him valiantly and after you haue a litle shifted your place and fained a retraite sodainely do you turne head and with a round and braue charge do you beare in vpon them with all your strength and as your custome is breake and disorder them in so doing I doubt not but you shall haue them at your discretion But take heede my good souldiers I pray you and be you well aduised when you haue put them to flight and that you haue them in chase and do follow them in execution vppon them takeheed I say that you enter not in any case within the mouth of the straight of Valcala but stopping your course passe no further forwardes For within that passage I knowe there are certaine squadrons of the enemie layed to entrappe vs I knowe it well I am well acquainted both with the place and the pollicies of the Barbarians if you once enter in you will neuer get out againe Let it suffise you therefore my friends to pursue the victorie euen to the entrie of that place and no further As soone as he had thus spoken he espied Ballaban marching on directly towardes him whereupon he sent a certaine number of light horsemen to seize vppon that hill which he had chosen for the lodging of his armie and immediatly he followed after them with the bodie of his troupes making as though he meant to haue made a retrait the which the Turkes perceauing and beleeuing verelie that they had bene in a true and playne flight they galloped after them without any good order and with great furie they held on their course the length of all the valley Then did the Epyrots begin to beare vppe close together and being nothing astonished with the clamours or violent charge of the Turkes they turned about and with a hardie resolution they receaued them to the shocke and so ioyned with them in combat Then began the fight to grow most sharpe cruell and bloudy and many fell both of the one side and the other and the victorie rested for a long time doubtfull and vncertaine In fine the Albanois fought with such a constant and settled resolution and obstinacie against the Infidelles being out of order and in some confusion that they got the aduantage killing and beating them downe on all partes and draue them backe euen to the streightes of Valcala and there they tooke breath and made a stand excepting eight onely of the Christian armie each of whom without all doubt was worthie to haue had the absolute commaunde of a good and great armie These being transported with the furie of the fight and the heate of armes and forgetting the expresse commaundement of their Generall but being spurred forward with an eager desire of following the chase vpon the enemie and with a mortall hatred against Ballaban were drawen on into the ambuscado of the Infidels did very vnaduisedly entangle themselues within these streights which by meanes of this vnhappie accident were I dare say as famous by the losse and calamitie of these braue Epyrotes as the forkes of Candyum were in times past by the ignominie of the Romaines Long did they maintaine the fight against the Infidelles there ambusqued and passing still further and further within those valleys they came at last to the trenches of the Barbarians where they were to yeeld a reckoning of their comming and to pay the shot vnto their hostes Neuerthelesse continuing there also in a most cruell fight they shewed them selues so valiaunt and did so bestirre themselues by their valour and dexteritie that in the end they gayned the toppe of a mountaine which being possessed by the infanterie of the Turkes they had thought to haue bene of their owne companie and so they fell againe into a new and second perill greater then the former In the ende after infinite prooues of their wonderfull prowesse and valour being wearied with striking and killing of their enemies both men and horses growing faint through the multitude of their wounds they were taken aliue by the Ballabanians The vertue courage and incomparable prowesse of these braue warriours may not be let passe omitted in silence and yet if I should in this place set downe the singular perfectiōs wherin all of them were most accomplished and the memorable actes atchieued by their vertue in the seruice of God of the religion and of their countrey I should make a long and exceeding great historie and therefore I will onely and barely set downe their names vnto you The first that offereth him selfe to be remembred was that great Moses the Dibrian of whom we haue so often made mention the onely chiefe man that was most deare and faithfull vnto Scanderbeg and who was the Lieutenant of the armie Next to him was Guirize de Vladienne the neare kinseman of Scanderbeg after
prompt and venturous in all militarie actions would needs goe and see what should be the cause of their stay taking with him in his companie onely fiue souldiers and no more to the intent he might take a view and be informed of the estate of the enemie and heare some newes also of his owne people But Ballaban who to his owne cost was passing well acquainted and experienced with the cunning and politique draughts of his enemie misdoubting some such matter thought that he would beat him at his owne weapons and therefore he vsed this counterpolicie in hope to ouer-reach him He made choise of certaine stout and very hardie men all excellently well mounted on horsebacke and with them did he beset a certaine passage by which he suspected that Scanderbeg himselfe would come to take a view of his campe and the demeanour of his armie and he was not any thing deceiued in his imagination For behold Scanderbeg was now come to the place of this ambushment but yet before he would proceede any further he caused according to his wonted custome one of his souldiers to goe before him who soone discouered the daunger of the Turkes which lay there ambushed The Infidels seeing themselues bewrayed issued out vpon him with great furie and after some resistance made constrayned him to flie In his flight he put himselfe into a certaine wood or thicket which came next to hand and which lay on the other side of the mountaine which encloseth the plaine of Valcala where by ill happe he chaunced vpon a great tree which being withered with age was fallen downe and lay crosse the path by which he was to passe Scanderbeg setting spurres to his horse made him to leape roundly ouer the like did one of his souldiers which followed him but his companions not being able to doe the like and perceiuing that their last refuge their only hope to saue their liues consisted in their armes couching thēselues close they gaue in valiantly amongst their enemies hauing both slain hurt some of them they yeelded vp their liues as became men of valure and resolution One of the Barbarians following hard after Scanderbeg leapt likewise ouer the trunke of the tree and gathered very close and neere vppon him Scanderbeg casting his eye about and seeing one onely to followe him made backe directly towards him and quickly ouerthrew him dead to the ground the rest being not willing to pursue him any farther were content to let him goe and to depart quietly After this faire and happy escape Scanderbeg being returned to his campe neere Petralba about fifteene miles from the enemie made readie his squadrons for to march against the Infidels At that time more then euer did the Prince of Albanie employ all his senses to encourage and animate his men with good words and all other good meanes to doe their deuoire against their enemies He offered them giftes and large rewards he inuited and importuned them with prayers and earnest intreaties both in generall and in particular to take such things at his hande whereof they stood in any neede were it either for themselues or for their horses As the King was very bountifull to offer them freely of his owne so assure your selues that the souldiers shewed their wonderfull modesty and did as it were conted with him in gratitude and courtesie not taking any thing but in such measurable and modest manner as might serue onely for the present neede and necessitie Then the Albanois hauing taken some repast began to march towards the enemie and trauelling on continually day and night they tooke litle or no rest scarce so much as might suffise nature They were not long therefore ere they had gotten to the valley where the army of Ballaban lay encamped Scanderbeg seizing vpon the toppe of the same valley did pitch his campe with most excellent aduantage by reason that he enuironned the enemie who lay below him in the plaine for he extended his companies throughout all the toppes of the mountains which enclosed the vally occupying all the streights and passages in such sort that he had enclosed on all sides and as it were hedged in the Barbarians whom he visited also with often and daily skirmishes sometimes on the flanckes and sides of their campe sometimes at their backes because he would hold them in doubt and suspence of his intent and meaning The next day following Scanderbeg called a councell of his nobles and Chieftains at the which were present Tanusee Thopie Zacharie Groppe and Peic Manuell his Lieutenants Many of them were of this opinion that the battell should be deferred till such time as the souldiers were very wel refreshed of their long iorney and watching lately endured and that Tanusee should haue some leisure to take a taste of the enemy to keepe him doing in the meane while But Scanderbeg was of another mind and he did not onely perswade but he did instantly vrge and presse them that they should not by their delaies and daliance bring his determinations and counsels into hazard and daunger the suertie whereof consisted in nothing so much as in prompt and speedie execution That Ballaban his armie might easily be broken and defeated whilest that Iagup being ignorant of this attempt did tarrie away and keepe himselfe absent which quoth he being deferred by our prolonging of the time we shall giue them space and leisure to ioyne together and so shall we cause our enterprize which of it selfe is without daunger to come to a doubtfull and vncertaine issue Wherefore it behooueth vs with all speed to found to horsebacke to bid the battell to our enemies and not to lose this aduantage which their error and ouersight hath giuen vs now that their two Generalles are thus deuided the one absent the other present This opinion preuailed and the assembly being dissolued behold now how Scanderbeg did prepare himselfe to the combat Of all his squadrons he made foure battels the one he committed to Tanusee the second to Zacharie Groppe and of the third Peic Manuell had the charge and conduct the infanterie was mingled among the horsemen and the Harguebussiers and Archers were mixed pell mell with the pikes and certaine horsemen whom he sent forth to skirmish with the enemie and to begin the fight The residue of the armie together with the squadron which he had for the gard of his person he reserued to be commaunded by himselfe Hauing thus disposed and ordered his troupes he thought it requisite with some short speech to encourage his companies which he did in this manner The importunitie of the time my companions and your approued valour will not suffer me at this time to make any long discourse you are sufficiently well acquainted with this enemie who is but the scumme and offscouring of those troupes which your swordes haue left aliue and they are but the reffuse and reliques of those battels which you
themselues assailed endammaged on all sides both in front and in flancke and in their rereward so that the slaughter began now also to grow vpon the Asappi who made litle and no resistaunce For the most part of them the night before had absented themselues from their ensignes and were licentiously dispersed all ouer the fieldes and there lay some of them still wallowing vpon the ground ouercome with sleepe and trauell and the rest which were then present in the battell being wearied with their late trauell and with ouerwatching being a tender and soft kind of people and ill able to endure the heate of the yeare and hard trauell scarce could they abide their armes vpon their backes For the sunne being then at the highest made them in that case that partly with extreme heate and partly with thirst their enemies found them as men halfe dead and they fell into their hands by heapes to be taken or slaine at their pleasures Ballaban who had oftentimes purchased great honour and commendation in the like battelles in this iourney behaued himselfe more nobly then in any other whatsoeuer For partly by encouraging his men in the fight and partly also by hazarding his person to all daungers one while egging and pressing them forward another while blaming and rebuking those that were backward and sometimes by recalling of such as fled he did for a long time maintaine the fight well and worthely still animating his souldiours and renuing the conflict in many places where he saw his people to waxe faint and to giue ouer At the last when he sawe that the fortune of the field did encline to the Epirots and that he could no longer sustaine their violence he chaunged his resolution and setting spurres to his horse he turned his backe and withdrew himselfe from the fight of the Christians After him their whole armie did the like for perceiuing their rancks to be scattered disordered euery man began to flie some here some there ouer the fieldes into the mountaines and through the woods according as ech man his fortune good or bad did guide and direct him Some fewe there were who following their Generall escaped together with him and got away from the swordes of their enemies and from the slaughter of their fellowes All the rest of the Barbarians were either slaine or taken prisoners and if it happened that any were gotten free from the furie and confusion of the chase yet were they cut in peeces by those that kept the toppes and passages of the mountaines in so much that of the whole hoast and armie of Ballaban there were verie fewe left aliue As for those small reliques which remained they were not in any sort pursued because there was a sudden rumour and report that there was a newe and fresh enemie comming against them Scarce were the Christians departed out of the valley of Valcala and the souldiers had not yet made an ende of parting and deuiding the spoyles of their slayne enemies but that there came a messenger from Mamisa the Kings sister in poast haste from Petrella where this Ladie then lay with her guard and her housholde by whom she aduertised Scanderbeg that Iagup Arnauth with sixteene thousand horse was entred into Epyre by the way of Belgrade where he wasted and destroyed all things and that he was then encamped in the lower Tyranna neere adioyning to a riuer which the inhabitants name Argilat This Turke was an Epyrot by birth and his parents were both of them Christians himselfe hauing beene taken and circumcised by the Turkes did professe their superstitions He was a man of great hardinesse and valure and in times past both in Asia and in Greece had left many goodly and commendable testimonies of his prowes vnder Mahomet His comming into Epyre was as we haue saide to enclose the Prince of Albanie betweene his forces and the armie of his companion for one of his owne souldiers hauing beene taken by the people of Mamisa and being examined vpon the cause and motiue to this voyage had confessed the same and did iustifie the truth hereof vnto them Presently vpon this aduertisement Scanderbeg concluded to goe with his whole armie dirctly to Tiranna which being now in a readinesse to march he thought it good before his departure thus to encourage his souldiers This day my good souldiers and friendes haue we obtained by the assistance of the diuine power a most memorable victorie according to our hearts desire against our capitall and deadly enemie Such was his rashnesse vnhappie man that he presumed to enclose vs in the middest betweene two puissant and mightie armies and so most traiterously to haue destroyed and oppressed vs and he was in good hope by this notable draught and plot which he had deuised to abolish and wipe away his owne shame and infamie and the memorie of those rude discomfitures which he had receiued at our handes Now by the grace of God and your vertue in stead of diminishing his shame and ignominie he hath made it a great deale greater Yet behold how euen now againe before our hands be cleane or that we haue made an ende of this last repaste and before that the cloth as I may say is taken away see I pray you how Iagup Arnauth a noble and bountifull banquettour is come to inuite vs to a new banquet because he would haue vs to make an end of our feast and being loath that his guestes should be defrauded of good and conuenient entertainment he hath brought vs his armie also for a second course see I say my deare frends how before we are gotten out of this valley and haue as it were washed our hands embrued with the bloud of our enemies before we haue wiped the bloud off our swords or haue sheathed them in our scabbords Iagup is likewise come vnto vs he offreth vs good and friendly presents that is his troupes and squadrons that you may vse and dispose of them at your pleasures either to take a taste of them or else altogether to deuoure and consume them Go we therfore my good companions go we to this mariage feast whereunto Iagup doth inuite vs and doth so earnestly call vs let vs eate our fill of his dainties when we shall haue gluttted our selues let vs carry some part also away with vs. Let vs make all speed and diligence to be gone from hence let vs goe and meet with Iagup whom I dare assure you we will quickely ouerthrow and bring to confusion for these are but a handfull of men in comparison of those that were with Ballaban besides me thinkes I see that the warlike furie and the martiall fiercenesse of your courages doth yet continue burning and flaming within you Scarcely had Scanderbeg ended his speech but he might see his souldiers wonderfully incensed and inflamed all of them with high cries and clamours entreated him to leade them presently to this second banquet whereupon being full
were neuer so small a troupe sent after him to follow him close at the heeles it would be an easie matter to take and oppresse both him and all his company Let them go quoth he and seeing we haue gotten the honor of the field let there be some left to cary the newes of the slaughter and calamity of our enemies and of our vertue and prowesse These things being thus accomplished the Marshall of the Campe tooke his iourney towards Croy who was receiued with the lesse concourse preparation because there had not bin sent any messenger before hand to giue any notice of his comming but the ioy and gladnesse was so vnmeasurable that they knew not almost how to expresse it and to say the truth it cannot be declared in what estate the whole city stood neither in what extreame feare they had alwaies continued through their vncertaine expectation of the successe and euent of the fight nor how exceedingly they reioyced and triumphed on all parts when they heard the newes and report of the victory For in all that time after the first tidings was brought theÌ„ how that Scanderbeg was gone against the enemy there was not any one of the great men of the towne that from morning to night would be absent from the Pallace or from the magistrates neither would the people forgoe the market place their wiues which had litle or none other businesse would seldome be from the Churches or from their praiers and deuotion The towne being in this great feare suspence did at the first receiue this doubtfull and vncertaine newes namely that two horsemen Dibrians who were returned from the battell to the Campe vpon the confines of Epire had reported that the enemy was defeated This report was entertained at the first more with their eares then with anie beliefe of their mindes as a thing too strange and so much desired that it was thought too good to be true besides the hastinesse and celerity of the report did make it of the lesse credit because it was spoken two daies before the fight fell out After this Tanuse sent letters from the Campe signifying the comming of those two Dibrian horsemen those letters being caried through the market place of Croy to the pallace did cause so great a concourse of people to assemble at the gate of the pallace that the bearer could not passe through them but he was pulled and drawen with great violence by some that were inquisitiue after newes they cried out aloft that the letters should be read openly in the market place before they should be caried to the Magistrate After that they had been read in the Pallace according as the diuersity of mens humors did cary them so did they thinke and imagine of the truth of the matter some were fully satisfied and reioyced at the newes others beleeued neuer a word till such time as they had heard either the messengers themselues to speak it who were sent from the Marshall or else the letters read vnto them After all this the report went that the Marshall himselfe was comming thither in person at which time all sorts of persons and of all ages ranne hastily forth to meete him and they went out in such continuall flockes and troupes that they reached about halfe a league without the gates euery one striuing to be the first that should with their eies and with their eares swallow vp the exceeding greatnesse of this expected ioy Tanuse was the man whom they went thus to meete withall who being enuironned on all sides with this rude and confused multitude arriued at last in the market place of the city where some enquiring of him selfe others of them that followed him how all matters stood and what good newes they had brought when they heard for certaine that both the armies of the enemy were discomfited that one of the Generals was slaine that the Albanian Legions were safe and â—ound and that their Prince and his Captaines were in good health euery man reioyced at the newes and made others likewise partakers of their ioy When Tanuse was come with much adoe to the Pallace yet for all this would not the common people be drawen to depart to retire themselues but that they did in a maner thrust themselues amongst the Magistrats At length the letters being read in the Senate then did Tanuse recount more at large the proceedings and issue of the whole voyage whereat there was a most wonderfull applause and acclamation of all the Senate and they were not in any sort able to moderate the extremity of their ioy After this some visited the temples to yeelde thankes and praises vnto God others made hast to repaire to their owne houses to the intent they might communicat and impart these happy tidings to their wiues and children The Magistrats by a solemne edict commaunded publicke praiers and processions for three daies together for the victory and health of Scanderbeg and his army the like decree was made by the Queene and her counsell which was very deuoutly obserued and kept During all which time you might haue seene the Churches filled frequented both with men and women all alike and the auncient Matrones and Ladies being richly and sumptuously apparelled with their litle children did humbly and chearfully performe their vowes and publicke thankes vnto the deuine Maiesty as if the enemy had bene vtterly destroyed and consumed and as if the warre had bene fully determined and ended and that all feare and suspition had bene quite gone and exiled and more then that this victory did so settle and establish the estate of the towne as if they had gotten an assured rest and tranquillity for euer These things being thus accomplished and ended with no small religion and deuotion Scanderbeg because he would the more terrifie the enemy entred vpon his territories and passing on a good way into the country filled all places with fire and sword with bloud and terror besides that he caried away an incredible booty without any resistaunce made against him and so retyring with exceeding ioy into his owne Prouince and hauing left according to his wonted custome a strong garrison vpon his frontiers he returned with great triumph and generall reioycings to Croy his chiefe city where hauing for certaine daies together with his citizens celebrated the solemnity and common ioy of this glorious victory he dispatched away letters and messengers to the most part of the Kings and Princes of Christendome with magnificent giftes of diuerse sortes chosen out of the spoiles that had bene taken vppon his enemies as excellent good horses slaues armours and rich furnitures and caparisons for horses with such like rare and goodly presents After all which he brake vp his Campe and dismissed all his companies so that this yeare was no lesse famous and memorable then full of ioy and gladnesse to the Epirots The end of the eleuenth booke THE TVVELFTH BOOKE OF THE
before I will follow after you immediatly Herewithall a troupe of horse making out of the towne went to seeke out the enemie not ceasing till they had found them who hauing newly sacked the territorie of the Scutarians were encamped vpon the brooke Clyre neere to the citie of Scutarie For Ahamat the Generall of those troupes was come thither with fifteene thousand horse purposely to wast and spoyle the country about Scutarie Now assoone as the Barbarians did discouer the Christians comming towardes them imagining that it was Scanderbeg they tooke suddenly the alarme and being in great feare and tumult they left the better part of their bootie and fled away in the night time ouer the mountaines which by reason of their roughnesse were in a manner vnpassable For it was in Ianuarie at which time the Snow and the Ise did couer all places with their whitenesse These Infidels thus retyring themselues by the toppes and craggie passages of the mountaines and holding no certaine way nor path did finde themselues so hardly pressed and rudely entreated by the Lords and inhabitants of those quarters that they compelled them to yeeld a good account of their iourney and of the hauocke and spoyle which they had made vpon the countrie For many of them being taken prisoners and a great number slaine they lost almost all their prey and bootie The same night that the Turkes did flie away so hastily from the Christians no man following nor pursuing them Scanderbeg after the confession of his sinnes with great penitencie hauing receiued the Sacraments with good deuotion according to the rites of the holy Church and recommending himselfe and his soule without ceasing to God his creator he gaue vp the ghoast and exchanged this life for the happie ioyes of that which is eternall The time of his departure wherein he left this world was the 17. of Ianuarie in the yeare of grace 1460. and as the report goeth in the three score and third yere of his age and of his raign the foure and twentieth The beginning of his raigne and the time wherein he recouered the crowne of Epyre was the eight and twentieth of Nouember in the yeare of our Lord 1443. Lech Ducagin of whom we haue often made mention perceiuing by the exclamations and lamentable voices euery where giuen out that he was dead he made hast to the place and in the open view and hearing of all men with a sad and sorrowfull countenance and a voice full of confusion pulling himselfe by the beard and the haires of his head he brake out into these speeches Hasten you hasten you hither quoth he you Princes and Lords of Albany this day are the gates and rampiers of Epyre and Macedonie broken open this day are our fortresses and walles fallen to the ground this is the day wherein our strength and forces beginne to faile vs this is the day wherein our Crownes and Scepters are ouerthrowen and from henceforth all our helpe all our hope with his good Prince is quite gone and extinquished His bodie was interred at Lissa in the Cathedrall Church of S. Nicholas His funerals according to the custome of his auncestors were celebrated with great pompe and with the incomparable sorrow and mourning both of his Captaines and souldiers as also of all the Princes and Lords his confederates It is a thing incredible to report the exceeding teares and lamentations made both by the Prouince of Albany and the countries neere adioyning and in diuerse other places of Christendome His bodie being there entombed did rest in peace till the cōming of Mahomet into Epyre to the siege of Scutarie which was about foure yeares after At which time the Turkes hauing gotten the towne of Lissa did with a vehement and earnest desire search out the bodie of SCanderbeg and hauing found it they drew it foorth of the supulture and it may be some diuine dispensation working that motion in them they tooke a singular pleasure and contentment to see it to reuerence it and in a manner to adore it being now dead and dissolued which being a liue they so greatly redoubted and stood in feare of that the onely brute and sound of his name did make them to flie away confounded and astonished They ranne thither from all partes flocking together in troupes and companies with so greedie and vehement a desire and longing to see his bones that happie was he which might come to touch them or but to haue a sight of them onely but much more glad and ioyfull was he that could get or cary away any peece of his bodie were it neuer so litle and those that had any part thereof caused the same most religiously to be set and curiously enchased some in siluer some in golde bearing it about them vpon some part of their bodies as a thing most holy diuine and fatall and they did with singular reuerence and deuotion obserue and keepe it very carefully being fully perswaded that all such as did beare those reliques about them should enioy the like fortune felicitie and priuiledge during their liues which Scanderbeg by the gift and grace of God onely and alone within the memorie of man had vsed and enioyed all his life time It may be that the Turkes were induced to be of this minde and were drawen to this perswasion by reason of many strange and wonderfull reportes that went of the rare strength and corporall force and vigour of this worthie personage amongst many notable examples making shew thereof one was vppon a sauage and wilde Bull whose extreame fiercenesse and huge greatnesse made him fearefull to all the inhabitants dwelling in the lands and countrie of Mamisa sister to Scanderbeg where this furious beast did a thousand outrages and dammages and committed many most pitifull and cruell murthers insomuch that Scanderbeg comming where he haunted and setting vpon him on horsebacke with one onely blow of his Cimitarie he cut his necke cleane from his shoulders The like exploit was that which he did vpon a monstrous Boare in Apulia which had made many of the Courtiers of King Ferdinand to beare his markes neuerthelesse Scanderbeg being one day on hunting with the King in the open and plaine field encountered with this beast where assayling him in the same sort as he had done the former he soone parted the head from the bodie This also is reported of Scanderbeg that after the death of Ballaban and the discamping of his armie from the siege of Croy Ionima and Heder the brother and Nephew of Ballaban being brought before him streight tyed and bound together the sight and presence of those two putting him in remembrance of Ballaban and the crueltie which by his meanes was executed vpon the persons of Moses and his companions did cause him to enter into so great a vehemencie of wrath and choller against them that not staying for any other to lay hand vpon them he deuided them
assaulted the thâ—rd time Turkes repulsed from the assalt Amurath his â— impatieÌ„cie who enraged at his ill successe exclaimeth against God Amurath consulteth vpon his proceeding in the siege of Croy. Isup sent Ambassadour from Amurath to Scanderbeg to coÌ„clude a peace with him Sentence The Red plaine Scanderbeg his great care and prouidence to preuent the sodaine surprises of his enemies Oration of Isup to ScaÌ„â—erbeg * Morea once named Peloponnesus in Greece * Caramania or Cilicia Sentence Magnanimity of the Epirots in the dayes of Scanderbeg Answere of Scanderbeg to Isup his Ambassade Sentence Amurath sickneth vppon griefe and melancholy A third canuazado by Scanderbeg to the campe of the Turkes before Croy. Turks in great perplexitie vpon the sicknesse of Amurath Sentence Crayna a mountaine ouer Croy. Amurath his last end a mirrour for great persons Complaints lamentations made by Amurath at his death Speech and admonitious of Amurath to his sonne Mahomet vpon his death bed Amurath his death Amurath his manifold exploites and famous actes Hexamile a wall so called by the Greekes which did run sixe miles in length enclosing the countrie of Peloponnesus or Morea from the sea of AEgeuum lying betweene Greece and Asia euen to the sea of Ionia or part of the Mediterran sea lying betweene that and Italy now called the gulf of Venice Amurath an example of the vanitie and inconstancie of worldly blisse and fortune Prusa or Bursa the place of Amurath his sepulcher Siege of Croy raised Amurath his age at his death 85. yeares Scanderbeg returneth to Croy where he is receiued with exceeding ioy Rewards giueÌ„ to the citizens souldiers and Gouernor of Croy by Scanderbeg Vranocontes created Duke of Emathia ChristiaÌ„ their ioy and triumph vniuersally vpon the death of Amurath Christians had litle or no benefit by the death of Amurath Conquests atchieued by the Turkes of late ages vpon Christendome Euboea Or Lesbos Causes of the conquests of the Turkes vpon the Christians Liberalitie of Christian kings pr 〈…〉 s sending presents to Scanderbeg to congratulate his good fortune vpon the death of Amurath Triumphes in Epire for the discomfiture and death of Amurath Amurath best beloued by his subiects and most vpright to his enemies of all the Ottoman Princes Sentence Custome of the Ianissaries to sacke the houses of the Iewes and Christians at the death of their Prince Mahomet crowned Emperour of the Turâ—â—s Emperours of the Turkes the maner of their succeeding to the crowne Sentence Prouerbe of Princes children Mahomet his cruelty impiety Tursines brother to Mahomet drowned Moses Bassa the murderer of Tursines murdered by the mother of the infant Calepin brother to Mahomet Caly Bassa Sponderbeg Prince of Penderacia Calepin or one in his stead strangled by Mahomet Histories how to be written Mahomet his tyranny and mischieuous manners Mahomet his notable vices and vertues Seraill a place where the Turk vseth to keepe his concubines Mahomet a notable Atheist worshippeth good Fortune only as God Iohn Maria of Vicentia slaue to Mustapha eldest sonne of Mahomet Gentill Belin a Painter of Venice Description of Mahomet Croy repaired nâ—w fortified by Scanderbeg A digression and exclamation of the author against the inuentioâ— of Ordinance 1451. Perswasions vsed by the nobles of Epire to draw Scanderbeg to mariage Ariamnites Comminat Doniqua the wife of Scanderbeg Mariage of Scanderbeg Sentence Saying of Mahomet touching the mariage of Scanderbeg The progresse of Scanderbeg with his Queen to visite all his kingdome Mountaine of Modrissa Fortresse at Modrissabuilded by Scanderbeg Ambassadours sent with conditions of peace by Mahomet to Scanderbeg Answer of Scanderbeg to the Ambassadors of Mahomet The fortresse of Modrissa finished and furnished Territories and Dominions of the Turkes inuaded spoiled by Scanderbeg OratioÌ„ of Scanderbeg to his subiects perswading theÌ„ to proceed with their conquests vpon the Turkes Two onely times to dispatch great exploites against an enemy when he is weakened or other where employed and occupied Answer of Vranocontes to the oratioÌ„ of ScaÌ„derbeg in the name of all the Epirots Winter wars most discommodious and hurtfull Sentence Time and seasen to be attended by men of valor wisdome Donique the wife of Scanderbeg passeth the Sommer at Petralba Colchina a citie of the VenetiaÌ„s vpon the sea or gulfe of Venice in Dalmatia Description of the conntrey about Petralba Mahomet prepareth an army against Scanderbeg Sentence Scanderbeg leuieth an armie to withstand the Turkes An armie of twelue thousand Turkes inuadeth Epire Amâ—sa generall of the Turkish armie against Scanderbeg Mount Mocrea Amesa the Turkes armie surprized at Modrissa by Scanderbeg Amese Generall of the Turkes taken prisoner by Amese the Nephew of Scanderbeg Victorie of Scanderbeg against Amese at Modrissa Number both of Turkes and Christians slaine in the fight at Modrissa Sentence The Turkes prisoners feasted by Scanderbeg 1452. Mahomet insensed against Amese in vnwilling to pay his ransome Sentence Perswasions vsed by Amese his friendâ— and the Turkes courâ—iâ—rs to Mahomet in his behalfe Liberalitie of Amuse the Nephew of Scanderbeg Amese and the other Turkes prisoners ransommed Debreas appointed with a new armie against Scanderbeg Debreas his ambition and glorious ostentation Sentence Ambition and enuie of the Turkes against Scanderbeg Amese coÌ„mending the vertue of Scanderbeg discourageth the Turkes Debreas marcheth into Epyre with an armie of 15000. men Scanderbeg leauteth an armie of 7000. men against Debreas The order taken by Scanderbeg for the sudden arming of his subiects and speedie raising of an armie Pologue Scanderbeg marcheth with 6000. men against Debreas The description of the countrie about Pologue Scopia a chiefe towne in Macedonie Army of Scanderbeg striken with feare by the terror of a sudden tempest Speech of Scanderbeg to his souldiers encouraging them not to be amazed at the tempest Oration of Debreas encouraging his souldiers to the battell Oration of Scanderbeg encouraging his souldiers to the battell against Debreas The battell of Pologue Moses putteth to flight the Turkes that began the flight Moses his immoderate fury in the heat of fight Speech of Scanderbeg to Moses reprehending his ouermuch hardines Moses his originall descent or pedegree Valmes a citie in Epire. Speech of Scanderbeg encouraging his souldiers to giue the charge vpon Debreas Policie of Scanderbeg in battell to ayme at the destruction of the Generall of his enemies Saying of Scanderbeg touching the cutting off of the Generall of the enemies A hardie act of Moses Debreas slaine by Scanderbeg Victorie of Scanderbeg against the armie of Debreas Sentence Number of Turkes staine in the battell of Pologue Victory not bought but giuen to the Christians Debreas his horse and armour giuen to Moses by Scanderbeg in honour of his valure vertue A pleasaunt question betweene Musache and a Turke his prisoner Speech of Scanderbeg deciding a controuersie betweene Musache the Turke his prisoner Sentence Mahomet and his Nobles greatly troubled and vexed at the discomfiture of Debreas
entire for thee as most puissant most sage and most inuincible Princes both by sea and lande and such as neuer abandoned their faithfull friends and allies nor neuer abused or deceiued any person that put their trust and affiance in them And whensoeuer my sonne the ioy of my heart thou shalt returne and be seated in thy roiall throne and that it shall please God to giue thee the quiet and peaceable possession thereof and that thou shalt haue taken vpon thee the gouernement and managing of thy estate principally and aboue all things see that thou doe administer and yeeld iustice to all men indifferently for of all vertues she is the most noble and most excellent keepe and obserue equity without any acceptance or difference of the faces of poore or rich of the weake or mightie vse temperance and moderation in all thy actions strengthen thy realme with friendship and amitie of good men for neither are great treasures nor strong armies the garrison or fortresse of estates and Empires but true and faithfull friends which are not to be gotten with siluer and golde but are purchased with good offices of courtesie kindnesse and fidelitie And therefore that diuine speech of king Philip reprehending the great Alexander his sonne is yet extant in record what motion quoth he hath induced thee my sonne to this vaine hope to thinke or surmise that they will continue faithfull and trustie vnto thee whom thou hast purchased for money to be thy friends It is loue that must yeeld true and vnfeigned friendship For as this earth on which we liue doth desire aboue all things the presence and comfort of the sunne which we see in the heauens so the life of man cannot be without friendshippe and amitie Thou therefore my sonne shalt soone get and purchase all these things if thou beleeue and follow my counsell thou shalt draw vnto thee thou shalt binde vnto thee all the world by thy benefits if thou obserue my precepts and commaundements For courtesie beneficence and bountie are the only vertues acceptable to God pleasing to men sure and secure in all places exempted from all perils and they doe engender and stirre vp in the spirits and minds of men a wonderfull and admirable loue and liking of them easily surmounting exceeding all other vertues and excelling farre beyond them they onely by the testimonie and consent of the sage and wise are the most necessarie vertues for all kinds estates and degrees of men but especially for Princes and great personages for they be the vertues which haue the commaund and possession of the affections and humors of euery man and they onely haue the disposing of the hearts of all men Moreouer my sonne in aduersitie and in things that are high and difficult I would aduertise thee to be magnanimous and valiant in prosperitie remember that thou moderate and temper thy good fortune with vertue Flie sloth and idlenesse the nurse of effeminacie for from thence proceede all mischiefes and it is the roote of all vices Suffer not thy souldiers to lie idle or to be slouthfull but exercise them in continuall trauell watchings and daily labours Howbeit vse them not as vassals and seruants but as thy fellowes and companions In the campe and in the field demeane thy selfe not onely as a Captaine but as a souldier also aboue all things abhorre delicacie and flie luxuriousnesse and incontinencie for by these the most stout and strongest men haue growen faint and effeminate Too much seueritie and crueltie auoide equally and alike for they are proper to fierce and sauage beasts be patient of labour without wearinesse and let not any perils make thee learefull or timorous the varietie and change of thy affaires doe thou moderate with prudence and magnanimitie the crosse accidents of contrarie fortune see that thou endure and beare them with that wisedome and discretion that dissembling and concealing thy griefe thy enemie haue no cause to glorie or triumph ouer thee nor to insult at thy calamitie For what can be more vnfitting and vnbeseeming the constancie of a braue Chieftaine and Generall of an armie then that his countenance should discouer the passion of his heart Be not forgetfull but beare it alwaies in mind that thou foresee and eschew the traines and snares of the Barbarians whereof the Turkes make an ordinarie and principall profession shunne the periurie the cautels and guilefull sleights of this faithlesse Nation disdaine their amitie and let the friendshippe and societie of this disloyall tyrant be abhominable vnto thee neglect and contemne his giftes and presents his flatteries and his promises for feare least in drawing and alluring thee to trust him he doe oppresse thee vnawares and cast thee downe headlong into perpetuall and endlesse mischieues And for this cause be thou sure to be alwaies prouided of good Councellors such as are well knowen vnto thee faithfull and louing These are the precepts my sonne the light of my life these are the ensignments and instructions which I heard and learned of my father a master of no small experience and my delight was to meditate vpon them continually by them was I instructed and taught by them did I fashion and frame my life and my whole age and to be short by them haue I reaped no small fruite and benefite wherefore I doe now exhort thee I doe admonish and if thou canst endure to be entreated by thy father then I thy father do pray and request thee yea euen from the very bowels and entrailes of my heart I doe againe and againe pray and double pray thee that thou wouldest teach thy selfe these things which I haue taught thee that thou wouldest carefully and diligently embrace retaine and digest them in thy memorie Whilest Scanderbeg was thus speaking and perswading with his sonne there sprang vp a strange rumor throughout all the towne and a sudden brute and tumult arose by reason of a message brought from the fieldes that the Turkes were neere at hand and that they had ouerrunne and burned the countrie neere adioyning At the report of these newes Scanderbeg although he kept his bed in great extreamitie yet could he not represse nor refraine that auncient and inuincible courage nor that liuely and martiall spirit which was wont to dwell and be resident in his noble hart For raising himselfe vp in his bed aswell as his fainting and feeble limmes would giue him leaue he called for his armour and commanded his horse to be made readie So liuely and flourishing was his spirit still remayning sound and disposed within his stomach abounding in courage and vigour But when his members being now destitute of strength and growing weake did beginne to yeeld and sinke downe againe into the bed then falling and bearing himselfe forward vpon his couch with his face turned towards his Captaines he thus spake vnto them Foorth foorth my companions issue out vpon those traitors and Infidels goe you