in due place God willing be declared Now was king Richard for the increase of his honour more desirous than before of the citie of HIERUSALEM as the most precious and honourable prize of all that religious warre And thereupon with all the power of the Christians then at his command set forward from PTOLEMAIS and was come on his way as farre as ARSUA a towne situate betwixt CESAREA and IOPPE In the vauward was king Richard himselfe with the Englishmen after whom followed Odo duke of BVRGVNDIE with his French and in the rereward Iaques de Auenes with the Flemmings Brabanders and Wallons who after the death of their countie Philip at the siege of PTOLEMAIS had put themselues all vnder his regiment Saladin with a great armie still at hand and as it were attending vpon them first with certaine ambuscadoes charged the rereward and so afterward came on with his whole power vpon whom Iaques turning himselfe with his Flemmings receiued the charge with great assurance and so long themselues endured the same vntill the French came in to their succours and after them the English also There was fought a notable battell and great valour shewed both on the one side and the other but especially by them of the Turkes part who knew well the purpose of the Christians for the besieging of HIERUSALEM and that thereon depended their onely hope and that hee that could hold the same might almost assure himselfe to carrie away the glorie of that warre The French and English in that battell honorably stroue who might shew the greatest valour neither would the Low countrey men vnder Iaques their generall seeme to bee any thing behind them This sharpe conflict began about noone and continued vntill the going downe of the Sunne King Richard as some write was there wounded with an arrow and Iaques valiantly there fighting was slaine hauing sold his life deere to the great admiration of the infidels and dying left the victorie vnto the Christians It is reported that in this battell were slaine moe Turks and Sarasins than in any one battell within the memorie of man before of the Christians were not lost any great number either any man of name more than the aforesaid Iaques the valiant generall of the Flemmings The next day the Christians remooued to BETHLEM a towne about the mid way betwixt IOPPE and HIERUSALEM But Winter now comming fast on and want of victuals like ynough to increase the king changing his mind for the siege returned with the greatest part of the armie to ASCALON which he that Winter new fortefied the wals thereof being before by Saladin in his despaire demolished the duke of BVRGVNDIE with his Frenchmen all that while quietly wintering at TYRE In the meane time the power of the Christians was that Winter greatly deminished some one way departing from the campe and some another The Italians for the most part with them of PISA who in these three yeares warres had striuen with the Venetians for the honour of their seruice were now returned home as were the Venetians themselues also Neuerthelesse Winter now past and the Spring time come king Richard took the field againe and came to BETHLEM where by the way hee met with an exceeding great number of cammels charged with great store of victuals and munition sent by Saladin out of AEGYPT to HIERUSALEM all which he tooke But purposing to haue gone on to the siege of HIERUSALEM he was by the backwardnesse of the French glad to change his purpose and to returne to PTOLEMAIS for the Frenchmen persuaded by the duke their generall who well knew the French kings mind That if any thing woorth remembrance were done it was to bee done by them and that the glorie thereof should wholly redound vnto the king of ENGLAND as there in person present and to his Englishmen shewed themselues so vnwilling to the siege as that therin was nothing done to the great griefe of that worthy prince At which time also news was brought vnto king Richard How that Philip the French king forgetfull of his solemne promise made before his departure out of SYRIA had now inuaded the country of NORMANDIE and excited earle Iohn the kings brother a man of an hautie aspiring nature to take vpon him the kingdome of ENGLAND in his absence as had before in like case William the yonger brother serued duke Robert his elder brother then absent at his father the Conquerours death in the first sacred expedition vnder Godfrey of BUILLON Wherfore king Richard beside the present difficulties fearing least while he was so far off in wars for defence of the Christian commonweale he might lose his kingdome at home thought it best to grow to some good end with Saladin and so to make his returne But the politicke and warie Sultan not ignorant of the discord of the Christians and that their forces daily decaied in SYRIA either of the troubled estate of the kings affairs at home in his kingdome or of his desire to returne would not hearken to any other conditions of peace but such as might both for the present weaken the forces of the Christians in SIRIA and discourage others that had a mind to come thither afterward whē they should see that for naught they should trauell to conquer that which in the end they must of necessitie restore againe The conditions he offered were That the Christians should foorthwith restore whatsoeuer they had woon in those three years wars PTOLEMAIS only excepted and that from thence forth for the space of fiue yeares the Turks should not in any thing molest the Christians but to suffer them in peace to liue by them which hard conditions for that no better could be had the king was glad to accept and so concluded a peace Wherby the labor and trauell of the two great kings and so many nations with them were all become frustrat and vaine hauing now to no purpose lost their men their money their time their hope their blood their long trauell to gaine that they must now in one houre forgo nothing more left vnto the poore Christians in SIRIA than the cities of ANTIOCH TYRE and PTOLEMAIS This done king Richard leauing the affaires of ASIA vnto the charge of Henrie countie of CHAMPAGNE his nephew shipping the greatest part of his people with his wife Berengaria first for SICILIA and from thence for ENGLAND where they in safetie at length arriued followed shortly after with some few himselfe where by the way by extremitie of weather he was in the Adriatique driuen to land vpon the coast of HISTRIA where trauelling with a small retinue homewards in the habit of a Templar he was discouered and taken prisoner by Leopold duke of AVSTRIA whom he had before disgraced at the winning of PTOLEMAIS as is before declared who now glad to haue him in his power made prize of him and sold him to Henrie the emperor for fortie thousand pounds by
Turkes and went backward with the Christians In the time of these warres not farre from CALLIPOLIS was a little castle called CONGERE the captaine whereof was by a Greeke name called Calo Ioannes a valiant and painefull man this captaine continually molested and troubled the Turks which lay on that side of CALLIPOLIS vnder the leading of Ezes-beg many of whom he slew and tooke prisoners as hee could find them at any aduantage Solyman much angred herewith by craftie and secret espials learned a certaine time when he was gone out of his castle to doe some exploit vpon the Turks whereupon he presently so beset the castle with souldiors that hee could by no meanes returne thither but hee must first fall into their hands and for more assurance placed others also in by-waies least he should by any way escape The captaine ignorant of all this prosecuted his enterprise and hauing taken a Turke prisoner thinking to returne to his castle was hastely pursued by Fazill-Beg for which cause making the more hast he suddainly fell into the danger of the Turks laid in ambush where his men were all slaine and he himselfe taken and brought before his own castle and had there his head presently strucke off whereupon the castle was forthwith by them that were therein hauing now lost their captaine surrendred and Chazi Ili Beg a valiant captaine of the Turks placed in the same who from thence neuer ceased to trouble the countrey euen to the wals of DIDYMOTICHUM as did Solyman also out of CALLIPOLIS Thus in the space of one yeare the Turks got strong footing in EUROPE possessing diuers castles and townes with the countrey about them which Solyman gaue in reward vnto his captaines and souldiors as appeareth by the 〈◊〉 and tombes of Ezes-beg and Fazill-beg the two which first came ouer into EUROPE which 〈◊〉 there yet well knowne About this time it fortuned that as this maâ—â—all prince Solyman was for his disport hawking in the fields of BOLAYRE on EUROPE side galloping in to his faulcon was with his horse ouerthrowne in a ditch of which fall he being sore brused shortly after died The newes of his death being brought to Orchanes his father 〈◊〉 him then being sicke just occasion of great sorrow so that within two moneths after he died also being fourescore yeares old when hee had thereof raigned 31 yeares and died about the yeare of our Lord 1359. Some histories report otherwise both of his death and of the time wherein he liued as that he should beslaine in a battell against the Tartars or as others write with an arrow at the siege of PRUSA in the yeare of our Lord 1349. But Ioannes Lâ—unclauiâ—â— in his historie collected out of the Turks owne chronicles whom we follow as most probable reporteth it as before This Orchanes was wise courteous and bountifull more ingenious than his father in deuising warlike engins He built diuers princely Churches Abbeies Colledges and Cels and was in his superstitious religion very zealous insomuch that he appointed pensions to all such as could in the church say the booke of Mahomets law by heart and appointed competent maintenance for all Iudges of his courts because they should not take any thing in reward of his subjcts for the peruerting of justice He greatly inlarged his kingdome in ASIA and not content to bee inclosed with the seas of EVXINUM and HELLESPONTUS set fast footing in EVROPE which some attribute to his sonne Amurath He was vnto the Christians alwaies a most mortall enemie and so 〈◊〉 FINIS Christian princes of the same time with Orchanes Emperours Of the East Andronicus Palaeologus the younger 1325. 29. Iohn Palaeologus 1354. 30. Of the West Lewes of Bauaria 1314. 32. Charles the fourth sonne to Iohn king of Bohemia 1346. 10. Kings Of England Edward the third 1327. 50. Of Fraunce Philip Valois 1328. 22. Iohn Valois 1350. 14. Of Scotland Robert Bruce 1306. 24. Dauid Bruce 1341. Bishops of Rome Iohn the XXII 1317. 18. Benedict the XII 1335. 7. Clement the VI. 1342. 12. Innocent the VI. 1354. 10. AMVRATH AMVRANTHES PRIMVS TERTIVS TVRCARVM REX FLORVIT AN o 1350 Scauâ—s Amurathes animo dum maxima versat Discordes Graecos sternere Marte parat Totus intentus fines extendere regni Europam penetrans obuia quaeque rapit Attoniti trepidant nimia formidine Thraces In medio quorum sceptra superba locat Hinc Moesos premit ille feros miserumque Dynasten Cossoui in campis obruit atque necat Sed non longa fuit sceleris tam dira voluptas A seruo caesus concidit ense ferox RICH. KNOLLEVS Whilest Amurath in his deepe thoughts of greatnesse plots the ground The wrangling Greekes by force of arms he seekes how to confound And wholy bent for to extend his kingdome with his power Piersing the confines of EVROPE doth what he meets deuour As men dismaid the Thracians quake to see their foule disgrace Amiddest whom the tyrant stout his scepter proud doth place The fierce Bulgarians he did meet and in the field subdue And in COSSOVAS fatall plains the wofull Despot slue But long is not the wickeds joy which they in mischiefe take Stabd by a Slaue the wretch his end in that same place did make R. K. THE LIFE OF AMVRATH THE FIRST OF THAT NAME THIRD KING OF THE TVRKES AND THE GREAT AVGMENTOR OF THEIR KINGDOME AMurath the yonger sonne of Orchanes succeeded his father in the Turkish kingdome his elder brother Solyman being dead a little before his father This Amurath with greater zeale than any one of the Turkish kings aduanced the Mahometane religion and had therein wonderfull successe In the beginning of his raigne he gathered a great armie out of all parts of his kingdome to PRUSA purposing to passe ouer HELLESPONTUS to inuade the Christians in THRACIA But vnderstanding that the other Mahometane princes in ASIA had combined themselues against him hee was thereby enforced to â—eaue his former determination for EUROPE and to turne his forces vpon them In which wars â—e mightily preuailed against them and returned with victorie to PRUSA But hauing so subduâ—d those confederat princes he the next yeare after prosecuted his warres before intended against â—he Christians in EUROPE For which purpose hauing leuied a strong armie in ASIA he passed ouer to CALLIPOLIS accompanied with his tutor whom the Turks call Lala Schahin whose graue aduice and counsaile he most followed in all his waightie affaires being at that time one of his cheefe counsellors From CALLIPOLIS he marched to the castle of BENUTUM which was by composition yeelded vnto him From thence he went to TZVRVLUS where the Christians gaue him a sharpe encounter but in the end he wan the towne and caried away the victorie And so proceeding farther tooke diuers other small castles and townes in that part of THRACIA which of the antient Romane Colonies was then called ROMANIA and now of the Turks RUMILIA namely MESINE BURGOS and
that did this Cobelitz vnto Amurath The dead bodie of Amurath was presently with all secrecie conueied into his tent by the Basâ—aes and captaines present at his death whether Baiazet was also brought with an ensigne before him as the successour in his fathers kingdome His younger brother Iacup surnamed Zelebi or the noble yet ignorant of that had hapned was by the great Bassaes sent for as from his father who casting no perill but comming into his fathers tent was there presently by them strangled by the commaundement of Baiazet as most histories report howbeit the Turkes annales charge him not therwith This was the beginning of the most vnnaturall and inhumane custome euer since holden for a most wholesome and good policie amongst the Turkish kings and emperours in the beginning of their raigne most cruelly to massacre their brethren and neerest kinsmen so at once to rid themselues of all feare of their competitors This Amurath was in his superstition more zealous than any other of the Turkish kings a man of great courage and in all his attempts fortunat he made greater slaughter of his enemies than both his father and grandfather his kingdome in ASIA hee greatly enlarged by the sword mariage and purchase and vsing the discord and cowardise of the Grecian princes to his profit subdued a great part of THRACIA called ROMANIA with the territories thereto adjoyning leauing vnto the emperour of CONSTANTINOPLE little or nothing more in THRACIA than the imperiall citie it selfe with the bare name of an emperour almost without an empire he wan a great part of BULGARIA and entred into SERUIA BOSNA and MACEDONIA he was liberall and withall seuere of his subjects both beloued feared a man of verie few words and one that could dissemble deeply He was slaine when hee was threescore eight yeares old and had thereof raigned thirtie one in the yeare of our Lord 1390. His dead bodie was by Baiazet conuaied into ASIA and there royally buried at PRUSA in a faire chappell at the West end of the citie neere vnto the Bathes there where vpon his tombe lieth his souldiours cloake with a little Turkish tulipant much differing from those great turbants which the Turkes now weare Neere vnto the same tombe are placed three launces with three horse tailes fastened at the vpper end of them which he vsed as guidons in his wars a thing in antient time not strange There standeth a castle with a tombe made in remembrance of him in the plaines of COSSOUA where he was slaine and his entrailes buried which giueth occasion for some to report that hee was there also himselfe enterred FINIS Christian princes of the same time with Amurath the first Emperours Of the East Iohn Palaeologus 1354. 30. Andronicus Palaeologus 1384. 3. Emanuell Palaeologus 1387. 30. Of the West Charles the fourth 1346. 32. Wenceslaus son to Charles king of Bohemia 1378. 22. Kings Of England Edward the third 1327. 50. Richard the second 1377. 23. Of Fraunce Iohn Valois 1350. 14. Charles the fifth 1364. 16. Charles the sixt surnamed The welbeloued 1381. 42. Of Scotland Dauid Bruce 1341. 29. Robert Stuart 1370. Bishops of Rome Innocent the VI. 1354. 10. Vrban the V. 1364. 8. Gregorie the II. 1372. 7. Vrban the VI. 1378. 11. BAIAZET BAIAZETTHES PRIMVS QVARTVA TVRCORVM REX ANNO 1390 Fulminis in morem celeri rapit agmina motu Baizethes fidei pacis impatiens Regni Hadrianopolim sedes sibi legit vt esset Posset vt Europae iungere regna suis. Constantinopolim gemina obsidione fatigat Iam Graetas vana spe sibi spondet opes Cum Tamburlano praebet sua terga catenis Vinctus in cauea probra pudenda subit Prowd Baiazet most false of faith and loathing blessed peace His warlike troupes like lightening to shake he doth not cease Of HADRIANOPLE he makes choice for his imperiall seat That EVROPS kingdomes he might joyne vnto his empire great CONSTANTINOPLE he distrest twice with straight siege and long And vainly thought to haue possest the Graecians wealth by wrong But ouercome by Tamberlane fast bound in fetters sure Trod vnder foot and cloas'd in cage great shame did there indure THE LIFE OF BAIAZET THE FIRST OF THAT NAME THE FOVRTH AND MOST VNFORTVNAT KING OF THE TVRKES BAiazet or as the Turks call him Baiasit of his violent and fierce nature surnamed Gilderun or lightening succeeded his father Amurath in the Turkish kingdome his younger brother Iacup being strangled immediatly after his fathers death as is before declared He in the first yeare of his raign inuaded SERVIA and there besieged CRATOVA a citie of the Despots whereunto the siluer mines of SERVIA not the least cause of that warre belonged Which citie was yeelded vnto him vpon condition That the Christian inhabitants might with life and libertie depart Who were no sooner gone out of the cittie but that by his commaundement they were all most cruelly slaine by his men of warre for that purpose sent out after them At this time hee also woon VSCUPIA with diuers other castles in the countrey neere vnto CRATOVA Sigismund at the same time king of HUNGARIE a yong prince of great hope and brother to Wenceslaus then emperour of the West aduertised from the Seruians his allies and confederats of these proud proceedings of Baiazet by his embassadours sent of purpose requested him That as he was a just prince and wished to liue in quiet with his owne to desist from doing of such open wrong and from inuading of such countries of his friends and confederats as he had no right in Which embassadours so sent Baiazet detained without answere vntill such time as he had ouerrun a great part of the Despot his country and therein done what he thought good Then calling the said embassadours vnto him into one of the strong townes which hee had in euerie corner filled with his owne souldiours told them that they might there see that his right both vnto that towne and the rest by him taken was good inough for as much as the verie wals acknowledged the same and so giuing them leaue to depart willed them so to tell their master Which his proud answere by the same embassadors reported vnto the yong king no lesse troubled him than if open warre had by them been denounced vnto him seeing the tyrant as should seeme pretending right vnto whatsoeuer hee could by force get neuerthelesse being himselfe not yet well setled in his kingdome and in doubt of the contrarie faction that altogether liked not of his election into HUNGARIE for their king he was glad at that time to put it vp and so to hold himselfe content The next yeare Baiazet by Ferises Beg tooke the citie of VIDINA with many other strong townes and castles in SERVIA and afterwards returned to HADRIANOPLE But whilest that hee thus raged in EUROPE the Caramanian king inuaded and spoiled the frontiers of his countries in ASIA which although he was not then at
beare authoritie and rule and are had in greater honour and reputation than the rest such as are the men of warre and courtlers but he is borne a Christian either of father or at the least of his grandfather auouch those onely to be Turks which liue in NATOLIA al of them either marchants or of base and mechanicall crafts or poore labourers with the spade and pickaxe and such like people vnfit for the warres the rest as I say holding it for a title of honour to be discended of Christian parents Yea the Grand Sign â—or himselfe although by the fathers side he bee come of progenitors such as were naturall Turks borne yet many of them had Christian mothers which they accounted in the greatest part of their nobilitie and honour Thus by the wisedome of Amurath was the order of the Ianizaries and other souldiours of the court greatly aduanced though not by him begun and the politicke state of the Turks kingdome to say the truth quite altered the naturall Turks more than the Sultan himselfe now bearing therein no sway but onely these new souldiours all of them discended from Christian parents and by adoption as it were become the sonnes of the Turkish Sultans and vnder them commanding all by whom they haue euer since managed their estate by their good seruice wonderfully euen to the astonishment of the world encreased and extended their empire But of them more shall be said hereafter This great king was whilest hee liued of his subjects woonderfully beloued and no lesse of them after his death lamented He was more faithfull of his word than any of the Turkish kings either before or after him by nature melancholie and sad and accounted rather politicke than valiant yet was indeed both a great dissembler and painefull in trauaile but wayward and testie aboue measure which many imputed vnto his great age He had issue sixe sonnes Achmetes Aladin Mahomet Hasan otherwise called Chasan Vrchan and Achmetes the younger of some called Calepinus three of whom died before him but the two youngest were by their vnnaturall brother Mahomet who succeeded him in the Turkish kingdome euen in their infancie in the beginning of his raigne most cruelly murthered FINIS Christian princes of the same time with Amurath the second Emperours Of the East Iohn Palaeologus 1421. 24. Constantinus Palaeologus 1444. 8. Of the West Sigismund king of Hungarie 1411. 28. Albert the second king of Hungarie and Bohemia 1438. 2. Frederick the third Archduke of Austria 1440. 54. Kings Of England Henrie the fift 1413. 9. Henrie the sixt 1422. 39. Of Fraunce Charles the sixt 1381. 42. Charles the seuenth 1423. 38. Of Scotland Iames the first 1424. 13. Iames the second 1436. 29. Bishops of Rome Martin the V. 1417. 13. Eugenius the IIII. 1431. 16. Nicholas the V. 1447. 8. MAHOMET II. MAHOMETHES II COG MAGNVS TVRCARVM IMPERATOR PRIMVS FLORVIT AN o 1450 Qui vici innumeros populos tot regna tot vrbes Solus immensi qui timor orbis eram Me rapuit quae cunque rapit mors improba sed sum Virtute excelsa ductus ad astra tamen Maior Alexander non me fuit Annniball non Fuderit Ausonios tot licet ille duces Vici victores Dannos domuique feroces Caoniae populos Sauromatasquè truces Pannonius sensit quantum surgebat in armis Vis mea quae latio cognita nuper erat Arsacidae sensere manus has sensit Arahsquè Et mea sunt Persae cognita tela duci Mens fuerat bellare Rhodum superare superbam Italiam sed non fata dedere modum Hei mihi nam rapuit mors aspera quaequè sub alto Pectore condideram vertit hora breuis Sic hominum fastus pereunt sic stemata sicquè Imperium atquè aurum quicquid orbis habet In English thus I that so many nations townes and kingdomes haue brought low And haue alone dismaied the world and fild the earth with woe Am now by death which all deuoures brought downe from hie degree Yet doth the glorie of my name surmount the starrie skie The great king Alexanders fame the world no better fild Nor worthy Hannibal whose force so many Romans kild I vanquisht the victorious Greeks and tam'd with mightie hand The warlike people of EPIRE and fierce TARTARIA land My force in field HVNGARIA felt my greatnesse is there knowne Which of late time through ITALY to their great ruth is blowne Th'Assyrians felt my heauie hand so did th' Arabians wild The Persian king with all his force I driue out of the field I purposed to win the RHODES and ITALY t' vndoe If that the fatall destinies had granted leaue thereto But wo is me for grisly death hath brought all this to nought And in the twinckling of an eye is perisht all I thought So perisheth the pride of man his honour wealth and power His golde and whatsoeuer else it fadeth as a flower THE LIFE OF MAHOMET SECOND OF THAT NAME SEVENTH KING AND FIRST EMPEROVR OF THE TVRKS FOR HIS MANY VICTORIES SVRNAMED THE GREAT THe report of the death of old Amurath the late king was in short time blowne through most part of Christendome to the great joy of many but especially of the Greekes and other poore Christians which bordered vpon the tyrants kingdome who were now in hope together with the change of the Turkish king to make exchange also of their bad estate and fortune and the rather for that it was thought that his eldest sonne Mahomet after the death of his father would haue embraced the Christian religion being in his childhood instructed therein as was supposed by his mother the daughter of the prince of SERVIA a Christian. But vaine was this hope and the joy thereof but short as afterward by proofe appeared For Mahomet being about the age of one and twentie yeares succeeding his father in the kingdome in the yeare of our Lord 1450 embraced in shew the Mahometane religion abhorring the Christian but indeed making no great reckoning either of the one or of the other but as a meere Atheist deuoid of all religion and worshipping no other god but good fortune derided the simplicitie of all such as thought that God had any care or regard of worldly men or of their actions which gracelesse resolution so wrought in him that he thought all things lawfull that agreed with his lust and making conscience of nothing kept no league promise or oath longer than stood with his profit or pleasure Now in the Court men stood diuersly affected towards the present state the mightie Bassaes and others of great authoritie vnto whom the old kings gouernment was neuer greeuous inwardly lamented his death doubting least the fierce nature of the yong king should turne to the hurt of some of them in particular and the shortening of their authoritie in generall as indeed it shortly after fell out But the lustie gallants of the Court wearie of the