Emperor Frederick and the King of Danemark with great magnificence 1478 7 Frederick sonne of Lewis the third 1484 8 Francis II. sonne of Frederick 1519 9 Frederick II. Commander of the Armies of the Pope and Florentines entertained Charles the fift with great solemnity by whom he was made Duke of Mantua 1530 and declared Marquess of Montferrat in right of his wife 1540 10 Francis III. sonne of Frederick the second Duke of Mantua and Marquess of Montferrat 1550 11 William the brother of Francis the third created the first Duke of Montferrat 1587 12 Vincent sonne of William Duke of Mantua and Montferrat 13 Francis IV. sonne of Vincent had to wife Margaret the daughter of Charles Emanuel Duke of Savoy and by her a daughter named Mary in whose behalf the Duke of Savoy undertook the war against her Uncle for Montferrat 1613 14 Ferdinand the brother of Francis the fourth succeeded him in boâ—h Estates notwithstanding the opposition of the Duke of Savoy 15 Vincent the II. the brother of Ferdinand and Francis the 4th 1628 16 Charles Gonzaga Duke of Nevers in France by his Mothers line and of Mantua and Moutferrat by his Father Lewis Gonzaga the third Sonne of Frederick the first Duke of Mantua succeeded not without great opposition of the Spanish Faction who sacked Mantua distressed Casal and much impoverished both Estates But the business was at last composed by the power of the French and the investiture conferred upon him by the hands of the Emperor The chief order of Knighthood in these Dukedoms is of the The blood of our Lord JESUS Christ instituted An. 1608. The Author of it was Duke Vincent Gonzaga when the Mariage was solemnized between his sonne Francis and the Lady Margaret daughter to the Duke of Savoy It consisteth of twenty Knights whereof the Mantuan Dukes are soveraigns and was allowed by Pope Paul the fifth The Collar hath threads of Gold layd on fire and inter-woven with these words Domine probasti To the Collar are pendent two Angels supporting three drops of blood and circumscribed with Nihil isto triste recepto It took this name because in Saint Andrews Church in Mantua are sayd to be kept as a most precious Relique certain drops of our Saviours blood thou canst not O Reader but beleeve it with a peece of the spunge The Territories of this Duke reckoning in that of Montferrat also are in circuit nigh unto those of Florence but his Revenues fall short which amount to about 500000 Ducats only but might be greater if either the Duke would be burdensom to his subjects as Florence is or if he were not on all sides land-locked from navigation and traffick The Arms of Mantua are Argent a Cross Patee Gules between four Eagles Sable membred of the second under an Escocheon in Fesse charged Quarterly with Gules a Lion Or and Or three Barres Sable There are in this Dukedom Arch-Bishops 1. Bishops 4. The Dukedom of MODENA THe Dukedom of MODENA containeth the Cities of Modena and Reggio with the Terâ—ritories adjoyning to them both of them situate in that part of Lombardy which is called Cispadana and consequently partake of the pleasures and commodities of it The people of this Dukedom are sayd to be better-natured than most of Italie those of Modena being quick in their resolutions easie to be pacified when wronged and friendly in their entertainment of Strangers the Reggians being affable of present wits and fit for any thing they can be imployed in the women in both Towns of a mild disposition neither too courtlie nor too froward as in other places The first and principall City is that of Modena antiently better known by the name of Mutina and famous in those times for the first battell betwixt Autonie and Augustus Caesar this latter being then not above eighteen years of age and yet made head of a new League against Antonius whom the Senate and people looked upon as a common Enemy The managing of the war was left to Hirtius and Pansa then Consuls the fortune of the day so equall that Antony left the field and the Consuls their lives leaving Augustus the absolute command of a powerfull Army into whose favours he so cunningly did work himself that he made them the foundation of his future greatness It was at that time a Roman Colony but being ruined by the fury of the Gothes and Lombards was afterwards new built at the charge of the Citizens situate neer the Aponnine in a very good soyl and of indifferent fair buildings In the distractions of Italie betwixt the Emperors and the Popes Guido the Popes Legat and then Bishop thereof consigned it over to Azo of the house of Este Lord of Ferrara An. 1304 the Pope himself consenting to it upon the payment of a yearly tribute of 10000 Crowns since which time it hath been for the most part in the power of that house Borsius the Marquess of Ferrera being by Frederick the third made Duke of Mutina 2 Reggiâ— the second Town of note hath tasted much of the same fortune at first a Roman Colony called Regioâ—â— Lepidâ— afterwards ruined by the Gothes when they came first into Italie repaired and compassed with a Wall by its own inhabitants and for a time under the command of the Earls of Canosse But being wearie of that yoke they recovered their liberty which being unable to maintain in those buftling times they gave themselves unto Obizo the Father of Azo An o 1292 and after that in the year 1326 to the See of Rome Passing through many other hands it was at last sold for 60000 Ducats to the Visconti Lords of Millain An. 1370 and in the end recovered by the house of Este An o 1409 and gave the title of a Duke to the aforesaid Borsius whom Frederick the third made Duke of Modena and Reggio 1452 The successors of this Borsius are before layd down in the succession of Ferrara who held the whole estate together till the death of Alphonso the first Duke He dying without lawfull issue An o 1595 left his estate to Caesar de Este his Nephew by a base sonne called Alphonso also betwixt whom and Pope Clement the 8. a war was threatned for the whole but at last compremised upon these conditions that the Church of Rome should have Ferrara with all the lands and territories appertaining to it as an Estate antiently holden of that See and that Modena and Reggio being Imperiall Feifes should remain to Caesar but to be held in fee of the Papal Throne Duke Caesar to have leave to carry away all his moveable goods to sell such of his lands as were not of the antient domain of the Dukedom and to have one half of the Ordnance and Artillery By which agreement the Cities of Modena and Reggio became a new erected State distinct and independent of any other each City being well fortified and garrisoned and furnished with Ordnance for defence thereof But what
Forces of these Princes I have little to say but think them to be of good consideration in both respects their Territories lying in the best and richest part of Italie and their Estates environed by more puissant neighbours which both necessitate and inable them to defend their own The Duke of MONTFERRAT THe Dukedom of MONTFERRAT is situate betwixt Lombardy and â—iemont or the Rivers of Tenarus and Po on the East and West extended North and South in a line or branch from the Alpes to the borders of Liguria of which last it was sometimes counted part and called Liguria Cisapennina for distinction sake It took this name either à Monte ferrato from some mountain of it stored with Iron or else à monte feraci as some rather think from the fertilitie of the Mountains And to say truth though the whole Country seem to be nothing else than a continuall heap of Mountains yet are they Mountains of such wonderfull fruitfulness that they will hardly give place to any Valley in Europe The principall River of it is the Tenarus above mentioned which springing out of the hils about Barceis a Town of the Marquisate of Saluzzes falleth into the Po not far from Pavie The principall Cities of it are 1 Alba called by Plinie Alba Pomera situate on the banks of the sayd River in a rich and fertile soyl but a very bad air near to which in a poor village called Zobia the Emperor Pertinax was born Who being of mean and obscure Parents after the death of Commodus was called by the Conspirators to the Roman Empire But being over-zealous to reform the corruptions of the souldiers he was by the Praetorian Guards hating their Princes for their vertues as much as formerly for their vices most cruelly murdered and the Imperiall dignity sold to Julianus for 25 Sestertiums a man 2 Casal vulgarly called Saint Vas from the Church there dedicated to St. Evasius or Saint Vas as they speak it commonly the strongest Town in all this Country well built and peopled with many antient and noble Families of which the family of St. George is one of the principall and made a Bishops See by Pope Sixtus the fourth An o 1474. t was in former times the chief seat of the house of Montferrat and for that cause compassed with a strong wall and a fair Castle but of late fortified after the modern manner of Fortifications and strengthned with an impregnable Citadel by Duke Vincent Gonzaga as the surest Key of his estate in which new Citadell the Governour of the Province holds his usuall residence 3 Aique in Latin Aquensis famous for its Bathes or Fountains of hot and medicinall waters 4 Saint Saviours where there is a very strong Fortress as there is also in 5 Ponsture or Pont di Stura so called of the River Stura 6 Osoniano antiently Occimianum the old seat of the first Marquesses of this Montferrat 7 Villa nova 8 Balzale 9 Liburn and many others of less note Here are also with in the limits of this Dukedom the Towns of Ast Cherian and Chivasco belonging to the Dukes of Savoy in the description of whose Country we may speak more of them together with Novara and Alexandria appertaing to the Dukedom of Millain which we have spoken of already And hereunto also I refer the strong and in those times impregnable Fortress by the Latin Historians called Fraexinetum from some Grove of Ashes near unto it situate in the advantages of the Mountains and not far from the sea by consequence better able to defend it self and admit relief and therefore made the receptacle or retreat of the Saracens at such time as they had footing in these parts of Italie First took and fortified by them in the year 891 recovered afterwards by the prowess and good fortune of Otho the Emperor deservedly surnamed the Great about 60 years after Of great note in the stories of those middle times By Luitprandus placed near the borders of Provence by Blondus and Leander near the River Po and the Town of Valenza once called Forum Fulvii and finally by Sigonius in the Coltian Alpes and so most fit to be referred unto this Country though now so desolated that there is no remainder of the ruins of it This Country was made a Marquisate by Otho the 2 d An. 985. one of the seven by him erected and given to the 7 sons of Waleran of Saxonie who had maryed his daughter Adelheide A Military Family conspicuously eminent in the Wars of Greece and the Holy-land where they did many acts of singular merit insomuch as Baldwin and Conrade issuing from a second branch hereof were made Kings of Hierusalem and Boniface one of the Marquesses got the Kingdom of Thessaly and many fair Estates in Greece But the Male-issue fayling in Marquess John the Estate fell to Theodorus Palaeologus of the Imperiall family of Constantinople who had maryed the Heir-generall of the house continuing in his name till the year 1534 when it fell into the hands of the Dukes of Mantua In the person of Duke William Gonzaga raised to the honour of a Dukedom as it still continueth the best and richest part of that Dukes Estate and the fairest flower in all his Garden The residue of the story may be best collected out of the following Catalogue of The Marquesses of Montferrat A. C. â—985 1 William one of the sonnes of Waleran and Adelheide made the first Marquess of Montferrat 2 Boniface the sonne of William 3 William II. who accompanied the Emperor Conrade the 3. and 5 Lewis of France to the holy-Holy-land â—183 4 Boniface II. sonne of William the second his younger brother William being designed King of Hierusalem and Reyner another of them made Prince of Thessaly succeeded his Father in Montferrat Ayding his Nephew Baldwin the sonne of William in recovering the Kingdom of Hierusalem he was took prisoner by Guy of Lusignan Competitor with him for that title 5 William III. sonne of Boniface poysoned in the Holy-land where he endeavoured the restoring of his Brother Conrade to that languishing Kingdom 6 Boniface III. sonne of William the third for his valour in taking of Constantinople made King of Thessalie 1254 7 Boniface IV. sonne of Boniface the third added Vercelli and Eporedium unto his Estate 8 John surnamed the Just the last of this house 9 Theodore Palaeologus sonne of the Emperor Andronicus Palaeologus the elder and Yoland his wife daughter of Boniface the fourth 10 John Palaeologus sonne of Theodore 11 Theodorus II. sonne of John a great builder and endower of Religious houses 12 Jacobus Johannes sonne of Theodore the second 13 John III. eldest sonne of Jacobus Johannes 1464 14 William IV. brother of John the third founder of the City and Monastery of Casal 1487 15 Boniface V. brother of John and William the two last Marquesses invested by Fredederick the fourth Blanea Maria the daughter of William surrendring her Estate unto him 16 William V. sonne of Boniface
of the Barbarians then confederate with him would become too insolent gave him leave to retire home through Italy which he â—arassed with Fire and Sword murdering the People and ruining the Towns so that he was then and long after called Flagellum Dei Aetius notwithstanding this good service was by Valentinian the Emperour of the West rewarded with the loss of his head By which act the Emperour as one truly told him had cut off his right hand with his left And indeed so it happened For not long after he himself was by Maximus murdered and the Empire of Rome irrecoverably destroyed Now that these Fields say here abouts and not about Chalons in the Province of Champaigne as some learned and industrious men have been of opinion I am assured by these three reasons First the improbabilitie that Aetius having got the victory should suffer such a vast and numerous Army to pass through the whole length of France from one end to the other and having wasted all the Countrie to break into Italy and secondly the testimony of â—ornandes an antient writer who telleth us first that before this fight Attila had besiedged and distressed the City of Orleans and therefore was not vanquished in the fields of Chalons and then that immediately upon the Victory Torismund the King of the Gothes his Father Theodoriâ— being slain in Campis Catalaunicis ubi pugnavâ—rat Regia Majestate subvectus Toloâ—am ingreditur being proclamed King in those very fields entred with great Statâ— and Triumph into Tholouse The Regall Citie at that time of the Gothish Kingdom Which plainly proves the place of battle to be neer this City though possible by the name Campi Catalaunici the great length and breadth thereof considered we are to understand the whole Country of Languedoc The old Inhabitants of this Countrie besides the Helvii the 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 Vages and Albigenses formerly remembred were the Agâ—â—enses 〈◊〉 Gâ—bâ—les Volcae and the Arâ—comici all which together with some others of lâ—sser note made the Province of Narbonensis Prima whereof the Metropolis was Narbon In the falling of the Râ—man Empire assigned with the rest of Narbonensis some part of Spain to Aâ—â—â—ulfus King of the 〈◊〉 whom Hoâ—orius by this gift bought out of â—talie The Gothes having got so good footing in Gauâ— enlarged their bounds by taking in the most part of Aquitain Quercu and 〈◊〉 but forced to quâ—t them to the French who Conquered that from them which they got from the â—omans and shut them up within the limits of their first Donation after this they 〈◊〉 as fast in France as they thrived in Spain losing Provence to Theodoric King of the 〈◊〉 Gâ—thes or Gothes of Itali Whose successour Amalâ—sunta fearing a War from Greece resigned her intereâ—s in Provence to Theodobert the French King of Mets. Nothing now left unto the Gales of their Gallick purchases but this Languedock only and this they held as long as they had any thing to do in Europe but lost it finally to the Moors with all Spain it self Recovered from the â—oors by Charles Martel and added to the rest of the French Empire it was by Charles the great given to one Thursin of the race of the antient Kings with the title of the Earl of Tholâ—uâ—e on condition that he would be Christned How long it continued in his Race it is hard to say the story and succession of these Earls being very imperfect not setled in a way of Lineall Deâ—cent till the time of Raimâ—nd the eighth Earl Brother to another Raimond Earl of St. Giles a Town of Guienne whose Grand-child Hugh being an adventurer in the Wars of the Holy Land and wanting money to provide himself for that expedition sold his Estate herein to his Vncle Raimond the Earl of St. Giles before mentioned From this time forward we find these Earls to be as often called the Earls of St. Giles as the Earls of Tholouse and by that name frequently remembred in the Eastern stories but not without some mark of infidelity as if not sound and through-paced to the Cause on foot A punishment whereof the short continuance of this house is supposed to be For Raimond the Great Earl of Tâ—olouse St. Giles and Tripoli in the Holy-Land had three Sonnes all of them succeeding the first two issuless the third the Father of Raimond the Father of another Raimond who proved a great maintainer of the Albigenses and in pursuance of that Cause murdered the Legat of the Pope sent to Excommunicate him strangled his own Brother Baldwin because he found him not inclinable to his opinions For this cause Warred upon and Vanquished by Simon de Monfort Father of Simon de Monfort the great Earl of Leicester and after many troubles and continuall Wars left his estate and quarrell to his Sonne named also Raimond the last Earl of this House Who proving also a strong Patron of these Albigenses was condemned for a Heretick cursed by the Pope and persecuted by the French Kings Philip the second Lewis the 8th and St. Lewis This last willing to make a peaceable composition maried his Brother Alfonso to Jane daughter and heir to Count Raimond with this clause That if it should happen these two to die without issue then Languedoc should be incorporated to the Crown Raimond agreed the mariage was solemnized Anno 1249. They both died without issue 1270 and Languedoc returned to the Crown in the dayes of Philip the third The names and Succession of these Earls in regard they were Peers of France great Princes and for the most part men of action take in order thus A. Ch. The Earls of Tholouze 779. 1 Tursiâ— the first Earl of Tholouze 803. 2 William made Earl by Charlemaigne Peer of France at the first foundation of that Order 828. 3 Isauret Thursin Sonne of Thursin the first Earl 841 4 Bertrand Sonne of Isauret Thursin 894. 5 William II. of some other house 919. 6 Ponce a great Justiciar but of unknown race 963. 7 Almaric of as obscure parentage as Ponce 1003. 8 Raymond the Brother of Raymond Earl of S. Giles advanced by Robert King of France 1052. 9 William III. Duke of Aquitaine succeded in right of his Wiâ—e the Daughter of Raymond 1086. 10 Hugh â—rmon Sonne of William the 3d sold his Estate and Earldom to his Uncle Raymond 1096. 11 Raymond II. Earl of S. Gâ—les Tholouzeâ— and Tripoli of great note in the Warre of the holy-Holy-Land 12 Bertrand Sonne of Raymond the Great 13 William IV. Brother of Bertrand 1101. 14 Alfonso Brother of William the fourth 1146. 15 Raymond III. Sonne of Alfonso 1185. 16 Raymond IV. Sonne of Raymond the 3d the Great Patron of the Albigenses 1222. 17 Raymond V. Sonne of Raymond the 4th vanquished and compounded with by King Lewis the Saint 1249. 18 Alfonso II. Brother of St. Lewis and Husband of Ioan. daughter and heir of the last Raymond after whose death and the decease of Ioan the
for English Fugitives 3. Orchies a pleasant town and well traded for the making of Serges which with the other two make up the three Estates of this part of Flanders 4. Armentiers an unwalled town but of very great trading here being yearly 25000. pieces of Cloth sent hence to Italie and thence to Constantinople 5. Tournay or Dornick as the Dutch call it a great rich mighty and strong town seated on the Scheld well built and full of stately and magnificent Churches and religious Houses and anciently honoured with a See Episcopall A town of great importance and much contended for betwixt the Flemmings and the French but finally fell unto the French as the more puissant Prince taken from them by Henry the eighth of England Anno 1513. to whom the Citizens paid 100000 Duckets for their present ransome restored by him unto the French Anno 1518. for the sum of 600000. Crowns and finally from them recovered by Charles the fift who restored it to the body of Flanders from which it had been long dismembred but so that it is governed as a State apart and is called the Signeury of Tournesis having a goodly jurisdiction over the Countrey round about it 6. S. Amand in the Countrey of Tournesis pleasantly seated on the Scharpe in which is one of the richest Abbies in all Flanders the Abbat thereof having the temporall and spirituall jurisdiction over it and the parts about it And so much for the Chorographie of the Earldome of Flanders inhabited by the Nervi and Morini in the time of Caesar 11. ARTOIS is bounded on the East with Flanders Gallâ—â—ant and the Countrey of Cambray on the South and West with Picardie on the North with Flanders Flammegant and the River Lis. The aire exceeding temperate and the soyle so fruitfull that it serveth as a Granarie to a great part both of Flanders and Brabant On the West part hereof towards France lyeth the Earldome of S. Paul so called from the chief town thereof a goodly Signeurie and of great jurisdiction and revenue containing besides many Villages the good town of Berne a walled town and of great importance The Earls hereof were of the noble family of the Earls of Luxembourg the last of which was Lewis of Luxembourg made Constable of France by K. Lewis the 11. With whom as also with Edward the 4. of England and Charles Duke of Burgundie he plaid so many crosse tricks that having long deluded them all and kept them in a continuall jealousie of one another he was at last by Duke Charles taken and beheaded After whose death this goodly Signeurie fell to the house of Vendosme in France by the marriage of Francis Earl of Vendosme with Mary the daughter of this Lewis to whom it was adjudged by the power and favour of the French-Kings the Heirs Males being made uncapable of succession in it by the Attaindure and Confiscation of the said last Earl By means whereof the house of Vendosme were entituled to many fair Estates in Artois and Flanders and much good lands in France which they were possessed of The Armes of these Earls were Argent a Lyon Gules armed and Crowned Or his tail forked of the second As for the residue of Artois the towns of most importance in it are Arras in Latine Attrebatum Civitas the chief City of the Attrebates the old inhabitants hereof in the time of Caesar and still the chief City of this Province a large populous and well fortified City anciently honoured with a See Episcopall and stocked with an industrious people the first makers of the Cloth of Arras which took name from hence Divided into two distinct towns both of them walled and called by two severall names the lesser called La Cite subject to the Bishop beautified with a fair and stately Cathedrall Church and a Library containing many excellent Manuscripts the lesser called La Ville subject to the Prince having large streets and a rich Monastery of the yearly revenue of 20000. crowns By Ptolemy it is called Regiacum seated within a bow-shoot of the River Scharp and heretofore the Metropolitan town of Flanders till Artois was dismembred from it since which time the chief City of this Province as before is said 2. S. Omer a fair town and well peopled seated upon the River Aa some 8. Dutch miles from the Ocean so called from S. Omer or Audomarus Bishop of the Morini who built a Monastery in this place from which grew the town the second of esteem and rank in all the countrey Near to it is a goodly lake of fresh water in which are many little Ilands affording good pasturage for Cattell of which Lewis Guicciardine reporteth that by fastning a cord unto the bushes which grow in them a man may draw them which way he will and that under them there are found great numbers of fishes who bed themselves there for shelter against the Weather 3. Betune a strong town and seated amongst excellent pastures of which the people make great plenty of the best Cheese which with the territory hereof fell to Guy of Dampierre Earl of Flanders in right of Maud his wife daughter and heir of Daniel the Lord of this town 4. Aire on the Lys a strong town with a Castle of great antiquitie 5. Bapaulme a little but well fortified town and yet more strong because it cannot be besieged for want of fresh water which is not to be had within three leagues of it 6. Renty an unwalled town but fenced with a very strong Castle besieged by the French Anno 1554. but being overcome in a set-field by Charles the fift they were fain to raise the siege and go home again 7. Hedinfert on the confluence of two little Riverets Blangis and Canche a frontier town on the edge of France one of the strongest and most defensible places of all the Netherlands built by Charles the fift out of the ruines of old Hesdin which having taken from the French he commanded it to be razed as no longer serviceable and raised this town instead thereof somewhat near France 8. Terâ—in or Theroven the Tervanna of Ptolemy and Civitas Morinum of Antoninus a frontire town held for a long time by the French by whom thought impregnable till taken by King Henry the 8. Anno 1513. they changed their opinion A siege not only memorable for the issue of it but for two other matters of great moment the one that the Emp. Maximilian came and served in person under the colours of S. George with the English crosse upon his breast the other that the French intending to victuall the town had so great an overthrow that had the English followed their fortune they had opened a fair way to have made themselves masters of all France the French King being so astonished on the newes hereof that he prepared to flie into Britain But the English more minded the spoyles and riches of Terwyn then the sequell of an absolute victory Et fruâ—
rising out of a Sea wavie Argent Azure WEST-FRISELAND hath on the East Groyning-land and a part of Westphalen in High-Germany on the South Over-yssell and the Zuider-See on the North and West the main Ocean The Countrey generally moorish and full of fennes unapt for corn but yeelding great store of pasturage which moorishnesse of the ground makes the air very foggie and unhealthy nor have they any fewell wherewith to rectifie it except in that part of it which they call Seven-wolden but turf and Cow-dung which addes but little to the sweetnesse of an unsound air Nor are they better stored with Rivers here being none proper to this Countrey but that of Leuwars the want of which is supplyed by great channels in most places which doe not onely drain the Marishes but supply them with water Which notwithstanding their pastures doe afford them a good breed of horses fit for service plenty of Beeves both great and sweet the best in Europe next these of England and those in such a large increase that their Kine commonly bring two Calves and their Ewes three lambs at a time The Countrey divided into three parts In the first part called WESTERGOE lying towards Holland the principall towns are 1. Harlingen an Haven town upon the Ocean defended with a very strong Castle 2. Hindeloppen on the same Coast also 3. Staveren an Hanse Town opposite to Enchuisen in Holland the town decayed but fortified with a strong Castle which secures the Haven 4. Francker a new University or Schola illustris as they call it 5. Sneck in a low and inconvenient situation but both for largenesse and beauty the best in this part of the Province and the second in esteem of all the countrey In Oâ—ffergoâ— or the East parts lying towards Groiningland the townes of most note are 6. Leuwarden situate on the hinder Leuwars the prime town of West-Friâ—eland and honoured with the supreme Court and Chancery hereof from which there lyeth no appeal a rich town well built and strongly fortified 7. Doccum bordering upon Groyning the birth place of Gemma Frisiiâ— In SEVEN-VVOLDEN or the Countrey of the Seven Forrests so called from so many small Forrests joining neer together is no town of note being long time a Woodland Countrey and not well inhabited till of late The number of the walled Townes is 11 in all oâ— the Villages 〈◊〉 Burroughs 345. To this Province belongeth the Isle of Schelinke the shores whereof are plentifully stored with Dog-fish took by the Inhabitants in this manner The men of the Iland attire themselves with beasts skins and then fall to dancing with which sport the fish being much delighted make out of the waters towards them nets being pitched presently betwixt them and the water Which done the men put off their disguises and the frighted fish hastning towards the sea are caught in the toyles Touching the Frisons heretofore possessed of this countrey we shall speak more at large when we come to East-Friseland possessed also by them and still continuing in the quality of a free Estate governed by its own Lawes and Princes here only taking notice that the Armes of this Friseland are Azure semy of Billets Argent two Lyons Or. The ancient Inhabitants of these three Provinces were the Batavi and Caninefates inhabiting the Island of the Rhene situate betwixt the middle branch thereof and the Waeâ— which now containeth South-Holland Vtrecht and some part of Gueldres the Frisii dwelling in West-Friseland and the North of Holland and the Mattiaci inhabiting in the Isles of Zeland By Charles the Bald these countries being almost unpeopled by the Norman Piracies were given to Thierrie son of Sigebert a Prince of Aquitain with the title of Earl his Successours acknowledging the Soveraignty of the Crown of France till the time of Arnulph the 4. Earl who atturned Homager to the Empire In John the 2. they became united to the house of Hainalt and in William the 3. to that of Bavaria added to the estates of the Dukes of Burgundie in the person of Duke Philip the Good as appeareth by this succession of The EARLS of HOLLAND ZELAND and LORDS of WEST-FRISELAND 863 1 Thierrie or Theodorick of Aquitain the first Earl c. 903 2 Thierrie II. son of Thierrie the 1. 3 Thierrie the III. the son of Theodorick the 2. 988 4 Arnulph who first made this Estate to be held of the Empire shin in a war against the Frisons 993 5 Thierrie IV. son of Arnulph 1039 6 Thierrie V. son of Theodorick the 4. 1048 7 Florence brother of Thierrie the 5. 1062 8 Thierrie VI. son of Florence in whose minority the Estate of Holland was usurped by Godfrey le Bossu Duke of Lorrein by some accompted of as an Earl hereof 1092 9 Florence II. surnamed the Fat son of Thierrie the 6. 1123 10 Thierrie VII who tamed the stomachs of the Frisons 1163 11 Florence III. a companion of Frederick Barbarossa in the wars of the holy-Holy-Land 1190 12 Thierrie VIII son to Florence the 3. 1203 13 William the brother of Thierrie and Earl of East-Friseland which countrey he had before subdued supplanted his Neece Ada his Brothers daughter but after her decease dying without issue succeeded in his owne right unto the Estate 1223 14 Florence IV. son of William 1235 15 William II. son of Florence the 4. elected and crowned King of the Romans slain in a war against the Frisons 1255 16 Florence the V. the first as some write who called himself Earl of Zeland the title to those Ilands formerly questioned by the Flemmings being relinquished to him on his marriage with Beatrix the daughter of Guy of Dampierre Earl of Flanders 1296 17 John the son of Florence the 5. subdued the rebellious Frisons the last of the male-issue of Thierrie of Aquitaine EARLS of HAINALT HOLLAND c. 1300 18 John of Avesnes Earl of Hainalt son of John of Avesnes Earl of Hainalt and of the Ladie Aleide sister of William the 2. and daughter of Florence the 4. succeeded as next heir in the Earldome of Holland c. 1305 19 William III. surnamed the Good Father of the Lady Philippa wife of one Edward the 3. 1337 20 William IV. of Holland and the II. of Hainalt slain in a war against the Frisons 1346 21 Margaret sister and heir of William the 4. and eldest daughter of William the 3. married to Lewis of Bavaria Emperour of the Germans forced to relinquish Holland unto William her second son and to content her self with Hainalt 1351 22 William V. second son of Lewis and Margaret his elder Brother Steven succeeding in Baâ—aria in right of Maud his wife daughter and coheir of Henry Duke of Lancaster succeeded in the Earldome of Leicester 1377 23 Albert the younger Brother of William the fift fortunate in his warres against the Frisons 1404 24 William VI. Earl of Osternant and by that name admitted Knight of the Garter by King Richard the 2. eldest
of which hee was spoiled of his royall ornaments by the same hand for denying his appearance at the Emperours summons unto whom for some outrages he had been complained of Finally he died in the yeare 1246. leaving two daughters His sister named Margaret was marryed unto Ottocar sonne to Primislaus King of Bohemia his eldest daughter Gertrude to the Marquesse of Baden and Agnes the second unto Henry Duke of Carinthia Ottocar pretending the right of his wife tooke to him the Dukedome of Austria which hee kept after the death of his wiâ—e till the year 1228. in which he was vanquished and slaine by Rodolphus the Emperour Rodolphus then gave it to Albertus his sonne whose wife Elizabeth was daughter to Meinhard Earl of Tâ—â—ol sonne of Duke Henry of Carinthia and of Agnes daughter of Frederick Leopold Margaret the sister and Gertrude the other daughter of this Frederick dying issuelesse By this marriage Allert had the Dukedome of Austria Stiria and Carinthia with the Earledomes of Tirol and Carniola By whom it was first raised to the title of Arch-Duke is not yet agreed Some attribute it to Rodolphus of Habspurg at the investiture of his son Albert into these Estates anno 1298. Others to Charles the fourth advancing to that honour Rodolph the Ingenious anno 1360. Some make it to be first given to Albert Duke hereof in the year 1430. and others post it lower to the marriage of Philip sonne of Maximilian of Austria and the Lady Mary of Burgundy with Joan Princesse of Spain But by whom soever given at first it is now the constant and hereditary title of all this Family the successive Princes whereof from the first investiture follow in the ensuing Catalogue of The MARQESSES DUKES KINGS and ARCHDUKES of AUSTRIA 928 1 Leopold of Bamberg the first Marquesse 988 2 Henry sonne of Leopold 1014 3 Albert sonne of Henry surnamed the Victorious 1056 4 Ernestus sonne of Albert. 1075 5 Leopold II. sonne of Ernest a companion of Godfrey of Bovillon 1096 6 Leopold III. sonne of the second founder of the Abbey of Neubourg 1136 7 Leopold IV. sonne of the third by his halfe brother Conrade the third the Emperour of the Germans made Duke of Bavaria 1141 8 Henry II. brother of Leopold Marquesse of Austria and Duke of Bavaria made the first Duke of Austria by Frederick Barbarossa anno 1158. the whole countrey betwixt the Inn and the Ens being added by the said Emperour unto his estate on his relinquishing of Bavaria to the Duke of Saxony 1177 9 Ludovick sonne of Henry built Ens and Newstat of great note in the warres of the Holy land 1193 10 Leopold V. sonne of Ludovick the irreconcileable enemie of our Richard the third taken prisoner by him in his passage homewards and put unto a grievous ransome 1230 11 Frederick the warlike sonne of Leopold the fift made King of Austria by the Emperour Frederick the second the last of the male issue of the house of Bamberg 1246 12 Ottocar son to Wenceslaus King of Bohemia pretending the right of Margaret his wife sister of Frederick possessed himself of this Estate adding thereto the Countries of Carinthia and Carniola which he bought of Vlrick the last Princes thereof but dispossessed of all by Rodolph of Habspurg 1283 13 Albert II. sonne of Rodolph of Habspurg by his father made Duke of Austria in right of Elizabeth his wife the lineall and direct heir of Agnes daughter and heir of Frederick King and Duke of Austria after his fathers death chosen Emperour also 1308 14 Rodolph the Ingenuous his other brothers sharing with him in the estate 1135 15 Albert surnamed the Short the youngest and surviving brother of Rodolph succeeded in the whole Estate a great advancer of his house 1358 16 Albert IV. sonne of Albert the Short 1395 17 Albert V. sonne of Albert the fourth 1404 18 Albert VI. sonne of Albert the fift King of Hungary and Bohemia in right of Elizabeth his wife daughter and heir of Sigismund the King thereof 1439 19 Ladâ—slaus sonne of Albert and Elizabeth King of Hungary and Bohemia and Duke of Austria 1457 20 Frederick II. on the death of Ladislaus without issue succeeded into the Dukedome of Austria as the direct heir of Leopold the ninth one of the younger sonnes of Albert the Short chosen also Emperour 1493 21 Maximilian sonne of Frederick enriched his house with the marriage of the heire of Burgundy 1519 22 Ferdinand Grandchilde to Maximilian by his sonne Philip King of Spain and Archduke of Austria succeeded his Grandfather in this Dukedome King of Hungary Bohemia and Emperour of Germany 1565 23 Maximilian II. sonne of Ferdinand 1577 24 Rodolphus III. sonne of Maximilian the second 1â—12 25 Matthias brother of Rodolphus 1619 26 Ferdinand II. surnamed of Gratz sonne of Charles Duke of Austria and Carinthia the youngest sonne of Ferdinand the first the numerous Off-spring of Maximilian the second being all dead without issue succeeded in the Estates of Austria chosen Emperour also King of Hungaria and Bohemia c. 27 Ferdinand III. sonne of Ferdinand the second now living anno 1648. Archduke of Austria King of Hungaria and Bohemia and Emperour of the Germans Of whose estate and the Concomitants thereof we shall say more when we have took a view of the rest of the Provinces 2. STIRIA or STIERMARK is bounded on the North with Austria on the South with Carinthia on the East with Hungary and on the West with Carniola Extended in length 110 miles but in breadth not above 60 or thereabouts The reason of the name we shall have anon Towns of most consequence 1 Gratz seated upon the River Mur and the chief of the Province from which the third branch of the house of Austria since the time of Ferdinand the first was called De Gratz and had the Government of the Countrey for their part of that Patrimonie A town once full of Protestants and those so strong that they could neither be forced out nor hindered from the free exercise of their Religion till the year 1598 in which Margaret the late Queen of Spain sister to the Archduke Ferdinand du Gratz was by the Citizens solemnly entertained with whom entered so many souldiers that the City was taken and 14 Ministers of the Reformed Religion presently banished 2 Rachelspurg and 3 Pruck both situate also on the Mur. 4 Stechaw an Episcopall See seated on the Dra or Dravus a well known River not far from the fall of the Mur into it 5 Petaw the Paetovio of Antoninus seated somewhat higher upon the Dravus 6 Lamboch the Ovilabis of Antoninus on the Dravus also 7 Voitesperg upon the River Kainach 8 Cely the Celeia of Pliny not else observable 9 Canisia a well fortified place and the strongest Bulwark of these parts against the Turk The whole Countrey mountainous and hilly generally overspread with the spurs and branches of the neighbouring Alpes and rich only in minerals was antiently the
South side of the Lake so named an Episcopall See and honoured with giving the title of a Baronie to the Dukes of Mecklenburg 3 Malcaw first walled by Niclot Prince of the Vandals anno 1270. 4 Ratzenburg an Episcopall See spoken of before 5 Rostoch the next in reputation of all the Hâ—â—se towns to Lubeck and Dantsick Large rich and much frequented by all sorts of Merchants in compasse almost six English miles situate on the River VVarn neer the fall thereof into the Baltick Honoured with an University here founded by John Duke of Mecklenburg an 1419. the first Professors in it being brought from Erdford in Saxony 6 Stargard which once gave the title of Duke to the younger Princes of this house 7 Sarentine memorable for a Nunnery there founded by Duke Magnus the second 8 Laâ— built and fortified by Duke Henry the second as an out-work to Rostock which he had lately bought of Christopher then King of Denmark 9 Sternberg of which little memorable 10 Fridland on the edge of Pomeren not far from Stargard which gave the title of Duke to Albert of Wallenstein after that called Duke of Fridland that eminent and prosperous Commander of the Imperiall Forces in the late war of Germany but miserably murdered after all his services by command of the Emperour 11 Fitchtell both pleasantly and strongly seated on the edge of a Lake 12 Dammin a strong Town on the Marches of Brandenburg The antient Inhabitants of this Country were the Vandals with the rest of the Heruli and Burgundians But the Burgundians being reckoned as a part of the Vandals were not much took notice of till their irruptions on the borders of the Roman Empire made them more considerable the Princes of these Nations using no other title then Kings of the Heruli and Vandals Of these the first is said to be one Anthyrius sonne of an Amazonian Lady who learned his first rudiments of warfare under Alexander the Great Out of his loins descended a long race of Kings amongst whom Rhadaguisâ— who together with Alarick the Goth invaded Italy I know not by what warrant is accounted one Gunderick the seventeenth of these Kings weary of so cold a dwelling passed towards the South and having harassed Gaul and Spain shipped himself over the Straits of Gibralter and erected the Kingdome of the Vandals in Africk whose successors we shall meet with there By Vitalaus the youngest sonne of Gensericus the sonne of Gunderick the line of these Princes is continued who after mingling with the Obotriti and other of the Sclaves succeeding into the void places of the Vandals left off the title of Kings of the Vandals and called themselves Kings of the Heruli and Obotriti continuing it to Pribislaus or Primislaus the second who wrote himself Pribislaus Dei gratia Herulorum Wagriorum Circipanorum Palumborum Obotritorum Kissinorum Vandalorumque Rex Making herein a generall muster of those tribes of the Sclaves and Heruli which remained under his command But he being vanquished by Henry surnamed the Lyon Duke of Saxony and Bavaria the title of King was laid aside his successours contenting themselves with that of Princes Divided betwixt Henry and Niclot the Nephews of Pribislaus by his sonne Henry into two Estates Henry assuming to himselfe the title of Prince of the Obotriti and Niclot that of Prince of the Vandals But the posterity of Niclot failing in VVilliam the last of that line anno 1430. his title with the lands thereunto belonging fel to Henry the fat the fourth Duke of Mecklenbourg to which honour Albert and John the sonnes of Henry the fourth descended from the elder house had been advanced by the Emperour Charles the fourth at Prague Anno 1348. The succession of which family from Pribislaus take in order thus The PRINCES of the HERVLI and DUKES of MECKLENBVRG 1158 1 Pribislaus the last King and first Prince of the Heruli after their subjection to the Saxons restored to this title and his former estate by the bountifull conquerrers to be held under the right and homage of the house of Saxony 1179 2 Henry sonne of Pribislaus baptized with all his people in his fathers life time by the perswasion of Henry Duke of Saxony and Bavaria by whom restored to their Estates 3 Henry II. sonne of the former Henry dividing the estate with his brother Niclot 1228 4 John surnamed the Divine so called because created Doctor of Divinity in the University of Paris whither he was sent by his Father to learn good Arts. 1260 5 Henry III. surnamed of Hierusalem because of his expedition thither against the Saracens 1302 6 Henry IV. surnamed the Lyon for his valour and undaunted constancie 1319 7 Albert and John the sonnes of Henry going to Prague with a Princely train to attend on the Emperour Charles the fourth were by him created Princes of the Empire and Dukes of Mecklenberg anno 1348. 1380 8 Magnus sonne of Albert. 1384 9 John sonne of Magnus the founder of the University of Rostock anno 1419. 1423 10 Henry V. surnamed the Fat who on the death of William the last Prince of the Vandals succeeded into his Estate 1447 11 Magnus II. sonne of Henry founder of the Cathedrall Church of Rostock 1503 12 Albert II. sonne of Magnus the second 1547 13 John-Albert sonne of Albert the second endowed the University of Rostock with the lands of some dissolved Monasteries and authorised in his Estates the Reformamation of Religion begun by Luther 1578 14 John III. sonne of John-Albert 1592 15 Adolph-Frederick and John-Albert sonnes of John the third dispossessed hereof by the Emour Fernand the second anno 1528. their Estates with the title of Duke of Mecklenberg being conferred on Albert of Wallenstein Duke of Fridland Who had not long enjoyed the Title when Gustavus Adolphus King of Sweden the Assertor of the liberties of Germany restored it to the proper owners The heirs to whose Estates is Gustavus Adolphus the onely sonne and heir of John-Albert the other of those two being without issue 17. The DUKEDOME of SAXONIE The Dukedome of SAXONIE reckoning in the Estates and Provinces united to it and now in possession of those Dukes is bounded on the East with a part of Bohemia Lusatia and some part of Brandenbourg on the West with Hassia on the North with the Dukedome of Brunswick and on the South with Franconia and some parts of Bohemia So called because the Patrimony and possession of the Dukes of Saxonie who since the proscription and deprivation of Duke Henry surnamed the Lyon anno 1180. in some or other of these Countries have had their fixed seat and habitation It containeth the distinct Provinces of 1 Turingia 2 Misnia 3 Voiteland and 4 Saxony properly and specially so called 1 TVRINGIA is bounded on the East with Misnia and a part of the River Saltza on the West with Hassia on the North with the Wood Hartz and Saxony specially so called on the South with the mountainous Forrest of Duringer-Wald
called Golfo di Engia the Royall seat of Pytheus the father of Theseus who was born herein from whence the Town in Ovid hath sometime the name of Pytheia Troezen and Theseus many times is called Troezenius Heros as Hercules had the name of Tyrinthius Heros from 4 Tyrinthia another City of this Province in which he was nursed 5 Nemea where Hercules slew the dreadfull Lyon which annoied this countrey In honour of which noble Act were instituted in time following the Nemean Games which continued of great same in Greece for many Ages The Exercises were running with swift horses whorlepats running on foot quoiting wrastling darting shooting Some have referred the originall of these Games to one Opheltes a Lacedemonian and in whose honour they conceive them instituted and others fetch it higher from the war of Thebes But this I take to be the more allowable opinion 6 Epidaurus on the Sea side famous for the Temple of Aesculapius and the cure of all sorts of diseases there so called from Epidaurus the sonne of Argus the founder of it Of the same name but of a different situation from that before mentioned in Laconia this being seated on the Bay called Golfo di Napoli this on that of Engia Once called Melissa and Aenera at that time an Island but by an Earthquake laid unto the continent now called Pigiada 7 Niuplia so called of Nauplius King of Euboea and father of Palamedes to whom it antiently belonged A station then as now for shipping in that regard called Nauplia Navale now Neapoli or Neapolis the richest and best traded in all this tract giving name unto a large and capacious Bay now called Golso di Napoli of old Sinus Argolicus into which the famous River Inachus having passed through the City of Argos doth disgorge it selfe so called from Inachus the Father of 10 and the originall and Progenitor of The KINGS of ARGOS and MYCENAE A. M. 2093 1 Inachus the supposed father of Io from whom the Grecians are sometimes called by the name of Inachii 2143 2 Phoroneus the son of Inachus and Melissa from whom the said Io hath the name of Phoronis in the Poet. 2223 3 Apis the son of Jupiter and Niobe the daughter of Phoroneus who leaving Greece went into Fgypt where he taught the people tillage and was there worshipped afterwards in the form of an Oxe 2238 4 Argus the son of Apis and the founder of Argos in whose time Agriculture was taken up amongst the Grecians from him called Argivi 2308 5 Criajus by some Peirajus the son of Argus 2363 6 Phorbas the sonne of Criajus in whose time Atlas and Prometheus are said to flourish 2397 7 Triopas the sonne of Phorbas and the brother of another Pherbas who planted himselfe in the Isle of Rhodes 2443 8 Crotopus 2464 9 Sthenelus outed of the Kingdom by 2475 10 Danaus the brother of Egyptus by whom driven out of Egypt he was made King of Argos by consent of the people the Father of those many daughters got with child by Hercules From him the Grecians are called often by the name of Danai 2525 11 Lynceus son of Egyptus the brother of Danaus 2556 12 Abas the son of Lynceus and Hypermnestra the daughter of Danaus 2566 13 Pretus the son of Abas 2606 14 Acrisius the brother of Pretus and the father of Danae foretold by Oracle that hee should be slaine by a son of that daughter shut her up in a brazen tower But Jupiter having corrupted the Guards with Go'd got the Ladies consent by whom he had Perseus so renowned amongst the Poets and Historians of those elder times 2637 15 Perseus the son of Jupiter and Danae exposed by his Grandfather to the Seas miraculously preserved and grown into great fame by his brave exploits restored Acrisius to his throne from which he had been deposed by his brother Pricus But after having ignorantly and unfortunately slain the said Acrisius he removed his seat unto Mycene where he reigned together with his son Sthenelus 1645 16 Eurystheus the son of Sthenelus much spoken of for the difficult taskes which at the instigation of Juno he imposed on Hercules his foster-child and the supposed son of Amphytryon his Cousen German 2688 17 Atreuus and Thyestes sons of Pelops on the failing of the line of Perseus succeeded in Argos and Mycenae infamous for their murders and adultery Thyestes abusing the bed of Atreus and Atreus seasting him with the body of his own son whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Proverb 2753 18 Agamemnon the son of Atreus Commander of the Greeks at the war of Troy in which action there ingaged 69 Kings of the Grecians wasted over with a Navy of 1224 ships killed at his coming home by Aegisthus his Cousen German 2768 19 Aegishus the son of Thyestes having defiled Clitemnestra the wife of Agamemnon in the time of his absence by her procurement murdered him at his coming home and usurped the Kingdome 2775 20 Orestes son of Agamemnon revenged his fathers death on Aegisthus and Clitemnestra his owne Mother After which falling mad and restored againe unto his wits hee married Hermione daughter of Menelaus and Helena by whom he had the kingdome of Sparta also 2803 21 Penthilus the son of Orestes and the last King of this line outed of his estate by the Dores and Heraclide who made themselves Masters of all Peloponnesus which they possessed untill the conquest of it by the Macodonians 7 CORINTHIA is a little Region lying towards the Isthmus or neck of land which joineth Pelopennesus to the rest of Greece betwixt Argolis and Achaia Propria It containeth onely the territory of the City of Corinth not large nor very fruitfull of those commodities which the rest of this Peninsula doth abound withall as being mountainous and hilly and by reason of the necernesse of the Sea full of craggy rocks The chief and indeed the onely Cities of note in it 1 Genchrea the navall Road or station of ships for Corinth mentioned Act. 19. 18. and Rom. 16. 1. in both Texts reckoned a distinct town from Corinth as indeed it was 2 Corinth it selfe is commodiously situate for the command of all Greece had not the Inhabitants been more given to Merchandise then unto the warres as being seated on the bottom of the neck or Isthmus the Jonian Sea upon the West and the Aegean on the West washing the wals thereof and giving it on each side a capacious Haven in which regard called by Horace bimaris Corinthus In compasse about eleven miles for strength impregnable for command as powerfull mastering both Seas on which it stood and cutting off all passage from one halfe of Greece to the other to which last end the Castle called Acrocorin-thus looking into both Seas served exceeding fitly and was therefore called one of the Fetters of Greece The City rich well traded and neatly built most houses beautified with handsome pillars from thence called Corinthian more memorable for the wealth of
Kingdome of the Caramanians continuing theirs till the destruction of that line by Bajazet the second Anno 1486. by whom incorporated with the rest of the Ottoman Empire Thus having made our Progress over all the Provinces of the Lesser Asia and shewn how every one of them was made subject to the Turkish Tyranny we must next draw down the Succession of such Turkish Kings as have reigned herein till it was wholly conquered by the Princes of the house of Ottoman Concerning which we are to know in the way of Preamble that the Turks having made themselves Masters of the Kingdome of Persia and following their successes into Syria also fell to a breach amongst themselves For making up whereof it was condescended unto by Axan the then Persian Sultan that Meloch and Ducat two of his discontented Kins-men should be infeoffed in the Cities of Aleppo and Damascus and their severall Territories with whatsoever they could conquer from the Caleph of Egypt possessed at that time of most part of Syria and some of the adjoining Provinces It was also then agreed upon that a third but neerer Kinsman called Cutlu Moses another of the Leaders of the opposite faction should have leave to conquer for himself whatsoever he could win from the Christian Princes And he accordingly being furnished with a competent Army subdued the Provinces of Media and Armenia in the Greater Asia with Cappadocia Pontus and Bithynia in Asia Minor Which and the rest of their affairs take here in the ensuing Catologue of The Turkish Kings in Asia Minor of the Selzuccian Family 1075. 1. Cutlu Moses Nephew to Trangolipix the first Persian Sultan of the Turks won Media part of Armenia Major Cappadocia Pontus and Bithynia 2. Solyman Son of Cutlu Moses for a while dispossed of most of his estates by the Westren Christians in their first passage towards the Holy Land 3. Mahomet the Sonne of Solyman recovered most of his estates in the Lesser Asia but outed of them and subbued by 4. Musat Sultan or Lord Deputy of Iconium but of the same Selzuccian family who was thereby possessed of all the Turkish Provinces in the Lesser Asia 5. Calisastlan the Sonne of Musat to whom his Father left Iconium with the adjacent Provinces wrested Amasia and Ancyra from his brother Jagupasan Sebastia and Caesareâ— from his brother Dodune which with their severall Territories were bequeathed unto them by the will of their Father He overthrow the Emp. Emanuel Comnenus and united Phrygia to his Kingdome 6. Reucratine the third Son of Calisastlan having dispossest his three brethren Masut Cappatine Caicosrhoes of the estates left them by their Father became sole Monarch of all the Turkish Provinces in the Lesser Asia In the later end of whose reign Occata the Tartarian Cham having driven the Turks out of Persia many of them under the conduct of Aladine a Prince of the same Selzuccian Family joined themselves to their Countreymen here with whose help they won Cilicia from the Grecian Emperours who in the reign of Calo-Johannes the Turks being then embroyled by the Western Christians had not long before regained it and after the decease of Reucratine advanced him to the whole estate The Turkish Kings in Asia Minor of the race of Aladine 7. Aladine descended in direct line from Cussanes the last Turkish Sultan in Persia having with many of his Nation seated himself in Cilicia first made Sebastia one of the Cities thereof his chief Seat or residence Which after the death of Reucratine he removed to Iconium as the antient Regall City of the former Kings 8. Azalide by some called Azadire eldest Son of Aladine wasted the most part of his reign in wars with his brother Jathatine whom at last he forced into exile 9. Jathatine on the death of his brother possesseth the Kingdome slain afterwards in single combate by Theodorus Lascaris Emp. of the Greeks at Nice 10. Jathatine II. Son of the former driven out of his Kingdome by the Tartars and dyed in exile the Turks becoming Tributaries and Vassals unto the Tartarian 11. Masut and Cei-cubades of the same Selzuccian Family but whether the Sons of the second Jathatine I am not able to say substituted in his place as Tributaries to the conquering Tartars 12. Aladine II. Son of Cei-cubades succeeded his Father in the Kingdome but as Vassall and Leigeman to the Tartars After whose death leaving no issue of his body the great Princes of his Family divided amongst them his Dominions To Sarachan fell Aeolis Ionia and part of Lydia from him named Sarchan Sarachan or Saracha-Illi to Aidin the rest of Lydia Phrygia Major and the greatest part of the Greater Mysia from him called Aidinia or Aidin-Illi to Carasus the Lesser Phrygia with the rest of Mysia from him denominated Carasan or Carasa-Illi To the Family of the Isfendiars the Cities of Heraclea Sinote and that part of Pontus which lieth next to Bithynia There were also lesser Toparchies or sub-divisions from whence we find a Prince of Smyrna a second of Amasia a third of Amisus a fourth of Scandcloro besides many others But the main body of the estate was seized by Caraman who for his share had the whole Provinces of Lycia Lycamia Pisidia Pamphylia Isauria Cilicia with the Regall City of Iconium the greatest part of Caria the rest of it appertaining to the Prince of Menâ—esia with part of Cappadocia and Armenia Minor and some Towns in Phrygia continuing in his family for as many descents as either of the formet had held before in great power and lustre under The Turkish Kings in Asia Minor of the house of Caraman 13. Caraman the first raiser of this family Contemporary with Ottoman the first King of that race 14. Aladine Son of Caraman and Son-in-Law of Amurath the first of the house of Ottoman by whom subdued but pardoned and restored unto his estate on the humble entreats of his wife 15. Aladine II. Son of the former subdued by Bajazet the first and hanged by Tertumases one of Bajazets great Commanders 16. Mahomet Son of Aladine the second recovered his Kingdome on the death of Bajazet vanquished and led captive by the mighty Tamerlane Afterwards warred upon and vanquished by Mahomet the Son of Bajazet redeemed his peace by yielding up unto him many of his principal Towns and was finally slain at the siege of Attalia 17. Ibrahim the Son of Mahomet and Son-in-Law of Amurath the second against whom unadvisedly raising war he was forced to submit and become his Tributary after whose death rebelling against Mahomet the Great he was then also vanquished and a reconciliation made betwixt them 18. Ibrahim II. by some called Pyramus the Son of Ibrahim the first supported Zemes brother of Bajazet the second in his warre against him for which Bajazet having setled his affairs invaded and subdued the Kingdome of Caramanta killed the unfortunate King in battel and so united that Estate unto the rest of the Dominions of the house of Oâ—toman The
to hold their estates in fee the Emperors having nothing left them but the empty Title nor exercising the Imperiall Power there any other way than by changing Earldoms into Marquisates Marquisates to Dukedoms which they often did either for ready money or reward of Service or to preserve some shadow of their antient Interest And now we are to look on Italie as under a new face of things not only in regard of severall Principalities and forms of Government but as replenished with new Colonies or sets of people differing from the old in manners as well as language And though the Soyl be now as it was before yet hath that also found some change in the different production of the naturall fruits as well as in the Manufactures and works of Art For now besides their Corn and Wine which antiently were the staple Commodities of this Countrey they supply the rest of Christendom with Rice Silks Velvets Taffaties Satans Grograins Rash Fustians Goldwire Allom Armour Glasses and such like commodities which make their Merchants very wealthy who being for the most part Gentlemen of noble houses not onely lose not the esteem of their Nobility by following the Trade of Merchandize as in other places but by reason that they are possessed of estates in land which they manage by their Baylifs and other Servants they are become the wealthiest Merchants in all Christendom Nor do the Gentry come behind them in all manner of affluence which can be possibly enjoyed in so rich a Soyl. Their Lands they set not at a rent but at thirds or halfs according as the Soyl is more or less fruitfull seldom abiding in the Countrey but only for a moneth or two in the Summer times but then they entertain themselves with their Musick and Mistresses under the fragrant hedges and shadie bowers in as much solace and delight as may be desired The residue of the yeer they spend in Cities and places of the most resort for change of company But on the other side the Countrey Farmer lives a drudging and laborious life liable to all the Taxes and Impositions which are laid on the Land the Land-lords part comming in clearly without any disbursements or defalcation insomuch that it is proverbially but most truly said that the rich men in Italie are the richest and the poor men the poorest in all the world The people generally are grave respective and ingenious Excellent men said once an Hispaniolized Italian but for these three things that is to say in their lusts they are unnaturall in their malice unappeasable in their actions deceitfull To which might be added that they will blaspheme rather than swear and murder a man sooner then slander him But this perhaps may be the fault but of some particulars it being observed by moderate and impartiall men that they are obedient to their Superiors to Inferiors courteous to their Equalls full of all Civilities to Strangers affable and most desirous by all fair and friendly offices to win their loves In apparell they are said to be very modest in the furniture of their houses sumptuous at their Tables neat sober of speech enemies of all ill reports of others and of their own reputation so exceeding tender that whosoever slandereth any one of them if it come unto the parties ear he is sure to die for it Of mony and expence he is very thrifty and loves to be at no more cost than he is sure to save by or receive great thanks for but otherwise for civill carriage and behaviour surpassing all the Gentry of the World besides Onely in strictness to their wives they exceed all reason of whom they are so extremely jealous that they shut them up all day from the common view and permit them liberty of discourse with few or none The lock used by a Gentleman of Venice to be assured of his wives chastity in the time of his absence is so known a story that it needs no report But touching the predominancie of this jealous humor in most Southern Nations we shall speak more hereafter when we come to Spain And yet if that be true which is proverbially spoken by the women of Italie the husbands have more reason for this strict restraint than other Nations are aware of For though they be for the most part witty in speech and modest in the outward appearance as much as any yet it is said of them in the way of Proverb that they are Magpies at the door Saints in the Church Goats in the Garden Devills in the house Angells in the streets and Sirens in the windows The language of both Sexes is very Courtly and fluent all of them speaking the Courtezan or Court language notwithstanding the diversity of Dialects which is amongst them For though there be a remarkable difference betwixt the Florentine and Venetian the Millanese and the Roman the Neopolitan and the Genoese yet it is hard to be discerned by the tone or pronunciation what language any Gentleman is of But generally it is best spoken in the great Dukes Countrey in the Cities of Florence and Sienna but in Florence especially in which City Guicciardine the Historian Boccace the Author of the Decameron and other great Masters of the Italian language did live and flourish in their times For other men of note both for Arts and Arms Italie hath afforded many since the fall of the Empire viz. Aeneas Silvins afterwards Pope by the name of Pius the second 2. Marsilius Patavinus a stout defender of the Imperiall Rights 3. Petrarch a Roman born 4. Angelus Politianus the Restorer of polite Literature in Italie 5. Rodolphus Volaterranus and 6 ly Picus Mirandula two great Humanitians 7. Guido Bonatus a famous Astrologer 8. Ariosto and 9 ly Tasso the most renowned Poets of their times and the later never followed since 10. Sixtus Senensis one of the best Antiquaries of the Nation and a great Divine 11. Bellarmine and 12. â—aronius the Buttresses and pillars of the Church of Rome And then for Arms 1. Ludovicus Conius the first Restorer of the honor of the Italian Souldiery 2. Forti-Bracchio and 3. Nicolao Picinino two of his training up in the feats of Chivalry 4. 5. Sforza the father and the sonne of which the sonne attained by his valor to the Dukedom of Millain 6. Christopher Columbus a Genoese 7. Americus Vesputius a Florentine and 8. Sebastian Cabot a Venetian the fortunate Discoverers of America 9. Andrea D'Oria Admirall of the Navie to Charles the fift and 10. Ambrose Spinola both Genoese Commander of the Armies of Philip the second King of Spain Which last being once upbraided by Maurice Prince of Orange as issued from a Race of Merchants though otherwise of a very antient and noble Family returned this tart and sudden Answer that he thought it a greater honour to him being a Merchant to have the command of so many Princes than it could be unto the other though a Prince by birth to be under the
command of so many Merchants The usuall Division of Italie is into six parts 1. Lombardie 2. Tuscany 3. the Land of the Church 4. Naples 5. Riviere de Genoa and 6. the Land of Venice and of them there is passed this Câ—nâ—ure according to the principall Cities i. e. Rome for Religion Naples for Nobility Millaâ—n for beauty Genoa for stateliness Florence for Policie and Venice for riches But take it as it stands at the present time and Italie is best divided into The Kingdoms of Naples Sicilie Sardinia The Land or Patrimony of the Church The Dukedoms of Urbin Florence The Common-wealths of Venice Genoa Luca. The Estates of Lombardie i.e. The Dukedom of Millain Mantua Modena Parma Montferrat The Principality of Piemont The Kingdom of NAPLES THe Kingdom of NAPLES is invironed on all sides with the Adriatick Ionian and Tuscan Seas excepting where it joyneth on the West to the Lands of the Church from which separated by a line drawn from the mouth of the River Tronto or Druentus falling into the Adriatick to the Spring-head of Axofenus By which accompt it taketh up all the East of Italie the compass of it being reckoned at 1468. miles It hath been called sometimes the Realm of Pouille but most commonly the Realm of Sicil on this side of the Phare to difference it from the Kingdom of the Isle of Sicil lying on the other side of the Phare or Streit of Messana The reason of which improper appellation proceeded from Roger the first King hereof who being also Earl of Sicil and keeping there his fixed and ordinary residence when he obtained the favour to be made a King desired in honour of the place where he most resided to be created by the name of King of both the Sicilies And that indeed is the true and antient name of the Kingdom the name or Title of King of Naples not comming into use till the French were dispossessed of Sicil by the Aragonians and nothing left them but this part of the Kingdom of which the City of Naples was the Regalâ— Seat called therefore in the following times the Kingdom of Naples and by some of the Italian Writers the Kingdom onely This is esteemed to be the most fertile place in all Italie abounding in all things necessary for the life of man and in such also as conduce to delight and Physick viz. Many Springs and Medicinall waters Bathes of divers vertues sundry Physicall herbs It hath also an excellent breed of Horses which may not be transported but by the leave of the King or at least the Vice-Roy great store of Allom Mines of divers Metals and the choicest Wines called antiently Vina Massica and Falerna frequently mentioned by the Poets And as for Merchandise to Alexandria they send Saffron to Genoa Silks to Rome Wine and to Venice Oyl The Noblemen or Gentrie hereof live of all men the most careless and contended lives and like the Tyrant Polycrates in the elder stories have nothing to trouble them but that they are troubled with nothing And there is a great number of them too there being reckoned in this Realm in the time of Ortelius 13 Princes 24 Dukes 25 Marquesses 90 Earles and 800 Barons and those not only Titular as in other places but men of great power and revenue in their severall Countries insomuch that the yearly income of the Prince of Bisignan is said to be an hundred thousand Crowns one year with the other the Princes of Salern and St. Severine being near as great They are all bound by their Tenure to serve the King in his Wars which gives them many privileges and great command over the common subject whereby as they were made the abler to assist the King upon any foren invasion so are they in condition also of raising and countenancing such defections as have been made from King to King and from one Family to another as sorted best with their ambitious and particular interesses For not alone the Nobles but in generall as many of the common people as can be spared from Husbandry are more addicted to the Wars than they are to Merchandise The Nobles in pursuit of honour and the Paisant out of desire of being in action so that the greatest part of the Forces which serve the Spaniard in the Low Countries are sent from hence To which the humour which they have from the highest to the lowest of going bravely in Apparell serves exceeding fitly An humour which is so predominant in both sexes that though the Paisant lives all the rest of the week in as great servility and drudgery as his Lord doth in pride and jollity yet on the Sundayes and Saints-daies he will be sure to have a good Suit to his back though perhaps he hath no meat for his belly And for the women she that works hard both day and night for an hungry living will be so pranked up on the Sundaies and other Festivals or when she is to shew her self in some publick place that one who did not know the humour might easily mistake her for some noble Lady The principall Rivers of this Kingdom are 1 Sibaris 2 Basentus 3 Pescara 4 Trontus 5 Salinellus 6 Vomanus 7 Salinus and 8 Gariglian On the banks of this last River many battels have been fought between the French and the Spaniards for the Kingdom of Naples especially that famous Battell between the Marquess of Saluzzes Generall of the French and Gonsalvo Leader of the Spaniards the loss of which Victory by the French was the absolute confirmation of the Realm of Naples to the Spaniards More famous is this River for the death of Peter de Medices who being banished his Country at the comming of King Charles the 8. into Italie and having at divers times in vain attempted to be reimpatriate followed the French Army hither and after the loss of the day took ship with others to fly to Caâ—eta but over-charging the vessel she sunk and drowned them all But most famous is it in that Marius that excellent though unfortunate Captain being by Sylla's faction driven out of Rome hid himself stark naked in the dirt and weeds of this river where he had not layen long but Sylla's Souldiers found him and carried him to the City of the Minturnians being not far off These men to please Sylla hired a Cimber to kill him which the fellow attempting such is the vertue of Majesty even in a miserable fortune run out again crying he could not kill C. Marius This river was of old called Liris and towards its influx into the Sea expatiated into Lakes and Fens called the Lakes of Minturni from a City of that name adjoyning It is divided into the Provinces of 1 Terra di Lavoro 2 Abruzzo 3 Calabria inferior 4 Calabria superior 5 Terra di Otranto 6 Puglia and 7 the Iles of Naples Some of which have some smaller Territories adjoyning to them which we shall meet withall as they come in our way 1
by D. Frederick of Galeazzo Malateste for thirteen hundred Florins of gold 5. Cabo or Cagli on the Sea 6. S. Leon a good Town and the chief of the Country of Montfeltre which is a limb of this Dukedom 7. Eugubium or Augubio of which nothing famous or remarkable Of the Castles the principall are Marivola and the Rock of S. Leon which were the last that held good for Duke Guidos Baldo against Caesar Borgia Duke of Valentinoys sonne to Pope Alexander the sixt and the first which did return again under his obedience For which cause when he fled the second time from the said Borgia he dismantled all his other Castles as being more likely to admit than resist the Invader and these two last being very well fortified he left to keep possession of the Countrey for him Here is also within the limits of this Estate the Dukedom of CAMERINE an antient and well peopled Town of a strong naturall situation amongst the hills an Estate holden of the Church by the noble Family of di Varena till the time of Pope Paul the third when Julia di Varena the heir hereof conveyed it by Mariage unto Guido Ubaldi Duke of Urbin But the Pope pretending an Escheat for want of heirs males made himself Master of it by force of Arms and gave it to his sonne Piero Farnesi whom afterwards with the consent of the College of Cardinalls he made Duke of Parma and setled Camerine on the Church as it still continues In the time of Conradin the last Duke of Schwaben Urbine was first subdued by the Earls of Montfeltre whose Successors increasing in power added the Town and Territory of Eugubio to it And in the bustles betwixt Lewis of Bavaria the Emperor and Pope Clement the sixt Ano. 1345. Gelasso di Montfeltre held it by no other Title but as the Emperors Vicegerent This Family injoyed it till the yeer 1444. by the Title onely of Earls of Montfeltre and Lords of Urbine when Frederick Ubaldi for his singular and surpassing valour was by Pope Eugenius the fourth created the first Duke hereof A man of such repute for all gallant qualities that he was by King Henry the sixt made Knight of the Garter in recompence of which high honour the English to this day injoy many privileges in these Dominions Guido Ubaldi this Dukes sonne lost his Estate to Caesar Borgia after whose death he did recover it again by the power and favour of Pope Julio the second to whom succeeded Francisco Maria di Rovero his sisters sonne in whose Family it still continues as will appear by this ensuing Catalogue of The Dukes of Urbine 1 Frederick Ubaldi of the antient Family de Monte feltro the first Duke of Urbine and one of the Knights of the honourable Order of the Garter 2 Ghido Ubaldi sonne of Frederick for a while outed of this Dukedom by Caesar Borgia He was Knight also of the Garter 3 Francisco Maria de la Rovero sisters sonne and next heir to Guido Ubaldi was in his own right Lord of Senogallia and had Pisaâ—ro from the Pope in reward of his many services done unto the Church disseized for a while by Pope Leo the tenth 4 Lawrence de Medices Father of Catharine di Medices the French Queen and of Alexander the first Duke of Florence was for a while made Duke of Urbine by Pope Leo the tenth being of that Family but lost it shortly after to Duke Francisco who after the death of Pope Leo recovered his Estates again and died possessed of the Dukedom Guido Ubaldi II. sonne of Duke Francisco 6 Francisco Maria II. sonne of Guido the second The Revenues of this Dukedom are said to be 100000 Crowns per annum but might be raised to a greater sirm did not the Duke prefer the love and ease of his Subjects before the filling of his own coffers He is able to raise 1200. good Souldiers out of his Estate and more his people would supply if he had occasion The Arms hereof Azure a Tower Argent environed with Flower de Lyces Or. Here are in this Dukedom Arch-bishops 10. Bishops 3. The Seigneury of VENICE WEst of the Lands of the Church from Romandiola to the Alpes lie the Italian Provinces of the State of VENICE that is to say Marca Trevigiana Friuli Histria and some Ilands in the Golf neer the City it self Besides which it containeth a great part of Dalmatia together with the Ilands Candie Corfu Cephalonia Zant Ithaca Cithera and certain others of less note The length of their Dominions both by Sea and Land extending above a thousand miles but the breadth not answerable The nature of the soyl and the principall Rivers which refresh it we shall see anon in the description of the Provinces before mentioned according to which Provinces and the chief Cities of them the Character of the people is best taken it being said proverbially by the Italians that the Venetians themselves are stately crafty and greedy the Veronians studious and faithfull the Paduans fierce the Vincentians eager on Revenge those of Friulâ— gratefull and inconstant those of Histria neither long-livers nor of very great courage That in the conduct of a war those of Venice bring silver those of Treviso swords that the Brescians are fit to dig in trenches those of Bergomo to lay Ambushes those of Padua to manage Horses And of the women it is said that those of Crema are deceitfull those of Venice insolent those of Venice insolent those of Vincentia constant those of Verona gracious those of Treviso jealous those of Brescia diligent and the Bergomasques crafty But not to dally longer in these Proverbiall Characters certain it is that the Venetians themselves do affect a great deal of gravitie in their actions speak very little at the Table very severe where they have authority and many times in the excess And yet such is the constant temper of their Government and their impartiality in doing Justice that they are very wel obeyed and generally well beloved of all their subjects notwithstanding the heavy pressures which are layd upon them is wel in Italie as without Esteemed in former times good souldiers both by Sea and Land maintaining wars continually with the Turks in Palestine the Emperors of Constantinople in Greece it self the Genoese by sea and their neighbours of Italie in this Continent But of late times they have more studied to preserve than inlarge their Dominions and that too by rather expence of mony than the loss of blood and by wit rather than by valour So fortunate in this last kind of practice that Machiavel observed of them in his time that whatsoever they lost by War they recovered by Treatie A pregnant evidence whereof we shall see anon To proceed now to the description of such of the Provinces and Estates of this Common-wealth as pass under the accompt of Italie they are as before was said 1. Marca Trevigiana 2. Friuli 3. Histria 4. the Italian
or Venetia made out of both the eleventh and last Region of Italie Under the Romans they continued whilst that Empire stood and after the decay thereof regained their liberties which they enjoyed till by Piracie molesting the Venetians they lost many of their Towns to Duke Petro Candiano An. 938 and the whole Country was made Tributary by the valour of the Duke Henry Dondolâ— about the year 1190. After which many times rebelling they were still re-conquered 4 The fourth member of this estate with respect to Italie are some ILANDS in the Adriatick which being principally under the command of this Commonwealth is commonly called the Gulf of Venice a Golf extending in length 700 miles in bredth 140 miles in some places less so called of Adria once a famous Haven-town as before was sayd at the mouth of Fridanus or Po. Concerning which we are to know that though this Gold or Bay or the Adriatick extended no farther than the Eastern parts of Dalmatia where the sea beginneth to take the name of the Ionian yet Mare Adriaticum or the Adriatick sea was of greater length Extended by the Antients over the Ionian and thence South-West-ward till it meeteth with the Tuscan Seas and South-wards till it come to the coast of Africk insomuch as Mare Lybicum or the sea of Africk is by Orosius made a part of the Adriatick For speaking of the Province of Tripolis a Province of Africk properly and especially so called he boundeth it on the North with the Adriatick as he doth the Isle of Crete on the South side of it with the Libyan Sea quod Adriaticum vocant which they also call the Adriatick as his own words are The likâ— might also be made evident out of other Authors both Greek and Latin Which I note here because Saint â—auls being tossed up and down in the Sea of Adria as is sayd Acts 27. 27. and being after cast on shore in the Isle of Malta occasioned some to think this Melâ—te or Malta to be that Iland of Dalmatia which is now called Melidar because seated in the Bay or Golf of Adria whereas the Text speaks plainly of that Isle of Malta which lyeth in the furthest parts of the Adriatick Sea on the coasts of Africk But to return to this Golf it was accounted heretofore to be very tempestuous and unsafe as appeareth by Improbo iracundior Adria in Horace the Manix Adriaticum in Catullus and the Ventosi tumor Adriae in Seneca's Thyestes But when the Empress Helena had found the Cross on which CHRIST suffered she caused one of the three Nails with which his body was fastened to it to be thrown of purpose into this Sea since which time as Platina hath told us in the life of Pope Silvester and cites Saint Ambrose for his Author it hath been very calm and quiet the second nail being made into a Bridle for her sonne Constantines horse and a Crest for his Helmet of the third But not to trust too much to the truth of this miracle certain it is that the Venetiane are Lords of it by reason of their Navall power and that it is every year espoused to the Duke of Venice by the solemn casting in of a Wedding-Ring and every year Baptised on Epâ—phany day by the Bishop of Zant. When this last ceremony took beginning I am yet to seek But for the first which is performed with a great deal of state every Holy-Thursday the Duke and all the Magnificos being rowed in the Bucentaure which is a rich and stately Gallie made for such solemnities and capable of 200 persons whence it had the name it took beginning from Pope Alexander the third who being hardly put to it by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa fled unto Venice in the habit of a Cook Sebastian Cyani being then Duke in prosecution of whose quarrell the Venetians encountered Otho the Emperours sonne vanquished him and restored the Pope The Duke returning back in triumph with his Royall prisoner was thus saluted by the Pope Cyani take here this Ring of Gold and by giving it unto the Sea oblige it unto thee a Ceremonie which on this day the Ascension day shall be yearly observed both by thee and thy successors that so posteritie may know that you have purchased the dominion thereof by your valour and made it subject to you as a Wife to her Husband The pcincipall Ilands of this Sea lie on the other side thereof on the coast of Dalmatia Some few there are upon this side but those as well as these under the command of this Signeurie neither great nor famous Of these the chief are 1 MALAMOCCO in Latin Methaucum now only considerable for the Haven which is large and deep made by the inslux of Meduacus before mentioned in which the greater ships do ride till they hire Pilots from Rovigno to cross the Bars It was ennobled heretofore with the Dukes Palace and an Episeopall See but the Dukes Palace being removed to Rialto and the Episcopall See to the Iland of Chioggia it is now inhabited for the most part by none but Sea-men 2 TORCELLAN in which there is a little City of the same name honoured with a Bishops See but by reason of the ill air not very well peopled 3 MURIANUM or MURIANO three miles in compass and but one from Venice of a sound air and very well inhabited the people whereof make the best Venice Glasses so much used in all parts 4 CHIOGGIA called in Latin Fossa Clodia distant from Venice 25 miles to which it serveth instead of a Bulwark There is a town in it of the same name to which the Bishops See was removed from Malamocco An. 1103 and near to which are many Salt-pits which yeeld great gain unto the people and as much unto the Common-wealth Near to this Iland the Genoese so discomfited the Venetians in a fight at sea that they were offered a blank Charter to write what they would But the Genoese being grown too insolent on their good success made the City desperate who putting all to hazard fell again upon them beat them pursued them home and there utterly crushed them as we shall tell you more at large when we come to Genoa Betwixt these Ilands and the main land of Friuli lieth a shoal of little Islets in and amongst which standeth the renowned City of Venice the head City of this Commonwealth and the glory of Italic these Islets 72 in number but joyned together by many Bridges of which here are sayd to be 4000 at least besides 10000 boats for passage from one Isle to the other The compass of the whole aggregate body sayd to be eight miles the buildings fair and generally adorned with glas windows an Ornament not common in Italie where the windows for the most part are made with paper to let in the light and that paper oyled all over to keep out the wet The number of the Inhabitants estimated at 300000 thousand By the situation one would
thereby to set out an Navy to the Sea on the shortest warning And in the other it is said that they have Arms sufficient for 100000 Souldiers of all sorts amongst which are affirmed to be a thousand Coats of plate garnished with gold and covered with velvet fit for the use and wearing of the greatest Princes But of their power and forces both by Sea and Land we shall speak more shortly Proceed we now unto their story And if we look upon them in their first originall we shall find them to have been a people of Paphlagonia a Province of Asia the lesser called the Heneti who aiding Priamus King of Troy in his ten years wars against the Greeks where they lost their King called Philamenes or Pterilamenes as some call him chose rather to seek out new dwellings than return with shame unto their old Upon this resolution they joyn themselves to Antenor who with some remnant of the Trojans had the same design and sayling as the wind and sea conducted them arrived at last in those parts of Italie now called Friuli So witnesseth the Poet saying Antenor potuit mediis illapsus Achivis Illyricos penetrare Sinus atque intima tutus Regna Liburnorum fontes superare Timavi Antenor through the Greeks could force his way And safely piercing the Illyrian Bay Cross the Liburnian Realms and conquer all From fierce Timavos Fountain to his fall Here landing they subdued the Euganei who before inhabited this tract and possessed their dwellings the name of Heneti being changed into that of Veneti But this perhaps not done till subdued by the Galls and made part of Gallia Cisalpina agreeably to the name of the Veneti an old Gallick Nation opposite to the Isle of Britain When those Galls were vanquished by the Romans the name and nation of these Veneti was so considerable that their Territory had the name of Venetia and together with Histria made one Province of the Roman Empire And here they lived in peace and safety under the protection of the Empire till the terrible noise of the coming of Attila and the Hunnes occasioned many of the principall men with their severall Retinues to betake themselves to the Ilands and inaccessible Marishes of the Adriatick where they built this City and called it Venetia by the name of their Nation An o 454. Not much increased in power or greatness at the fall of the Lombardian Kingdom though so considerable at that time that in the division of Italie made by Charles the Great betwixt himself the Popes and the Eastern Emperors the Venetians were left at liberty as a free-Free-Estate After which making use of their situation they grew not only rich in trade but strong in shipping and thereby did good service to the Western Princes in their wars against the Turks in the Holy Land And they served themselves well by it too getting in one Expedition onely that namely in which the Empire of Constantinople was made a prey unto the Latines Ano. 1200. all the Ilands which they have at the present in the Aegean and Ionian Seas many in those Seas which they have lost and not a few good Towns in Pelopennesus since conquered from them by the Turks Contending with the Genoese for the Soveraignty of the Mediterranean they received so great a blow at the navall battell near Chioggia spoken of before that they had utterly lost all if the Enemy could have used his fortune with moderation But being recovered of that blow after many various successes and events of War they got the better of them and made them quiet by means whereof being Lords Paramont at Sea they next cast their eyes on the main land of Italie which now they were at more leisure to look after than they had been formerly The Histrians had before infested them with Piracy and were punished for it in the time of Duke Pietro Candiano by the loss of many of their Towns but in the year 1390 the whole Country is brought under the command of this Commonwealth Padua with a great part of Trevigiana then appendant on it they extorted from the noble family of the Carrari An. 1400. The City of Vincentia they possessed themselves of in the same year also and not long after fully perfected their Conquest of Histria with the revolts whereof they had before been often troubled But that whereby they most improved their estate was by a constant watching of their opportunities taking advantage of the factions and fractions amongst their neighbours and working their own greatness out of others ruins By means whereof they came possessed of many places of right belonging to the Empire and Church of Rome as also of some Townes pertaining to the Dutchy of Millaine and four of the best Havens in the Adriatick which properly belonged to the Realm of Naples not giving ayd to any of their distressed neighbours without the mortgage or direct sale of some peece or other Which sordid kind of merchandizing drew all the Princes of those parts to make war upon them every one to recover by strong hand what the Venetian had extorted from them in their necessity And the confederates thrived so well that Maximilian the Emperor recovered to the Empire the Towns and Territories of Padua Vincentia Verona Triest Friuli and whatsoever else he layd clame unto the Popes in right of the Church regained Ravenna Rimini or Arminum and Faventia Lewis the 12 of France in right of the Dutchy of Millaine Bergamum Crema Cremona Brixia the King of Spain in right of the Realm of Naples Trano Barlette and Monopoli all upon the Adriatick the Duke of Ferrara gained Rovigo and the Duke of Mantua the town of Asula So that the Venetians being like the Jay stripped of all their feathers were fain to quit the firm land and betake themselves unto the Isles and Marishes of their City having not one foot of all their whole Dominion left them but their Seas and Ilands And yet in very little time partly by working on the Pope to whom they quitted all their interest in the Towns aforesayd and partly by dividing the rest of the confederates from one another they recovered all that they had lost in a little time except the Towns of Naples only for which they were not willing to contend with the Crown of Spain The Government is Aristocraticall managed only by the principall men of all the City both for birth and breeding the common-people having no authority in affairs of State Their chief Officers at the first were many whom they called Tribunes but experience being had of that confusion which a multitude of Governors carrieth for the most part with it in the year 709. they made choice of one chief Officer whom they called their Duke Under these Dukes they have gotten that great Dominion which they now injoy The authority of which Dukes was at first more absolute but by degrees restrained and limited within narrower bounds He that beholdeth him
River Arno where it meeteth with Sâ—rchius did erect this Town In the distractions of the Empire it stood up for it self and grew so potent that at one time they waged war both with the Venetians and Genoese They were once Masters of Sardinia Corsica and the Baleares but finally being discomfited by the Genoese neer the Isle of Giglio by whom it was made free An o 1369 they submitted themselves to the protection of Charles the fourth Not long after it was taken by John Galeaze the first Duke of Millain An o 1404 by John Maria his sonne and successor sold unto the Florentines from whose command they freed themselves by a popular violence The Florentines upon this besieged them and brought them to such extremity of hunger that they were ready to be starved Yet such was the humanity of the Besiegers that when they entred the Town every man carryed victuals in his hand instead of weapous to beget as it were new life in that rebellious people This victory the â—lorentines got by the valor and conduct of Sir John Hawkwood whom the Italians call Giovanni di Aguto who being first a Taylor in Essex afterwards served Edward the third in his French Wars where he was knighted And when upon the peace concluded after the battell of Poictiers he wanted employment he entered with his Regiment into Italie and put himself into the pay of the Florentines then in war with this City who for his valor have honoured him with a fair Tomb and Monument When Charles the 8th went into Italie the Pisans again revolted and were not without much labour and great charges reduced to their former obedience As for the City it self it is almost as big as Florence this being five miles in compass and that but six but very short of it in the numbers of people Florence being sayd to contain 90000 souls Pisa not a third part of that proportion yet it hath very good advantages to make it populous that is to say the publick Arsenal for Shipping an University for Students and the See of an Archbishop the Cathedrall Church of which is a very beautifull peece of work the Gates thereof are brass and the Steepl of it of such artificiall and exquisite building that it sheweth as if it were always falling But the unwholsomness of the Air over-ballanceth all these fair advantages The next place of importance within the Territory of this City is the Town and Haven of Ligorn Livornum it is called in Latin seated upon the influx of the River Arno well fortified against the Genoese by whom the Works were once slighted An o 1297. Upon a reconciliation made between those States it returned again to its old Masters And when the Pisans were sold over to the Florentines by the Duke of Millain Thomas Fregosa Duke of Genoa seized upon this place and sold it also to the same Chapmen for 120000 Ducats By the care of Duke Cosmo and his two sonnes it is much improved in strength and beautie and so well fortified that it is thought to be one of the strongest Cities in Christendom Cities I say and not Castles the Castles of Stockholm in Sweden and that of Millain being held to be the strongest Forts in the World After this comes in 3 Peira Sancta on the West side of the Arnus a place of great consequence and strength one of the best peeces of the Pisans when a Free-estate against their old enemies the Genoese towards whom it standeth 4 Terraciola Eastward of Ligorn neighboured with a capacious Bay on the Mediterranean 5 Castellona an Episcopall See and 6 Porto Berrato bordering on the Signeury of Siena now nothing but a station for ships nor much used for that but heretofore beautified with one of the best Cities of the Tuscans called Populonia 3 The third Member of this Dukedom is the City and Territory of SIENA lying betwixt the Estate of Pisa and the land of the Church The City sayd to be built by Brennus who did there put his old sickly men to sojourn and called it Sena the Birth-place of Aeneas Sylvius called afterwards Pope Pius the second of Francis Picolominy after Pope Pius the third and of Sixtus hence surnamed Senensis the greatest Scholar of the three if not of all the age he lived in By Antonine in his Itinerarium called Senae Juliae to difference it perhaps from another of that name near the Adriatick called Sena Gallica Built neer the Spring or Fountain of the River Arbia now better known by the name of Treissa but built which makes the situation of it exceeding pleasant upon an high hill on which there is a Castle that commands the Town the streets thereof even and very plain centring in a large and spacious Market-place near to which is a very fair Palace used for a Senate-house in the Free-Commonwealth and on the South side near the walls the Cathedrall Church reputed to be one of the fairest in Italie having only one door into it to which there is an ascent by fair Marble stairs of which the Pavement is made also Having long held the Gibelline or Imperiall faction it bought its liberty at an easie rate of the Emperour Rodolphus the first After it fell into the hands of the Spaniards then of the French and finally was made over to Cosmo de Medices Duke of Florence by the King of Spain An o 1558 in consideration of the great charge he had been at to beat out â—he French and other services expected for the time to come Cosmo being thus invested in it deprived the people of their Arms altered the Government and was the first Prince who had the absolute command of it after the constitution of their Common-wealth neither the French nor Spaniards ruling here as Lords but onely as called in by their severall factions and suffered to have Garrisons in it of their own people by the agreement of their party And to say truth it stood with good reason of State that the Florentine should use all his wit to get this City and having got it use all meanes to assure it to him For besides that great accession which it made unto his Estate by adding thereunto the yearly income of a hundred and fifty thousand Ducats above all expences it was also to be carefully looked on as a Rivall which had long time stood in competition with it for the soveraign command of Tuscanie Besides there had been mighty animofities between the Cities the Florentine being always of the Guelfes and the Siennoys of the Gibelline faction A faction at last so generally distated in all Italie and so abhominable to the Popes that on an Ashwednesday when the Pope being to cast Ashes on the heads of the Cardinals was to have sayd Memento O homo quod cinis es in cinerem converteris according to the usage of the Church of Rome seeing a Gibelline amongst them he forgot himself and sayd thus unto him Memento O homo
quod Gibellinus es cum Gibellinis morieris Of chief note next unto Sienna are 1 Montalcino Mons Alcinus in Latin a place of great strength both by industry and situation 2 Castro Cartaldo seated upon a lofty Hill most memorable for the Birth and Sepulchre of John Boccace one of the best wits of his time as his Decameron declareth buried here with a sorry and unworthy Epitaph not worth the labour of transcribing 3 Soana an Episcopall City as also are 4 Pienza 5 Crossetto and 6 Chiusi this last the Clusium of the antient Tuscans spoken of befoee Besides these there are 26 walled Towns within this Signeury but of no great observation in the course of business There belonged also unto this Commonwealth when a State distinct some Ports and Peeces on the Sea which when it was consigned over to the Duke of Florence were retained by the Spaniard partly thereby to keep those Princes at his devotion but principally that by holding so many places of importance in his own hands he might carry at his Girdle the Keys of Italie and become Lord Paramont of those Seas Of those the principall if not all 1 Piombino in Latin called Plumbinum from some Mines of Lead adorned with a strong Castle and a plentifull Territorie the Castle in the hands of the Spaniard but the Town and Territory in possession of a Lord of its own who receives the whole rents of the Estate 2 Port Telamon Eastward of Piombino so called of old from Telamon an adjoyning Promontorie and known by this name in Plutarch in the life of Marius 3 Orbitello drawing more towards the East the Cossa of the antient Writers 4 Monte Argentorati a Promontorie or â—eninsula thrusting it self into the Sea over against Orbitello by the Latines called Mons Argentarius and thought by some who have observed the situation strength and extent thereof to be the fittest place for a Royall City to be built in to command those Seas 5 Port Hercule which still retains its antient name imparted to it from some Temple of Hercules which was founded in it situate neer the Eastern Isthmus of the said Peninsula 6 Porto-Longone a peece of speciall consequence for command of the Mediterranean and for that cause of late times gotten by the French then aiming at the conquest of Naples but again recovered by the Spaniard who doth now possess it The fourth and last member of this Estate are the Ilands in the Tuscan or Tyrrhenian Seas The principall whereof is 1 Ilva not above ten miles from Plombino called antiently Aethalia by the vulgar Elba Plinie affirmed it to contain in compass a hundred miles but it proves upon a just ameasurement to be but fifty not very well furnished with Corn and less with fruits but plentifull in Mines of Iron as formerly for Steel and Copper for which especially for Steel of great esteem in the time of Virgil as appeareth by that passage in the 10 th of the Aeneids where it is called Insula inexhaustis Chalybum genero sa metallis A noble Isle and known full well For unexhausted Mines of Steel But for all that the Steel now failing the want thereof is supplyed by Iron which Iron is of so strange a nature that every 25 years it renueth again upon the Mines and will by no means melt whilst it is in the Iland but must be carried somewhere else It affordeth also Sulphur Allom Tin Lead Marble good plenty and in some parts Loadstone also Formerly it belonged to the Lords of Polmbino who not being able to defend it against the Turks if they should at any time invade it resigned it by the Counsell of Charles the fift unto Cosmo di Medices the Duke of Florence reserving to themselves the Revenues of it and the Government of all the Towns and Villages therein except those that were thought fit for Fortification It hath a very fair haven called Porto Ferrario capable to receive any great Fleet that should come thither and therefore if the Turks or Moores had been Masters of it they might easily have commanded all the coasts adjoyuing as well in Provence as Italie For the defence hereof there are two strong Castles situate on two little Mountains on each side one so fortified by Art and Nature that they are held to be impregnable having also good store of Cannon and all sorts of Warlike Ammunition And not far off stands a strong Town built by the same Duke Cosmo and by him called Cosmopolis well fortified and made the seat of his new Order of St. Stephen of which more hereafter The second Iland of note is Giglio called Iglium antiently just oppofite to Monte Argentorato and having some 25 miles in compass neer unto which the Genoese so discomfited the Pisans in a Fight at sea that they were never able to recover their former puissance 3 Capraria not far from Ligorn so called from its abundance of Goats and for the same reason Aegilora by the Greek Geographers as 4 Gallinaria not far off took name from abundance of Hens Of the rest nothing memorable but that some of them do occur in the antient Writers of which sort are Meloria heretofore Lanellum not far from Capraria 2 Lanusi formerly Artemisia in which there is a very good Haven 3 Gorgona 4 Troia and 5 the small Ilands which are called Formicae 6 To these we may adde also the Isle of Planasia more memorable than the rest for the banishment and death of Agrippa Posthumus the Nephew of Augustus Caesar by his daughter Julia here murdered by the command of Tiberius to prevent all future competition to the State Imperiall situate somewhat nearer unto Corsica than the rest of these Ilands As for the MEDICES whose Posterity are now Dukes hereof they were in the Free-state as Machiavil informs us in his Florentine History accounted in the chief rank of the Popular Nobility those being such of the antient Nobles as to be capabie of the Magistracie and publick Offices then wholly shared among the Commons had as it were degraded themselves and became part of the Commonalty About the year 1410 John de Medices the first great raiser of this house stoutly maintaining the Liberties of the people against the great ones was by them so honoured and enriched that he not only got a great party but almost a Soveraignty in the City To him succeeded his sonne Cosmo one of the greatest Statesmen of those times who did not only much reform the civill Government but enlarged the Territory of the State by the addition of Casentino Burgo St. Sepulckro and some other peeces Dying in the year 1464 he left the managery of the State to Peter de Medices his sonne whose whole time was consumed in suppressing such Factions as had at home been raised against him and at his death left all his power and the great wealth which he had gotten but with a greater measure of his Fathers vertues to Lawrence and Julian
his two sonnes The people after his decease either desirous of Novelties as most people are or fearing to be made hereditary to this powerfull Family seemed to incline to one of the Soderini a man of plausible deportment and well beloved But he judiciously considering that new houses as they are easily honoured so are they as soon abandoned by the fickle multitude conferred all the dependances which were cast upon him on these two young men of the Medices as being descended from a Family which had long governed the Citie Against these two the Pazzi a potent house in Florence conspired and at Mass they slew Julian but Lorenzo escaped the blows which were struck at him being received by one of his servants whom two days before he had delivered out of prison For this fact the Pazzi were hanged at the Palace window together with the Archbishop of Pisa who had been of the conspiracie To revenge the death of this Bishop Pope Paul the 2 d Excommunicated the Florentines and Ferdinand King of Naples warred upon them Loronzo to divert this mischief went in person to Naples where he grew so much into the good liking of the King that there was a perpetuall League made between them After his death An. 1492 his sonne Peter having very improvidently delivered Pisa and Ligorn with other peeces to the French King was together with his whole Family banished John di Medices the sonne of Lawrence and Brother of Peter being made Pope by the name of Leo the 10th restored again his Family who not long after his death were again exil'd This disgrace Julio di Medices sonne to the above-named Julian and Pope of Rome by the name of Clement the 7th not enduring procured Charles the fift to besiege it which request was granted and the City after two years resistance yeelded The Emperour then gave it to Alexander Medices Grand-child to Peter by his sonne Lawrence An. 1531 And he to restrain the insolencies of the people built a strong Citadell in the Town This Alexander was a Prince of good parts enough had he not been too much addicted to Lust and Wantonness which being observed by Lawrence de Medicis his own Cousen he trained him to a secret place under colour of bringing him to the bed of a beautifull Lady and there basely murdered him Which done instead of calling the people to take Arms for recovery of their lost Liberty as he first intended he fearfully left the City and fled towards Venice So that before the people had notice of the Accident the heads of the Medices consulted together and sent for Cosmo di Medices dwelling in the Countrey with his Mother and then about 18 years of age to be their Prince as being the next Heir-male which was left of the Family according to the Entail as our Lawyers call it made by Charles the Emperor This Cosmo proving an excellent Statesman and a fortunate Commander so swayed the affairs of Italie that Philip the second of Spain to be assured of his friendship gave him the Signeurie of Sienna out of which he had lately driven the French and Pius the 4th had an intent to have crowned him King of Tuscany But Philip of Spain though otherwise his speciall friend thwarted that intent as loath to have in Italie any more Kings than himself After in the year 1570 Pius the fifth crowned the said Cosmo in the Court of Rome with the title of Great Duke of Tuscany for him and his Heirs for ever In the new Dukes Coronet he caused to be engraven these words Pius quintus Pont. max. ob eximiam dilectionem religionis catholicae zelum pracipuumqne justitiae studium donavit Thus forward were these Popes 〈◊〉 honour this family but their successors have been otherwise affected to it For when one of Duke Cosmo's successors did since intreat a succeeding Pope that he might be created King of Tuscany the Pope not liking so Lordly a title answered that he was content He should be a King in Tuscany but not King of Tuscany A Scholar-like distinction but not so satisfactory to the point proposed The Princes of the house of Medices in the Free-estate 1410 1 John di Medices the first advancer of the Family to publick greatness 1433 2 Cosmo di Medices the sonne of John called the Father of the Commonwealth 1646 3 Peter the sonne of Cosmo 1472 4 Lawrence di Medices sonne of Peter the great Advancer of Learning in Italie 1492 5 Peter di Medices II. exiled upon the comming in of Charles the 8. 6 Lawrence di Medices II. sonne of Peter exiled together with his Father made Duke of Urbin by Pope Leo the 10. The Dukes of Florence and Great Dukes of Tuscanie 1531 1 Alexander di Medices the sonne of Lawrence the first Duke of Florence 1537 2 Cosmo II. the next heir of Alexander descended from Lawrence a brother of the first Cosmo the wisest Statesman of his time 1574 3 Francis di Medices sonne of Cosmo the II. Father of Mary the French Queen 1587 4 Ferdinand di Medices the brother of Francis 1609 5 Cosmo the III. sonne of Ferdinand 1621 6 Ferdinand II. sonne of Cosmo di Medices the twelf of this family the sixt Duke of Florence and the first of Tuscany The length of this Estate is 260 miles the bredth in some places not much inferior but growing narrower where it bordereth upon that of Genoa In all which tract the Great Duke hath but one considerable Port on the main land which is that of Ligorn so that his strength in shipping is not very great and yet might be greater than it is if the Subjects did delight in Trafick and not suffer their Commodities to be bought by Strangers as generally they do in all this Country and carryed thence in forein vessels For otherwise being an industrious people and well trained in Manufactures their power at Sea must needs be greater than it is the Great Dukes Fleet consisting ordinarily of no more than twelve Gallies two Gallions and five Galliasses And for his power by Land he hath in readiness sixteen thousand Foot of his own subjects well trained and mustered under experienced Commanders to serve him upon all occasions and a hundred men at Arms and 400 Light-horsmen well payd as well in times of Peace as in time of War And besides these he keeps so many Forts and Towns in continuall Garrison that his Estate is sayd to be made of Iron The only Order of Knighthood in this Estate is that of S. Stephen instituted by Cosmo di Medices An. 1561. and dedicated to S. Stephen because upon the Festivall of Stephen Pope and Martyr being the 6. of August he won the famous battell of Marciano Pope Pius the fourth confirmed it the same yeer and granted them all the privileges which they of Malta enjoy conditioned that those of this Order should make a vow of Charity and conjugall Chastity and Obedience They are to be nobly born
cast over their backs they wear no upper garments but of cloth as being only allowed by the Laws but their under-garments of the purest stuf The women here are privileged above all in Italie having free leave to talk with whom they will and be courted by any that will both privately and publickly Which liberty it is likely they gained at such time as the French were Masters of this Estate who do allow their wives such excess of liberty as no Italian would allow of in a common Curtezan And though it cannot be affirmed that the women of the Countrey or the City it self do abuse this Liberty yet the Italians being generally of a different humor reckon them to be past all shame as they esteem the German Merchants who make little reckoning of their promises if not bound by writing to be men without faith Of which and other things concerning this Estate they have made this Proverb Montagne senza legni c. that is to say Mountains without wood Seas without fish men without faith and women without shame The Country as before is said is very mountainous in the in-in-lands and ful of craggy rocks towards the Sea so that by Sea and Land it is very ill travelling But amidst those hils are vallies of as rich a vein as most others in Italie abounding in Citrons Limons Olives Oranges and the like fruits with such variety of Flowers at all times of the yeer that the Markets are seldom unfurnished of them in the moneth of December It yeeldeth also great plenty of most pleasant wines which the Inhabitants call La Vermozza and another which they call Le lagrime di Christo or Lacrymae Christi this last so pleasing to the tast that it is said a Dutchman tasting of it as he travelled in these parts fetch 't a great sigh and brake out into this expression How happy had it been with us si Christus lachrymatus esset in nostris Regionibus if CHRIST had shed some of his tears in their Country of Germany Their greatest want is that of Corn and therewith do supply themselves out of other places The principall Towns and Cities of it in the Eastern part are 1. Sarezana a strong Fortress against the Florentines and one of the best pieces of this Republick 2. Pontremuli Pons Remuli as the Latines call it of as great consequence as that but possessed by the Spaniard 3. Lerigi an Haven in the Tuscan or Tyrrhenian Sea 4. Sestri a reasonable good place remarkable for as white bread and as pleasant wine as any in Italie 5. Finâ— an Haven or Port Town not far from Genoa antiently called Portus Delfinus Few of the Towns in this part are of any greatness but they are set so thick and intermingled with so many goodly houses both on the hills and the vallies that for the space of twenty miles the whole Countrey seems to be one continuall building In the West part the Towns of most importance are 1. Monaco of old called Monoecus and Portus Herculis beautified with a commodious Haven belonging not long since to the Spaniard who bought it for 100000. Crowns of its proper Owner but of late gotten by the French under colour of a later Contract 2. Ventamiglio a good Town and sweetly seated 3. Savâ—na taken by the Genoese An. 1250. before which time it had a Prince of its own Remarkable for the Interview betwixt Ferdinand the Catholick and Lewis the 12th of France An. 1507. Who having been deadly enemies upon the taking of the Realm of Naples from the French by the Spaniard met at this town and here most strangely relied upon one another Lewis first boording Ferdinands Gally and Ferdinand for divers days feasting with Lewis in this Town then in his possession as Protector of the Estate of Genoa Which kind of Interviews I note this only by the way as they chance but seldom so when they do they prove for the most part dangerous unto one of the parties great enmities not being easily forgot by persons of a publick Interess Nay that notable Statesman Philip de Comines utterly disliketh all such meettings of Princes though in Amity and good correspondence with one another as many times producing effects quite contrary to their expectations And this he proveth by the example of Lewis the 11. of France and Henry of Castile who meeting purposely An o 1463 to change some friendly words together took such dislike at each others person and behaviour that they never loved one another after it The like example he bringeth of an interview betwixt Edward the fourth of England and the same King Lewis and betwixt Frederick the Emperor and Charles Duke of Burgundy with divers others His reasons I purposely omit as not pertinent to my present undertaking and make hast again unto the Town which is about a mile and an half in circuit and hath many stately buildings in it It was called antiently Sabate or Sabatia and hath been under the command of divers Lords being taken from the Genoese by the Visconti and the Sforzas Dukes of Millain from them by the French and at last recovered again by those of Genoa Further note that this one Town hath yeelded to the Church of Rome three Popes viz. Gregory the 7th Julio the 2d. and Sixtus the 4th which is as much as Genoa it self can brag of 4 Nola upon the Seaside a commodius Haven 5 Finali a goodly Port-Town also and very well fortified honoured of a long time with the title of a Marquisate one of the seven founded by the Emperor Otho of which more hereafter but taken from the last Marquess by the Count of Fuentes then Governour of Millain for the King of Spain and garrisoued immediately with 200 Spaniards the poor Marquess being put off with an Annual peâ—sion An o 1602. 6 Milesimo a small Town adjoyning possessed upon the same right by the Spaniard also who by these peeces hath a strong command on the Trade of Genoa 7 But the great Ornament of those parts of Italie is the City of Genoa first built say some by Janus the sonne of Saturn as others say by Janus Genius Priscus an Italian or Tuscan King But by whomsoever it was built certain it is that it was miserably destroyed by Mago the Brother of Annibal repaired by Lucretius Surius at the command of the Senate of Rome for whose cause and quarrel it was ruined once again spoyled and wasted by Rotaris a great Prince of the Lombards An o 660 or thereabouts but built more beautifull than before by Charles the Great On his foundation it now stands situate on the shore of the Ligustick or Ligurian Seas to which being partly built on the declivity of an hill full of stately Palaces it giveth a most pleasant and magnificent prospect It is in compass six miles of an Orbicular form fortified towards the Sea by Art towards the Land by Art and Nature there being but one way to come to
Estates as may be proved by many particulars in the Realm of England in which the Law of the Crown differeth very much from the Law of the Land as in the Case of Parceners the whole blood as our Lawyers call it the Tenure by courtesie and some others were this a time and place fit for it But to return again to France whether the Salique Law were in force or not it made not much unto the prejudice of King Edward the third though it served Philip the Long to exclude the Daughter of King Lewis Hutin and Charles the fair to do the Like with the Daughter of Philip as it did Philip of Valoys to disposess the whole Linage of King Philip Le Bel. Machiavel accounteth this Salique Law to be a great happiness to the French Nation not so much in relation to the unfitness of Women to Govern for therein some of them have gon beyond most men but because thereby the Crown of France is not indangered to fall into the hands of strangers Such men consider not how great Dominions may by this means be incorporate to the Crown They remember not how Maud the Empress being maried to Geofrie Earl of Anjou Tourain and Mayenne conveyed those Countries to the Diadem of England nor what rich and fertile Provinces were added to Spain by the match of the Lady Ioan to Arch-duke Philip Neither do they see those great advantages of power and strength which England now enjoyeth by the conjunction of Scotland proceeding from a like mariage Yet there is a saying in Spain that as a man should desire to live in Italy because of the civility and ingenious natures of the People and to dye in Spain because there the Catholique Religion is so sincerely professed so he should wish to be born in France because of the Nobleness of that Nation which never had any King but of their own Country The chief enemies to the French have been the English and Spaniards The former had here great possessions divers times plagued them and took from them their Kingdom but being called home by civill dissentions lost all At their departure the French scoffingly asked an English Captain When they would return Who feelingly answered When your sins be greater than ours The Spaniards began but of late with them yet have they taken from them Navarre Naples and Millain they displanted them in Florida poisoned the Dolphin of Viennois as it was generally conceived murdered their Souldiers in cold blood being taken Prisoners in the Isles of Tercera and by their Faction raised even in France it self drave Henry the third out of Paris and most of his other Cities and at last caused him to be murdered by laques Clement a Dominican Frier The like they intended to his Successour King Henry the fourth whose coming to the Crown they opposed to their utmost power and held a tedious War against him Concerning which last War when they sided with the Duke of Mayenne and the rest of those Rebels which called themselves the Holy League of which the Duke of Guise was the Author against the two Kings Henry the third and fourth a French Gentleman made this excellent allusion For being asked the cause of these civill broiles he replyed they were Spania and Mania seeming by this answer to signifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 penury and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 furie which are indeed the causes of all intestine tumults but covertly therein implying the King of Spain and the Duke of Mayenae In former times as we read in Cominaeus there were no Nations more friendly than these two the Kings of Castile and France being the neerest confederated Princes in Christendome For their league was between King and King Realm and Realm Subject and subject which they were all bound under great curses to keep inviolable But of late times especially since the beginning of the wars between Charles the fifth and Francis the first for the Dukedom of Millain there have not been greater animâ—sities nor more implacable enmities betwixt any Nations than betwixt France and Stain which seconded by the mutuall jealousies they have of each other and the diversitie of Constellations under which they live hath produced such dissimilitude betwixt them in all their wayes that there is not greater contrariety of temper carriage and affections betwixt any two Nations in the world than is between these Neighbours parted no otherwise from one another than by passable Hils First in the Actions of the Soul the one Active and Mercurial the other Speculative and Saturaine the one sociable and discoursive the other reserved and full of thought the one so open that you cannot hire him to keep a secret the other so close that all the Rhetorick in the world cannot get it out of him Next in their Fashion and Apparrell the French weares his hair long the Spaniard short the French goes thin and open to the very shirt as if there were continuall Summer the Spaniard so wrapt up and close as if all were Winter the French begins to button downward and the Spaniard upwards the last alwayes constant to his Fashion the first intent so much on nothing as on new Fancies of Apparrel Then for their Gate the French walk fast as if pursued on an Arrest the Spaniard slowly as if newly come out of a Quartane Ague the French goe up and dowu in clusters the Spaniards but by two and two at the most the French Lacqueys march in the Rere and the 〈◊〉 alwayes in the Van the French sings and danceth as he walks the streets the Spaniards in a grave and solemn posture as if he were going a Procession The like might be observed of their tune their speech and almost every passage in the life of Man For which I rather choose to refer the Reader to the ingenious James Howels book of Instructious for Travell than insist longer on it here Onely I adde that of the two so different humours that of the Spaniard seems to be the more approvable Insomuch as the Neapolitans Millanois and Sicilians who have had triall of both Nations choose rather to submit themselves to the proud and severe yoke of the Spaniards than the lusts and insolencies of the French not sufferable by men of even and wel-balanced spirits And possible enough it is that such of the Netherlands as have of late been wonne to the Crown of France will finde so little comfort in the change of their Masters as may confirm the residue to the Crown of Sâ—ain to which they naturally belong The chief Mountains of this Countrey next to the Pyrenees which part France from Spain the Jour or Jura which separates it from Savoy and Switzerland and the Vauge or Vogesus which divides it from Lorrein are those which Caesar calleth Gebenna Ptolomie Cimmeni being the same which separate Auvergae from Langucdoc called therefore the Mountains of Auvergn the onely ones of note which are peculiar to this Continent of France which for the
or Dominions by any undertakings and Adventures at Sea as the Portugals did incorporated to their Crown as fair and large possessions in the Realm of France as any of the others did in the Spanish Continent The Principality of Bearn the Earldoms of Foix and Begorre united in the person of Gaston of Foix as those of Armaignac and Albret in the person of John Earl of Albret all lying together on the other side of the Pyrenees all added to this Crown by mariage with the Heirs hereof made up a fairer and wealthier Estate than Navarre it self inferiour to few Provinces in the Realms of Spain Not to say any thing of the accession of the Countie Palatine of Champagne exchanged afterwards for some Lands in the Coantie of La March in Limosin or of the Earldoms of Eureux and the Dutchie of Vendosme as lying further off and of lesse importance Nor of the great Kingdom of France now herewith incorporate as to the person of the K. though not in the possession of this Kingdom also With so much judgement and success did the ensuing Kings not otherwise able to enlarge their territories bestow their daughâ—ers that the Distaff proved as happy to this little Kingdom as the Sword to others 8 Charles the second of that name and the 30th King of Navarre whom I mention not for any glorious Actions atchieved in his life for that was full enough of ignominy but for the strangeness and hideousness of his death He was a Prince much given to voluptuousness and sensuall pleasures which so wasted his spirits that in his old age he sell into a kind of Lethargie To comfort his benummed joynts he was bound and sewed up naked in a sheet steeped in boyling Aqua-vitae The Chirurgion having made an end of sewing the sheet and wanting a knife to cut off the threed took a wax candle that stood lighted by him but the flame running down by the threed caught hold on the sheet which according to the nature of Aqua-vitae burned with that vehemency that the miserable King ended his dayes in the fire 9 John of Aâ—agon the second Sonne of Ferdinand the first in the life of his Brother Alphonso was made King of Navarre in right of Blanche his Wife Daughter of Charles the 3d and on the death of his Brother King of Aragon also And though his Queen died long before him in whose right he reigned yet he kept possession of the Kingdom till his death reigning 54 years in all notwithstanding the opposition made against him by Charles Prince of Viana his onely Sonne by that mariage and Heir apparent of that Crown whom he vanquished imprisoned and at last poysoned 10 John Earl of Albret in Gascoigne King of Navarre in right of Katharine his Wife in whose reign the Kingdom of Navarre was seized on by Ferdinand the Catholique Sonne of the said John King of Aragon and Navarre by a second Wife The manner of it we shall relate with more particulars when we have summed up the whole Succession of The Kings of Navarre A Ch. 716. 1 Garcia Ximines 42. 758. 2 Garcia II. Sonne of Garc. Ximines 822. 3 Fortunio 13. 815. 4 Sancho Garcia 17. 832. 5 Ximines Garcia the last of the direct Line of Garcia Ximines An Interregnum of 4 years 844. 6 Inigo surnamed Arista Earl of Begorre the next Heir Male of the house of Garcia Ximines 23. 867. 7 Garcia III. surnamed Inigo 18. 885. 8 Fortunio II. King of Navarre and Earl of Aragon 16. 901. 9 Sancho II. called Abarca Brother of Fortunio the 2d 19. 920. 10 Garcia IV. 49. 969. 11 Sancho III. 24. 993. 12 Garcia V. surnamed the Trembler 1000. 13 Sancho IV. surnamed the Great of whom sufficiently before 1034. 14 Garcias VI. called de Nagera eldest Sonne of Sancho 20. 1054. 15 Sancho V. slain by 1074. 16 Raymir the Brother of Sancho the fift dispossessed by 1076. 17 Sancho VI. surnamed Ramires King of Aragon 18. 1094. 18 Pedro King of Aragon 1104. 19 Alfonso called the Warriour the last of the Kings of Aragon reigning in Navarre 1134. 20 Garcia VII Nephew of Garcia de Nagera 16. 1150. 21 Sancho VII surnamed the Wise 1194. 22 Sancho VIII the last of the Male issue of Garcia Ximines 40. 1234. 23 Theobald Earl of Champagne Sonne of the Lady Blanch Sister and Heir of Sancho the 8th 19. 1253. 24 Theobald II. Earl of Campagne 18. 1271. 25 Henry Sonne of Theobald the 2d 3. 1274. 26 Joane the Daughter of Henry maried to Philip the Fair of France 31. 1305. 27 Lewis Hutin King of France 10. 1315. 28 Philip the Long King of France 5. 1320. 29 Charles the Fair King of France 8. 1328. 30 Joane II. Qu. of Navarre the Daughter of Lewis Hutin Philip II. Earl of Eureux 1349. 31 Charles II. Sonne of Ioane and Philip of Eureux 37. 1386. 32 Charles III. Earl of Eureux 39. 1425. 33 Iohn Prince of Aragon after the death of his elder Brother King of Aragon also the Husband of Blanch the Daugher of Charles the 3d. 54. 1479. 34 Leonora Daughter of Iohn and Blanch the Widow of Gaston Earl of Foix a Queen of 15 dayes onely 1479. 35 Francis Phoebus Grandchild of Leonora and Gaston of Foix by their Sonne Gaston Prince of Viane 1483. 36 Catharine Sister of Francis Iohn Earl of Albret 1517. 37 Henry II. Earl of Albret Sonne of Iohn and Catharine 1556. 38 Ioane III. Daughter of Henry of Albret Antonie of Burbon Duke of Vendosme in France 1572. 39. Henry III. the Sonne of Antonie and Ioane after the death of Henry the 3d of France succeeded also in that Realm by the name of Henry the 4th 1610. 40 Lewis II. of Navarre and XIII of France 41 Lewis III. of Navarre and XIV of France now living with whom remain the rights but not the possession of this Kingdom For in the reign of Catharine and Iohn of Albret Ferdinand gathered an Army under the pretence of rooting out the Moores and surprized this Kingdom altogether unprovided and destitute of means to make the smallest resistance Anno 1512. The pretended reason of this surpizall was an Excommnication laid on these Princes by the Pope of which this King took upon him to be the Executioner but the true cause was an antient desire which this King had to possess this frontire kingdom it being a strong Bulwark against France It hapned then that Lewis the 12th having incurred the displeasure of Pope â—tâ—lio the second was together with all his adherents excommunicated and his and their estates given to such as could or would subdue them The King and Queen of Navarre were at this time both French subjects he in respect of Albret his paternall inheritance and she of her estates of Foix and Bearn and therefore sided with the French King Ferdinand having as we said levied an Army under colour of extirpating the Moores turneth upon the French King and demanded of these Princes not only a free
their ships were neither able to contain it or transport it thence insomuch that they were fain to make their Anchors and other Utensils of Silver The like commodity the Grecians found in their Voyages hither of which Herodotus maketh mention Lib. IV. Hereupon some have been perswaded that the ships which Solomon built to go for Tarshish whereof we read 1 Kings 10. v. 22. were bound no further than this place But we will not enter at this time upon that dispute As for the situation of it that it was neither Tariff as some or Carteia as others doe conjecture though where Carteia was be a like uncertain if not the same with Tariff but in a small Iland at the mouth of the River Bâ—tis as before is said doth appear by Strabo Who telleth us that Baetis falls into the Sea with two mouths or channels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and that in the middest thereof there is a Citie called Tartessis of the same name with the River for Baetis antiently was so named from whence the whole Countrey thereabouts is called Tartessis The like Pausaâ—ius saith expresly in his Eliaca Which situation of this Town in an Iland at the mouth of Baetis occasioned Plinie and some others of the antient Writers to give the name of Tartessus to the Isle of Gades whereof more anon In the mean time go we on to 12 Sevill in Latine Hispalis the fairest Citie not only of Andaluzia but of all Spain It is in compass 6 miles environed with beautifull walls and adorned with many magnificent and stately buildings as Palaces Churches and Monasteries amongst which that of the Gertosins is endowed with 25000 Crowns of yearly revenue It is also the See of an Archbishop under whose Jurisdiction are said to be 20000 Villages a most flourishing Vniversity wherein studied Avicen the Moore that excellent and learned scholar Pope Sylvester the second and Leander Famous also it is for two Provinciall Councills holden here the first Anno 584 the last An. 636. and also that here are continually maintained 30000 Gennets for the service of the King The River Baetis divideth it into two parts both joyned together by a stately and beautifull Bridge From this Town come our Sevill Orenges from hence the Castilians set forwards towards America and here they doe discharge the Fleets of Gold and Silver which they bring from thence To this Town come the Pearls of Cubagâ—a and the Emeralds of St. Martha the Cochineile of Mexico the Corals of Hispaniola and in a word the whole treasure of the New-found-World Here is the publick Emporie of all Spain for her Wines and Oyls sent from hence in so great abundance into all parts of Europe that the People use to say in the way of a By-word That if there enter not into Sevill 4000 Pipes of Wine every day in the yeer the Farmer of the Customes is sure to break insomuch as the Revenue coming out of this Citie onely are worth a very good Realm to the Catholick King Maginus reckoning it at no less than a Milâ—ion of Crowns yeerly Lastly here resteth the body of Christopher Columbus the fortunate Discoverer of the New-World with this Epitaph upon his Tomb but short God knoweth of the great merit of the Man Christophorus genuit quem Geno clara Columbus Numine perculsus quo nescio primus in alâ—um Descendeâ—s pelagus Solem versusque cadentem 〈◊〉 cursu nostro hactenus abdita Mundo Littorâ— detexi Hispano paritura Philippo Aâ—denda â—inc aliis plura majora relinquens I Christâ—pher Columbus whom the Land Of Gâ—noa first brought forth first took in hand I know not by what Deitie incited To scull the Western waves and was delighted To find such coasts as were unknown before Th' event was good for I descri'd the shore Of the New World that it might learn t' obey Philip which o're the Spanish should bear sway And yet I greater matters left behind For men of more means and a braver mind The Archbishop of this Citie is of great both riches and autority insomuch that his Revenues are reckoned at 100000 Crowns per Annum as having in his whole Diocese 2000 Benefices besides Frieries Nunneries and Hospitals and that he is next in degree to him of Toledo and is accompted the Metropolitan of Andalusia and the Fortunate Ilands Isidore so much renowned for his profoundness in learning was Bishop here which is usually called Isidorus Hispâ—lensis to distinguish him from another of that name in Egypt called Pelusiota As for the fortunes of the Town in civil matters in the declining of the Moores when their Estate was broken into many Realms and Principalities it became kingdoÌ„ a of it self continuing in that dignity till the year 1248. when taken and subdued by Ferdinand the 2d of Castile and made a part of his Estates but so that it remaineth a Realm distinct in the Regall stile in which the Kings of Spain are called Kings of Sevill 2 South of Andalusia at the mouth of Guadalquivir stands the Isle of GADES distant from the main land 700 paces and joyned unto it with a Bridge called Puento de Suaco It is in length 13 miles of a very fruitfull soyl besides the riches which it gets by Fishing and making of Salt First peopled by the Tyrians 5â—2 yeers before the Birth of CHRIST subdued by the Carthaginians Anno V. C. 236. being invited by the Tyrians to aid them in a defensive War against the Spaniards and was the last hold which the Carthaginians had in Spain out of which beaten by the valour and good fottune of Scipio Africanus Here stood in antient times a Temple consecrated to the honour of Hercules in which all Seafaring men at their being here used to pay their vows and offer sacrifice as being arived at the furthest parts of all the World Places of most importance in it are 1 Porto Real a fair and capacious Haven between the Town of Cadiz and the main Land of Andalusia 2 Santa Maria another Port more towards the North. 3 Cadis or Gades the chief Town of the Iland and giving name unto the whole Situate in the Western part of the whole Isle on a large Bay serving as a Road for the Indian Fleet by the resort and trade whereof it is much enriched First founded the Tyrians afterwards made a Municipal Citie by the Romans and one of the Juridicall Resorts for the Province of Baetica in whose times it was held to be the noblest and richest in all Spain not yielding to any in the Empire for greatness magnificence or number of Inhabitants of account and quality Insomuch that here lived at one time 500 Roman Knights which number was not equalled in any one place except Padua onely besides the great concourse of Merchants from all parts of the World Which great resort occasioned Cornelius Balbus a Native of it to adde a new Town to the old the whole circumference of both being 20
the relation of his travels that being becalmed about these Ilands there came a Woman swiming from one of them with a Basket of fruit to sell But that which made them 〈◊〉 talked oâ— in former times was the harm done them by their Conies which here and in the neighbouring Continent increased so wonderfully that Varro telleth us of a Town in Spain undermined by them and Strabo that they did not only destroy their Plants but rooted up many of their trees Insomuch that the Inhabitants did request the Romans to give them some new seats toinhabit in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being ejected by those creatures out of their possessions whose multitudes they were not able to resist And when that could not be obtained they moved Augustus Caesar as Plinie telleth us for some aid against them who insteed of Souldiers sent them Ferrets by which their numbers were diminished in a little time These Islands were first planted by the Tyrians or Phoeniciâ—ns the founders of many of their Cities one of which in the Isle of Ebusus had the name of Phoenissa From them also they derived the Art of Slinging Made subject to the Carthaginians under the Conduct of Hanno and Himâ—ico Anno M. 5500. or thereabouts at what time the Decemvirâ— Governed Rome Under that State they remained subject till the end of the second Punick war when Carthage was no longer able to protect them made a State of themselves till conquered by Metellus the Brother of him who subdued Creet The people were much given to Piracy and seeing the Roman Navy sayling by their Coasts supposed them to be Merchant Men assaulted them and at first prevailed But the Romans getting betwixt them and the shore discovered from whence they came and forced them to an unwilling submission for which Metellus was rewarded with the honour of a Triumph Being once made a Province of Spain they alwaies after that followed the fortunes thereof In the distraction of the Empire of the Moores in Spain they were united into one Kingdom by the name of the Kingdom of Majorca won from the Moores by Raymond Earl of â—arâ—elone with the help of the Genoese 1102. By the Genoese delivered to the Moores again and from them reconquered by Iames King of Aragon descended from that Raymond Anno 〈◊〉 Of these Estates consisted the Kingdom of Majorca erected by King Iames the first immediatly on his recovery of these Ilands from the hands of the Moores and by him given unto 〈◊〉 his second Sonne who fearing the displeasure of his Brother King Peter the 3d submitted his new Kingdom to the Vâ—ssalage of the Crown of Aragon yet could not this so satisfie the ambition or jealousies of those mightier Kings as to preserve his Successors in possession of it By 〈◊〉 the 4th extorted from King Iames the fourth and last King thereof under colour of denying his accustomed â—â—mage So ended The Kings of Majorea of the House of Aragon 1. Iames the first sonne to â—ames the first King of Aragen 2. Iames I. Sonne of Iames the first 3. Ferdinand Brother of James the 2d 4. Iames III. Sonne of Ferdinand over-come and slain in battel by Pedro the 4th King of 〈…〉 and other Members of this little Kingdom remaining ever since united unto that Crown except Montpelier sold by this Iames unto the Freuch 13 ARAGON ARAGON hath on the East the Land of Rousillon and the Pyrenees on the West the two Castiles on the North Navarre on the South and South-East 〈◊〉 and some part of Valentia so called from the River Aragon by which it is divided from the Realm oâ— Navarre where the first Princes of this house having won certain Towns from the hands of the Infidels commanded as Lords Marchers under the Kings of that Realm and called themselves for that reason the Earls of Aragon spreading the name as they enlarged their bounds by ensuing conquests The Countrie lieth on both sides of the River Iberus and hath also severall Riverets as Gallâ—go Senga Xalon and Cagedo running like so many veines thorough the bodie of it yet it is generally so destitute of waters and so ill-inhabited especially towards the Mountains of the Pyrenees that one may travell many dayes and find neither Town nor house nor people But where the Rivers have their course the Case is different the Valleys yeelding plenty both of Corn and Fruits especially about Calataiub where the air is good and the soyl fruitfull The antient Inhabitants were the Celtiberi who took up a great part of Tarraconensis divided into lesser Tribes not here considerable These sprung originally from the Celâ—ae as before is said the greatest and most potent Nation of all Gallia who being too populous for their Countrey or willing to employ themselves upon new Adventures passed the Pyrenees and mingled themselves with the Iberâ— From thence the name of Celâ—iberi and Celtiberia according unto this of Lucan profugique à gente vetusta Gallorum Celtae miscentes nomen Iberi Who being chas'd from Gaule their home did frame Of Celtae and Iberi mixt one name Others of less consideration were the Jaccetani and Lacetani with parts of the Edetani and Illergetes Places of most importance in it are 1 Jacca the chief Citie heretofore of the Iaccetani seated amongst the Pyrenees and for that cause chosen for the chief seat and residence of the first Kings of Aragon continued there till the taking of Saragâ—ssa by Alfonso the first 2 Calataâ—â—b seated on Xalon in the best Countrey of Aragon so called from Aiub a Moorish Prince the first Founder of it Not far from which upon an hill stood the old Town Bilbilis a Muaicipium of the Romans and the birth-place of Martiall 3 Venasque amongst the Pyrenees 4 Balbastro on the Sâ—nga formerly called Burtina now a Bishops See 5 Lâ—rida on the River Segre as some say but others place it on the Songa which rising in the Pyrenees divideth Catâ—lonia from Aragon and so passeth into Iberus Now an Universitie called formerly Ilerda and famous for the Incounter hapning nigh unto it betwixt Herculâ—ius Treasurer or Questor to Sertorius and Mâ—â—ilius Proconsul of Gallia wherein Manilius was so discomfited and his Army consisting of 3 Legions of Foot and 1500 Horse so routed that he almost alone was scarce able to recover this Citie few of his souldiers surviving the overthow 6 Moson famous for entertaining the King of Spain every third year At which time the people of Aragon Valence and Catalogne present the King 600000 crowns viz. 300000 for Catalogne 200000 for Aragon and 100000 for Valâ—ntia And well may they thus doe for at other times they sit Rent-Free as it were only they acknowledge the King of Spain to be the head of their Common-wealth This revenue is proportionably 200000 Crowns a year all which if not more the King again expends in maintaining his Vice-Royes in their severall Provinces 7 Huesca called of old Osca somewhat South of Iaca an Universitie a place
because he compelled the Moores to be baptized banished the Iewes and in part converted the Americans unto Christianity or because having united Castile to his Dominions surprized the Kingdom of Navarre and subdued that of Granada he was in a manner the Catholique or genenerall King of all Spain The last reason seemeth to sway most in the restauration of this attribute in that when it was granted or confirmed on Ferdinand by Pope Alexander the sixt the King of Portugal exceedingly stomached at it quando Ferdinandus imperio universam Hispaniam saith Mariana non obtineret ejus tum non exigua parte penes Reges alios It seems Emanuel could not think himself a King of Portugal if the title of the Catholick King did belong to Ferdinand Wherein he was of the same mind as was Gregory the Great who when Iohn of Constantinople had assumed to himself the title of the Occumenicall or Catholique Bishop advised all Bishops of the World to oppose that arrogancie and that upon the self-same reason Nam si ille est Catholicus vos non estiâ— Episcopi for it Iohn were the Catholick Bishop they were none at all But upon what consideration soever it was first re-granted it hath been ever since assumed by his Posterity to whose Crown as hereditarie and in common use as the most Christian King to France the Defender of the Faith to England And yet there was some further reason why the Spaniard might affect the title of Catholick King his Empire being Catholick in regard of extent though not of Orthodoxie of doctrines as reaching not over all Spain onely but over a very great part of the World besides For in right of the Crown of Castile he possesseth the Towns of Mellila and Oran the Haven of Masalquivir the Rock of Velez and the Canarie Ilands in Africk the Continent and Ilands of all America except Brasil and some plantations in the North of the English Hollanders and a few poor French In the rights of the Kingdom of Aragon he enjoyeth the Realms of Naples Sicil and Sardinia with many Ilands interspersed in the Mediterranean and in right of the house of Burgundie the Counties of Burgundie and Charolois the greatest part of Belgium with a title unto all the rest besides the great Dukedom of Millain the Havens of Telamon and Plombino and many other peeces of importance in Italie held by investiture from the Empire To which if those Estates be added which accrewed to Philip the second by the Crown of Portugal we have the Towns of Ceuta Targier and Maragon in Barbarie the Fortresses of Arguen and S. George in Guinea the Ilands of Azores Madera Cape Verd S. Thomas Del Principle on this side of the Cape and of Mosambique on the other in Asia all the Sea-coast almost from the Gulf of Persia unto China and many strong holds in the Moluccoes Bantan Zeilan and other Ilands and finally in America the large Country of Brasil extending in length 1500 miles An Empire of extent enough to appropriate to these Monarchs the stile of Catholick The Monarchs of Spain A. Ch. 1478. 1 Ferdinand K. of Aragon Sicily Sardinia Majorca Valentia Earl of Catalogue surprised Navarre and conquered the Realm of Naples Isabel Q. of Castile Leon Gallicia Toledo Murcia Lady of Biscay conquered Granada and discovered America 1504. 2 Joane Princess of Castile Granada Leon c. and of Aragon Navarre Sicily c. Philip Archduke of Austria Lord of Belgium 1516. 3 Charles King of Castile Aragon Naples c. Archduke of Austria Duke of Millain Burgundy Brabant c. Earl of Catalogue Flanders Holland c Lord of Biscay Friâ—zland Iltreict c. and Emperour of the Germans He added the Realms of Mexico and Peru the Dukedoms of Geldeâ—land and Millain the Earldom of â—utphen and the Signeuries of Utrecht Over-Yssell and Growing unto his Estates A Prince of that magnanimity and puissance that had not Francis the first in time opposed him he had even swallowed all Europe He was also for a time of great strength and reputation in â—unis and other parts of Africa disposing Kingdomes at his pleasure but the Turk broke his power there and being hunted also out of â—â—ermany he resigned all his kingdoms and died private 42. 1558. 4 Philip II. of more ambition but less prosperity than his Father fortunate onely in his attempt on the kingdom of Portugal but that sufficiently balanced by his ill successes in the Netherlands and against the English For the Hollanders and their Consederates drove him out of eight of his Belgic Provinces the English overthrew his Invincible Armada intercepted his Plate-Fleets and by awing the Ocean had almost impoverished him And though he held for a time an hard hand upon France in hope to have gotten that Crown by the help of the Leaguers yet upon casting up his Accompts he found that himself was the greatest Loser by that undertaking So zealous in the cause of the Romiâ—h Church that it was thought that his eldest Sonne Charles was put to death with his consent in the Inquisition-house for seeming savourably inclined to the Low-Country 〈◊〉 as the 〈◊〉 called them These four great Kings were all of the Order of the â—arrer but neither of the two that followed 1598. 5 Philip III. Finding his Estate almost destroyed by his Fathers long and chargeable Warres first made peace with England and then concluded a Truce for twelve years with the States of the Netherlands which done he totally banished all the Moores out of Spain and was a great stickler in the Warres of Germany 1621. 6 Philip IV. Sonne of Philip the 3d got into his power all the Lower â—aluinate but lost the whole Realm of Portugal and the Province of Catalonia with many of his best Towns in Flanders Artots and Brabant and some Ports in Italy not yet recovered to that Crown from the power of the French This Empire consisting of so many severall Kingdoms united into one Body may seem to be invincible Yet had Queen Elizabeth followed the counsell of her men of Warre she might have broken it in pieces With 4000 men she might have taken away his 〈◊〉 from him without whose gold the Low-Country Army which is his very best could not be paid and by consequence must needs have been dissolved Nay Sir Walter Ralegh in the Epilogue of his most excellent History of the World plainly affirmeth that with the charge of 200000 l continued but for two years or three at the most the Sâ—aniardâ— might not only have been perswaded to live in peace but that all their swelling and overflowing streams might be brought back to their naturall channels and old banks Their own proverb saith the Lion is not so fierce as he is painted yet the Americans tremble at his name it 's true and it is well observed by that great Politiâ—ian 〈◊〉 that things wcich seem 〈◊〉 and are not are more feared farâ—e off than 〈◊〉 at hand Nor is this judgement
built upon weak conjectures but such as shew the power of Spain not to be so formidable as it 's commonly supposed which I find marshalled to my hand in this manner following 1 The 〈…〉 his Realms and other Estates severed by infinite distances both of Sea and Land which makes one part unable to relieve or defend the other 2 The 〈…〉 Wars his Forces of necessity being long a gathering in places so remote from the â—oyall Seat and being gathered no less subject to the dangers both 〈…〉 and Land before unâ—ted into a body and made fit for action 3 The danger and uncertaintie which the most part of his 〈◊〉 Revenues are subject to many times intercepted 〈◊〉 Pirates and open Enemies sometimes so long delayed by cross Winds and Seas that they come too late to serve the turn 4 The different temâ—ers and affections of a great part oâ— his Subjects not easily concurring in the same ends or travelling the same way unâ—o them 5 The 〈…〉 Portugueze and Italian Provinces not well affected for their private and particular reasons unto the Castilians apt to be wrought on by the Ministers of neighbouring Princes whom 〈◊〉 of State keep watchfull upon all advantages for the depressing of his power 6 〈◊〉 last of all the want of people of his own naturall Subjects whom he may best relie on for the increase and grandour of his Estates exhausted and diminished by those waies and means which have been touched upon before without any politique or provident course to remedy that defect for the time to come And this I look on as the greatest and most sensible Error in the Spanish Government therein directly contrary to the antient Romans Who finding that nothing was more necessary for great and important enterprizes than multitudes of Men employed all their studies to increase their numbers by Mariages Colonies and such helps making their Conquered Enemies free Denizens of their Common-wealth by which means the number of the Roman Citizens became so great all being equally interressed in the preservation of it that Rome could not be ruined in Annibals judgement by any forces but her own But on the other side the Spaniards employ none in their Plantations but their own native Subjects and so many of them also in all their enterprizes both by Sea and Land that so many thousands going forth every year in the flower of their age not one of ten returning home and those few which return either lame or old the country is not only deprived of the Men themselves but also of the Children which might be born An evidence whereof may be that Iohn the first of Portugal who reigned before the severall Voyages and Plantations of that people was able to raise 40000 Men for the War of Africk whereas Emanuel who lived after those undertakings had much a do to raise 20000 foot and 3000 horse on the same occasion and Sebastian after that found as great a difficulty to raise an Army of 12000. As for the forces which the King of Spain is able to make out of all his Estates they may be best seen by his preparations for the Conquest of England France and Flanders In his design for England Anno 1588. he had a Fleet consisting of 150 sail of Ships whereof 66 were great Galleons 4 Galleasses of Naples 4 Gallies the rest smaller Vessels fraughted with 20000 Souldiers for land service 9000 Saylers 800 Gunners 400 Pioneers 2650 peeces of Ordinance not Reckoning into this accompt the Commanders and Voluntaries of which last there were very great numbers who went upon that service for Spoil Merit or Honour In the design of Charles the fift for the Conquest of Provence he had no lesse than 50000 in the field and in that of Philip the second for the reducing of Flanders the Duke of Alva had an Army at his first setting forward out of Italie consisting of 8800 Spanish foot and 1200 horse all of them old experienced Souldiers drawn out of Naples Sicil and the Dutchie of Millain 3600 German foot 300 Lances and 100 Harcubusiers on horseback of the County of Burgundy all old Souldiers also besides many Voluntiers of great ranck and quality very well attended and his old standing Army in the Belgick Provinces a strength sufficient to have Conquered a far greater Countrie Of standing forces in this Countrie he maintaineth in these Realms of Spain but three thousand horse and in his Forts and Garrisons no more than 8000 Foot his Garrisons being very few and those upon the Frontiers only and in Maritime Towns his Galies being served with Slaves out of Turkie and Barbarie And yet he is able on occasion to raise very great forces partly because the ordinary Subjects are so well affected to their Prince whom they never mention without reverence and partly in regard there is so great a number of Fendataries and Noble-men who are by Tenure to serve personally at their own charges for defence of the Realm And certainly it must be a considerable force which the Noblemen of Spain are able to raise considering the greatness of their Revenue and the number of Vassalls which live under them it being supposed that the Dukes of Spain of which there were 23 when my authour lived were able one with another to dispend yearly from 50000 Ducats to a 100000 some going very much above that proportion and that of 36 Marquesses and 50 Earls the poorest had 10000 Ducats of yearly Rent and so ascending unto 50 and 60000. The Archbishops Bishops and others of the greater Clergie being all endowed with fairer Temporall estates than in most places of Europe are also bound to serve though not personally on the like occasions And to these services the Noblemen are for two reasons more forwards than the other Fendataries 1 Because their honours descend not de jure from the Father to the Sonne unless confirmed to the Sonne by the Kings acknowledgment and compellation which makes them more observant of him than in France or England where it is challenged as a Birth-right 2 Because out of the gross body of these Noblemen the King doth use to honour some with the title of Grandees privileged to stand covered before the King and to treat with him as their Brother which being the highest honour which that State can yield keeps those great persons in a readiness to obey his pleasure in hope to come unto an honour of so high esteem For the Râ—vâ—nues of this King which ordinarily arise out of his Estates taking Portugal into the accompt they are computed at 11 millions of Crowns yearly that is to say 4 from his Dominions in Italie 2 from Portugal and the Appertinents thereof 3 from the West-Indies and the other 2 remaining from his Kingdoms in Spain Besides this he receiveth yearly the Revenues of the Masterships of all the great Orders in his Kingdom incorporated to the Crown by Ferdinand the Catholick not without good Policie and reason of State the
of their Husbands Estates and there equall share in all Lands yea even such as are holden in Knights service privileges wherewith other Women are not acquainted Of high esteem in former times amongst forrein Nations for the modestie and gravitie of their conversation but of late times so much addicted to the light garb of the French that they have lost much of their antient honour and reputation amongst knowing and more sober men of forrein Countries who before admired them 6 The Wooll of Enâ—land is of exceeding fineness especially that of Cotswold in Glocestershire that of Lemster in Herefordshire and of the Isle of Wight Of this Wooll are made excellent broad-clothes dispersed all over the world especially High Germany Muscovy Turkie and Persia to the great benefit of the Realm as well in return of so much money which is made of them as in setting to work so many poor people who from it receive sustenance Before the time of King Edward the 3d English men had not the art or neglected the use of making cloth till whose time our Wooll was transported unwrought And as his Successors have laid Impositions on every cloth sold out of the Realm so his Predecessors had as their occasions required some certain Customes granted on every sack of Wooll In the beginning of this Edwards Warres with France the Cities and Towns of Flanders being then even to admiration rich combined with him and ayded him in his Warres against that King And he for his part by the composition then made was to give them 140000 l. ready money to ayd them by Sea and Land if need required and to make Bâ—uges then one of the great Mart Towns of Christendome the Staple for his Woolls Here the Staple continued 15 yeers at which time the Flemmings having broke off from the King and he having by experience seen what the benefit of these Staples were removed them from Bruges into England And for the ease as well of his Subjects in bringing their Woolls unto the Ports as of such Forrein Merchants as came to buy he placed his Staples at Excester Bristoll Winchester Westminster Chichester Canterbury Norwich Lincoln York and Newcastle for England at Caermarden for Wales and at Dublin Waterford Cork and Tredah for Ireland He further Enacted that no English Irish or Welch men should transport this Stapled commodity no not by License if any such should be granted on pain of Confiscation and Imprisonment during the Kings pleasure Lastly he allured over hither divers Flâ—mmings which taught our men the making of clothes who are now grown the best Clothworkers in the World and to encourage men in that Art it was by a Statute of the 27th of Edward the 3d enacted to be Felony to carry any Woolls unwrought When England had some short time enjoyed the benefit of these Staples the King removed them to Callice which he had Conquered and desired to make wealthy From hence they were at severall times and occasions translated now to one now to another Town in Belgium and still happy was that Town in what Country soever where the English kept a house for this Traffick the confluence of all people thither to buy infinitely inriching it Antwerp in Brabant long enjoyed the English Merchants till upon some discontents between King Henry the 7th and Maximilian Archduke and Lord of Belgium they removed but at their return again were received by the Antwerpians with solemn Procession Princely Triumph sumptuous Feasts rare Banquettings and expressions of much Love but more Ioy. And the giving of some Cotswold Sheep by Edward the 4th to Henry of Castile and John of Aragon Anno 1465. is counted one of the greatest prejudices that ever hapned to this Kingdom The Wooll transported bringeth into the Kingdom no less than 1500000 l. and the Lead half the summe so that Lewis Guicciardine reporteth that before the Warres of the Low-Countries the Flemmings and the English bartered wares yeerly for 12 Millions of Crowns The next commodity to the Wooll though not mentioned in the verse fore-going are the rich and inexhaustible Mines of Cole Lead and Tinne to say nothing of the Mines of Iron as bringing more damage to the publick by the spoil of Woods than profit to particular persons in the increase of their Estates The mines of Cole chiefly enrich Newcastle in Northumberland and by that the great City of London and many other good Towns besides which could not possibly subsist in this generall decay of Woods and neglect of planting but by this commoditie The Mines of Lead are most considerable in the Peak of Darbishire those of Tinne in Cornwall where they digge Tinne not much inferior to Silver in fineness A commodity which brought great wealth to England in former times the art of making it not being elsewhere known in Europe till one of the Tinne-workers flying out of England for a murder passed into Germany Anno 1240. and there discovered some Tinne Mines in Misnia not known before and set on Foot that trade amongst them to the great prejudice saith my Author of the Earls of Cornwall who had before the sole Monopolie of that usefull metall To these particulars being matters of profit and necessity If I would add such things as are for delight and pleasure I might subjoyn the Bells and Parks for which this Kingdom is as eminent among forein Nations as for any of those mentioned in the said old Verse The Bells so many tunable and of such excellent Melody to a Musicall eare brought more to the command of the skilfull ringer than in former times that it is thought there are more good Rings of Bells in this part of the Iland than in half Christendom besides Parkes more in England than in all Europe The first of which kind for the inclosing of Venison being that of Woodstock made by King Henry the first whose example being followed by his Successors and the Lords and great men of the Realm the number so increased in a little time that at the last besides 55 Forrests and 300 Chases there were reckoned 745 Parkes in England all well replenished either with Red or Fallow Deere And that the Deere might graze with pleasure and the Sheep with safety great care was taken by our progenitors for the destruction of Wolves I know it hath been a tradition of old Writers that England never had any Wolves at all and that they would not live here brought from other places but it is not so here being store of them till Edgar King of England commuted the 20 l. of Gold 300 l. of Silver and 300 head of Cattell imposed as an yearly tribute by King Athelstane upon Idwallo Prince of Wales for the like yearly tribute of 300 Wolves by which means they were quite rooted out in time the Welch protesting at the last they could find no more The Air of this Country is very temperate neither so hot as France and Spain in the Summer because of its
passing between the Counties of Cardigan Pembroke and Carmarthen runneth into the Sea a little below Cardigan 5 Chedlaydy which running quite thorow Pembrokeshire emptieth it self into Milford Haven one of the most capacious and safest havens not of England onely but of all the world The men are of a faithfull carriage towards all men especially towards one another in a strange Countrie and towards strangers in their own Of a temper questionless much inclining to choler as being subject to the passion by Aristotle called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which men are quickly moved to anger and as soon appeased of all angers the best and noblest Their Language the old British hath the least commixture of forein words of any in Europe and by reason of its many Consonants and gutturall Letters is not so pleasing as some others in the Pronunciation A Language not much studied by those of other Nations in regard that such of the Inhabitants who have addicted themselves to learning have rather chose to express themselves in the Latine or English tongues than that of their own Native Countrie The principall of which not to say any thing of Merlin the Tages of the Welch or British were 1 Gildas for his great knowledge surnamed Sapiens 2 Geofry of Monmouth and 3 Giraldus Cambrensis the Historians and of later times 4 William Morgan the Translator of the Bible into Welch for which performance most deservedly made Bishop of Landâ—ff 5 Sir Iohn Price the Antiquary 6 Owen the Epigrammatist c. The whole Countrey not taking the Counties of Shropshire and Monmouth into the reckoning containing in it 12 Shires onely of which seven were set out by King Edward the first that is to Pembroke Carmarden Cardigan Merioneth Angleser and Carnarvon The other five viz the Counties of Denbigh Flint Montgomery Radnâ—r and Bâ—ccâ—nock were after added out of the Marchlands by King Henry the 8th These 12 Shires are again contracted or subdivided into 4 Circuits for the administration of Iustice Of which the first containeth the Countâ—â— of Montgomery Flint and Denbigh the second those of Carnarvon Anglesey and Merieâ—â—â—â— the third those of Carwarden Cardigan and Pembroke and the fourth those of Glamorgan Brâ—câ—nock and 〈◊〉 In these 12 Shires are reckoned one Chase 13 Forests 36 Parks 230 Rivers and an hundred Bridges They contain also 1016 Parishes amongst which four Cities 55 Market-Towns and â—â— Castles on the old erection The Câ—ties small poor and inconsiderable The Market Towns the especially on the Marches and outparts of the Countrie very fair and strong as being not only built for commerce and trade but fortified with Walls and Castles to keep in the Welch and so employed till the incorporating Wales with England took away all occasion of the old hostilities And for the Castles in the In-lands partly by the iniquity of time which is Edax rerum but chiesly by the policie of the Kings of England who would not suffer any places of strength to remain in a Countrie almost inaccessible and amongst men apt to take the advantage offered the very ruines of them are now brought to ruine But to proceed more particularly the four Cities or Episcopall Sees are 1 S. Davids formerly the 〈◊〉 of Wales situate on the Promontorie in Pembrokeshire by the Antients called Octopitae in a safe place and far enough from the Saxons whom the Welch most feared but incommodious enough for all the rest of the Clergie to repair unto it and not so safe neither unto the Inhabitants of it in respect of sundry other nations who have often spoyled and defaced it For standing neer the Sea it hath been frequently visited and spoyled by the Danes Norwegians and other Boats insomuch that the Bishops were inforced to remove their dwelling to Caermarthen which brought the City small enough before when it was at the biggest to the condition of a Village 2 LLâ—â—ndâ—â—â—â— upon the River Taffe whence it took the name LLan in the Welch or British signifying a Church LLandaffe the Church upon the Taffe the Bishops whereof derive their Lineall succession from those of Caer-Leon upon Vsk though the Primacie or Archbishops See were removed to Menew A small Town now it is God wot nothing to rank it for a City but the Cathedrall Church and the Prebends houses 3 St Asaph a small Town in Flintshire so called from St. Asoph the second Bishop hereof left here by Kentigern a Scot by whom the Cathedrall Church was founded about the year 560. Situate on the banks of the River Elwy thence called LLan-Elwe by the Welch the Bishop Elwyensis in some Latine Writers 4 Bangor upon the Menai a branch of the Irish Sea of no more beauty and renown than the other three but onely for the Cathedrall founded here by the first Bishops defaced by Owen Glendower and afterwards reedified by Henry Dean Bishop hereof An. 1496. Towns of chief note for these Cities have not much in them which is worth the nothing are 1 Slrewsbury counted now in England but heretofore the seat of the Princes of Ponysland who had here their Palace which being burnt in some of their broyls with England is now converted into Gardens for the use of the Townsmen The Town well traded and frequented by the Welch and English the common Emporie of both well built and strongly situate on a rising ground almost encompassed with the Severn that part thereof which is not senced with the River being fortified with a very strong Castle the work of Roger de Montgomery the first Earl hereof An. 1067. Over the River for convenience of passage it hath two Bridges and but two the one towards England and the other called the Welch-bridge which is towards Wales built by Leoline or LLewellen the first one of the Princes of Northwales whose they conceive to be that Statua which is there standing on the Gate Remarkable since the times of King Henry the sixt for giving the title of Earl to the Noble Family of the Talbots a Family of great honour and as great an Estate till the parcelling 〈◊〉 the Lands betwixt the Daughters and Co-heirs of Gilbert Talbot late Earl hereof according to the ill custom of England where many times the Estate goes to the Females and the Honour with nothing to mainiain it to the next Heir Male. 2 Banchor by Beda called 〈◊〉 a famous Monastery of the Britans conteining above 2000 Monks attending their devotions at the times appointed at other times labouring for their livelihood most cruelly and unmercifully slaughtered by the Saxons at the instigation of Austin the first Archbishop of Canterbury offended that they would not yeeld unto his autoritie 3 Carnarvon on the Menaâ— before-mentioned not far from Bangor the Monastery of Banchor being in Flintshire well walled and fortified with a strong Castle by King Edward the first after his conquest of the Countrie formerly much resorted to for the Chancery and Exchequer of the Princes of North-Wales 4 Denâ—â—â—h
milder and bear the better fruit And 4ly whereas there was before but one Freeholder in a whole Country which was the Lord himself the rest holding in villenage and being subject to the Lords immeasurable taxations whereby they had no encouragement to build or plant Now the Lords estate was divided into two parts that which he held in demain to himself which was still left unto him and that which was in the hands of his Tenant who had estates made in their possessions according to the Common-Law of England paying in stead of uncertain Irish taxations certain English rents whereby the people have since set their minds upon repairing their houses and manuring their lands to the great increase of the private and publick revenue But that which most advanced the reduction of Ireland to a setled and civil Government and rooted it in a subjection to the Crown of England was the voluntary flight of the Earls of Tyrone Tirconnel Sir Iohn Odaughertic and other great men of the North possessed of large territories and great jurisdictions Who being both uncapable of Loyaltie and impatient of seeing the Kings Iudges Iustices and other Ministers of State to hold their Sessions and execute their Commissions of Oyer and Terminer within the parts where they commanded without more provocation or the fear of any danger but a guilty Conscience forsook the Countrie and left their whole Estates to the Kings disposing By whose directions their Lands were seized upon and sold to severall Purchasers the Citie of London infeoffed in a great part of them a great plantation made in Ulster of English Welch and Scots by the united name of a British Plantation and a new Order of Knights Baronets erected in the Kingdom of England for raising money to advance and indear the Work Which had it been as cordially affected by the English as it was by the Scots if more of this Nation had gone thither and not abandoned so great a part of it to the power of the other it had been better for both Kingdoms in the conformity of each to one form of Government which the Scots being factious for another did not easily brook and the uniting of both people in the bonds of Amitie the Irish looking on the Scot as a meer Intruder but on the English as his old Master or his Follow-Subject Howsoever so great a part of the Countrey and that which heretofore was the nest of the Rebels being thus disposed of it came to pass that Ireland which before served only as a grave to bury our best men and a gulf to swallow our greatest treasures being governed neither as a country Free nor conquer'd was brought in some hope by the prudence and policie of her last Kings and late Lord Deputies to prove an Orderly Common-wealth civill in it self profitable to the Prince and a good strength to the British Empire For to such Order it was redaced in a little time that the wayfaring men might travell without danger the ploughman walk without fear the laws administred in every place alike the men drawn unto villages the woods and fastnesses left to beasts and all reduced to that civility as our fathers never saw nor could we well sample out of antient histories The revenues of this kingdome are said by Walsingham in the time of Edward the third to have been yeerly 40000 pounds but his successors till of late have scarce got so much as the keeping of it cost them King Richard the 2d being by the same Walsingham reported to have spent 30000 marks out of his own purse over and above the money which he received thence Whether this Countrey were so profitable to Edward the third or no I determine not though I find good reasons to perswade me that Walsingham was not well acquainted with the state of that â—xchequer â—ut sure I am that the Revenues of the Crown are more than double what they were in the said Kings reign and more duely paid into the Exchequer of that Kingdom than ever formerly the profits of the Customehouse amounting to 30000 per Annum in the last yeer of King Iames his reign Not to say any thing of the great Improvements which were made by the Earl of Strafford in the time of his Government because they fell together with him The strength of this Kingdom consisteth partly in the situation of it begirt about with difficult and dangerous Seas partly in the many Castles first built and fortified by the English Planters and partly in a standing Armie continually kept up by the Kings of England for defence of their hold and interess against the Rebellions of the Natives What Forces it is able to raise both of Horse and Foot could never be conjectured at till now of late For formerly the Kings of England being actually possessed onely of those four Counties which they called the Pale that is to say the Counties of Dublin Louth Kildare and Meth which last hath since the time of King Henry the 8th been subdived into three were not able to raise any great power out of that Estate but were forced to send Soldiers out of England as occasion was to preserve their Soveraignty in Ireland The greatest Levie which I read of was that of 1500 Irish led by the Prior of Kilmamham to King Henry the fifth then being at the siege of Harflew in Normandie And on the other side the great Lords of the naturall Irish and degenerate English being divided into factions amongst themselves and never joyned in any one principle of common intereâ—s were more inconsiderable than the weak but united forces of the Kings of England And though most of them at the last were drawn into a confederacy with the Earl of Tir-Oen to make good his rebellion yet find I not that their Armie did exceed at any time the number of 8000 men and those not well-appointed neither So that the best estimate which can be made of the forces of Ireland must be measured by the Armies raised in the late Rebellion when the Irishrie had both time and leizure to get themselves some reputation in the world and make provision for a War In prosecution of which he who considers the many Armies they have raised since their first mustering under the command of Sir Phelim O Neal the many defeats which have been given them and those as many new recruits after each defeat all of them raised out of the bodies of their own People without supplie from other Countries besides such as have served against them for the King must needs conclude that they want not men enough for service nor skill nor courage to attempt the most difficult enterprises The Arms of Ireland are Azure an Harpe Or stringed Argent Which Coat King James to shew himself the first absolute King of Ireland first caused to be marshalled with the Royall Arms of Great Britain Reckoned in Ireland at and since the Reformation Arch-Bishops 4. Bishops 19. One
multum aeris habet ex eo fuso fit aes as that Author hath it It is one of the least of the Belgick Provinces containing in it but 125. Villages and no more then five walled Towns or Cities viz. 1. Limbourg which gives name to the whole Estate pleasantly seated on an hill amongst shady woods under which runneth the River Wesdo which having watered the whole countrey emptieth it self into the Maes well built and fortified with a very strong Castle mounted upon a steep Precipice of no easie accesse 2. Walkenbourg called by the French Fauquemont a reasonable fair Town with a large territory two Dutch miles from Maestricht conquered from Reynold Lord hereof by John the 3. Duke of Brabant 3. Dalem a little Town with a Castle the territory thereof extending beyond the Maes conquered by Henry Duke of Brabant of that name the second 4. Rhode le Duck a little old Town with as old a Castle half a league from Walkenbourg 5. Carpen situate between Gulick and Colen beautified with a Collegiate Church and a strong Castle in which there is a Governour with a good Garrison for defence of the place Each of these Towns hath jurisdiction on the parts adjoyning but with appeal unto the Chancery of Brabant The ancient inhabitants of this â—act and the Bishoprick of Leige adjoyning were the Eburones When it was first made an Earldome I am yet to seek but of an Earldome it was made a Dukedome by the Emperour Frederick Barbarossa anno 1172. Henry one of the Dukes hereof marryed his daughter Margaret to Godfrey the 3. Duke of Brabant which gave that house some colour to pretend unto it backed with a better title on the death of an other Henry the last Duke of Limbourg whose next heir Adelph sold it to John Duke of Brabaâ—t pretending to it in the right of the former marriage anno 1293. But Reynold Earl of Gueldres thinking himself to have a better title then Adolph in right of Ermingrade his wife the daughter of Herman a late Duke hereof put in his plea and challenged it by force of Armes but being vanquished and taken prisoner by the said Duke John in the battell of Woranem was fain for his release to release all his claim and title to the Dukedome of Limbourg after that quietly enjoyed by the Dukes of Brabant till they fell both together to the house of Burgundie The Armes hereof are Argent a Lyon Barrie of ten pieces Or and Gules 8. LVICK-LAND OR The Bishoprick of LEIGE Westward of Limbourg but a far mightier estate then it lieth lvick-LVICK-LAND as the Dutch or the Bishoprick of LEIGE Leâ—diensis as the Latine and French writers call it anciently under the protection of the Dukes of Brabant and afterwards of the Princes of the house of Burgundie as Lords of that countrey By some accompted of and described as a part of Germany but for the reasons before mentioned I shal place it here environed on all sides with the Belgick Provinces that is to say with the Dukedome of Limbourg on the East with Brabant on the North and West on the South with Luxembourg The Aire hereof is very wholesome and the Earth as fruitfull abounding with all kinde of grain and fruits some store of wine and as for flesh fish fowle and venison it hath very great plenty and that too of an excellent taste But the chief riches of this Countrey is under ground consisting in mines of Lead and Iron and some few of Gold quarries of Albasier mingled with all sorts of Marble rich veins of Brimstone and unexhaustible pits of Coal which last it hath in such abundance that there is digged within the compasse of one league of the City of Leige not only sufficient for that great City but so much overplus as being sold at mean prices about the countrey amounts unto 100000. duckets of yearly value The Coal much sweeter then elsewhere and of a nature contrary to all other Coal in that it is kindled with water and quenched with oyle and the strong servour of it taken off by casting salt on it The whole countrey containeth 24 walled Towns and 1800. Villages the principall of which are 1 Leige or Luick in Latine Leodium situate in a pleasant valley environed with hils the Meuse entring it in two branches accompanied with four lesser Riverets which make in it many delightfull Ilands The compasse of it about four miles the ordinary buildings very fair all built of stone the Bishops palace a magnificent and sumptuous piece the Churches in number forty of which eight are Collegiate 32. Parochiall all of them for their riches and bounty excelling all in any City of France or Germanie Besides these there are so many Convents Mâ—nasteries and religious houses about the Town that taking all together they amount to an hundred all of them of such fair revenues so well endowed and the Religious persons there of so great authority that it is cailed the Paradise of Priests and that deservedly It is also an University of good Antiquity wherein were Students at one time 9. Kings sons 24. Dukes sons 29. Earls sons besides Barons and Gentlemen the greatest part of which were Canons of the Church of S. Lambert which is the Cathedrall of the City Yet notwithstanding it hath tasted of the malice of fortune as well as others being first destroyed by the Danes then by the Normans twice taken and once destroyed by Charles of Burgundie anno 1468. Subject it is unto the Bishop as Lord temporall of it from whom being long since made an Imperiall Ctiy there lyeth an Appeal to the Chamber of Spires 2. Dinand upon the Meuse near Namur of very great traffick till destroyed by Charles of Burgundie in the same year with Leige hardly recovered of which wounds it was again sacked by K. Henry the 2. of France anno 1854. 3. Maeseck upon the Meuse or Maes also a league from whence is the fair Nunnery of Thuren of the same nature with that of Mentz and others spoken of before the like to which there is near 4. Bilsen another Town of this Bishoprick the Abbesses of each having the priviledge of coyning both gold and silver 5. Lootz by the Dutch called Borclom in the county of Diostein made a county in the time of Charles the Great the title and possession of Vgier the Dane so famous in the History of Gallen of France and others of the old Romances 6. Franchimont which gives the title to a Marquesse of the Bishop of Leige 7. Centron or S. Truden a fair Town so called of the Abbie dedicated to that Saint 8. Huy or Hoey so called of a violent River which there runs into the Meuse 9. Tungres the chief City of the Tongri which together with the Eburones were once the Inhabitants of this tract in which are still the ruines of a Temple consecrated to Hercules Anciently an Episcopall See translated hence to Maestreicht and at last to Leige and
Switzerland and Denmark Some doe acknowledge a kind of subjection but the Princes of them come not to the Imperiall Diets as the Dukes of Savoy and Lorrain and some of the Italian Potentates Finally some both confesse the Emperour to be their Soveraign and that they owe service to his Courts which are the Princes and Cities of Germany onely but those so priviledged so exempted from his commands so absolute and incontrollable in their own estates that they care little for his power and not much if any thing for his person of which we shall speak more hereafter when we come unto the form of the publick Government In the mean time if we would know by what occasions the Empire became so infeebled it may be said that the reasons and occasions of it have been very many As the first the weaknesse and improvidence of the Caroline race dismembring from it many powerfull and wealthy Provinces reserving onely a bare Homage and some slight acknowledgement 2ly The cunning of the Popes who knowing that they could not wax strong in Italy if they did not weaken the Emperours estate in Germany first wrested out of their hands the Investitre of the Bishops Abbots and other Ecclesiasticall preferments who being now made their owne creatures were so increased both in revenue and power by little and little and fortified with so many immunities that some of them grew in time to be Free Estates all of them Princes of the Empire 3ly But fearing that this might not bring the Emperours low enough they baited them with continuall factions and peâ—petuall broils which put them to a necessity of making what friends they could though they paid very dearly for them and taking up what moneys they could of the wealthier Cities paying them in exemptions and Royall priviledges when they could not otherwise cancel or discharge the debt 4ly And unto this the making the Empire Elective gave no little help few of them looking on the Empire but as Tenants of it for term of life and therefore were more likely to discharge such debts by impairing the Publick Patrimonie which they had no hold in then to diminish any thing of their own estates 5 ly But being the title of Emperour was the greatest honour which any of that Nation could be capable of and such as by good husbandry might be made beneficiall unto their posterity as we see what good uses have been made of it by the Austrian family ever since the time of Rodolph of Habspurg who would not part with some of the Imperiall rights to advance his owne house to an equall greatnesse 6ly A thing which the Electours understood sufficiently and therefore were resolved to make the best of the market knowing that the commodity could be bought of none but themselves as in the Election of Wenceslaus sonne of Charles the 4th of whom it was but ask and have what they had a minde to By these and every of these meanes the Body of the Empire came to be divided into many Estates and those Estates to be made absolute and independent as before is said The principall whereof which being described will make up the Chorographie of this great Continent are those of 1. Cleveland 2. of the Estates of the three spirituall Electors 3. the Palatinate of the Rhene 4. Alsatia 5. Lorrain 6. Suevia or Schwallen 7. Bavaria 8. Austria and its appendixes 9. The confederation of Wederaw 10. Farnconia 11. Wittenberg and 12. Baden 13. the Palatinate of Northgoia or the Vpper Palatinate 14. Bohemia and the incorporate Provinces 15. Pomerania 16. Mâ—cklenberg 17. the Marquisate of Brandenberg 18. Saxonie and the Members of it 19. the Dukedomes of Brunswick and Lunenburg 20. the Lantgravedom of Hassia 21. VVestphalen 22. Eastfriseland Such lesser States as being absolute and free are of lesser moment shall be reduced together with the Imperiall Cities to those severall Provinces in which they are included or out of which they were taken As for the Province of Holstein or Holsatia though it be Imperiall and in which respect by some accounted as a Province of Germany yet being under the command of the King of Denmark and by all Writers reckoned as a part of that Kingdom I shall there speak of it Some of these are thus censured by Aubanus a late writer They of Suevia saith hee are whores they of Franconia Ravishers and Buggers they of Bohemia Heretiques those of Bavaria Theeves they of Saxony Drunkards they of Friseland and Westphalia Swearers and they of the Palatinate Gluttons But I hope more charitably of them all then so I know there is another division of this Countrey made by the Emperour Maximilian at the Diet of Colen anno 1522. who for the better raising both of men and money for all Publick services caused it to be divided into the ten Circles of 1. Lower Saxony 2. Vpper Saxony 3. VVestphalia 4. of the Rhene 5. of the four Electours of that part 6. Franconia 7. Suevia 8. Bavaria 9. Austria and 10. Burgundie But that before proposed being the more particular I shall follow that according to the order before laid down beginning first with those which together with the Belgick Provinces and the Dukedome of Lorrain contained antiently the Provinces of Belgica and Germania prima and some part of Germania secunda and made up the Kingdome of Austrasia strictly and specially so called CLEVELAND CLEVELAND or the Estates of the Duke of Cleve before dismembred and divided betwixt the Competitors for the Dukedome on the death of the last Duke hereof anno 1609. contained the Dukedomes of Clâ—ve Gulick and Berg and the Earldome of Mark or March all lying in a ring together And though these two last lye on the other side of the Rhene and so not properly within the old prccincts of the Kingdome of Lorrain or any of the Roman Provinces before named yet being they belonged all to the same Prince not parted by the interposition of other Countries they shall be handled here together as the same Estate 1. The Dukedome of CLEVF properly and distinctly so called hath on the East the Countries of Mark and Berg with some part of VVestphalen on the West Guelderland and some part of Limbourg on the North the Earldome of Zutphen and the land of Overyssell and on the South Gulick and the land of Colen So called from Cleve the chief town of it The Countrey very fruitfull both for Corn and pasturage well stocked with Cattell of all sorts for necessarie use and pleasure good store of Fowle both tame and wilde blessed also with an healthy air and in a word with all things needfull for the life of man well watered with the Rhener the Roer the Dussell the Ezfat and the Nirsi common to this and the rest of the incorporate Provinces Places of most importance in it are first Cleve in Latine Clivia so called because built on the sides of three little hils which the Latines call Clivi gently
those times They were built and strengthened by Augustus the better to keep under the Germans quippe illis bybernis obsideri premique Germanias Augustus crediderat as Tacitus At this day this Towne and Triers are reputed famous for holy reliques here being said to be among others the bearing cloth wherein our Saviour was wrapt when he was in his swadling clouts which the Emperour solemnly worshippeth at his inauguration Concerning the ambition which the Papists have to bee thought possessours of these reilques See I beseech you how pitifully they have mangled the head of S. John Baptist They of Amiens brag that they have his face and so do they of S. John D' Angeliâ— The rest of his head is at Malta yet is the hinder part of his scull at Namur and his brain at Novum Rostoviense Another part of it is at Maurienna another piece at Paris his jaw at Wesel his ear at S. Flowres his fore-head and hair at S. Salvadores in Venice another piece of his head is at Noyon and another at Luca yet is his whole head intire and unmaimed in S. Sylvesters Church at Rome and so no doubt is this bearing-cloth at more places then one But to return again to Gulick first made an Earldom in the person of Eustace brother of Godfrey of Bovillon Duke of Lorrain who seised upon it as his part of the Estate on the death of Godfrey his elder brother being absent in the holy-Holy-Land In the person of William the 4. of that name it was made a Marquisate advanced unto that honour by the Emperour Lewis of Bavaria anno 1329. created not long after Duke of Gulick by Charls the 4. anno 1356. His two sons William and Raynold both Dukes successively dying without issue the Estate fell to Adolphus Duke of Berg or Mont as the next heir male anno 1423. and finally together with that of Berg was added to the Dukedome of Cleve by the marriage of Mary heir hereof with John the 3. Duke of Cleve with which conjoined till the expiration of that noble familie whereof more anon As for the Estates of Berg and March they had one originall begun by two Brothers the sons of Theodorick Lord of Teisterbant of the house of Cleve out of which house as they descended so into that they finally were again resolved as their first materials Of these two brothers Adolphus being the Elder was by the Emperour Henry surnamed the Fowler made Earl of Altena anno 930. or thereabouts and Eberard the younger by the same Emperour made Earl of Berg. But Eberard entring a Monasterie of his own Foundation left his estate and Earldome of Berg to the elder brother United thus into one estate they became again divided betwixt the sons of Adolph the 3. of that name and fourth Earl of Altena and Berg. Engelbert the younger son enjoying the estate of Berg and Eberard the elder succeeding his father in that of Altena How they became united to the house of Cleve wee shall see hereafter having first looked over the Chorographie or Description of them 3. The Dukedom of BERG bounded on the East with Westphalen and the Countrie of March on the West with the Rhene from Wesel up as high as Colen by which parted from the Dukedome of Cleve on the North with the River Lippe which separates it from the rest of Cleve and on the South with the Land of Colen So called from the hillinesse of the Countrie Berg in Dutch signifying an hill as Bourg doth a Town or Burrough from whence the Earls and Dukes hereof are called Montenses in Latine and Les Contes and Dues de Mont in French The Countrie for the most part in the Vales especially yeelds a great store of the best wheat and consequently of the purest bread and in the hill Countries rich mines of Coale wherewith they doe supply their neighbours Chief places in it are 1 Dusseldorp so called of the River Dussel upon which it is situate the River not far off falling into the Rhene 2 Adenbourg built by Eberard the first Earl of Berg the seat of him and his successours till removed to Dusseldorp 3 Keiserswerd situate on the Rhene belonging anciently to the Empire but bought for a great sum of mony of Charls the 4. by John Earl of Cleve 4 Mulheim on the Rhene also just against Colen on the other side of the water fortified in the year 1614. and made the Receptacle of the Protestants of that Bishoprick prohibited the free exercise of Religion in their own dwellings but razed not long after by Marquis Spinola on complaint made by those of Colen to the Emperour Matthias 5. Stelt or Steltium on the Roer amongst the Coale mines 6. Angermond on the mouth of the River Angra as the name imports 7. Essen or Essendia on the borders of the Countie of March once an Imperiall but under the protection of the Earls of Berg. Of most note for a Monasterie here built by Alfride the 4. Bishop of Hildesheim for 52 Nuns and 20 Canons liberally endowed and having great command on the Dorps adjoining How Berg at first was made an Earldom how joined unto Altena and disjoined again hath been shewed before No sooner made a State distinct but it was added to the patrimonie of the Earls of Gulick by the marriage of Earl William with the daughter and heir of Berg. Parted again betwixt William and Adolphus sons of Gerrard the 2. anno 1247. the first succeeding in the Earldom of Gulick and the last in Berg. During this partage made a Dukedom in the person of William the first of that name by Wencâ—slaus the Emperour anno 1389. whose son Adolphus as next heir succeeded in the Dukedom of Gulick anno 1423. How both were added unto Cleve hath been said alreadie The DUKES and EARLS of BERG A. Ch. 1 Engelbert the first Earl of Berg distinct from March 2 Adolphus son of Engelbert 3 N. the sister of Adolphus GULICK A. Ch. 1129 1 Eustace the first Earl of Gulick distinct from Lorrain 2 son of Eustacâ— 3 William Earl of Gulick 4 Gerrard Earl of Gulick and Berg. 5 William II. son of Gerrard 6 Gerrard Iâ— son of William the 2. 1247 7 Adolphus II. younger son of Gerrard the 2. 1296 8 William III. son of Adolphus 1337 9 Gerrard III. 10 William IV. created the first Duke of Berg anno 1389. outed of the greatest part of his Estate by his son Adolphus 1247 7 William III. eldest son of Gerrard the 2. 8 Gerrard III. son of William 9 Gerrard IV. son of Gerrard the 2. 1325 10 William IV. created first Marquesse after Duke of Gulick 11 William V. Duke of Gulick and Gueldres 12 Rainold Duke of Gulick and Gueldres A. Ch. 11 Adolphus III. the son of William the first Duke of Berg succeeded also unto Rainold the last Duke of Gulick dying without issue 1423. 1434 12 Gerrard IV of Berg and V. of Gulick son of William and brother of
the Dukedomâ— of Gueldres but being too weak for so great an Adversary made his submission to him at Venlo and so saved his estates 1584 35 John William son of the former William during the life of Charles Frederick his elder brother was Bishop of Munster on whose death anno 1575. he resigned that dignity and in the end succeeded his Father in his whole estates which he managed with great piety and prudence till the year 1610. and then died issuelesse The last of that ancient and noble family of the Dukes of Cleve After whose death much quarrell and contention grew about the succession betwixt the severall competitors and pretenders to it of which the principall were 1. Leopold Archduke of Austria pretending an investiture from the Emperour Rodolphus to whom for want of heirs males the estate was said to be escheated 2. John George Duke of Saxonie descended from Sibyll daughter of Duke John the third at whose marriage with John Frederick the Electour of Saxonie an 1535 it was said to have been solemnly agreed upon that on the failing of the heirs males of Cleve the issue of that marriage should succeed therein 3. John Sigismund the Electour of Brandenburg in behalf of his son George William Duke of Prussia by the Lady Anne his wife eldest daughter of Albert of Brandenburg Duke of Prussia and of Maria Leonora the eldest sister and next heir of the Duke deceased 4. Wolfgangus Gulielmus Palatine of Newburg son of Magdalen the younger sister of that Mary who claimed the estate as nearest kinsman one degree to the said last Duke And though the right seemed most apparently on the side of Brandenbourg the Estate in tayle pretended by the Duke of Saxonie being formerly cut off by Imperiall authority and that pretended to by the Duke of Newburg not of force in Germanie yet being that Leopold was in Armes and had already forced a possession of most part of the Countrey the two Princes of Brandenbourg and Newburg soon agreed the controversie and by the help of the Protestant Princes their Confederates recovered the greatest part of it from the hands of Leopold But the Palatine of Newburg not content with his partage first married with a daughter of the Duke of Bavaria then reconciled himself to the Church of Rome called in the Spanish Armes under the command of Marquisse Spinola to abet his quarrell which made George William son of the Elector of Brandenbourg and the Lady Anne to call in the Forces of the States under the command of Maurice Earl of Nassaw after Prince of Orange The issue of which war was this that Spinola possessed himself of Wesel Aken Mullheim Pusseldorp and most other places of importance in Berg and Gulick and the States got into their power the Towns of Gulick with Rees and Emmerick in the Dukedome of Cleve and almost the whole County of Mark. And though they both pretend to keep them for the use of those Princes in whose cause they stand yet when such strong parties keep the Stakes it is most easie to determine who will win the game such alterations as have hapned in the chance of war by the reciprocall winning and losing of some Towns on both sides not much conducing to the benefit of the rightfull Princes EARLES of ALTENA and MARCH A. Ch. 834 1 Robert son of Baldwin to whom the County of Teisterbant was given by Eberard 2 Theodorick son of Robert the first Lord of Altena 3 Adolphus I. Earl of Altena 4 Adolphus II. Earl of Altena and Berg. 5 Conrade Earl of Altena and Berg. 4 Adolph III. Earl of Altena and Berg. 5 Eberhard Earl of Altena his younger brother Engelbert succeeding in Berg. 6 Frederick Earl of Altena 7 Adolphus IV. created the first Earl of March 1249 7 Engelbert Earl of March and Altena 8 Adolphus V. son of Engelbert 9 Engelbert II. from whom by a second wife the daughter and heir of Aremberg descended that branch of the house of March which till of late were Soveraigns of Sedan and Dukes of Bovillon 10 Adolph VI. husband of Mary or Margaret daughter and heir of Theodorick the 9. Earl of Cleve 2. The Estates of the three ELECTOR-BISHOPS Adjoyning to the Estates of Cleve are those of the Spirituall Electors of the Empire of Germanie Colen Ments and Triers not so contiguous and conterminous as those of Cleveland and therefore to be laid out severally by their metes and boundaries And first for 1. colen-COLEN-LAND or the Estate of the Archbishop and Elector of Colen is bounded on the East with the Dukedome of Berg from which divided by the Rhene on the West with Gulick on the North with Cleve it self and the County of Muers and on the South extending to the land of Triers The ancient Inhabitants hereof were the Vbii in former times possessed of the Countreys of Berg and March but being warred on by the Germans bordering next upon them they were by the Clemency of Agrippa then Lievtenant of Gaul received into protection and by him placed along the French side of the Rhene as well for defence of the borders of the Roman Empire as for their own security against that Enemy Won from the Romans by the French in the reign and under the conduct of Childerick anno 412. or thereabouts and from the French by the Emperour Otho the first anno 949. Since that time the City of Colen hath remained Imperiall and of late times incorporated amongst the Hanse-towns but the territory near unto it and a great part of Westphalen subject immediately to the Bishop much of the lands which formerly belonged to the Kingdome of Lorrain being conferred upon this See by the Emperour Otho the second at such time as the Dukedome of Lorrain was erected by him The Bishops See first founded here by S. Maternus one of the Disciples of S. Peter as hath been constantly affirmed by old tradition but howsoever an Episcopall See without all question in the time of Constantine Maternus Bishop hereof subscribing amongst others to the Councell of Arles anno 326. And being Colen was in those times the Metropolis of the Province of Germania Secunda the Bishop had the power of a Metropolitan according to the rule and observation so often mentioned Afterwards when the Empire was made Elective these Bishops with their brethren of Mentz and Triers were made three of the seven which were to nominate and elect the succeeding Emperour after which time it is no wonder that they grew both in power and Patrimony Places of most importance within this Electorate are 1. Bonn situate on the banks of the Rhene in the most pleasant and fruitfull place of all the Countrey the ordinary refidence of the Archbishop whose house or Palace here is said to be one of the fairest in all Germanie By Tacitus called Benna and sometimes Castra Bonnensia the wintering Camp in his times of the sixt Legion 2. Nuys by the same writer called Novesium Nivesia by Antoninus
unto his Election but soon recovered of those hurts The ancient name hereof in the Itinerarie of Antoninus is supposed to be Bodobriea pawned to the Bishops of Triers by Henry the 7. and not yet redeemed 4. Sarbrucken on the edge of Lorrain by Antoninus called Pons Sarvix seated on the River or Brook called Sar whence it had the name at the fall thereof into the Moselle possessed at the present by a branch of the house of Nassaw but Homagers of this Electour entituled hence according to the Dutch fashion Counts of Nassaw in Sarbruck 5. Veldents and 6. Belstern on the Moselle of which nothing memorable 7. Treves or Triers in Latine Treveris the principall City of the Treveri who possessed this tract seated upon the Moselle also the Metropolis of the Province of Belgica Prima and honoured with the residence of the Vicar or Lieutenant Generall for the whole Diocese of Gaul by consequence the seat of a Metropolitan when it submitted to the Gospell Of such antiquity that it is said to have been founded 150. years before the City of Rome of no great beauty of it self and as little trading the River not being capable of ships of burden and the air generally so cloudy and inclined to rain that it is by some called merrily Cloaca Planetarum It passed sometimes among the number of Imperiall cities but now acknowledgeth the Elector for the Lord thereof by whom made an Vniversity one of the ancientest in all Germanie and of as much resort for the study of good Arts and Sciences as the best amongst them 8. Obert-Wesel or Vesalia Superior so called to distinguish it from Wesel in the Dukedome of Cleve which is Vesalia inferior or the Vnder-wesel the furthest place of this district seated on the Rhene not far from Bacebarach a Town of the Palatinate of no great note but that it is accompted for a Town Imperiall 3. The Bishoprick of MENTZ is not laid out by bounds and limits as the other because the Patrimony and estate thereof doth not lie together dispersed for the most part about Franconia intermixed with the Lands and Towns of the Princes Palatine the Bishops of Wormes Spires and others So that the temporall Estate of this Electour is every way inferiour unto those of Triers and Colen superiour unto both in place and dignity he being the first in rank of the whole Electorall Colledge Chancellour for the Empire and in all meetings sitteth at the right hand of the Emperour The Bishops See first placed here as some report by S. Crescens one of the Disciples of S. Paul of whose being sent by him into Gallia for so the Ancient writers understand Galatia the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 4. Though others with more probability seat him at Vienna in Daulphine But whether it were here or there certain it is that anciently this City was a See Episcopall Martin the Bishop hereof subscribing to the Acts of the Councell of Colen anno 347. And if a Bishop certainly a Metropolitan Bishop this City being in those times the Metropolis of the Province of Germania Prima But Christianity being worn out of these parts of Germanie by the conquests of the French Almans and other infidels was again restored in this tract by Boniface an Englishman the first Archbishop of Mentz of this new plantation in and about the time of Pepin surnamed the Grosse Maire of the Palace to the French Kings and father of Martell who for the Orthodoxie of his doctrine and the number of Churches planted by him hath been deservedly honoured with the title of the Apostle of Germanie Towns of most note belonging to the Bishops hereof are 1. Mentz it self the Moguntiacum of the Antients so called from the River of Maine formerly Mogus and Moganus in the Latine now better known by the name of Moenus opposite to the fall whereof into the Rhene it was built of old so having the command of both Rivers for that cause made the seat of a Roman officer commonly called the Duke of Mentz who had a charge of the Frontiers and especially of those ten Garrisons planted on the banks of the Rhene spoken of before Stretched out in great length on the River side but not of answerable breadth well built and populous towards the water in other parts not so well inhabited The publick buildings generally very large and beautifull the houses built according to the old Roman modell the most magnificent whereof is the Bishops Palace who is the immediate Lord both of the Town and Territory extended on both sides of the Rhene fruitfull in all naturall commodities and abounding with most excellent wines Of good note also for an University here founded by Theodorick one of the Electours but especially for the Art of Printing which was here invented or perfected at the least and made fit for use 2. Bing seated on the Rhene another of the Garrison towns erected by the Romans on the banks of that River In a small Island of which not far from this town is a Tower or Castlelet called the Mouseturn i. e. the tower of Mice built by one Halto or Hanno Archbishop of Mentz anno 900 or thereabouts Who in a yeer of great scarcity pretending to relieve the poor people oppressed with Famine caused them to be gathered together into an old barn where he burnt them all saying they were the Rats and Mice which devoured the Corn. After which barbarous act he was so persecuted by those Vermin that to avoid them he was fain to build a Palace in the midst of the Rhene whither the Rats and Mice followed him and at last devoured him 3. Lausteine 4. Hasford 5. Oxenford 6. Alderburg 7. Middleburg 8. Caâ—lostadt the birth-place of Carolostadius of great note in the time of Luther 9. Bischoffstein 10. Koningsberg mons Regius in Latine the birth-place of Johannes de Monte Regio a famous Mathematician as appeareth by his Comment upon Ptolemies Almagest most of these in Frankenland but of this Electorate 3. The PALATINATE of the RHENE The PALATINATE of the RHENE is situate wholly in Franconia bounded upon the East with the Dukedome of Wirtenberg and some part of Franconie with the residue thereof and the River Main upon the North on the South with Elsats or Alsatia and on the West with the land of Triers extended in length from Coub to Gemersheime north and south 72 miles and in breadth from Sweibrucken to Lauden east and west 90 miles It is called also the Lower Palatinate to difference it from the Palatinate of Bavaria which is called the Vpper the Palatinate of the Rhene because lying on the banks of that famous River The whole Country is said to be the most pleasant part of all Germany stored with all sorts of fruits and metals abounding with those cool wines which growing on the banks of the Rhene have the name of Rhenish adorned with many goodly Towns both for strength populousnesse and beauty and finally watered
his younger Brother He brought the Suevians to obedience and subdued the Sclaves 656 11 Childebert II. son of Grimoaldus Mayre of the Palace to Sigebert was by the power of his Father made King of Mets Dagobert the son of Sigebert being shorn a Monk and sent into Scotland 12 Clovis the 2. King of the French having vanquished and beheaded Grimoald dispossessed Childebert of the Kingdome which he took himself 662 13 Childerick the 2. son of Clovis after the death of Clotaire his elder Brother succeeding in the Kingdome of France united all the French Dominions into one Estate In which condition it remained but with some inlargement of the bounds till the partition made by and amongst the Children of Lewis the Godly the name of Austrasia or East-France being extended by Charles the Great over all Pannonia and so much of Germanie as was under the command of the French In which division Lewis the 2. sonne surnamed the Ancient being invested in the Kingdome of Germanie or so much of East-France or Austrasia as lay on the East side of the Rhene Lotharius the eldest sonne had for his share the title of Emperour and therewith Italy Provence Burgundie and so much of Austrasia or East-France as lay on the French side of the River Afterwards subdâ—vided into three Estates Italie with the title of Roman Emperour being given to Lewis the eldest son to Charles the youngest Provence with the Kingdome of Burgundie and to Lothaire the second son Austrasia on this side of the Rhene from hence called Lot-reich Lot-regne and Lotharingia as before was said But Lothaire dying without issue the Kingdome of Lorrain containing all the Netherlands except Flanders and Artois and all the parts of Germanie before described became divided betwixt the Kings of France and the German Emperours each taking to themselves the title of Kings of Lorrain the River Meuse or Mosa parting their possessions But in the end after much vicissitude and interchangeablenesse of affairs both Princes laid aside the title of Kings incorporating so much as they held hereof into the rest of their Estates Otho the third of Germanie and Lewis the fift of France being the last that pleased themselves with that broken title In the mean time this Countrey of Lorrain it self together with some part of the Land of Triers Bovillon Gulick Luickland and Brabant being taken out of the rest were by Otho the second made a Dukedome anno 981. and by him given with the title of Duke of Lorrain to Charles of France son of Gerberge his Aunt by Lewis the 4. surnamed Transinarine son of Charles the Simple Charles thus advanced by his Uncle and finding himselfe wholly neglected by Lothairâ— the French King his brother shewed himself so alienated from the French and wedded to the Germans that the French after the death of his Nephew Lewis the fift whose next Heire he was rejected him and chose Hugh Capet for their King Otho the son of this Charles dying without issue left his estate to Geofrey Earl of Ardenne Bovillon and Verdun his near kinsman by the mothers side from whom the Dukes of Lorrain doe derive themselves From Hermingrade the daughter of Charles descended the Lady Isabel of Hainalt wife of Philip the 2. King of France thereby uniting the bloud of Pepin and Hugh Capet to the great content of Lewis the 9. her Nephew of whom it is said that being a man of a tender conscience he never joyed in the Crown of France till it was proved that he was descended by his Grand-mother from Charles of Lorrain whom Hugh Capet had unjustly dispossessed But to return again to the Dukes of Lorrain I find not any great improvement made of the Estate by any of them more then the adding of the Dutchy of Barr in France by Rene Duke of Anjou and titularie King of Naples but on the contrary a great weakning and distraction of it by the Dukes hereof Luickland and the Dukedome of Bovillon being sold unto the Bishop of Leige by Godfrey furnamed of Bovillon after King of Hierusalem Brabant torn from it by Geofrey Earl of Lovain in the time of Baldwin brother of Godfrey and Gulick-land by Eustace the brother of Baldwin the Bishops of Triers not being negligent all this while of the opportunity so that we have no more to do but to present the Reader with the Catalogue of The DUKES of LORRAIN A. Ch. 851 1 Charles of France took prisoner by Hugh Capet in which state he died 1001 2 Otho son of Charles 1004 3 Godfrey Earl of Ardenne cousin of Otho by his mother a daughter of the house of Ardenne confirmed herein by the power of the Emperour Henry the first 1119 4 Gozelo of Bovillon the brother of Godfrey 1044 5 Godfrey II. son of Gozelo 1070 6 Godfrey III. 1078 7 Godfrey IV. of Bovillon sonne of Eustace Earl of Boulogne in Picardie and of Ida the daughter of Godfrey the 2. created King of Hierusalem anno 1099. 1180 8 Baldwin brother of Godfrey Duke of Lorrain and King of Hierusalem 1119 9 Thierrie son of William the brother of Baldwin 1128 10 Simon son of Thierrie 1141 11 Matthew son of Simon 1176 12 Simon II. son of Matthew 1207 13 Frederick brother of Simon 1213 14 Theobald son of Frederick 1219 15 Matthew II. son of Theobald no great friend of the Popes 1259 16 Frederick II. son of Matthew 1303 17 Theobald II. son of Frederick 1311 18 Frederick III. son of Theobald 1329 19 Rodolph son of Frederick 1346 20 John son of Rodolph 1382 21 Charles son of John 1430 22 Rene Duke of Anjou and King of Naples c. in right of Isabel his wife the daughter of Charles 1452 23 John II. son of Rene and Isabel succeeded on the death of his mother 1470 24 Nicolas son of John 1473 25 Rene II. son of Frederick Earl of Vandemont and of Violant or Yoland daughter of Isabel and Rene the first the Vanquisher of Charles of Burgundie at the battell of Nancy 1508 26 Anthony son of Rene the 2. 1544 27 Francis son of Anthony 1545 28 Charles the II. son of Francis 29 Henry son of Charles married Katharine sister to Henry the 4. of France 1624 30 Francis brother of Henry 1630 31 Charles Nephew to Francis by his brother the Earl of Vandemont and son-in-law to him by the marriage of his daughter and heir succeeded by a mixt title of descent and marriage Being resolved to hold it in his own right he put away his wife and daughter of Francis and took another to his bed which he better fansied punished not long after by the losse of his whole estate for immediately he ingaged himself in the wars of Germanie in behalf of Ferdinand the 2. But being beaten by the Swedes at the battell of Psaffenbofen in the County of Hanaw he lost a great part of his Countrey to the Victors who pursued him home And on the other side Lewis the 13. of France
number viz. Steno 2 Suanto and 3 Steno Stur the second of which the two first dyed naturall deaths and the last being by Christiern the second slaine in battell this kingdom was again possessed by the Danes 1519 35 Christiern II. King of all three kingdome used his victory so cruelly here and his subjects so insolently at home that here he was outed by Gustavus Ericus and driven out of Denmark by his Uncle Frederick 1523 36 Gustavus Ericus descended from the antient race of the kings of Sweden having vanquished and expelled the Danes was on the merit of that action chosen king of Swethland which still continueth in his house 1561 37 Ericus V. sonne to Gustavus 8. 1569 38 John II. brother of Ericus marryed Catharine the sister of Sigismund the second king of Poland 1593 39 Sigismund the sonne of John the second in the life time of his Father chosen king of Poland anno 1586. but was dispossessed of the Crown of Sweden after a long warre by his Uncle Charles 1607 40 Charles II. Duke of Suderman the youngest son of Gustavus Ericus and brother of John and Eric the two former Kings first governed here as Viceroy for his Nephew Sigismund but having an aime upon the Crowne to which he found the Lutherans not very favourable hee raised up a Calvinian partie within that Realm according to whose principles he began first to with draw his obedience from his naturall Prince and afterwards to assume the Government to himselfe speeding so well in his designe that after a long war he forced his Nephew to desist from all further enterprises and made himself king anno 1607. 1611 41 Gustavus Adolphus sonne of Charles having setled his affaires in Sweden and made peace with the king of Denmarke with whom his father was in warre at the time of his death fell first upon his Cousin Sigismund the King of â—oland from whom hee tooke many places of importance in Prussia and Livonia and in pursuance of that warre was made Knight of the Garter Afterwards having setled a truce with him hee passed into Germanie then in great danger of being absolutely inthralled to the house of Ausiria In which hee prospered so beyond all expectation that in one yeare hee passed over the â—lb the Rhâ—ne and the Danow which no Conquerour ever did before and having twice vanquished the Imperialists led by Tiâ—y and restored many of the German Princes unto their estates was in the current of his victories slaine in the battell of Lutzen Novemb. 1632. his body royally conveyed to Swethland and there interred 1632 42 Christina sole daughter of Gustavus of the age of seven yeares acknowledged Queen of Sweden the estate governed by the Counsails of the Nobility After a long warre with variable successe in Germanie they came at last to this Accord in the treaty of Munster that shee and her successours Kings and Queens of Swethland should peaceably enjoy all the Higher Pomeren with the Isles of Rugia Wollm and the Towne of Stetin in Lower Pomerland the Towne and Port of Wismar in the Dukedome of Mecklenburg and the whole Bishoprick of Bremen and Verden and the Prefecture of the Towne of Wilchusen with the title of Dukes of Bremâ—n Pomeren and Verden Princes of Rugia and Lorde of Wismar and by those titles have a place as Princes of the Empire in all Diets and Assemblies which concerne the publick By which agreement if it hold the Swedes have not onely got a good footing in Germanie a strong influence upon all the Counsels of the Empire a dore open for more forces if occasion bee and a free passage into the Western Ocean which before they wanted but may in time prove absolute Masters of the Baltick sea and make the Hamburgers those of Lubeck and possibly the Kings of Denmark and the Empire it selfe be at their devotion But leaving these things to the doubtfull issue of contingencie let us next looke upon the forces and Revenues of the Crowne of Sweden before the time of Gustavus Adolphus or as hee found it at his succession to that Crowne For though the Swedes pretend their Kingdome to be elective especially since the failing of the Royall line in Magnus the fourth and Albâ—rt of Mecklenbourg yet still the eldest son or next heir succeedeth unlesse put by by faction and strong hand as in the case of Sigismund and his Uncle Charles Which Charles so ordered his affaires that having engaged the kingdome in a warre agains his Nephew hee was sollicited at the last to accept of the Crowne to which he would by no meanes yeeld till a Law was made for the entailing of the same for ever unto his posterity whether male or female as an Hereditary Crown But whether Hereditary or Elective the King once setled in the Throne is an absolute Monarch having not onely power to levie taxes on his subjects as hee seeth occasion as five six seven eight dollars or more yearely upon every housholder according to the Proportion of his estate but also to grant a certaine number of Paisants unto such as hee meanes to favour to bee as 〈◊〉 and vaâ—sals to him according to his well deserving And whereas in the constitution of this Government every Parish hath a Landsman or Consul to decide the controversies of the same as every Territorie hath its Vicount and each Province his Lamen there lyeth an Appeal from the Landâ—man unto the Vicount and from the Vicount to the Lamen who if they bee supposed not to judge uprightly then the Appeale lies unto the Counsell and from the Counsell of Estate to the King himselfe in whom is fixed the Soveraignty and DERNIER RESORT and not unto the King and Counsell as before in Denmark The Forces of this King are either by Sea or Land By Sea hee is Commander wholly of Bodner and hath a great power in all the rest of the Baltick being able to set out 70 good Men of Warre as John the second did in the yeare 1578. seven of which were good Gallions and all the rest did carry above 50 cast peeces of all sorts besides many other good Vessels fit for service And if a Navie of this size will not serve the turne hee is not onely furnished with timber cordage and all other necessaries for the building of Ships and with good store of Ordinance and Ammunition for present use but is able to raise upon a sudden 6000 Mariners and upon little warning as many more all which hee entertaineth at no other charges in a manner then to finde them victuals insomuch as John the second before mentioned did use to say that that which cost the King of Spaine a Million of Crownes cost not him 10000 Dollars For his Land-forces they may best be estimated by the Trained Bands as wee may call them in every Province there being in all 3â— Vexillâ—s or Ensignes of Foot constantly trained and mustered in the severall Provinces each Vexille comprehending 600 or 700 men
Archbishops 2. Bishops 6. Universities 4. viz. Cracow Vilna Dantzick Regimont And so much for POLAND THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS IN our way from Poland unto Hungarie whither now we goe wee must of necessity passe over the CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS the ancient boundarie of Sarmatia Europaea from the rest of Europe A long and craggie ledge of hils which beginning near the Citie of Presburg and the borders of Austria passe on in a continuall course till they come to the very Euxine Sea and by that means not only divide Hungary from Poland specially so called but parting Transylvania and Moldavia two Dacian Regions from Russia Nigra and Podolia Provinces of the Polonian Kingdom By Ptolemie in his second Book they are called Montes Sarmatici Sarmaticae Rupes by Solinus because disterminating the Sarmatian Nations who possessed the mos part of it from Germanie and the more Southern parts of Europe and in his third booke by one name Carpates or Mons Carpatus so called as some think from the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying Fruit from the fruitfulnesse of it compared with other Mountaines in those Northerne Countries At the present known by divers names according to the Provinces and people which it passeth by By the Dutch generally called Wurtzgarten or a Garden of Herbs which alludeth to the name of Carpatus by the Hungars Tarchzall Betwixt Moravia and Hungaria where it is at the highest it is called in the Sclavonian tongue by the name of Tatri in the German Schneberg where it parteth Transylavania from Russia Nigra the Rosses call it Biescid and the Dutch men Crapack A chaine of hils of more length then fame not much observable in storie but for the shutting up the Hungari Sclaves and others of those Northern Nations which afterward invaded the Roman Provinces nor of much notice at the present but for giving an Originall to many of the principall Rivers which water the Countries lying on both sides of it And therefore having nothing more to detain us here we will passe them over and descend into the Plains of Hungarie OF HUNGARIE HVNGARIE is bounded on the East with Transylvania and Walachia on the West with Stiria Austria and Moravia on the North with the Carpathian Mountains which divide it from Poland and on the South with Sclavonia and some part of Dacia Extended in length from Presburg along the Danow to the borders of Transylvania for the space of 300 English miles and 190 of the same miles in breadth The reason of the name we shall have anon It lyeth in the Northern temperate Zone betwixt the middle Parallels of the 7. and 9. Climates so that the longest Summers day in the Southern parts is but 15 houres and an half and not above 16 houres in the parts most North taking up all that tract of ground on the North side of Danubius possessed by the Iazyges Metanasiae a Sarmatian people and part also of Panonnia Superior and Pannonia Inferior both on the South of that River But being it passeth generally under the name of Pannonia we are to know that the Romans having made themselves Masters of all Pannonia divided it into four Provinces part of the Diocese of Illyriâ—um Occidentale that is to say Pannonia Superior bordering on Noricum and containing part of the Higher Austria and the most Western parts of the present Hungarie on the South side of the Danow 2 Pannonia Inferior containing the Eastern parts of Hungarie on the same side of the River 3 Valeria anciently part of Pannonia Superior comprehending Stiria or Stiermark in the Archdukedome of Austria And 4 Savia so called of the River Savus anciently part of Pannonia Inferior now called Windeschland one of the Provinces or Subdivisions of Sclavonia But the name of Pannonia falling with the Roman Empire and this Countrie being fallen into the hands of other Masters it took a new name from the Nations who possessed themselves of it and was called Hungaria quasi Hunni-Avaria by a mixt name made of the Hunni and Avares two Scythian Nations who either successively or conjunctly were possessed thereof or from the Hungari another race of Scythians mentioned by Jornandes in his Book De Rebus Geticis drawn into this Countrie by the Emperour Arnulph to aid him in his war against Suantobogius King of the Moravians This last I look on as most probable the first as more probable then that of Aventine and others of our later Writers who finding a poor Province in the most North-east point of the Russian Empire called Jugra and by them Jugaria would have the name of Hungarie to be thence derived The people are strong of body and rude of behaviour respecting neither the liberall Arts nor mechanick Trades The greatest aspersion is the name of a coward which cannot be wiped off without the killing of a Turk after which they are priviledged to wear a feather and by the number of their feathers to shew how many Turks they have slain in battell They desire wars and like no trade better being naturally slothfull like the Irish and therefore best approve of that course of life whereby they may rather live upon other mens labour then take pains for their living Extremely covetous yet having rather desire then art to enrich themselves permitting the Dutch to ingrosse all their trading and manage such commodities as the Country yeeldeth which is the cause seconded by the oppressions of the Turk and the Austrian Princes under whom they are that none of them rise to any considerable wealth And for such as have estates in land they grow every day more poor then others For though the Females be excluded from inheriting their fathers possessions to whom they give no portion but new Cloaths on the wedding day yet being the sons do equally inherit the Estate as such who hold in Gavelkinde do here in England it must needs be that by so many divisions and subdivisions the greatest patrimonie that is will be brought to nothing Both Sexes in the way of their education are inured to hardnesse not suffered to lie in beds till the night of their marriage The Christian faith was first planted here in the time of Stephen surnamed the Saint the first King of this Country invited thereunto by the speciall means and procurement of the Emperour Henry the 2. giving him upon that condition his sister Gisla in marriage and through the preaching and industrie of Albert Archbishop of Prague anno 1016. or thereabouts Since which time Christianitie hath continued here without interruption defended gallantly and couragiously against the Turks but broken into fractions and subdivisions among themselves some pertinaciously adhering to the Church of Rome some following the doctrine of Luther others that of Calvin and some new fancies and opinions disavowed by all the rest yet all these different parties doe agree in this to punish adulterie and fornication with no lesse a punishment then death the father forcing his daughter the husband his wife
the River Eleutherus one of the Rivers of this Countrey so called from Arvad one of the Sonnes of Canaan alluded to by the Greeks and Romans in the name of Aradus by which this Isle was known unto them 2. By the vicinity which it hath to Palmyrene the Aram-Sobah of the Scriptures to which it joyneth on the East with the King whereof as bordering Princes use to be the Kings of Hamath for the most part were in open warre Of which fee 2 Sam. 8. 9 10. 1 Chr. 8. 9 10. 3. From the authority of Saint Hierome who finding mention in the Prophet Amos cha 6. v. 2. of a City named Hamath the Great determineth it to be that City which afterwards was called Antiochia the principall City of this part and indeed of Syria the title of Great being added to it to difference it from some other Cities of this name of inferiour note And 4. from comparing the places in Scripture with the like passage in Josephus the Historiographer The Scripture telleth us that Hierusalem being forced by the Babylonians Zedekias the King was brought Prisoner to Nabuchadnezzer being then at Riblath 2 Kings c. 2. v. 6. to Riblath in the Land of Hamath v. 21. where the poor Prince first saw his Children slain before his face and then miserably deprived of fight that he might not see his great misfortunes was led away to Babylon Ask of Josephus where this sad tragedy was acted and he will tell us that it was at Reblatha or Riblah a City of Syria Antiqu. l. 10. c. 10. and if we ask Saint Hierome what he thinks of Reblatha he will tell us that it was Urbs ea quam nunâ— Antiochiam vocant the City which in following times was called Antioch On these grounds I conceive this part of Syria to be the land of Hamath intended in the Texts of scripture above-cited though there were other Towns and Territories of the same name also The Countrey is naturally fertile the hedges on the high-way sides affording very good fruits and the adjoining fields affording to the Passenger the shade of Fig-trees Were it not naturally so it would not be much helped by Art or Industry as being very meanly peopled and those few people without any incouragement either to plant fruits or manure the Land Their Sheep are commonly fair and fat but so overladed in the tail both with flesh and fleece that they hang in long wreathes unto the ground dragged after them with no small difficulty Pliny observes it in his time that the tails of the Syrian Sheep were a Cubit long and had good store of wooll upon them Natur. Hist l. 8. c. 48. And modern Travellers report that the tails of these sheep do frequently weigh 25 pound weight and sometimes 30 pounds and upwards The like hath also been affirmed of the sheep of Palestine comprehended in old times in the name of Syria And that may probably be the reason why the rumpes or tails of sheep and of no beast else were ordained to be offered up in sacrifice of which Levit. 3. v. 9. But besides the store of Wooll which they have from the sheep they have also great plenty of Cotton Wooll which groweth there abundantly with the seeds whereof they sow their fields as we ours with Corn. The stalk no bigger than that of Wheat but as tough as a Beans the head round and bearded in the size and shape of a Medlar and as hard as a stone which ripening breaketh and is delivered of a white soft Bombast intermixed with seeds which parted with an instrument they keep the Seeds for another sowing and fell the Wooll unto the Merchant a greater quantity thereof issuing from that litle shell than can be imagined by those who have not seen it The people heretofore were very industrious especially about their gardens the fruitful effects whereof they found in the increase of their herbs and plants Whence the Proverb Multa Syrorum Olera But withall they were observed to be very gluttonous spending whole daies and nights in feasting great scoffers and much given to laughter Crafty and subtile in their dealings not easily to be trusted but on good security and so were the Phoenicians their next neighbours also Hence came the Greek Adage which Suidas speaketh of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syri contra Phoenices used by them when two crafty knaves endeavoured to deceive each other They were noted also to be superstitious great worshippers of the Godess Fortune but greater of their Syrian Godess whatsoever she was Affirmed by Plutarch to be a womanish and effeminat nation prone unto tears and such as on the death of their friends would hide themselves in caves from the sight of the Sun Herodian addeth that they were wavering and unconstant lovers of plaies and publick pastimes and easily stirred up unto Innovations But at this time they are almost beaten out of all these humours having been so often cowed and conquered that they are now grown servilely officious to them that govern them not without cause defective in that part of industry which before enriched them Where by the way we must observe that this Character of the people and that of the Countrey belong not to this part alone exclusively of those which follow but to all Syria and every part and Province of it except Phoenicia which being planted by a people of another Stock hath had its Character by it self The whole by Ptolamy divided besides Comagena Palmyrene and Coele-Syria into many petit Regions and subdivisions as 1. Pieria 2. Casiotis from the hills adjoining 3. Seleucis 4. Apamene 5. Lâ—todicene 6. Cyrrestica 7. Chalcidice and 8. Chalybanotis from their principall Cities Of which in all he musters up the names of an hundred and upwards then of some note most of them now grown out of knowledge and many of them of no mark or observation in the course of business So that omitting his method we will follow our own and take notice only of such places as antiently were or at this present are of most observation and importance in the course of Story with reference notwithstanding to the subdivisions made by Ptolomy as they come in my way reckoning Cyrrestica Chalybanotis Casiotis and the territories of Seleucus Laodicea and Apamea into Syria Propria and Pieria into Comagena First then to begin with those Cities which ly most towards the East we have in Cyrrestica 1. Zeugma on the banks of the River Euphrates memorable for the passage of Alexander the Great who there passed over his Army on a Bridge of Boats 2. Berroea supposed by some both antient and modern writers to be that which is now called Aleppo but the position of the place agreeth not with that supposition Aleppo being placed by our modern Cosmographers in the 72. degree of Longitude and the 38. of Latitude whereas Berroea is assigned by Ptolomy to the 36. degree of Latitude and the 71. of Longitude Besides that the River
but reigning in their severall parts Of which Demetrius intending to disseize his brother was himself vanquished and forced to fly into Parthia leaving the whole Kingdome unto Philip. During which warres amongst themselves Syria was invaded and in part conquered by Aret as King of the Arabians and Alexander King of the Jews 3884. 21. Tigranes King of Armenia during these dissentions was by the Syrians chosen King that by his power they might be freed from the Jews and Arabians the most puissant Prince that had reigned in Syria since the time of Antiochus the Great as being King of Syria by election of Armenia by succession of Media by conquest But ingaging himself with Mithridates whose daughter he had maryed against the Romans was vanquished by Lucullus who with the loss of five Romans onely and the wounds of an hundred is reported to have slain of his Enemies above a 100000 men Finally being again broken and vanquished by Lucullus he yielded himself to Pompey who being appointed Lucullus successour deprived him of the honour of ending that warre and retaining to himself Armenia only he left all Syria to the Romans having reigned eighteen years And though Antiochus Comagenus the Sonne of Eusebes petitioned Pompey for a restitution to the Throne of his Anâ—estours yet it would not be granted Pompey replying that he would not trust the Countrey into such weak hands as were not able to defend it against the Arabians Parthians and the like Invaders and so reduced it presently to the form of a Province The government of this Countrey under these new Lords was accompted to be one of the greatest honours of the Empire the Prefect hereof having almost regall jurisdiction over all the regions on this side Euphrates with a super-intendency over Egypt Niger the concurrent of Severus was Praefect here and on the strength hereof presumed on that competition So also was Cassius Syrus who being a Native of this Countrey and well-beloved by reason of his moderate and plausible demeanour had almost tumbled M. Antonius out of his Throne On this occasion it was enacted by the Senate that no man hereafter should have any militer or legale command in the Province where he was born Left perhaps supported by the naturall propension of the people to one of their own Nation and heartned by the powerableness of his Friends he might appropriate that to himself which was common to the Senate and people of Rome But this was when it was entire and passed but for one Province only Phoenicia being also taken into the accompt which made the Antiochians so proud and insolent that Adrian in his time intended to subduct Phoenicia from it netot civitatum Metropolis Antiochia diceretur faith Gallcanus that Antioch might not be the chief of so many Cities But what he lived not to accomplish was performed by Constantine By whom Phonicia was not only taken off but Syria itself divided into four distinct Provinces as was shewed before each of them having its Metropolis or Mother City but all subordinate to the command of the Comes or Praefect of the East as he to the command of the Praefectus Praetorio Orientis the greatest Officer of the Empire of whom we have often spoke already For the defence hereof aswell against all Forrein invasions as the insurrections of the Natives a wavering and inconstant People the Romans kept here in continuall pay four Legions with their Aids and other Additaments For so many Mutianus had here in the time of Galba and by the strength and reputation of those Forces was able to transfer the Empire upon Vespasian And though the Constantinopolitan Emperours to whose share it fell in the division of the Empire rather increased than diminished any part of this strength yet when the fat all time was come and that Empire was in the Declination the Saracens under the conduct of Haumar their third Caliph an 636. possessed themselves of it Heraclius then reigning in Constantinople And it continued in their power till Trangrolipix the Turk having conquered Persia and the Provinces on that side of Euphrates passed over the River into Syria and made himself Master of a great part of that also A quarrell falling out betwixt him and his neerest Kins-men and thereby a great stop made in their further progress was thus composed by the mediation of the Calivh of Babylon in the time of Axan his Successour To Cutlu Muses was assigned a convenient Army to be by him employed against the Christians with Regal power over the Provinces by him gained without relation or subordination to the Persian Sultans of whose successes and affairs hath been spoke elsewhere To Melech and Ducat two others of his discontented Kins-men but all of the same Selzuccian family he gave the fair Cities of Aleppo and Damascus and those parts of Syria with whatsoever they could conquer from the Caliph of Aegypt who then held all Phoenicia and the Sea-coasts of Palestine to be held in see and vassalage of the Crown of Persia To these two brethren then we are to refer the beginning of the Turkish Kingdome in Syria who with their Successors by reason that here they held their residence caused themselves to be called The Turkish Kings of Damascus 1075. 1. Melech and Ducat the first Turkish Kings of Damascus by the gift of Axan the second Sultan of the Turks in Persia added to their dominions all the rest of Syria together with Cilicia and some neighbouring Provinces in the Lesser Asia 2. Sultan of Damascus at such time as the Christians of the West won the Holy Land against whom he notably defended the City and Territories of Damascus and in a set Battel discomfited and flew Roger the Norman Prince of Antioch 1146. 3. Noradine the Sonne of Sanguin Generall of the Armies and Sonne-in-Law to the former King succeeded him in the estate A noble Prince memorable amongst other things for a gallant answer made to his Commanders when they perswaded him to take the advantage on the death of Baldwin the third and to invade Hierusalem whilst the Christians were busie in solemnizing his Funerals Not so faith he Compassion and regard is to be had of the just sorrow of those Christians who have lost such a King as could not be equalled in the world 1175. 4. Melechsala Sonne of Noradine contemned by reason of his youth by his Nobles and Souldiery who made choice of Saladine for their King by whom dispossessed first and after vanquished 1176. 5. Saladine the Turkish Sultan of Egypt having vanquished the Persians or Parthians coming under the conduct of Cacobed Uncle to Melechsia to restore that Prince to his Estate remained King of Damascus and by the puistance of his Armies recovered from the Christians all Syria and the Holy Land with the City of Hierusalem 1199. 6. Eladel or El-Aphzal the eldest Sonne of Saladine suceeded in the Realm of Damascus which he exchanged for that of Egypt with his Brother Elaziz 7. Elaziz
surnamed Jangheere the sonne of Echebar who added nothing that I hear of to his fathers conquests 1627. 8. Blockie the grandchild of Selim by his eldest sonne wickedly murdered by the practice of Curroon at Agra proclamed King on the death of his Grand-father but shortly after made away by Asaph Chawn so to make room for 1627. 9. Curroon the third sonne of Selim or Jangheere and sonne-in-law unto Assaph Chawn having by his own Ministers and the hands of his Father-in-law murdered the proclamed King his Nephew and all the other Princes of the Royall blood succeeded into the Estates and was crowned at Agra A wicked and bloody Prince still living for ought I hear to the contrary To look a little on these Princes their estate and power in matters of Religion they have generally been Mahometans that Religion being long since embraced by the Tartars from whom they originally descended But not so scrupulous or precise in that profession as to endeavour the suppressing of any other opinions both Echebar and his sonne Jangheere being so inclined unto Christianity that they permitted the Jesuites to build Colleges and Churches in Agra it self the Imperiall City and many other chief Cities in his dominions Of Echebar it is reported that being doubtfull what Religian to adhere unto he caused 30 Infants to be so brought up that neither their Nurses nor any body else should speak unto them resolving to addict himself to the Religion of that Country whose language should be spoken by them as most agreeable to nature and he did accordingly For as those Children spoke no language so was he positive and resolved in no Religion Able to see the vaâ—ues of Mahomet and the horrible impieties of the Gentiles but not willing to conform unto the strictâ—â—â—â—â—t Christianity And though Selim who succeeded to content his Mahometan Subjects declared himself for that Religion yet his affairs being once settled and his Throne confirmed he became as Neutral as his Father Sultan Currâ—on now Reigning of the same Neutrality and 't is well he is so there being no Religion so impure and bloody which he would not dishonor by his known ungraciousness The Language spoken by these Princes and their natural Subjects the Mogores or Mongul-Tartars is said by some to be the Turkuh But I think rather that it is some Language near it than the very same And that the Language which they speak is the ancient Scythian or Tartarian from which the Turks a Scythian people differ but in Dialect a sprinkling of the Persian intermixt amongst it A mixture not to be denied in regard of their long dwelling in that Countrey the entercouse which their Subjects of those parts have with these of India and that the greatest part of their Souldiers Officers and Commanders are supplied from thence Their Government is absolute if not Tyrannical the Great Mongul being Lord of all and heir to every mans estate which is worth the having the persons and purses of his Subjects at his sole disposing so that he may amass what treasures and raise what forces for the Wars his need requireth or the Avarice or Ambition of his Ministers shall suggest unto him First for his Treasures it is conceived that his Revenue doth amount yearly to Fifty Millions of Crowns and there are reasons to perswade that it may be more The Countrey very rich and notably well traded from all parts of the world the Impost upon which is of infinite value besides the vast sums of money brought into his Dominions from all Countreys whatsoever which hold traffick here their commodities not being to be parted with but for ready coyn The whole Land being also his he estates it out for no term certain retaining a third part of the profits to himself and leaving two thirds to the Occupants to be held by them during pleasure Who if they thrive upon their bargains they thrive not for themselves but him it being in his power if he want patience to expect the Incumbents death to enter on the whole estate of the Teâ—ant by the way of Escheat but if he tarry till the death of the Occupant it falls to him of course the wife and children of the deceased being fairly dealt with if he content himself with the personal estate and leave the Land to them to begin anew For instance of those huge sums which in so rich a Countrey may be had this way it is said that when the Vice Roy of Lahor dyed he left to Echebar three millons of Gold besides Silver Jewels Horses Elephants Furniture and Goods almost invaluable And of one Raga Gagnar another of his great Officers that at his death the Great Mongul seized of his into his hands 3300 pound weight of Gold besides Plate and Jewels Besides these means of heaping treasure all the Mines of the Countrey are wholly his and the Presents given by all sorts of Suters hardly to be numbered none being admitted to his presence which comes empty handed Finally if Badurius which was King of Cambaia onely could bring into the field at once 500 Tun of gold and silver to pay his Army and after the loss of all that treasuee advanced upon the sudden the sum of 600000 Crowns which he sent to Solyman the Magnificent to come to succor him both which it is well known he did What infinite Treasures must we think this Prince to be master of who hath more than four times the estate of the King of Cambaia and far more trading now than in former times By the like Parallel we may conjecture somewhat at his Forces also Badurius the Cambaian brought into the field against Merhamed and the King of Mand ae as was partly touched upon before 150000 Horse 500000 Foot 2000 Elephants armed 2000 pieces of brass Ordnance of which were four Basilisks each of them drawn with 100 yoke of Oxen and 500 Carts loaded with powder and shot What then may we conceive of this Prince who is Lord of so much a greater estate than he but that his Levies may be raised proportionably to so great Dominions But because possibly Badurius did extend himself to the utmost of his power and having lost two Battels was never able to recruit again which no wise Prince would do but in great extremities It is conceived that the Mongul without running any such hazards on the loss of a Battel can in an instant raise 50000 Elephants 300000 Horse and Foot proportionable and yeâ— have stock enough for an After-game if that he should chance to lose the first But it is seldom that he hath advanced to so high a Muster For in his action upon the Kingdoms of Decan he had but an Hundred thousand men and a thousand Elephants for fight though possibly of all sorts of people there might be more than double that number For in his ordinary removes in time of Progress it is said that his followers of all sorts amount unto two hundred thousand and that his Tents
dignity remained till the year 1500. and somewhat after Three only were of note in the course of business that is to say 1 Jacob Ben Joseph the advancer of the Marine Family to the Realm of Morocco the establisher thereof in that of Fesse and of great power and influence in the affairs of the Moors in Spain where he held Algeir and Tariffe Towns of great importance slain treacherously by one of his familiar friends at the siege of Tremesen 2 Aben Joseph the second a younger son of this first Joseph the issue of Bucalo his elder brother being quite extinct succeeded after Abortade the fixt of the Marine Family in the Throne of his Father and had added thereunto the Realm of Tremesen if not diverted by the revolt of Alboali his eldest son continually in Arms against him 3 Alboacen the son of this Aben Joseph and the eighth of the Marine Family who after a siege of 30 moneths took the City of Tremesen with that the Kingdom But not so fortunate in his Wars against the Christian Kings of Spain against whom he led an Army of 400000 Foot and 70000 Horse with all other necessaries but vanquished by the two kings of Castile and Portugal with far lester forces their Army consisting but of 25000 foot and 14000 horse at the River of Salado not far from Tariff Anno 1340 Deposed soon after his return by his son Alboanen who lost all which his Father and the first of the Aben Josephs had gained in Spain their Empire after this declining even in Africk it self the Kingdom of Tremesen and the greatest part of the new Kingdom of Tunis withdrawing themselves from their obedience in the East parts of Barbarie as the Portugals prevailed upon them in the West The Kingdom of the Marines thus approaching neer its fatal Period it fortuned about the year 1508 that Mahomet Ben Amet a Native of Dara in the further Numidia or Bilodulgerid pretending a descent from their Prophet Mahomet caused himself to be called Xeriff the name by which the kindred and Successors of that Impostor use to call themselves and being a poor Hermit only with which Mountebanks and the high opinion of their Sanctity this People have from time to time been extreamly fooled plotted to make his sons the chief Princes of Mauritania To this end he sent them in Pilgrimage to Meccha whence they returned with such an opinion of Sanctity that Mahomet King of Fesse made Amet the elder of them Governor of the famous Colledge of Amadurach the second called Mahomet Tutor to his Children the youngest named Abdel staying at home with his Father In those dayes the Portugals grievously infested the Provinces of the Realm of Morocco to repress whose insolencies Mahomet and Amet obtained Commission though much opposed therein by the Kings brother who told him how unsafe it was to trust to an armed hypocrisie assuring him that if they once came unto any power which under color of Religion they might quickly raise it would not be easie to suppress them But this good counsel was rejected and the war went forwards Furnished with an Army they discomfit Lopes Barriga Commander of the Portugal forces under King Emanuel compell that King to abandon all his footing there they subdue Duccala Sus and Hea three Provinces of the Realm of Morocco enter that City poison the tributary King and salute Amet King thereof by the name of the Xeriffe of Morocco investing Mahomet the other brother in the kingdom of Sus. In the career of their successes died the king of Fesse and Amet his successor an improvident young Prince confirms his Quondam-Tutors in their new Estates conditioned they should hold of him as the Lord in chief and pay him the accustomed tributes The Xeriffes of Morocco A. C. 1 Amet denied both tribute and superiority to the King of Fez whom he overthrew in a set field and was after vanquished and dispossessed of his Kingdom upon some quarrell breaking out by his brother Mahomet 1554. 2 Mahomet King of Sus having got A. C. the Kingdom of Morocco united Fesse unto it also by the vanquishment of Amet the King thereof slain after all his Victories by the Turks of his Guard 1557. 3 Abdalla the son of Mahomet 1572. 4 Abdalla II. Sonne of the former had twelve Brothers of which he slew ten Hamet being spared by reason of his supposed simplicity and Abdelmelech escaping to the Turks 5 Mahomet II. Sonne of Abdalla the second expelled by Abdelmelech and the Turks fled to Sebastian King of Portugal who together with the two Competitors were slain in one day at the battel of Alcazar Guer Anno 1578. 1578. 6 Hamet II. the Brother of Abdalla the ad who added parts of Libya and Numidia to the Realm of Morocco not absolutely subdued before 1603. 7 Muley Sheck the eldest son of Hamet opposed in his Succcession by Boferes and Sidan his two younger brethren in which War he dyed as did also Boferes his Brother From whom Abdalla II. son of Muley Sheck had regained Morocco 1607. 8 Sidan the third son of Hamet immediately on the death of his Father caused himself to be proclaimed King of Fez where he was with his father when he died and having won Morocco from Abdalla the son of Muley Sheck became master of that kingdom also Stripped afterwards of Fesse and Morocco both by the opposite factions distressed by Hamet Ben Abdela a Religious Hermit who hoped to get all for himself and aided by Side Hean one of like hypocrisie who seemed to aim but at a Limb of that great Estate by whose assistance he was once more possessed of Morocco These tumults on the Land being pacified in long tract of time and the Country brought to some degree of peace and quietness though never absolutely reduced under his command as in former times a Rabble of Pirats nest themselves in Salla a Port-town of the Realm of Fesse creating thence great mischief to him both by sea and land and not to him only but to all the Merchants of other Countries whose busines led them towards thâ—se Seas Unable to suppress them for want of shipping he craved aid of King Charles of England by whose assistance he became Master of the Port destroyed the Pyrates and sent Three hundred Christian Captives for a Present to his Sacred Majesty An. 1632. Nor staid he here but aiming at the general good of Trade and Mankind he sent a Letter to His Majesty to lend him the like aid against those of Algiers who did as much inâ—est the Mediterranean as the Pirats of Salla did the Ocean The tenor of which Letters as savouring of more piety then could be possibly expected from a Mahometan and much conducing to the honour of his Sacred Majesty I have here subjoyned The Letter of the King of Morocco to the King of England WHen these our Letters shall be so happy as to come to your Majesties sight I wish the Spirit of
the righteous God may so direct your mind that you may joyfully imbrace the Message I send presenting to you the means of exalting the Majesty of God and your own Reward amongst men The Regal power allotted to us makes us common Servants to our Creator then of those People whom we govern So that observing the duties we owe to God we deliver blessings to the World in providing for the publike good of our States we magnifie the honour of God like the Celestial Bodies which though they have much veneration yet serve only to the benefit of the World It is the Excellencie of our Office to be Instruments whereby happiness is delivered unto the Nations Pardon me Sir this is not to instruct for I know I speak to one of a more cleer and quick sight then my-self but I speak this because God hath pleased to grant me a happy Victory over some part of those Rebellious Pirats that have so long molested the peaceful Trade of Europe and hath presented further occasion to root out the generation of those who have been so pernicious to the good of our Nations I mean since it hath pleased God to be so auspicious to our beginnings in the Conquest of Salla that we might joyn and proceed in hope of like success in the war against Tunis Algier and other places Dens and Receptacles for the inhumane villanies of those who abhor Rule and Government Herein whilest we interrupt the corruption of malignant Spirits of the World we shall glorifie the great God and perform a Duty that will shine as glorious as the Sun and Moon which all the Earth may see and reverence A work that shall ascend as sweet as the perfume of the most precious Odours in the nostrils of the Lord A work gratefull and happy to men A work whose memory shall be reverenced so long as there shall be any that delight to hear the Actions of Heroick and magnanimous Spirits that shall last as long as there be any remaining amongst men that love and honour the piety and vertue of Noble minds This Action I here willingly present to You whose piety and vertues equal the greatness of your power that we who are Servants to the Great and mighty GOD may hand in hand triumph in the glory which this Action presents unto us Now because the Ilands which you govern have been ever famous for the unconquered strength of their Shipping I have sent this my trusty Servant and Ambassador to know whether in your Princely wisdome you shall think fit to assist me with such Forces by Sea as shall be answerable to those I provide by Land which if you please to grant I doubt not but the Lord of Hosts will protect and assist those that fight in so glorious a Cause Nor ought you to think this strange that I who much reverence the Peace and accord of Nations should exhort to a VVar. Your great Prophet CHRIST JESUS was the Lion of the Tribe of JUDAH as well as the Lord and Giver of Peace which may signifie unto you that he which is a lover and maintainer of Peace must always appear with the terror of his Sword and wading through Seas of blood must arrive to Tranquillity This made JAMES your Father of glorious memory so happily renowned amongst all Nations It was the noble fame of your Princely vertues which resounds to the utmost corners of the Earth that perswaded me to invite you to partake of that Blessing wherein I boast my self most happy I wish God may heap the riches of his blessings on you increase your happiness with your dayes and hereafter perpetuate the greatness of your Name in all Ages Such was the Letter of that King whose motion in all probability might have took effect had not the Troubles which not long after brake out in Scotland put off the design And therefore laying by the thoughts of his future purposes let us take a view of the Revenues and Forces of this mighty Empire before the late distractions made it less considerable And first-for the Revenues of it the Xeriffs are the absolute Lords of the whole Estate and of his Subjects goods and bodies The tenth and first-fruits of all sorts of Fruits Corn and Cattel he demands of course though many times contented in the name of the first-fruits with one in twenty The fifth part of a Ducat he receiveth for every Acre of Land throughout his Dominions the other four parts for every Fire and as much for every Head whether male or female which is above fifteen years of age In Merchandise he receiveth of every Native two in the hundred of an Alien ten and hath a large Impost also upon every Mill. When any of his greater Officers or Judges die he is sole Heir of all their Goods and yet advanceth great sums by the sale of those Offices And in the levying of such Taxes as are extraordinary he useth to demand more then he means to take that the People finding him content to abate somwhat of his Due may think themselves to be fairly dealt with As for their Forces it is evident in matter of Fact that Abdulla the first at the siege of Mazagon a Town held by the Portugals An. 1562. had no less then 200000 men and that Abdel-Melech at the battel of Alcazar Guez against king Sebastian had 40000 Horse and 80000 Foot besides Voluntaries and wild Arabians it being supposed that he might have raised 30000 Horse more notwithstanding the strong party which was made against him had he thought it necessary It is said also that Abdalla kept in constant pay 60000 Horse of which 15000 were quartered in the Realm of Sus 25000 in Morocco and the other in 20000 in the kingdom of Fesse out of which he called 5000 of the best and ablest for the guard of his person well mounted and as richly furnished Besides these he hath bodies of Horse in continual readiness maintained according to the manner of the Turks Timariots and by Pensions given amongst the Chiefs of the Arabians who live like Outlaws in the mountains and up and down in the skirts of of his Country is furnished at his need with supplies from them Well stored with Ammunition also there being 46 Quintals of Gunâ—powder laid up monethly in his famous Arsenal at Morocco and yet not able to stay long not above 3 months upon any action in regard that all his Souldiers live on his daily allowance which maketh them when his Provisions are consumed to dissolve and scatter THE ISLES OF BARBARY THe ISLES of BARBARY which make up the fifth and last part thereof are situate neer the African shores of the Mediterranean assigned by Ptolomy to the Province of Africa Propria In number sixteen 1 Hydras 2 Calathe 3 Dracontias now called Chelbi 4 Aegymnus by Strabo called Aeginarus and now Guietta 5 Larunesia now Mollium 6 Lapedusa now Lampedosa 7 Mesyrus 8 Pontia 9 Gaia all of little note 10 Insula
fourteen Leagues from Sevil. 4 De la Vega now a ruine only once a Spanish Colonie and of great fame for giving the title of Dukes to Christopher Columbus and his brother Bartholmew Since whose time nothing hapned prejudicial to the State of this Iland by the hands of any but the Spaniards till conquered but not held by Sir Anthonie Sherley An. 1596. Thus having took a short Survey of the several parts of this great Body we now briefly take a view of the Government and Forces of it The Government committed chiefly to two great Vice-Royes the one of Nova Hispania who resides at Mexico the other of Peru who abideth at Lima the principal Cities of those Kingdoms The first hath jurisdiction over all the Provinces of Nova Gallicia Nova Hispania Guatimala Castella Aurea and the Provinces of the Mexican Ilands the other over those of Peru Chile Rio de la Plata and the new Realm of Granada Such scattered pieces as they hold in Guyana Paria and the Caribes with their Forts in Florida being reduced to some of these Of these the Vice Roy of Peru is of greatest power because he hath the nomination of all the Commanders and Officers within his Government which in the other are reserved to the King himself But that of New Spain counted for the better preferment because of its nearness unto Spain in respect of the other the beauties of the City of Mexico and the Civilities of the People For the administration of Justice and ordering the Affairs of the several Provinces there are ten chief Courts from which there lyeth no Appeal that is to say 1 Guadalaiara for Gallicia Nova 2 Mexico for New Spain 3 S. Domingo for the Province of the Ilands 4 Guatimala for the division so named 5 And Panama for Castella Aurea Then for the other Government Quitos Lima and Charcas in the Realm of Peru. 9 Imperiale for Chile 10 S. Foy for the New Realm of Granada From these though no Appeal doth lie in matter of justice yet both from them and the two Vice-Royes an Appeal may lie in affairs of State or point of Grievance And to this end there is a standing Counsel in the Court of Spain which is called the Counsel of the Indies consisting of a President eight Counsellors two Proctors Fiscal which we call the Sollicitors General and two Secretaries besides other Officers to whom it appertaineth to take care of all matters which concern the Government of these Countries to appoint the Vice-Royes to dispose of all the great offices except those of the Government of Peru and spiritual Dignities to appoint Visiters to go into those Provinces for the examining the actions of all Officers hearing the grievances of the People and to displace or punish as they find occasion but with the Kings privity and consent As for the Estates of private men they which hold Lands or Royalties from the Crown of Spain hold them but for life except it be the Marquess of Valsa in New Spain of the race of Cortez after their deaths returning to the King again who gives them commonly to the eldest son or the next of blood but so that they receive it as a mark of his favour and not from any right of theirs And though they have many times attempted to make these Commanderies and Estates hereditarie and offered great summes of money for it both to Charles the fifth and Philip the second yet they could never get it done the Kings most prudently considering that these great Lords having the command of the Estates and Persons of their several Vassals would either grinde them into powder without any remedy or upon any Inquisition into their proceedings take an occasion to revolt Both dangers of no small importance both by this uncertainty of their present Tenure exceeding happily avoided The Revenue which the King receiveth hence is said to be three Millions of Ducats yeerly most of it rising out of the Fifths of the Mines of Gold and silver the rest by Customes upon Manufactures and all sorts of Merchandise and the Acknowledgments reserved upon Lands and Royalty But out of this there goeth great Exits that is to say to the two Vice-Roys 12000 Ducats to the President and Officers of the Counsel of the Indies in Spain 20000 Ducats to the Judges and Officers of the several Courts of Judicature very liberall Pensions to every Arch-bishop and Bishop of which there are 29. in all 2000 Ducats at the least and to some much more to mend their Benefices Then reckoning in the infinite Charges in maintaining Garrisons and entertaining standing Bands both of Horse and Foot in several parts of this Estate and the continual keeping of a strong Armada to conduct his Plate-Fleets to Spain there must be made a great abatement and the sum will bear it For howsoever at the first his Revenues came from hence without any great charge more then the keeping of a few Souldiers to awe the Savages yet after he fell fowl with England and startled the Hollanders to Rebellion he was compelled to fortifie all his Havens and secure his Ports and to maintain a strong Armada at the Sea to Convoy his Treasures Before which time the English as is instanced in several places did so share in his Harvest that they left him scarce enough to pay his Workmen which if they should attempt again upon any breach they would finde it very difficult if not impossible to effect any thing on the Coasts as in former times or indeed any other way but by making themselves too strong for him at Sea and thereby either intercept his Fleets or hinder them from coming to him to supply his needs And so much of the AMERICAN Ilands A TABLE OF The Longitude and Latitude of the chief Towns and Cities mentioned in this Second Part. A Longit. Latit Acapulco 276. 0. 18. 0. Almeria 272. 15. 20. 0. Ancon 321. 0. 6. 20. Anegadas 296. 0. 50. 0. A. S Anna Equitum 318. 10. 27. 30. A. Antigna 330. 20. 16. 10. Antiochia 300. 50. 6. 40. Arica 300. 30. 20. 0. A. Ascension 353. 20. 18. 50. A. Aravalo 298. 10. 1. 30. Acuzamil 286. 30. 19. 0. S. Augustin 293. 0. 29. 50. B Bahama 296. 30. 27. 0. Barbades 322. 0. 13. 0. Bovincas 296. 50. 15. 50. C Campa 351. 40. 62. 50. Cartagena 300. 0. 20. 10. Carthago 299. 30. 3. 10. Caxamalca 298. 30. 11. 30. A. Chessapiake 308. 0. 38. 0. Chiafmetlan 260. 0. 25. 40. Chile 299. 0. 36. 30. A. Colima 267. 20. 19. 50. Collao 300. 0. 16. 0. A. Coquimbo 301. 20. 20. 40. A. Corduba 316. 20. 33. 0. A. Coano 259. 40. 31. Couliacan 266. 30. 27. 0. Cusco 297. 20. 13. 30. A. D Darien 295. 40. 5. 30. Deseada 320. 0. 15. 20. Dominica 359. 40. 14. 0. EF Estade 305. 10. 47. 40. Fernambuc 351. 40. 9. 20. G Gorgona 295. 10. 3. 20. Granada 318. 20. 11. 0. Guajaquil 294. 30. 2. 30. A. Guadalquahol
son of Albert. 1417 25 Jaquelme only daughter of Earl William the sixt first marryed to John the 4. Duke of Brabant the son of Anthony of Burgogne from whom divorced under colour of Consanguinity she was marryed after to Humfrey Duke of Glocester and then to Frank of Borjelles a private Gentleman being unworthily handled by Duke John of Burgundie surrendred her estates to Duke Philip the Good 26 Philip the Good Duke of Burgundie son of John Duke of Burgundie and of the Lady Margaret sister of Earl William the sixt and daughter of Albert Earls of Hainalt Holland c. succeeded on the resignation of the Lady Jaqueline his Cousin Germain transporting these Estates to the house of Burgundie 15. VTRECHT 16. OVER-YSSELL The Bishoprick of VTRECT I mean the temporall jurisdiction and estate thereof contained once all that tract of ground which now makes up the Provinces of Vtrecht Over-Yssell and Groining But Groining was long since dismembred Vtrecht and Over-Yssell remaining parts thereof till the yea◠1528. when added to the rest of the Belgick Provinces by Charles the fift VTRECHT hath on the East Guelderland on the West North and South environed with Holland The Countrey very fruitfull much dryer then Holland and so fitter for all sorts of grain It containeth 70. villages and five walled Towns that is to say 1. Wick at Duersteed situate on the middle Channell of the Rhene where it diverteth into the Leck well built and fortified anciently with a good Castle supposed to be the Batavoducun spoken of by Tacitus the mansion at that time of the second Legion 2. Rhenen upon the same branch or Channell whence it hath the name about which is digged abundance of turfe for fewell 3. Amesfort on the River Ems called in Latine Amisus a fair Town and well peopled 4. Montfort upon the Yssell pleasantly seated and of great strength as being anciently a frontier Town against the Hollanders 5. Vtrecht situate on the middle Channell of the Rhene first called Antonina from one of the Antonines of Rome but Dagobert King of France gave it the name of Trajectum or Vltrajectum we now call it Vtrecht because there was at that time the common Ferry over the River The town large beautifull and very sumptuously built having in it many goodly Churches of which five were anciently Collegiate besides two famous Monasteries of noble women such as those spoken of elsewhere the private houses well contrived most of them having goodly cellars vaulted with wonderfull art and skill to which the people may resort in all times of danger Sometimes the Seat-Royall of Radbold King of the Frisons then of the Bishops honoured of old with a Juridicall resort for the parts adjoyning and now the principall of this Province A city so miraculously seated amongst walled Towns that a man may go from hence in one day to any one of 50. walled Towns or Cities thence equally distant or to any one of 26. Towns to dinner and come home to bed OVER-YSSELL in Latine Transisulana so named from its situation beyond the Yssell is bounded on the East with Westphalen on the West with the Zuider-Zee on the North with West-Friseland on the South with Guelderland The countrey very plain and without hils but wet and moorish affording excellent good pasturage and not defective in corn Divided into three parts that is to say Tuent confining upon Wesiphalen Ysselland on the River Yssell and Drent beyond the River Vecht in all which are contained 11. Towns and 100. Villages The principall of which are 1. Deventer on the River Yssell strong and well fortified and withall beautifull and well peopled an Hanse town and the chief of all this Province first taken for the States by the Earl of 〈◊〉 then Governour of those countries for Queen Elizabeth anno 1586. treacherously reyeelded to the Spaniard by Sir William Stanley but in the year 1590. again recovered by the States 2. Swoll standing on a little River which runs into the Vidre anciently fortified with a double ditch and very strong ramparts an Hanse town as is also 3. Campen situate on the left shore and fall of the Yssell into the Zuider-zee a fair and large town and of very great strength by reason of those in accessible marishes amongst which it is situate These three are in that part hereof which is called Ysselland and by some Saland by whom erroneously supposed to be the countrey of the ancient Salii In that part hereof which is called Tuent we have the Towns of 4. Oldensel 5 Enschede 6. Delden 7. Almeloo of which little memorable And in that of Drent the Town and Castle of Vallenhoven standing upon the Zuider-zee well served with all sorts of victuals for which cause made the ordinary residence of the Governour and supreme Councell for the whole Province The ancient inhabitants of these two Provinces were some parts of the Batavi and Frisii minores for that of Vtrecht the Bructeri and as some say the Salii in Over-yssell both Provinces belonging anciently to the Episcopall See of Vtrecht founded by Dagobert King of France who endowed it with great lands and territories the first Bishop being Willibald an Englishman who converted these parts to Christianity His Successours grew to so great power that they were able to bring 40000. men into the field and with great courage did maintain their estate and patrimony against the incroaching Earls of Holland But at the last having continued for the space of 900. years Henry of Bavaria Bishop hereof being extremely distressed with war by the Duke of Gueldres and driven out of the City of Vtrecht by his own subjects perhaps upon some humour of Reformation alienated all the temporalties of his Bishoprick to Charles the fift anno 1527. And the next year the Imperialists by one of the factions were let into Vtrecht at what time both the Estates of the Countrey and Pope Clement the 7. confirmed the Alienation made by the Bishop After which solemne Acts of theirs the Emperour caused himself to be invested in this estate by the States of the Empire for Vtrecht was of old an Imperiall Fief and for the better Government and administration of it divided it into two Provinces as it still coutinueth But what this Bishop lost in power his Successours not long after gained in title the Bishop of Vtrecht being made an Archbishop or Metropolitane anno 1561. but by reason of the change of Religion which was then working and the falling off of these Countries which soon afther followed he had but little joy in his new preferment 17. GVELDERLAND 18. ZUTPHEN and 19. GROINING The Dukedome of Guelderland at such time as it was first taken in by Charles the fift contained under it the Dutchy of Guelders properly and specially so called the Earldome of Zutphen and the Town and Seigneurie of Groining held by distinct titles and governed ever since their union with the Belgick Provinces as distinct Estates GVELDERLAND I
bounded on the East with Cleveland and the Earldome of Zutphen on the West with Holland and Vtrecht on the North with Over-yssell and the Zuider-Zee and on the South with Brabant and the land of Gulick The countrie flat having few hils in it but many pleasant and commodious woods especially that called Echterwalt of corne and cattell very fruitfull The whole Countrey is generally divided into two parts 1. The Veluwe contained within the Zuider-Zee the Rhene and the Yssell the barrener of the two and the worse inhabited the people hereof preferring wealth before health as in other places but affording a more pure aire and a pleasanter dwelling then the other the woods and forrests well replenished with most kinds of game 2. The Betuwe so called of the Batavi who possessed these parts intercepted betwixt the middle Rhene and the Wael exceedingly fruitfull in corn and of so excellent a pasturage for the feeding of Cattell that in the year 1570. there was a Guelderland Bull sold in Antwerp which weighed 3200. pounds In both divisions not reckoning in the county of Zutphen are contained 300. villages and 16. walled Towns besides some fortified of late since the wars began The chief whereof are 1. Nimmegent in Latine Noviomagus an Imperial City ordained by Charles the great to be one of the three Seiges of the Empire for these outer parts the other two being Theonville in Luxembourg Aix or Aken in the land of Gulick And as a Town Imperiall it had anciently the priviledge of coyning money for which and other freedomes of immunities indulged unto it the people did no other service to the Emperours then once a year to send a man to Aix or Aquisgrane with a Glove full of Pepper But the town being sold to the Gueldrois by William Earl of Holland and King of the Romans for 21000. marks of silver anno 1248. the power of coynage fell to those Princes and yet the Town was brought to do better service then formerly it had done at Aken The Town high mounted on the top of an hill the Wael which is there large and deep running at the foot of it rich great and populous having besides the modern fortifications an ancient Castle with so goodly a prospect that from thence one may behold the best part of the countrey built as some say by Julius Caesar to command those parts Under the jurisdiction of it are 2. Tiel and 3. Bomel two walled Towns both situated on the Wael both strong and having many rich villages under their command and 4. Gheut on the Wael also an unwalled Town but having all the priviledges which the walled Towns have Not for off at 〈…〉 meeting of the Wael and the Maes stands the strong Fort of S. Andrews raised by the Archduke 〈◊〉 to command the passage of those Rivers but in the year 1600. taken in by 〈◊〉 Count of 〈◊〉 after Prince of Orange and ever since garrisoned by the States to secure that passage 5. Riuermond seated on the mouth of the Ruer where it falleth into the Maes a beautifull and well peopled City strong by Art and Nature and seated in a fruitfull countrey heretofore of the Diocese of Leige as Nimmegen anciently of Colen but made a See Episcopall by King Philip the 〈…〉 1559. This is the second Capitall City of Guelderland and hath under the jurisdiction of it 6. Venlo a strong Town on the Maes on which the Duke of Cleve yeelded himself to Charles the fift anno 1543. 7. Gueldres heretofore of such reputation that it gave name to all the countrey and well it doth deserve to do so still being the only Town in all this Dukedome which neither first nor last hath been won by the Hollanders but still preserved themselves in their obedience to their natural Princes 8. Stâ—ael or Straelen a well fortified piece but which according to the chances of War hath oft changed its masters 9. Arnhem the Arenacum of Taeitus and in those times the mansion of the 10 Legion situate on the Rhene not above a mile from the great Channell which Drusut to keepâ— his souldiers from idlenesse caused them to dig to let the waters of the Rhene into those of the Yssell called therefore by the Ancients Fossa Drusiana by the moderns Yssell-Dort The Town large and well-built the ordinary residence heretofore of the Dukes of Guelderland who had here their Chancery and other supreme Couurts of justice This is the third Capitall City of Gueldres anciently of the Diocese of Vtrecht and hath under the jurisdiction of it besides divers Villages 10. Wagbeninghen on the Rhene the same which Tacitus cals Vada 11. Harderwick on the Zuider-See burnt to the ground anno 1503. but since reedified and now more strong and beautfull then ever formerly 12. Hattem upon the Yssell a good town of war but not else observable Within the limits of this Dukedome stands the Town and County of Culemberg erected into a County by King Philip the second by reason of the fair territory which belonged unto it formerly held in Fee of the Dukes of Guelderland but otherwise not reckoned as a Member of â—it 2. The Town and Earldome of Buren situate on the River Liughe having a strong Castle anciently and a goodly territory holden immediately of the Empire as a Fief Imperiall The patrimony of the valiant Maximilian of Egmond Earl of Buren who died anno 1549. after whose death it fell to Philip of Nâ—ssaw eldest sonne of William Prince of Orange and Anne the daughter of the said Maximilian ZVTPHEN accompted formerly for the 4. Capitall City of Guelderland now a distinct Province of it self is bounded on the East with Westphalen on the West with that part of Guelderland which is called the Velluwe on the North with Over-yssell on the South with Cleveland It containeth 8. walled Towns besides many Villages that is to say 1. Doetecum standing on the old Yssell rising out of Westphalen 2. Doesburg where the old Yssell falleth into the new Yssell or the trench called Fossa Drusiana communicating thereunto its name 3. Brookhurst a County of it self which anciently had its particular Governour 4. Lochen upon the River Berkell 5. Tsheerenbergue a Town and County 6. Groll taken by the Prince of Orange for the States Confederate anno 1627. 7. Bredervord a town of war and subject to the change of Masters as such places are 8. Zutphen or Zuidfen so called of the Southern situation of it amongst the Fennes on the right shore of the Yssell whereit receiveth in it the River Berkel which runs through the Town A Town indifferently well built as well for private as publick edifices a distinct state in Civill matters but in spirituall subject in former times to the Bishop-of Munster a thing observable and not to be paralleld elsewhere that the four chief Towns and quarters of one Province only should appertain as here in Guelderland to four severall Dioceses Of which there may some