hoping therby to obtain his desire He told the Bassa how ill beseeming it wold be for the Majesty and generosity of so great a Prince to invade those on a sudden and unexpected who upon his word and oath thought themselves firm and safe as though when time and occasion wold be offer'd he could want Forces to employ against them for the recovery of that which might justly belong unto him against whom he ought first to proceed by way of Justice and next by force using first gentle means before he did take arms Herupon by the advice of Mahomet Bassa the gran Visier Selym sent a Chiaus to Venice who being admitied to a privat audience was brought to the Senat and according to the usuall custome being plac'd on the Dukes right hand he kiss'd his gown and after divers reverences he presented a purse of gold tissue wherin were the Emperors Letters saying Most excellent Sir this is a Letter from my Lord when you are acquainted with his demand I expect an answer The Duke answer'd it should be so The Cwiaus being at a stand because he had no other answer addressed himself to the Senators saying My Lords Mahomet the Visier Bassa hath commanded me to tell you that he is very sorry that an occasion is offer'd that he must break with you having ever sought to continue your friend but complaints coming so often to the Port and from so many places of the unfriendly dealing of the Officers belonging to this State and specially of the kind entertainment and reception given to the Western pyrats at Cyprus who this very year have done great hurt to the Musulmans hath taken such impressions in the mind of the great Lord and so often provok'd him against this Common-wealth finding that complaints made hereof to your Baylio hath taken little effect that he could detain himself no longer from denouncing war against you and because you cannot hold out long against the arms of so potent a Prince he adviseth you as a friend to take som course to shield you from so many dangers and to this end he hath procur'd my coming hither offering to do all he may that ye may avoid this mighty stroke offortune and continue your ancient friendship with the great Lord. The Prince replied that the Senat had resolv'd on an Answer which shold be read unto him that he might the better understand and know their intentions which was don by Antonio Milladonna Secretary to the Councell which was thus That the Senat did extremely marvail that his Lord being no way by them provok'd nor upon any just cause wold violat that oath wherby he had so solemnly confirm'd the peace taking now for a pretence to make war upon them because they wold not give away a Kingdome which they had so many years lawfully and peaceably enjoy'd wherewith he might be well assur'd they wold never part but seeing that he was determind to proceed against them in that manner the Republic wold not fail to defend that which did belong unto her hoping by so much more to be the better able to do it by how much the justice of their cause wold procure them all aid and succour both divine and human and so the Chiaus was dismiss'd with an Answer to his Letter which was as followeth That the Venetians had inviolably maintain'd the peace concluded with his Imperiall Majesty and contemn'd all other respects whatsoever by refusing many fair oportunities whereof they might have made good use to their extraordinary advantage because that above all worldly things it befits a Prince to keep his promise and they being carefull to avoid all suspition of so great an infamy had dissembled and buried in silence divers wrongs done unto them because they wold not be the first disturbers of the peace but now perceaving that upon no occasion he denounc'd war against them at such a time as they least expected it they wold not refuse it for the defence of their own and in particular for defence of the Iland of Cyprus which as their Ancestors had enjoy'd by so just a title they did likewise hope that God wold give them grace to maintain it valiantly against all those that wold injustly take it away from them The Chiaus being return'd to Constantinople Selym took it in high indignation that the usuall Ceremonies us'd to Ambassadors were not perform'd to his Chiaus Cubat who coming before him and relating what preparations the Republic made he seem'd to repent himselfe of his determination and fell into a great heat of passion therupon there were gards put upon the Bailios Palace as also upon all the Venetian Consulls in Egypt and Syria LODOVICO MOCENIGO was elected the next Duke at the beginning of whose government the Turk sent mighty forces both by Land and Sea for the conquest of Cyprus the I le of Rhodes was the first rendevous of the whole Fleet which came to more then two hundred armed Vessells accounting one hundred fifty Gallies together with Fusts and Galeots among which ther were certain Mahonnes which are like to great Gallies not altogether so big as a Galeon six Ships and a great nomber of Vessells commonly call'd Caramussolini and som fifty Palandaries to transport horse This Fleet bended it's direct course towards Cyprus was descryed nere Batto the first of Iuly 1570. they dispatch eighty Gallies and divers flat battom'd Vessells to Tripoli and to the river of Caramania ther to raise more horse and foot forces all which arriving in Cyprus made up the nomber of fifty thousand foot two thousand five hundred horse three thousand Pioners and thirty peeces of Ordnances with one hundred and fifty Falconets The ordinary Garrison of the Iland was but two thousand Italian foot and som thousand recreuts sent from the firm Land with Martinengo two thousand fresh soldiers many whereof perish'd by incommodious transportation so that the greatest hopes of being able to defend the Towns and Castles consisted in the fresh supplies which the Iland her self being populous had promis'd to levy and for Cavalrie ther were but five hundred Stradiots which were upon the pay of the Republic Things being thus and sufficient forces wanting to repell so huge an enemy the Cavalry was too weak to hinder his landing and the Infantery too few therfore resolution was taken to defend the two main Cities Famagosta and Nicotia The two chief Commanders of the Turkish Army was Mustapha and Piali wherof the first was of a fierce fiery spirit these two differ'd in opinion which to besiege first Piali was for Famagosta but Mustapha was for Nicotia saying that the reputation of so great an Army as theirs ought not to be blemish'd by attempting any mean enterprize therby to encrease the enemies courage and diminish their own that the Genoways had for ninety years held Famagosta at the same time as the Kings of the Family of Lusignan commanded the Iland wherby might be gather'd that the taking of
had the managing of public affaires or allso those who for som notable exploits or worthy act don in the service of the Republic are at sundry times and upon speciall occasions admitted thereunto who for the most part have bin of the chief and noblest Familys or som other place subject to the Signorie or some others to whom by speciall grace and favour this title of Nobility hath bin given wherein neverthelesse they have carried themselfs very sparingly it being granted but to Lords of great Estates and in this maner were the Families of Este Gonzaga and Farneses with som other of the chiefest of Italy admitted therunto Henry King of Poland after the third of that Name of France being at Venice among other honors receavd the title of a Venetian Gentleman and he seemd to be highly pleasd with the dignity as appeerd by his presents Moreover all those that descend from such as receave this degree have the same preheminence as their Parents in such a tract of time But to the end it may be continually maintaind in it's perfection they do curiously search out the Predigrees of those who are to enter into the great Councell not only the Nobility of the Father but likewise whether they be born of lawfull Matrimony and of no Comon Woman but of some honorable degree and condition whereof a Register is kept by one of the chief Magistrates termd the Avogario of the Republic The chief orders of Knight-hood in the Venetian Republic are first those of S. Mark begun in the yeer 1330. and reviv'd Anno 1562. They are to be of the noblest sort of Patricians the second is of the glorious Virgin instituted by Bartholomeo of Vicenza and is more ancient then the other for it was instituted Anno 1222. their charge is to protect Widowes and Orphans and to defend the peace of Italy It was approvd by Pope Urban the fourth Anno 1262. The Armes are a purple Crosse between certain Stars a white Robe over a russet Cloak but the Generall Armes are Gules two Keyes in Saltier or stringed Azure The Motto which the Knights of S. Mark carry is Pax tibi Marce Evangelista Ther are under the Dominions of Venice two Patriarks and thirty fower Archbishops and Bishops Now it will not be amisse to speak somthing of the Military strength of this Republic by Land and Sea touching Navall power she hath more Gallies and Galeasses than all Europe besides and her security depends more upon the Sea than shore yet she entertaines in constant pay by Land 25000 Foot in Lombardy besides som of the Cantons of Swisserland and the Grisons in Dalmatia and Istria she hath about 3000 more She hath allso in perpetuall pay 600 men of Armes whereof every one must keep two Horses a peece for which they are allowd 120 Duckets a yeer and they are for the most part Gentlemen of Lombardy When she hath any extraordinary expedition to make she hath a Stranger for her Generall and many Soverain Princes have thought it no disparagement to serve her in this kind but he is supervizd by two Proveditors without whom he cannot attempt any thing Touching the annuall Revenues of the Republic of Venice they exceed any other State in Christendome and all Kings except Spain and France for She hath above foure Millions of constant incomes every yeer she hath out of Brescia her self and her Precincts 100450 Crowns of annuall Revenue Out of Padua 140000. out of Verana 90000. Out of Vicenza 36000. Out of Bergamo 60000. Out of Friuli 30000. Out of Marca Trevisana 90000. Out of Dalmatia 10000. Out of the Cittie of Venice herself above 600000 Crowns of annuall incomes besides what she hath from the Greek Islands that are under her Dominions In times of pressing Emergences she hath divers wayes to make Levies for the security and advantage of the Signorie Among others she hath bin forc'd to make sale of Offices and admit young Gentlemen into the great Councell before their time By this way she hath got many Millions from time to time for preservation of her Maydenhead and supplies of urgent necessities but this cours is used with a reservation alwayes that Merit must concur with Money so that it is not the highest bidder that carries it Oftentimes in case of danger she makes the Gentry and Cittizens that enjoy any stable possessions under the Republic to advance the Rents for so many yeers She makes allso some of her Magistrats serve her gratis and without salary for a time She allso makes frequent use of Lotteries to serve her turn And the Church useth to contribut very largely yet they never exact any thing of the Ecclesiasticks without acquainting the Pope which is only pro formâ But the War ceasing these extraordinary Levies cease allso with the cause and all things return exactly to be in statu quo priùs which hath often happend and this makes the peeple contribute more cheerfully because she is alwayes very carefull to keep her Public Faith with her Subjects inviolable I will conclude this particular Description of the so much admired Cittie of Venice with one observation more viz. That ther are few places where ther are more curious and costly Books for the illiterat vulgar for so the Romanists term Church Images and Sculptures whereof ther are great nombers à la Mosaica and made by the famous Titiano a Venetian born one of the most remarquable is that of the Virgin Maries at Saint Marks Church where those who desire to know whether a friend absent be living or dead use to set up a Wax Candle in the open Aire before the Picture and if the party be living the Candle doth quietly burn out be the wind never so high if he be dead the least puff blowes it out according to their belief Ther is also on Saint Marks Walls among divers others the Picture of two Cocks carring away a Wolfe which represents Lodovico Sforza the Duke of Milan and the Cocks denote Lewis the twelf and Charles the eighth Kings of France who outed him of his Duchy Ther are allso two Emblematicall Lions one meagre and leane lying on the Land The other plump and fat sporting in the Water the last refers to S. Marks Lion the Armes of Venice who hath both enrichd and defended her self more by the Sea than by Land for whereas som Citties of Italy are said to be walld with Fire meaning Flint Venice may more truly be sayd to be walld with Water It is the Water wherin she lies like a Swannes nest that doth both fence and feed Her to which purpose she hath many thousands of Wooden Horses perpetually bringing her provisions and carrying her Inhabitants up and down within and about the Citty But a horse of flesh were as strange a thing to be seen there as an Elephant upon London streets Therfore it were as absurd an impertinency to prefer a Farrier to Venice as it was in him who wold have prefer'd
how that if they had bin desirous to possesse Towns belonging to other men they wold not have refus'd the offer of those of Furli and of other Cities of Romania who sought much to be under their obedience nor wold they have defended or maintain'd with such extraordinary cost and danger the City of Bologna with others belonging to his Holiness nor have kept them from him and that those Cities had bin taken at such time as the Pope had quitted the League and that they might justly now detain them for the same occasion moreover they had spent a great masse of Tresure in that warr which those Cities were not able to recompence they desired that the King wold take it into serious consideration how much it might import him if those so commodious Cities shold be quitted by his friends and confederats to be given to the Pope who stood so coldly affected to the Crown of France nay even into the hands of the Imperialls seeing that it was apparent how the Pope either by his own proper motion or through fear did wholly depend upon the Emperour that he was besides to consider of their interest and the wrong which wold be offer'd their confederats viZ. the Florentines and the Duke of Ferrara whoquestionlesse wold be greatly distasted hereat and wold cool that heat which pusheth them on to the affairs of the League and moreover how that these Towns did serve for a bridle to contain the Pope within his bounds seeing that without them he wold already have shewed himself an open friend to the Emperor A little after the Republic lends the King of France the Duke of Milan a considerable sum of money Chastillon coms Ambassador to Venice and Brundusium in Apulia is taken by her Admirall Herup on a Treaty of peace was appointed by all parties to be at Cambray and the Republic employ'd Lodovico Falieri to the King of England to entreat him That since he had ever shew'd himself a royall friend to the Republic his Majesty wold be pleas'd as at all other times to take into his protection and to procure that in those affairs which were handled at Cambray nothing might be concluded to the hurt and prejudice of the Republic nor to the liberty of Italy whereof many years before he had to his immortall praise taken upon him the defence while preparations were made on all fides to disturb her if not destroy her About the fag end of this Dukes government Solyman makes warre upon the Hungary and takes â—…uda he warr'd also with the Venetians but against them he had not so good successe for they took Scardona from him and 〈◊〉 in Dalmatia upon this a solemne League was struck 'twixt the Pope the Emporor and the Republic against the common enemy In this Dukes time the Republic sent to the Pope that she might have the nomination of her own Bishops for which he had made divers proposalls formerly but could get no definitive answer herupon ther was a seizure made of the temporalities of divers Bishopricks which the Pope had collated wherat his Holiness was much incens'd The Senat considering the importance and difficulty of the business did deliberat theron in open Councell where opinions were very different but for the present it was decreed that in favour of the Pope the temporalities of those who had bin promoted by his Holiness shold be surrendred them in the Cities under their jurisdiction yet nevertheless they did not give over their demands saying that what they had then done was for the extraordinary respect and reverence they bare to Pope Clement hoping that herafter they wold grant them more than they crav'd The Pope nevertheless who at first made shew that he demanded nothing els but that stood after upon greater difficulties Solyman having made peace with the Persian intended to assail Christendome on all sides by Sea and Land hereupon he entertain'd Barbarossa the famous pyrat and sent word to the Venetians that they shold usâ—… him no more as a Pyrat but one of his own Port. To bear up against Solyman the Senat thought fit to levy the Tenths upon the Clergy but they could not obtain it of the Pope who made answer that he had a purpose to levy two Tenths upon the goods of all the Italian Clergy to employ them for the relief of the Cantons of the Catholic Swissi against the other apostat Cantons who threatned them with war A little after Venice made her self Mistresse of a Town in Dalmatia call'd Obrovatza a place of considerable strength and advantage PIETRO LANDI succeeded Gritti who had continued Prince nere upon sixteen years Guy Vbaldo Duke of Vrbin the old Duke being dead was chosen Generall of the Republic by Land he was allow'd ten Captains pay and four thousand Ducats yearly Salary besides The Senat at that time decreed that four hundred Artificers of the City shold be inroll'd with whom four times a year the Gallies appointed for that purpose shold be mann'd that they might all of them row together which they commonly call'd Regater and pensions were appointed them who had serv'd so thrice This decree pass'd to the end they might be assur'd to have men alwaies fit and ready to mann any nomber of Gallies Ther happen'd a mighty dearth of corn through all Italy in this Dukes time which lighted more heavy upon Venice then any place among other causes which necessitated her to make peace with the Turk but the Marquis of Guasto Governor of Milan and the Lord of Annebalt Marshall of France and her Generall in Piemont came to Venice to divert her they had extraordinary magnificent entertainment both for the quality of their own persons and of the great Princes that sent them The Marquis of Guasto coming to the Senat told them that he was sent by his Imperiall Majesty to acquaint them as his trusty and inward friends with the enterview that he intended to have with the French King and in Flanders with King Ferdinand his Brother and the Queen his Sister who govern'd ther for him assuring them that in the same Assembly of Princes affairs wold be handled concerning the universall good of Christendom and the particulrr advantage of that Republic which the Emperour did as much desire as well as of his own Estates and that now they were ready to assail the Turks with very great Forces The Emperor therefore was desirous to know the Senats will and intentions therein what provision they wold judge to be necessary and what they wold have him to do for his part towards the better managing of this great design Marshall Annebalt spake to the same effect protesting his Kings good will to the common peace of Christendome amd particularly of the Common-wealth of Venice Answer was made by the Senat to the Marquis and the Marshall that their arrival was very pleasing and acceptable as well in respect of the Princes whom they represented as for their own persons for which