better to die with honour couered and wrapped in his Ensigne than to drinke of such shame So before these braue chiefe died hée patientlie sawe the purple of his bloud die the white Taffetas of his Ensigne Crimson I doe remember me of the ensigne Colonell of Caesar that bare the Eagle Imperiall in the ciuile warres This Romane Captaine knowing what shame it is to leaue the Ensigne to bée wonne by the enimie when he sawe that he was neere to his end did so much with his companions that it was saued and brought vnto the handes of his Generall I must néedes also recite the notable example of the Counte de Charny that bare the Banner of France in that so famous battaile of Malpertuis néere Poitiers which king Iohn lost against Edward the Prince of Wales and the English men This gentle Frenchman loued better to die in the field with the soueraigne Banner of France in his hande stroken thorough with a thousand blowes than to liue with the reproch to haue fled from the Englishmen as farre as Poitiers as two partes of the armie did the twelfth of September Anno. 1356. But the raunsome of so many prisoners was not intollerable but moderated for the pittie and compassion that they had of so many braue warriours who yet layd all the falt of their foule daie on the conduct of the armie But that I maye omit nothing of my deuoire Puygaillard had great reasons for the iustifications of his dooings First the ennie that he bare him at the charge saying that hée was of too small an house to commaund so many seigniours was the cause that hée was forsaken by not onelie two partes of the men of armes that were appointed him but also of many Ensignes of footemen and namelie of all the Captaines in chiefe of those bandes that remained I will not speake of the Romanes many of whose armies were ouerthrowen by the hatred borne to their Generalls no more then I wil of the Counte de Galeaz despighted because that his brother Galeas Saint Seuerin was preferred before him in the estate of Generall of the armie against the French I wil also passe ouer in silence how néedfull it is that a Generall be loued of those that follow him and will not recount vnto you how Persy by reason of the authoritie that he had with the souldiers made Monpensier léese many faire enterprises at the conquest of the kingdome of Naples Some men onelie wished héere that the Generall and his souldiers had done as Liuiano and his armie did who hauing trauailed his armie through foule déepe waies and full of mire and foulie soused with continuall raine and tired with marching daie and night yet when they should haue rested themselues and béeing at the place appointed therefore he spake vnto them so effectuallie assuring them of the victorie and the greate spoile of Ruiglio that they quite forgot all their long iourneyes passed behauing themselues as they ought got no lesse honour than they did riches by their spoiled enimies But the enuie that namelie the Poiteuins bare Puygaillard ouerthrew the happie course of his faire desseines So ended the battaile the which began in the verie breake of the daie although that the mist of the thicke cloudes woulde not at the beginning thereof suffer the armies to enteruiew one another at ease And it may bée that if the Protestants had discoured so great a masse of men that they had chosen the retraite for the fight through the meanes of such fogges that gaue them the true meane for to surprise and breake the enimie After this battaile the Protestants in those partes wonne Fontenay Marans Brouage and the Isle of Santogne and besieged the Citie of Saintes when a generall peace was proclaimed The battaile at Chieuraine in Henault fought betweene Don Federike sonne to the Duke of Alua and the Lord Ienlis a Frenchman in Anno. 1572. out of Popelliniere THe Comte Lodouick of Nassau hauing fortunatlie surprised the towne of Mouns in Henault by the aide of certaine French forceâ— lead by the L. Ienlis within short time after â—â—r back Ienlis himself into France so respects First to aduertise the French king who séemed highlie to fauour these desseines of Lodouicke and the reuolt of the low Countries from the obedience of the Spaniard of the successe of their enterprise What order they had giuen to the estate of the cause of the meanes that they had to aduaunce their fortune farther of the stirres and reuolts in Holand and Zeland of the fauour that they had receiued out of England Scotland and Germanie and aboue all of the great leauie that the Prince of Orenge made in Germanie and of the hope of their spéedie ariuall that it would please his maiestie to pursue so braue a beginning or at the least to suffer men to bée leauied in France to bée sent into Flanders to ioyne with the Prince and the Almanes against the Duke that prepared an armie to take the field But if the king refused so to doe then to solicite the Princes of Bearn and Condey and the Admirall for to send as many souldiers as they could Ienlis promised him to do what was possible did for his owne perticular assure him that he would emploie all the meanes he could to leauie forces and woulde leade them himselfe into the place appointed Hée went to the Court and aduertised the king and his Counsell of all that I rehearsed before The which did diuerslie mooue their mindes according to the diuersitie of their fauours and factions Afterward hauing receiued a good answere of the king and a promission to leauie men assurance of the Admirall that hée had alredy sent forth his commissions into all parts of France for to leuie companies both of footmen and horsmen had appointed them to méete all together within one daies iourney of Paris where by that time he hoped to haue his owne companie of men of armes to conduct all these forces himselfe into the lowe Countries hée rode into Picardie where vppon the bruite of the conquest of Flanders by the king and of the great and rich booties and spoiles that they looked for there hée had within few dayes leauied thrée or foure thousand footmen 200. men of armes with two companies of harquebuziers on horsebacke The Admirall that had tould Ienlis that he should goe finde out the Prince and serue him for the auantgard willed that Beauieu the Ensigne of his companie of men of armes should take thirtie of his companie and as for the rest he should carie them that he could get without anie regard had of what religion they were The Baron of Renty had one Regiment of nine Ensignes of foote men Ieumelles of eight Berenguaruille of sixe Ianissac was appointed for to conduct the Auantcoureurs The seuenth of Iuly they began to march with a thousand insolences and misorders committed on the paisants and namely by the footemen As soone as Counte
thirtéene Gunners Thirtie two shipwrights appointed to repaire the Gallies A hundred and foure and twentie Marriners Nine hundred and fiue and twentie voluntarie souldiours Two thousand two hundred thrée score and fouretéene rouers A thousand thrée hundred thirtie thrée common souldiours Two thousand of the Spanish fléete dead Eight hundred in the Popes fleete But on the other side there were of the enimies slaine or taken nine and twentie thousand nine hundred foure score and ten that is to wit Thirtie foure Captaines of the dignitie of Sanzaches An hundred and twentie Captaines of Gallies Fiue and twentie thousand Ianizars voluntarie foote men and rowers Thrée thousand eight hundred fortie sixe taken Our men did take 117. common Gallies and thirtéene small and all of them verie well furnished with bread tallow butter rise beanes and other such kinde of victualls and the same night they carried them awaie with them into the Hauen Besides these there were drowned or otherwise destroyed about foure score of the enimies gallies and those that escaped were thought to bée almost fortie Which thinges béeing thus dispatched our men lying safe in the Hauen praised God for giuing of them so great a victorie and kept it holie daie for the space of thrée daies shewing sundrie signes of reioycing and making good chéere Neither did they in the meane time omit anie of those things that might make for the reparation of theyr Gallies or for the pursuite of the fruite of the victorie For the which cause when they had tarried in those Hauens vntill the fiftéenth of October yet by reason of the aduerse season of Winter at hand and because many of their wounded men did dailie drop awaie by death they thought good to depart from thence For Don Iohn because hée thought that no memorable thing more coulde bée done that yéere would saile towardes Messina but did put them in great hope that he would ioyne his forces with the rest the next yéere But in truth he did not so neither the next yéere nor next after that so that the VenetiaÌ„s after that they had spent in these wars 14000. li. of gold euerie pound conteining 100. Duckets were forced to by peace of the Turke who also hauing repaired his Nauie did in Anno. 1574. conquere the kingdome of Tunes from the Spaniard his vassall king slaying aboue 10000. Hyspaniards in the Guletta Biserta So that the fruit that the Christians gained by giuing this great ouerthrow was nothing but the recouering of an obscure towne or two that Winter by the Venetian Fléete besides the staie of the Turkish prosperous course and the prise and spoile gotten in this battaile the which when they came to Corsu they diuided by common consent as followeth Gallies The Pope had ninetéene common Gallies two small The king of Spaine 58. common Gallies with an halfe and sixe small Gallies and a halfe The Signorie of Venice 39. common Gallies a halfe and foure small gallies and an halfe Great Ordenance The Pope had nintene great péeces and of péeces that shot stones thrée lesser péeces 42. The King of Spaine fiftie eight great péeces an halfe eight péeces to shoote stones in and 128. lesser péeces The Seignorie of Venice had 39. great péeces and an halfe fiue stone péeces and an halfe 86. lesser péeces Prisoners The Pope had 881. The King of Spaine had 1713. The Signorie of Venice 162. The chiefe men of name takn prisoners were the Sanzaches of Alexandria and Nigreponto and two of All the Admiralls sonnes The Battaile of Alcazar fought in Barbarie betwene Sebastian King of Portugall and Abdelmelec the King of Marocco the fourth of August 1578. Taken out of a namelesse Portugall auctor translated into Latine by Thomas Freigins THat ye may the better vnderstand what the principall Persons that were present fought at this Battaile were also to know the quarel and cause thereof I haue thought good to insert myne auctors whole Historie not omitting his as it wer pleasant and profitable preamble of the foundation and familie of these mightie Kings that reigne now at Marocco The founder of that familie and house which are now Kings of Marocco and the first king of that stocke was a certaine Moore of the Mahometicall superstitioÌ„ called Muley Mahamet Xeque His father Muley Xarif being accompted in his countrie of Mecha in Arabia the chiefe man of the Moores as he that was descended of the bloud line of the damned and cursed false Prophet Mahomet had heaped together an immeasurable masse of money and greatâ— innumerable treasure He being moued by I know not what dreame did take occasion to depart out of his Countrie and to get him into Africa with all that he had Wherfore that he might bring to effect that which he had determined with himselfe he going from Mecha with his onelie sonne whom we spake off before and trauailing all Aegypt and Africa and other regions subiect to the Turkish Empire came at last into that parte of Barbarie that is at this daie called Sus. In this Countrie when Muley Xerife had gotten a great opinion of wisedome as touching their sect and religion among the Moores of Barbarie and had obtained a singuler surpassing fame throughout the prouinces there defiled with the superstition of Mahomet he wanne also the grace and fauour of the Alarbes that doe dwell in this Barbarie and namelie of those that did inhabite in the kingdome of Sus. Héereby it came to passe that within short time he had gotten about a thousand horsemen to bée as it were his clients vassalls or reteiners at command that I may passe ouer in silence a great number of seruantes and ordinarie waiters that still attended on him with horse and armour Through the helpe of these men and many other that did afterward ioyne with him he tooke certain Cities of that kingdome and made them subiect vnto him But in all tourneies he carried about with him his sonne Muley Mahamet Xeque that the people subdued might be sworne vnto him and promise to doe all those things that faithfull subiects docâ—â—â—e â—o performe vnto their Princes And in déed both the Father and the sonne did so stirre them about their businesse that within short time they had gotten them that power and strength that they tooke by force Turodant the head Citie of the kingdome of Sus and there the sonne Xeque was constituted king of that Countrie This victorie did mightelie augment the power and courage of this nâ—w king Wherefore he ordeined a strong legion of eight thousand pike men with purpose to attempt the Citie of Marocco where the Marines reigned Wherefore leauing his Father in Sus who being now broken with age had become vnable to do anie seruice besieged Marocco with fiue hundred harquebussiers and 7000. pikemen that he brought with him The twelfth day of the siege the citie yeelded and taking also other cities townes and fortresses adioyning to Marocco tooke vpon him the
name and stile of king of Marocco and Sus. A few dayes after he assembling a mightie armie besieged the citie of Fes the which no man resisting he tooks with the onelie terrour of his mightie armie the king therof whose name was Claude prouiding for himselfe by flight and withdrawing into the citie of Tremissen which was then subiect vnto him for the Turke had as then nothing to doe there where he also spent all the short time of his life that remained But as soone as Xeque was proclaimed king of Fes all the cities townes and villages of that kingdome sware him homage and fealtie and subiected themselues vnto him and the like did other Nations neere and came vnder his obeisance of their owne accord and yéelding him the victorie without sweate or bloud So that the limites and bonds of his kingdome were on the East Tremissen which at this daie is subiect vnto the Turke beyond mount Clario in olde time Atlas towards the South the line that goeth by the prouince of Figiga a slope euen to Zahara actie taken by the king of Portugal and from hence towards the West the space of fortie leagues from the coast of the Atlantike Ocean now Golsode Ynegas looking towards the Canaries On the West the coasts and forelands of Aguesio Cafi Azamor Sala Larissa Letuams all fronter cities of that kingdome euen to the straites of Gibaltar towards Ceuta Penon Melilla which cities the Catholike king of Spaine possesseth at this daie from hence euen to Tremessen Ouer all these Countries long brode did Muley Mahamet Xeque raigne his father being shortly after dead held thempire alone was the fiâ—st king of Mâ—â—â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 that house When Muley Mahamet had reigned many yéeres after in passing great quietnesse and peace and was also desirous that his sonnes might enioy peacebly the kingdomes that he had gotten being now growen in age and loaden with yéeres he assembled the princes noble men and gouernours of the prouinces subiect vnto him that thorough their counsaile he might the more maturely and wisely set an order for the succession of his sonnes But although he had a great number of them as well lawfull as bastards yet we will speake in this place onely of them which were cause of troubles and stirres in this kingdome who were in number foure Of whome theldest borne in lawfull wedlocke was called Muley Abdallas the second and youngest of the lawfully begotten were called Muley Abdelmunen and Muley Abdelmelec the youngest of all was a bastard called Muley Hamet who doth at this day possesse the kingdome But when the péeres of the kingdome were come together at the citie of Marocco the Kings seate and the King had proposed the matter vnto the Parliament it was inacted by common consent that the Kings sonnes should one succéebe an other according to their age so that the right of the kingdome might come vnto them all and thereby all cause of strife and contention among them might be taken away This decrée made by the princes did the King like and alow and commaunded that it being confirmed by his aucforitie should be kept inuiolable by all their posteritie and wrought so much that the Princes and principall men of the kingdome did sweare to doe their best that it might remaine stable and firme for euer But not onely the Péeres but also the kings sonnes did take that othe for there was no man that gainesaied this law or was of any other minde and opinion Wherevpon Muley Abdallas because he was the kings eldest senne was immediatly after nominated in the campe Prince and heire of all his Fathers kingedomes and all men were sworne vnto him These things being thus ordered and ordained the old Ling because the he himselfe as he had of long time vsed laie still in the Citie of Marocco he sent the new Prince for to gouerne the kingdome of Fesse as the people of the Countrie had requested When he came to Fes and was receiued verie dutifullie of the Citizens he began his gouernment ouer them verie kindlie and curteouslie shewing him selfe verie affable gentle vnto the people of the prouince and promising much more lenitie and gentlenesse in time to come Within few daies after when Muley Mahomet Xeque flourished in great peace there happened a tumult in the prouince of Sus which forced him for to leauie an armie for to represse the insolent Hauing gotteÌ„ together all things necessarie therefore he departed out of Marocco with many horsemen footmen and harquebuziers and marched towardes Sus. Now a few daies before 500. Turkes had come to him frome Tremissen with their Captaine whom they do call in their language Alcaida who counterfaited that they had runne awaie out of the garison of Tremissen but in vâ—â—ie truth they did it that they might dispatch out of the waie the which they did indéede the king of Marocco For when they came to Marocco the king that thought they had come to serue him caused them presentlie to be put in wages to follow him to the wars in Sus. So they went forth with the king marching with him a long iourney towards Sus but when they were come to the confines of those two kingdomes they hasten their purpose of murthering the king Wherefore about a 15. or 20. of the most audacious desperaâ—â—st fellowes faining as though they had I know not what to moue the king of entered his pauillion finding him fit for their purpose slue him cut off his head after he was dead This so sodaine so vnthought of a trecherous villanc as part stirred vp a great tumult in the campe betweene the Turkes the Moores of whom the one fauoured the greate Turke the other Muley Abdallas the matter at last came to that passe the within one houres space aboue 1000. Moores wer slaine not passing fiftie Turks Who séeing theÌ„selues oppressed with the multitude of the Moores withdrew them yet still kéeping their face towards themmies defending themselues into thicke woodes and tops of mountaines of harde accesse But when the Moores did also assaile them there and the Turkes perceiued that they laboured in vain to saue themselues and namelie séeing now their victualls began to faile them they set fire to seuen barrells of Gunpouder that they had set round about them chosing rather to destroie themselues by furious fire than to come into the hands of the Moores their enimies But the kings armie was also constrained to returne to Marocco where the Prince Muley Abdallas although that he was then in the Citie of Fes was agayne proclaimed king But he as soone as he heard of his Fathers death went forth of Fes and when he bare him as king there was none of the prouinces the did not willinglie and gladly receiue him Wherevpon within few dayes after he gathered a mightie armie of many Nations who offered him their seruice with the which hée marching to Marocco was
Alua in An. 1580. Out of Comes The Battaile of Saint Michaell fought by Sea betwene the Marques of Santa Cruz and Philippe Lord Strozzi in An. 1582. Out of a letter sent to the king of Spaine by the Marques and also out of the booke intituled the Explanation of the true and lawfull right of Antony king of Portugall c. The Battaile of Langside fought in Scotland betweene Iames Erle of Murray and the Erle of Argile in An. 1568. Out of Buchanan FINIS THE SECOND Booke of Battailes The battaile at Dreux in France fought betweene Lewes of Burbon Prince of Condee Generall of the Protestants their forces and Anna Montmorencie high Constable of France and Generall of the Catholike armie in the yeere of our Lord 1562. and the 19. of December taken out of Popelliniere LEWES the Prince of Condee hauing receiued aides out of Germanie and also gathered together the French forces of the Religion did take the field with about 8000. foote men and fiue or sixe thousand horse men two Canons one Culuerin and foure field péeces came before Paris the xxviii daie of Nouember in Anno. 1562. and departed from thence the tenth daie of December following after a vaine parle of peace that he despaired of taking the Citie partlie for the resolute courage of the Citizens who wonted at other times to bée fearefull and cowardlie and partlie yea and speciallie because the Catholikes had drawen into the Citie a great armie of Frenchmen and forreners and marched towardes Normandie for to receiue the succours of men monie prouision brought out of England vnto New Hauen thereby to be able to content the Almaines that now began to murmure to demand paie But on the other side to stop let the ioyning of the Prince with the English the Catholike armie parted out of Paris vnder the conduct of Anna Montmorencie the high Constable of France coasting to rights by waies nothing good was on the 17. of Decēber come to the side of the towne of Dreux the riuer of Eure within two litle leagues of the prince who by an incōuenient ouersight which yet was the falt of the Marshals of the camp lodged the night with the battaile at Yuoy beyond more néere to the enimie by one league then the auantgard lead by the Admirall who had his quartier at the village of Neron but the next daie the Admirall repairing vnto the Prince it was agréed vpon that the daie following the auantgard should betimes march forth beyond the lodging and battaile of the Prince and so take againe their old due order range and by this time had all the Catholikes passed the water the which when the confederats vnderstood some of thē thought that the battaile would be presentlie presented them but the Admirall was of another opinion because the Sun was not then aboue an houre a halfe high and thervpon euerie man fell to fantasying imagining the good the ill the which might come of so great a masse of occurrents which were presented on the one side the other and séeing that the most part assured themselues that some notable battaile would be fought euerie man iudged of the euent thereof according to his knowledge practise in the feates of armes Neuerthelesse feare in some heate in other ignorance in diuerse made their iudgements so diuerse that it was a wonder to see it Many marked on the parte of the Protestants two faults so much the more to bée blamed as they are of great consequence and yet ordinarie with the warriours of this age and time The first was that no man was sent forth to suruey and take view of the enimie for the Catholikes which the Protestants might sée were gone to sound the foord that they might then passe ouer their armie presentlie or els that night as in truth they did The second fault was that in liew of going to lodge in the good and strong villages néere the riuer and the which the Catholikes seized the next daie euerie man returned to his quarter whereby the night following the Catholikes had meanes inough to passe the water to lodge themselues in the villages about to their aduantage there being so little order good looking to things on the Princes side that he was neuer aduertised thereof although there was scarcelie two leagues of ground betwéene the two armies Likewise also many of the Catholikes did iudge that their Chieftaines did manifestlie amisse in this that they did prepare themselues to giue battaile directlie in a place where the Campaine of Beause did end considering that al their force was in their footmen and the Princes in his horsemen wherevnto adde the great multitude of wagons that the Reisters carrie with them it being a thing of certaintie that if they had let the Prince passe to the borough of Trion as he pretended he shuld haue had such déepe and hollow waies both on this side and beyond and in passing further should haue found the Countrie so full of trées that the Catholikes might with the third part onelie of their footmen haue defeated the Prince and taken all his cariages without anie hazard and another thing there was saie they which made their falt more in excusable that séeing they were maisters of all the Countrie of Normandie on this side and beyond the riuer of Seine it was in their power to constraine the Prince to yéeld himselfe to their mercie or else to driue him backe euen to the gates of Orleans without hazarding of themselues anie whit at all The Prince hauing in that better iudgement than the Admirall armed himselfe two houres before daie signed many dispatches to be sent into Albemaigne other places frō whence he hoped great succors wold come because the auantgard which was to come frō Neron séemed to be slow wherof the prince complained much he sent many gentlemen one after another for to hasten them but for all that euer he could do it was farre forth daies before that they came So then at length his armie marched but after the accustomed manner without aduertising the companies perticularly to prepare themselues to the battaile either by solempne speeches or perticular or by anie other aduertisements than a few wordes short but verie couragious and with a good grace insomuch that many Gentlemen found themselues disarmed when they should go to the charge fought without either harnesse on their backe or helmet on their head of this armie parted into two bodies of men of armes the vantgard lead by the Admiral had about 305. French horse foure Cornets of Reisters sixe Ensignes of Almaines and twelue of French men the battaile whereof the Prince had the conduct contained 450. lances Frenchmen sixe Cornets of Reisters sixe Ensignes of Almaines and twelue of Frenchmen besides sixe cornets of Argoulets which might serue for light horse vnder the conduct of La Curec but they had not marched
aboue a leage and a halfe when the vantcourers aduertised the Admirall that they had discouered on this side the water a great troupe of horse whome he hauing commanded them to assaile at a signall giuen as they did with assurance that himselfe would follow them at the héeles sodainlie the battaile which the Constable lead appeared at the side of a village The which being reported to the Admirall and afterward to the Prince they caused all their horsemen to set their launces vpright ranging their battailes within a good Culuerine shot of them Afterward séeing that their enimies came not forth they two went further with only Dandelut who had a third daie Ague was mounted on an hackney apparelled for all harnesse with a furred robe vntill they came to a place from whence they might easilie iudge who had the aduauntage of the place whereby they were perswaded that it was not for them to assaile the enimie whereas he was that is to wit at the head of a village betwéene Nogent and Lormay towardes the which place the Countrie séemed to be plaine but it was not so indéede but they must néeds go vp an hill and downe againe insomuch that the Prince to passe ouer his men and to auoide the furie of their artilerie wherwith all they were well furnished was forced to hasten his people to march so fast that he put them out of breath but because they marched slowlie they abid at the least thrée volées of their péeces which might make a great checke and affright the armie in the which not all men had their eares accustomed to the sound of such flutes Furthermore the armie Catholike did couer so great a compasse of ground that if they encountered in that place one part of them might compasse in and charge the Prince in the side and so by that meanes he being inclosed should bée at the mercie of his enimies These things being considred and presupposing also that the Catholikes were not verie sharplie set to fight a resolution was takeÌ„ to go directly for to lodge at Trion following the intention the they had when they departed froÌ„ Ormoy thether were the Marshals of the lodgings sent The better to represent vnto you one of the most renowmed battailes that euer was fought in this Realme I will first figure out vnto you the seate and qualitie of the place which afterward was embrued with the bloud of so many gallant men Afterward I will set as it were before your eies the estate and disposition wherein these two armies maintained themselues before during and after the conflict Which béeing done yée may easilie iudge to whom the aduantage of one so notable occurance ought to be giuen vpon the end of the league and leuell champains of Beause Nogent le Roy doth present it selfe to Normandie pretie néere to Dreux a little towne at the foote of an hill wherevpon stands a Castle of sufficient strength within the towne by the side whereof passeth the riuer a Countrie fertile well peopled betwéen the which two Countries that are separated by the course of Eure the which comming out of Beause for to water Chartres doth trauerie Noâ—mandie euen to Pont de L'arche below the same doth léese it selfe in the Seine the nurse of Paris is a couert of certaine woodes and a number of little Towneshippes of whome the Catholickes had alwaies to that daye kept the aduantages as they that séeing themselues stronger in footemen and weaker in horsemen then the Prince would not hazard ought but where the place did fauour footemen for lacke of whome the Prince was constrained to take a contrarie course The which was the cause that at his parting from Lormoy néere Nogent he had purposed to take Dreux more for to force the Catholickes to an open and generall fight then for the importaunce of the place where Sourdeual commanded with an hundreth light horse and fiue Ensignes of footemen But the Cheiftaines Catholickes followed him coasting alwaies within fiue or sixe leagues but holding their waye thorough countries so strong and such couerts that the Prince could not finde any possibilitie to encounter them but with his disaduantage And in the ende the Catholickes séeing occasions and meanes to preuaile in that countrie by reason of the great number of their footemen resolued for to fight and therefore the .xix. daye did set forward to get before the Protestants and if they could get to Dreux before the Prince there to offer him battaile at the head of the towne vpon an high péece of ground lodging in the village two great Bataillons of footemen which garded xiiii Canons placed and prest to play before them and a little before on the side a number of Enfans perdus whome they had chosen out of all the Regiments The two flankes of these Bataillons were two great troupes of horsemen for mutuall intersuccour of the footemen and horsemen as was best for their behoofe Moreouer they had chosen a place so fauourable that the Confederates could not charge neither th one nor the other but by one way of a xiiii or xv hundreth paces the which also the Herquebuzes Catholicke did no lesse scoure then dyd their Artillerie Also a little below they had a small vnwalled towne for to gard their baggage the Riuer of Eure néere to their back But being resolute hot to fight they aduanced themselues farther for to get betwen two Villages by a woods side with far greater aduantage then before Herevpon the Prince following his resolution begaÌ„ to turne head towards Trion shewing his right side to his enimies who perceuing the Argolets one esquadroÌ„ of Reisters to be a faire marke discharged vpon theÌ„ one volée of great Ordenance which did affraie them in such sort that almost all the Argolets ran awaye the Reisters tooke the way in a litle valley for to couer theÌ„ against the Canon shot Wherevpon Anna de Montmorency Constable of France general of that Armie taking occasion to goe to the charge for to ouerthrow break theÌ„ all intirely as he had assured many the his owne battel alone was more then sufficient for to ouerthrow all the Protestant Armie caused the principal of his troupes to come néere to him vnto whome he made such a like speach At the length my maisters friends I haue brought you within sight of our enimies who haue alwaies hetherto made semblance that they sought battel the which now they cannot flye but also with the losse thereof coÌ„sequentlie of all the rest the they haue possesse in France For whether ye be assailants or defeÌ„dants the aduantage is assured you as well for number of men that doubleth theirs for the order disposition of the Armie for the qualities of the armes furniture as also for the commoditie of the places which fauoreth vs in all sorts if they wil come to vs. Adde therevnto a thing more considerable that we doe maintaine
the cause of God who wil haue but one Religion in the world that is to wit the aūcient Catholick Romane frō the which these mescreans infidels haue lewdely cut of themselues we doe also vphold the partie of our king soueraigne prince who cannot permit other exercise in his Realme then the of his predecessours finally we fight for the weale of our natural coūtrie for the suertie whereof we hauing euer to this day done infinit exploites fought in so many places with such honour and profit as your vertuous and holie desires haue deserued we should now be of lesse beléefe then they are and more timorous then women if we should not assure vs all that this acte as the last of so manie trauailes passed shall be crowned with the good honor and felicitie that all good and couragious people cannot but desire Moreouer thinke ye that we are not héere to quarrel for other mens lands nor for the defence of the borders of anie Lordes nor to enlarge the Empire of the Crowne of France but for the saluation of our soules for the maintenance of the Religion of our ancestors for the holie alters for the sacred reliks for the reuerent Priests and the wonderfull and awefull mysteries of our Religion In sum it is for the honour of Jesus Christ and then secondarilie for the conseruation of our owne liues and of the life of our Prince and of his Officers and by a consequent for the honour good and suretie of the state the which these mischiouous heretikes would no lesse reuerse than they haue done alreadie our true and Catholike faith so defiled by the mortall venim of their pestiferous heresies We might well haue hastned the battaile but that the counsaile haue alwaies bene of aduise for to staie for the cōming of all our forces as wel naturals as alies and strangers for to make them all pertakers of the present honour attended of all yet neuerthelesse rather remitted than denied anie one of you Wherefore assure your selues of the victorie if ye do not beelie and denie your valour héeretofore march resolutelie to the fight kéepe wel your rankes succour one another as shal be néedfull holde your selues certaine and assured that this one daie will bée the beginning of your honourable libertie and of a treble miserable bondage of the enimies of God of the king and of all good people But now he had caused the Artilerie to plaie vppon the formost of the Protestants who were therewithall so galled and affrighted that many going out of the rankes made them beléeue that their Generall refused the battaile for to gaine still ground which caused them to begin to make towards the troupes of the Prince who shewed vnto them his side with a dismarch and an araie and appearaunce so proude that the armie shewed how great Captaines dyd leade it The Catholike armie was compassed of fiue fiue great battailons of footemen intermedled and interlaced still with their horsemen because they were weaker than the Princes horses as their footmen were stronger by a treble The Catholike armie séemed to bée diuided into partes rather in the respect of the Chieftaines that gouerned it than for anie difference of troupes as the ancient fashion was to diuide an armie into an auantgard a battaile and a rereward for the Catholikes represented the forme of an hedge the which béeing bias high low straight and crooked according to the nature of the places where they stood made the confederates to sée more or lesse the bands Catholyke according as the nature of the passage did permit wherein the thrée chiefe Captaines seemed to bée well accomoded and placed either to receiue or to giue the charge in this battaile If you will call the troupes lead by the Marshall of Saint Andre the auantgard it was composed of ninetéene companies of men of armes Frenchmen thirteene ensignes of Spaniards so many of French and eleauen of Almanes with foure péeces of Artillerie all placed on the left of the Constable who béeing chiefe of the armie lead the battaile which was néerer the enimie than all the rest of the troupes and it consisted of xvii Estanders of men of armes three of horsemen xxii ensignes of Suisses and xvii of Frenchmen and Britons with eight péeces of Artillerie The Duke of Guise lead the rereward for to helpe the occurrents which might be presented but had but a few men they almost all standing on the right side of the Constable who stoode formost of them all and euerie one of the thrée Chieftaines hauing before them their Enfans Perdus on foot to begin the game The summe of their armie amounted to 19000. footemen and 2000. horsemen and the Prince was about 4000. horsemen all apparelled in white Casaques the which the Prince had caused them to weare for a marke of the purenesse of their conscience in the dessigne by them made for to maintaine the honour of God and the publike with 6000. footemen diuided into two battaillens of Almaines and Frenchmen Then the armie Catholike marching in this order against the Princes that shewed them his side ariued betwéene two villages L'Espine and Blainuille distant asunder 1200. pace The which space not béeing capable to comprehend the armie Catholike in length it happened that the battel Catholike was farre beyond the auantgard Protestant so that it stoode much behinde it Wherefore the Prince imagining that they marched directlie to him for to fight hée without farther leasure to make publike prayers to God for the victorie as the Parisians did that made the shrine of Saint Geneuiefue to come downe for to emploie her as an intercesseresse to God for their behoofe made his troupes tourne head with as much spéede as hée could but as a whole armie is not easilie remoued so specially by Chieftaines that haue alwayes made more of the estate of actions of the bodie than of the spirit and wit prising higher a furious valliance shan an order and araie militarie whereby the troupes accustomed to tourne and change in all sortes and in a moment doe carrie awaie moe victories without great losse than all those hardie and outragious feeses the which cannot bring but a miserie irreparable the disorder shewed it selfe to bée such that the Admirall and the auantgard found themselues ouerright against the Constable and the Battaile and the Prince and his battaile that was opposed and set agaynst the auantgard of the Catholikes was so farre behinde it as wée sayde that the Prince coulde scarce sée it at all Moreouer the onelie battaile of the Constable stretched almost as farre in length as all the whole armie of the Prince And for lacke of order if that the constant resolution of some had not serued for an example vnto the rest of the armie the Protestants had béene that daie the more vnhappie In summe that backwardnesse was the cause that the Prince and the Constable bare all the brunt the Constables horsemen that strengthned his
forsaking one an other and for to enter succour one an other when néede shall bée After the first charge rallye your selues spéedely and disperse not your selues to pillage which is yours assuredly after the death of the owners folow the victorie so sagely that thenimie and all those whose eares the bruite of this acte shall beate may haue occasion to admire no lesse to feare your discretion then your valiāce whereof you haue made so many prooues heretofore Now for to shew you that I will not spare my selfe but giue and receiue my parts of the first blowes I doe praye God that he will make you all goe as resolutelie to the charge as I shall giue you example This being done euery man returned to his troupe to encourage them by the same reasons that they had learned of the Prince whereof they had no sooner assured the resolution to their people but they dyd set them all in araye for to folow their chieftaines in the same order and with such dismarch as I will tell you First and formost Mouy with his troupe incorporated with Danaretts the successor of Genlys both of them being of the Auantgard prepared for the first shockes were also the first that charged the Suisses in the flanke with such force that being resolutely entred their ranks they passed thorough them trauerse The Prince that folowed them not onely pierced their bataillon but also brake all the whole taile with great mortalitie of those footemen as good pikemen as they were The Reisters that folowed gaue in also after him and dyd a meruailous execution The which Danuille who was with thrée companies of men of armes and the light horse betwéene the Bataillons of the Suisses Almans séeing did set foorth for to make head to the Prince but two cornets of Reisters setting vpon him did breake him in such sort that he was forced to retire himselfe to the Auantgard Catholicke which was a good distance of which yet remained still firme In this encounter was Monbron one of the Constables sonnes slaine by an Esquire of the Prince who had promised it him before Paris Vpon these dismarches Rochefoucaut with about an hundreth lances who were also of the troupe of the Prince who hadde not thought it good to leaue their footemen without succour was also constrained to take the same course charged the Suisses in the front whome he found so close together so well prouided of courage or perhaps not dismarching with such resolution as the Prince did and therefore could not break them gained nothing but thrusts of the pike although he slew some and among them the Colonnell On thother side at the verie same instaunt that the Prince charged the Admirall with two cornettes of Reisters that were on his right side marched with his owne regiment and the troupe of the Prince of Portian directly to the Constable his Vnckle and seuen or eight standers of men of armes that strengthned the other ende of the batail Catholicke And after he hadde borne one vollée of their Artillerie and certaine Harqueburiers Enfans perdus that endamaged them a good litle brake all that he encountred notwithstanding anie resistaunce that could be made against him Many dyd then their best but their number was nothing equall to them that made more deere accompt of lyfe then of honour and who béeing better prouided of good spurres then assured of heart fledde with such spéede that a great number were the next daye at the gates of Paris by eight of the clocke in the morning crying that all was lost Now the Cōstables horse was stain he remoūted by Doraisō vpō his own but yet anon after he was so hurt which a blow of a Pistolle on the lower iawe whereby he loft some of his téeth and so enclosed that he yéelded vnto Vezines from whome yet the Raisters that came to the spéede pulled him by force and tooke away his sword making him to giue his faith ledde him away prisoner Vpon this the Prince of Portian sonne of the Countesse of Seniguan to whome the Constable hadde done many displeasures came to him But as he was of a good and gentlemanly nature in steed of his pistolle offered him his hand promising him all help and fauour The Bataillon composed of xvii Ensignes of French men and Bretons that sided the Suisses were eaiely broken and so all the whole battaile of the Constable was scattered and entirely defaited after a great slaughter of men the rest that fledde were pursued euen to the Riuer where many were drowned whiles that they that were more desirous of botie then of honor rifeled the bagage which was almost all spoiled Herevpon the Lansquenets of the Prince séeing so great a foile fallen on the Suisses would also lift vppe their hands and doe also some thing on their partie worthie of memorie vpon them namely whome they saw as men astonied after two so furious escheckes to rest halfe broken attending their entire mischaunce beside an olde deadly hatred that they had borne against that nation with whom they haue long contended for honor the which neuer thelesse the Suisses doe carie awaye from all the footemen of the worlde So then they dismarched towards the Suisses who were now closed together againe notwithstanding all that had bene done before but so faintly that as soone as they sawe that the Suisses that were left did in stéede of being dismayed buskle themselues to goe straight to them they lost their harts flying without giuing one push with the pike The which gaue occasion at the same time to two cornetts of Reisters and certaine French horses that were rallied to giue a newe charge on those Suisses But in déede they found them so lustie and of so haughtie courage by reason of the flight of those that durst not so much as looke them in the face that they could not wholie breake them but their front remained still whole and made countenance to recouer their eight péeces of Artillerie which they had forsaken and with the which they might bring great domage to the troupes that the Prince and the Admiral rallied with all diligence and spéede Wherefore for to méete with and fullie to defaite thē that vanted that they could not be vanquished by reason of their courage their araie martial discipline whereof other Nations being ignorant for the most part make so light account of they were againe attached so lustilie that they were forced to leaue all to the vnresistable furie of the desperate French before whome they fledde in small bandes yet neuerthelesse hoped to rallie and to sight againe And in truth they did retire in good number and with some order towards the auantgard sundrie times ten or a dousen of them that remained behinde ioyning together and defending themselues with stones which was all the weapons that many of them had left them euen to the death in such sort that neuer Nation did better than they did
this daie All the time of these hot attaches the auantgard Catholike kept themselues close together and stirred not one foote for the space of about an houre and an halfe beholding with a discontented eie the euents of so meâ—tall encounters the feare of whome bredde soone inough in some a desire to take backe againe the waie to Dreux after that they vnderstoode and in parte had seene the entire discomfiture of their battaile with the taking of the Constable But the Duke of Guise had soone inough considered that after such charges and endeauours the Protestants could haue neither weapons nor araie for themselues nor their horses to sustaine and abide the shock of so many fresh men and furnished fullie with all necessaries Moreouer hée knew that their batthillon of French footemen amounting to 500. ill armed and destitute of horsemen who nowe went about to rallie with them was not able to abide him béeing resolued to die or else to carrie awaie the honour of so renowmed a battaile Wherefore vsing the counsaile of Biron he drew out 200. horses of his troupes making a good number of Harquebuziers to march on his right side and the Bataillon of Spaniardes after them while in the meane time hée made this spéech vnto the Chieftaines and personages of greatest marke that hée found néere him in that quarter Maisters good friends the onelie discouerie of this bed of honor on the which are now laid so many braue warriors your kinsmen your neighbours your allies and your friends cannot be vnto you otherwise than verie lamentable but againe therefore it is the stronger more forcible occasion for to make you runne with bowed heads against these mischieuous murthering Lutheranes who making no account of the léesing and damning of their owne soules in the fire of euerlasting punishment after that they hadde defiled our Churches and holie places with so many villanies haue with a more than brutish furie massacred so many good Catholikes throughout the whole Realme are also so rashe and so shamelesse as to attainde the sacred person of the King and of his most faithfull Officers for to confound the Stater for to tourne all thinges vpside downe and for to establish a tyrannie most agréeable to their proude passions and haue gathered together a troupe of Théeues of Roagues of Banqueroutes and spend-thriftes and of men condemned to diuerse punishmentes and other sortes of malcontents Who haue bewitched by certaine Preachers and other Huguenotes and so stronglie inchaunted my Lorde the Prince of Condee that hée is made head of this vnhappie troupe which you doe sée alreadie defaited by those violent endeuours that they haue sustained by our battaile Séeing then that they are so broken what resteth for you but that raising vp againe the honour of the Generall of this armie their Prisoner yée goe noblie to the charge and bring awaie the victorie the which otherwise the enimie will carrie awaie with their no lesse honour than the vnrepayable domage of vs and all Christendome Yée néede doe no more but looke them in the face For their horses tired with so many charges and long carriers will no more than the men wearied and vnfurnished of weapons sustaine one moment the gallant lustinesse of your fresh dismarch Doe but dare to attempt it and yée shall get the noblest victorie that euer Nation gained as on the contrarie part it will redound to so much your greater dispraise if that séeing yée haue aduauntage in all things you doe let so faire an occasion slip and holding your armes a crosse and fighting onelie with your eies ye will suffer the enimies to remaine maisters of the field of the battaile But to the end that the valiant may not be without knowledge of their reward and that these villaines doe not remaine vnpunished for their villanies I doe assure you of the liberall recompence of our king I doe sweare vnto you by God that I will shew my selfe so liberall towards them that I shall sée or heare beare themselues valiantlie that they shall neuer lacke goods besides the curtesie of the bountie of their Maiesties and the honours which the lawe of armes and the custome of the Countrie doe giue But those Chelmes and enimies of God shall bée fullie assured of the same yea and a more cruell death The most reprochfull name in Dutch whih they doe thinke to escape by running awaie for recompence of their villanie and punishment of example to all other that dare vsurpe the name of Souldiours and men of warre with an euerlasting inhibition of burying them but to lie in the field to haue none other graue than the bellies of dogs of wolues of birds other beasts that shal glut themselues of theÌ„ at their pleasure On on then my friends and let vs sée who hath most desire to sacrifice honourablie the rest of his daies for the seruice of God of the king and of France Vpon this resolution and béeing well followed by these troupes hée charging on all partes this Bataillon of footemen had a faire daie they béeing first retired that should haue conducted other and as well by wordes as Gentlemanlike examples of their persons haue encouraged them to doe their beuoire and afterward all the Souldiours but not so spéedelie as they could because they were on horsebacke and the other on soote so that none of them fought but the thrée or foure of the first rankes after they had shot off one volée of their foure field yéeces At the same time the Marshall of Saint Andre with all the rest of his horsemen went to range with the two sides of the battaillon of the Almans which did close vp the vtter bouÌ„d of the auantgard In the front whereof were seauen or eight hundreth French Harquebuziers shooting at the Reisters which had rallied themselues returning from the chase of those that had béene broken as I tolde you before Who séeing their French footemen and Lansquenets defaited and so greate forces comming against them retourned with a pretie trot towardes a woode that was néere them In the meane while Dandelot although hée were pressed with his ague yet hée forced himselfe to giue order for all thinges that were néedfull And séeing those Lansquenets of the Prince to flie crosse the village of Blaynuille néere wherevnto the Constable had béene taken hée gallopped to cut of their waie and to make them make head to a troupe of horsemen that chased them a good waie off but they had no order once to staie they were so afrighted it being most certaine that these fiftie yéeres there entered not into France more errant cowardes than they were although they had the fairest apparaunce in the worlde So that Dandelot with whome abode not aboue seauen or eight horses and who by reason of his age had no other armour than a furred Cloake could not reioyne with his fellowes but retired without great impeachment towards Trion into a place where he reposed and
rested himselfe as he could finding meanes the next daie to get againe to the armie both finelie and fortunatelie Vpon this the Prince and the Admiral séeing the auantgard also to come vppon them who hadde not yet rallyed moe than about two hundred Frenchmen of whome one onelie hadde a Launce praied the Reisters to staie readie for the recharge But they being alrâ—â—ie packing away sayd that they must goe to recharge their Pistolles Moreouer when they saw their footemen both French and Allemans ranne away themselues pursuen they flung away a galloppe and the French men with them so that the Prince was constrained to doe so likewise was hurt in the hand his horse that had receaued an Harquebusse shot in his legge had not gone aboue 300. pace but that he halted downe right and before he could be remounted O. Anuille was on the backe of him to whome he yéelded The Reisters and the French men hauing crossed a woode cut downe found a little valley the which they passed stayed vpon an high péece of ground in the sight of the Admiral who had taken his flight more on the right hande with a number of other a long the side of the same wood to make head to their enimies that closed it vpon thother side and both th one thother were aboue a good quarter of an houre without other aduauncing or making in one to thother wherein a number of Catholickes curious quite to ouerthrow thenimie noted a grosse fault committed by S. Andre and the Duke of Guyse assuring that if they had liuely folowed their victorie the Protestants trembling at such fearefull accidents would neuer haue rallyed together in grosse But the Admirall as a wise resolute and diligent Capitaine had done all that he could possible to rallye his horsemen dispersed thorough the whole field and in great disorder and finding that he had assembled about 250. horses French that had nothing but their swords pistolles and about 1000. Reisters of whome he set th one halfe on his right side and thother on his left and being accompanied with the Prince of Portian Rochfoucaut and other gentlemen well deliberated he resolued to goe yet once more to fight with thenimie what price so euer if shold cost him after that he had vsed a few words to the Chiefe men of the Horsemen that accompanied him and the Marshall of Hessen the Truchmen and certaine Captaines Allemains that vnderstoode French for to encourage them the better to the charge Although it séemeth to mée a matter néedelesse to vse anie speach to them that haue sufficient assurance in their owne vertue and valour and to make tryall whereof ye are come yet whilest we doe stay vntill all our people be rallied I may well saye vnto you that vnlesse great enterprises were accompanied with great perills and difficulties the praise could be but small to them that should attaine to the honour of them But as the high desseines for to maintaine the honour of God and the good of theyr Countrie can not be executed without infinite bazardes and paines incredible so must they also assure themselues that the price and rewarde of so manie extreame labours is not onelie prest and certaine but also great when the vertue is great whereof we constantlie poursue the end This is the reason why that hearts that would be knowen to be gentlemanly doe alwayes pourpose and attempt enterprises of great hazard because that they doe know that héereby they shall gette them eternall honour and their long trauailes be recognised with immortall renowne On the contrarie part those that are of small stomacke baselie minded and of a vile cowardise doe neuer addresse themselues but to things base and easie as also their name doeth dye as soone as the effect of that they enterprised Moreouer as assurance of the will of God is necessarie for to testifie all actions can we fight more lawfully or for a thing of so great importaunce then for the libertie of our conscience and doe they not take away the bright light of the worlde that will take from vs the libertie of our faith or can wée kéepe warres more iust then this which is of necessitie Be not our weapons forced and therefore consequently holy and religious in the handes of them that haue no other hope to liue but by the helpe and endeuour of them In in valiant hearts In in It is not the multitude but the valour of courage that giueth the victorie God fighteth for vs as he hath done heretofore for so manie small troupes which you haue séene and heard of being well conducted to haue broken those that were ten times greater then themselues And otherwise also ye shall mightely enrich your selues as well by the incredible bootie and spoile as for the great raunsomes that ye shall get As touching the rest ye haue alreadie vanquished the greatest part which are rallied with them that durst not aduaunce themselues vppon vs after the taking of their Generall Is it likely to be true that they which haue bene alreadie tamed and subdued haue taken force by their fall and that the victorious haue ben made more vile worse by their felicitie March then resolutely to the defaite of the rest folowing the good houre that hath louingly welcomed you It is a common saying he that hath begon well hath halfe done which is not spoken to make slouthfull or to bring a sléepe him whose first attempts haue bene happie no but contrarie for to prick him forward still so much the more to the poursuit and perfecting of his desseine But as it is more dishonor for him that through negligence or lack of courage doth let the satisfaction contentment to be lost the which he had almost thoroughly gotten theÌ„ for him that had alwaies bene infortunate at the beginning in the poursuite and at the ende of his enterprise so you must assure your selues that God dyd not send into your hands the beginning of so renowmed victorie through the strange hardinesse and not credible valoure of my Lord the Prince but for to heate and enchafe you to attempt the aduauncement and entier gaine of accomplished happinesse O thrise fortunate ye that shall retourne vnto your houses triumphing of the victorie loaden with the spoiles of your enimies which ye shall bring out of the field and sée your selues embrased and swéetely welcomed home by your kinsfolkes wiues children neighbours and allies who shall for euer from Father to sonne sing the eternall praises of you that haue so willniglie exposed your liues for the honour and glorie of God suretie of the king and publick good of your countrie For although to die be a thing common both to the good and the wicked whatsoeuer they be yet death is not honorable nor worthie of praise in any man but in those the shot at no other marke then the vertuous actions of their life Goe then my maisters and shew thenimie by effect
that our courage redoubleth in aduersities making them to know that with the losse of our braue companions we will reuenge the wounding and taking of our Generall March then forward gallantly and lustely and as they that doe fight with heartie hatred making all the world sée that as Germanie France are two Nations of one originall so that th one can not bring foorth more resolute souldiours then the other Thus they being all encouraged marched directly to the village of Blaineuille wher the first fight was made There the Catholickes were in great number ranged in thrée esquadrons manie of whome imagined a while that the Admirall and his people séeing they came againe so soone and specially séeing that they had neuer a lance were come to yéelde themselues to their mercie but they soone knew that it was to begin againe the battaile For although their forces were vtterlie vnequal in number specially the Reisters on the left side being slipt away without doing ought yet the reencounter was very furious and mortall to a great number of gallant men In so much that the Duke of Guyse the better to breake or to slacke this furious dismarch that the Admirall made vpon him folowing his first point néere to the Mill against the village of Maumontell caused to come with all speed the French footemen lead by the young Chunte de Brissac their Colonel in Piemont Martigues and other which yet could not be perceiued because he had set them in battell behinde the horsemen they being without pikemen were 2000. harquebuziers with the Spaniards who all shooting incessantly against the Admirall hurt manie horses and a number of the Confederates thorough theyr so hot and so long a showre of harque busse shot Who yet could not let but that the horsemen of the Catholicke were perced lustelie by the Admirall with two hundred horse and by 600. Reisters in another quarter and in the end were forced to recoile and giue place to blowes and they had ben wholie broken if that the Harquebushes had not slacked the course of the horses and the furie of the Protestants who hauing now changed their trot into a gallop béeing chafed valiantlie to execute the charge behaued their hands so well that of all the horsemen on the side of the Duke of Guise there remained not with him vppon the place aboue foure score or an hundreth who in the end went to rallie themselues by the helpe of their great bataillon of Frenchmen who bare all the brunt for the which it was well cheapned by the Admirall who turned round about to finde a place of breach and ouerture whereby he might doe some great matter to the losse and euerthrow of the whole bodie of the armie But for lacke of lances and because the Admiral was not followed by all the Frenchmen nor the Almans they could neuer pearce them nor do other God than destroie and endomage many of their troupes The sight had now endured aboue fiue houres and hardlie could one discerne the white scarfes which the Admiral and his ware from the red of their enimies when he caused his troupes to close together putting the Reisters that he had left in two esquadrons and marching in the middest with the French horsemen and commanding Bouchauanes the Lieuetenant of the princes Cornet for to tarrie in the taile with about 50. horses The Duke of Guise likewise rallied his men séeing that the Admirall retired assaied for to pursue him with all his footemen as long as their breath wold serue them and a verie few horsemen that were left about his person but they had scarce gone seauen or eight hundred paces but that the darknesse of the night did take awaie the sight one of another So the Admirall retired a pace with those footemen that were saued the great artillerie and all the baggage of the armie a good league from the place of the Battaile to the village of Neufuille where hée lodged You sée howe the Protestantes retyred from the place where they had attached their enimie whom they left in the possession therof for to search spoile and burne the dead and to lift vp at leasure the spoiled confederates At the same time the Duke of Guise went to lodge in the suburbes of Dreux a little league from thence the place of the battaile remaining voide vnlesse it were of them that were appointed for the effects before said a great number of dead men lying héere and there spoiled of all about them and the Artillerie of the Constable with foure field péeces of the Princes Such was the end of the battaile of Dreux in the which God balancing the victorie as it pleased him made manie warriours to marke thrée notable occurrances and verie rare in such feats of armes The first that ther was no skirmish before the battaile the second that both the Generals were taken prisoners and thirdlie that they rallied so often As touching the dead the Catholikes sayd after that they had buried them the next daie that they found them to bée eight or nine thousand But other said assuredlie that there were dead on the place not aboue 5000. without accounting the hurt men that died shortlie after who were no small number At the reuiew which the Admiral made foure daies after he found that there remained of the French footmen neere one thousand of about 2500. that had ben there neere 900. Almanes of thrée thousand that should haue béene in their regiments of whome about 1400. that had yéelded themselurs prisoners in the chase that we spake of were sent home into their Countrie Now of horsemen to speake the most he found not missing aboue 140. both of French Reisters not comprehending those that were taken prisoners So that there died on the Prince his side but about 2200. footmen But on the Catholikes their part the abatement of the Suisses was meruailous of whom 17. Captaines were slaine their Colonell Freulich being dead before at Paris of a laske The rest of the men slaine on that side were almost all horsemen who were hardlie handled by the Reisters as well at the taking of the Constable as at the last charge in the which among other the Marshall of Saint Andre the Chieftaine of the auantgard hauing béene taken prisoner and charged behinde by a Gentleman to get a great raunsome Baubigny who had at another time taken at the heart a certaine displeasure done by him comming vpon him slew him with a Pistoll shot ouerthwart his head Many other knights and Lordes were slaine there as D'Annebault Dr Gemy with his Guidon and the Marshall of the Logis la Brosse a great fauourite of the Duke of Guise and a sonne of his It was a long time an opinion both during after the battaile that the Duke of Guise was slaine But some had taken his Esquire from him who was not much vnlike him in stature whom the Duke had mounted on one of his best
horses vpon whom he was slaine euerie man taking him for his maister Le Conte of Rochfort called Damoisel de Comeri de Beauuois Brichanteau were sore hurt Beauuois died in the end the rest escaped Saint Heran was saued by the meanes of one of the Princes Trumpetters that was his Countriman wherefore he was afterward in great danger to be hanged Pienne whom we told you departed from Orleans fell into the hands of la Loue an honest valiant Gentleman one of his olde friends Who notwithstanding rehearsing vnto him his fault wold haue carried him away prisoner but he could do and speake wel so assuring him at the last that he should soone die in his armes he was so sore hurt that he let him goe and Pienne recouered D'aumalle was hurt had one of his shoulder plate thrust out of ioynt whereof he remained long time hurt Ausson a gentleman of Gascogne so renowned in the parts of Piemont that he had made a Prouerbe of his hardinesse ran away with the first euen to Chartes where he died of an ague that he tooke for griefe sorrow so much can the feare to léese reputation do in a gentlemanly heart But the death of Frances of Cleues duke of Niuernois gouernor of Champagne the heire of the late Frances of Cleues his Father is most remarkable of all things that happened in this Battaile This young Lorde béeing so wonne by Desbordes a Gentleman of Niuernos by whome and by his Secretarie called Vigenaire he let himselfe be so wholie possessed that notwithstanding that he had made profession of the same religion that the Protestants did and had twice promised the prince to come vnto him and follow him yet he liked better to fight that daie for the Catholikes whome he had before followed But it happened vpon the pricke of the first charge that Desbordes himselfe ill handling his Pistoll wounded the Duke in the thigh thrée fingers belowe the hanch and towards the knee so grieuouslie that there could be no meanes found to saue his life And being so hurt hée was carried as well as it could then be vnto a village and from thence to Dreux passing vpō the waie with fiue or six of his men who carried him néere to Dandelot who enquiring what he was and hauing vnderstood that it was the Duke of Neuers wounded to death would not staie him but bidde him thinke vpon his faultes and offences But as for Desbordes hée leauing his maister did for despaire that he had slaine him or for some other cause runne so farre into the thickest of the enimies that hée left his life in the place But the poore Lord dyd sore torment himself but hee was somwhat comforted by Mouie who onelie of all the Chieftaines of the Prince had béene taken in the last charge and hée hauing beene in his youth greatlie loued of the Duke of Neuers serued him for a comforter and as a minister euen vntil he died The principall prisoners besides the Constable was D'Oraison De Rochfort D'Esclauoles certain other Gentlemen On the Princes part were slaine the Baron of Arpaion de Saux de Chandien de Liencourt de Ligneris de la Fredonniere de la Carliere de Rougnac de Mazelles Saint Germier almost all of them of the Cornet of Mouy who was taken prisoner in the last charge hauing ben hurt and afterward tarrying long on foote in the wood adioyning Throckmorton the Ambassador of England Fances Perrucel the princes minister thinking the all had been lost saued thēselues in the néere town of Nogeant wher was the Dewager of Bouillon the daughter of the great Seneshall who had giuen a tast to the Prince the day before And although they were deliuered prisoners to the Catholickes the next daye yet Perrucel was afterward sent to the Prince to whom he serued well for to fortifie him during the time of his imprisonment Also two other Ministers were sore hurt but neither of them dyed they were both gentlemen and bare armes The one being Minister of Mouy his company had scarsely made an ende of prayers going to the charge but that he was stroken to the ground with the blow of a stone that hit him on the reines and from thence after a thousand strange chaunces carried to the next village and afterward to Dreux and finally to Paris and was so well thought of among his enimies without euer being knowen or constrained to doe any thing against his conscience that in the ende he came againe safe and sound to Orleans The other being brother of de la Cour de Chire a learned gentleman of Poitou had receaued an harquebusse shot in his reines which carried a peece of his harnesse into his bodie and the bullet going to the other side euen to the skinne néere to the nauell was so well thought of and holpen the euening after the battaile that the péece of the harnesse being taken out at the entrie of the wound and the bullet at the ende he being shut vp in the castell of Maintenon was readie to take horse againe within thrée wéekes The newes of the battaile was soone brought by the runawaies both to Paris and to Orleans both the one and the other reporting that all was lost on their side The first that gaue the affright to Paris was Guilaureau d' Orleans folowed by many other of whome some were good great ones who all affirmed the ouerthrow of the battaile and the taking of the Constable as true it was in so much that the partakers of the Catholickes stoode in no great sure state when Losses ariued reporting the taking of the Generall of the Protestants and how the Duke of Guyse had recouered all adding also that the Admiral was intierly defaited Vpon the which report there were made at Paris and in all other places to whome these newes were written with all diligence all kinde of ioye as bonefires feasts dauncings Maskes accompanied with Processions ringing of Bells with all ioye and mirth On the other side the most speedie to flie made all things vncertaine at Orleans but not quite desperate which helde all the people in suspense vntill the next day being the xx of the moneth when certaine newes came with them that brought the Constable prisoner to whome they had giuen but a little refreshment on the way after his taking they making him march without once resting all that night and the day folowing vntill he came to Orleans and was put in the Princes lodging He was not rescued as he looked for by 100. light horses eight companies of French men ouer whome Charry commaunded at Chartres within sight of whom they made him passe a pace But for to come againe to the two armies the Duke of Guyse encamped néere Dreux vsing all graciositie towards the Prince who also on his part shewed himselfe nothing astonned and so they passed the night hauing supped simply enough In the morning the Duke who now
remained sole Chiefeteine of the armie hauing caused halfe a score or a dosen péeces of Ordenance to be shot of for to assemble his people made all the hurt men to be sent into Dreux and all the dead that could be found to be buried Also the Ensignes that had bene wonne from the footemen of the Prince were brought vnto him which he sent afterward to Paris in signe of victorie because the field was left vnto him On the other side the Admiral being at Neufuille hauing but slenderly rested giuen order to all that was possible assembled all the Captains aswel Frenchmen as Reisters that he could vnto whome for to encourage them to an intiere assured victorie he proposed the hope of certaine victorie if that at the very breake of the daye the next morning they would charge their enimies whome he knew were in great feare hauing lost their two principall Chiefeteines and their horsemen being for the greatest part slaine and the rest very much scatered insomuch that they should scarcely finde an hundreth horses together as he also learned by certaine souldiours prisoners that had escaped and came backe to the Campe last night Wherevnto the Reisters made aunswere that his counsell was verie couragious and good but that it was impossible for them to execute it many of their horses being hurt and the other tired besides that many of their people were yet dispersed with a good part of their Wagons the which they would not léese and that they must néedes mend and repaire their pistolles So by this meanes was that enterprise broken of Yet neuerthelesse they went foorth the next day in battaile araie out of the village and marched a litle way ouer against the quartier of the Catholickes where he tarried about an houre considering the countenaunce of his people and for to reuoke as manie of his men as he could that had bene scattered in the wood and in the ende seeing himselfe out of hope to be followed for to beginne againe the fight drew directly to Gallardon and the next day being the xxi hauing left by the way one of his great peeces to wit a Couluerine which was mired but afterward waied vp and carryed away by them of Chartres he lodged at the village of Arneau where he was chosen Generall of the armie in the absence of the Prince And from thence into Beausse and Salogne and from hence into Normandie to méete with the English winning many townes in those parts As Guyse tooke Estampes and was faire for Orleans when he was slaine by Poltrot wherevpon ensued a peace ¶ The Battaile of Sainct Gemme in Poitou fought in Anno. 1570. betweene la Noue a Protestant and Puygaillard a Catholick Out of Popelliniere PVygailliard who hadde bene sent into Poitou by the King with an Armie of about 4000 men for to impeach the roades of the Protestants of Rochell Marans other places thereabouts into Poitou built a Fort at Luson where the ordinarie and vsuall wayes met for to stop their passages and placed therein a great garrison vnder the gouernment of Mascaron with promise assured that he would succour him if he happened to be beséeged as in déede he was shortly after by la Noue Puuiant with all their forces which might be foure Cornets and eleuen Ensignes with 300 Lansquenets commaunded by Colonel Hector Reilen and Frederick Vuis his Ensigne bearer and thrée péeces of Ordenance hoping to winne it before that Puygailliard could bring thether his forces that were disperced thorough Niortois and high Poitou But the Fort was not so soone beséeged but that Puygaillard being aduertised by Mascaron as well of the desseines number and power of the Protestants as also of their incōmodities assembled his forces assuring himselfe that the meane that presented it selfe was more then pregnant for to shaue la Noue his beard as many gallants gabled He had nine companies of Ordenances and light horse his owne those of Malicorne de Bouile the gouernour of Nantes whom his Ensigne Castemer led certaine other all French with two of Italians one that Iulio Centurio led the other of Charles Birague which had Brandy his leuetenant thrée regiments of footemen to wit one of the late Counte de Brissac whereof Captaine la Rade then absent was chiefeteine and the regiment of Strossy the Colonel general of the French footemen and that which Magarin an Italian Sergent Maior led all olde souldiors of the kings garde consisting of 18. or 20. Ensignes in all He had other troupes but that he made such hast that he might enclose the Protestants betwéene Marans and Luson that he had not leasure to assemble them And the spéede that he vsed in the march was so extréeme that he made them trauaile on the way two dayes and a night without eating or drinking but verie little nor resting but a verie short time at Fontenay and almost onely so long as their baggage was in laying vp being left there that they might march more spéedely and orderly But before I doe goe any farther I thinke it expedient to giue you a topographie and describe not onelie the place were the battaile was fought but also the Countrie and the quarters néere aboutes as well to represent vnto you more plainelie the most memorable perticulars of so famous a fight as also for to make you vnderstand the better that which I haue sayde before of the fort of Luson and the waies of Poitou The Catholikes then came from Fontenay straight to Saint Gemme from whence to Luson is a good halfe league and the fight was more néere to Saint Gemme from thence going forth right there are two tuffes of woode to whome doe adioyne a great quarter of woode cut downe Betwéene the two woodes are vines which doe continue and stretch béeing separated by hedges and great bushes euen almost to Luson both on the right and the lefte side vnlesse it bée in thrée or foure places where bée certaine plaines laide out for the sowing of Corne as one comes from Fontenay to Saint Gemme néere to Nalliers the waie parteth it selfe into two the one waie goeth straight into Nalliers and from thence to Saint Gemme the other leaues Nalliers on the right hand and after it hath cut crosse ouer many quarters of vineyards and many plaine fields some marshes at the last it comes out againe into the great waie of S. Gemme vnto Luson whereof I will speake vnto you anone for by reason of it the Protestants did order their battaile otherwise than else they would haue done Puygalliard that did not beléeue that the smal number of Protestants wold present themselues vnto his old bands in a plaine yet séeing that they were come forth deuised how he might force them to a generall fight for that intent setting forward with his troupes with all spéede towards Saint Gemme he sent the Italians and Albanoises for to kéepe the passage of Moreilles for to cut off their waie
standard set forward For at that instant they dislodged for to aduertise la Noue that abode at Luson of all that we haue folde you before and to exhibite into consultation of the counsail what was to be resolued vpon in this matter The which la Noue dyd also soone doe as well for to sound the hearts of his as also not to misse but with the opinion of them all if that fortune should make their first desse in fall out ill The opinions were diuers and the assembly was diuided into two aduises as it doth ordinarely happē in a matter of such importance namely among the Chiefeteines that would manage their affaires considerately and rather by the common aduice then their own particular motion The chiefe Captaines being assembled la Noue did declare vnto them the enterprise that they had made against the Fort and the occasion thereof that now it was come to this point that they could not longer abide before the place but that they must either fight or else retire them selues As touching the first the armie of the enimie is great well furnished both for men and equipage and a third mo in number then the Protestants But that which is more to be considered in this occurrence is that although we doe obtaine the victorie yet we shall thereby not aduaunce at all the affaires of the publicke and the totall cause if that fortune fall out ill to our great armie vnder the conduct of the Admirall which euery day is in doings with the Marshall of Cosse and vppon the point to darreyne battaile with the kings forces for then shall this victorie of ours be rather lamentable then profitable For as it can not be obtained but with great effusion of bloud and the death of manie braue Captaines and valiant souldiours so that if the armie of the Princes be broken those that shall dye in this fight now at hand will so lessen our forces that we shall not be able to maintaine Rochell against the Catholickes who may soone repaire and leuie an other armie because they doe swarme in people vnder the auctoritie that they haue stolen from the king But séeing that he remitted the resolution of the one and the other vnto the pluralitie of voices those that maintained the fight carried it away in number Besides the dishonor sayde they that the armie shall gette by such a retraite it can not be done but with an other greater losse of men then shall be spent in the battaile namely séeing that the Catholickes march vpon them with so great spéede Adde therevnto that the Italians as they thought had sette foorth for to cut of the way for none other consideration but to impeach them of all wayes of retires Wherevpon Puuiant tooke the word out of their mouthes and of a particular motion sayd aloud So that wée doe goe resolutely to the charge the victorie is certainly ours for they are all so werie so couered ouer with dust by reason of the long iourney that they haue made and besides they are so charged with sléepe that they will not be able to sustaine the first charge of our people As touching the rest God who is as great as strong and as well willed towards his as euer he was hath prouided for farre greater inconueniences than those that can befall to vs if our great armie hap to be broken If in all occasions that are presented to men man shew himselfe noble and couragious God will supply the rest and furnish vp the imperfection of man of whome he demaunds no more but his deuoire Let vs then doe that lieth in vs he that hath guided vs herevnto for to maintaine his cause will of his almightie power accomplish that which our feeble power lacketh The auctoritie and no lesse the good fortune that accustometh to fauour such a Chiefeteine was of so great force with the rest of that troupe that la Noue had no sooner asked them all whether they were resolued to fight but that their long acclamatiōs laughing countenances assured him of the good will that they had to doe it In so much that hauing admonished them not discharge before they were néere their enimie to pursue their poinct furiously to recharge without cease as long as they should sée any number of their enimies in troupe for feare least they should rallie after they were broken gaue commaundement to euery Captaine for to goe order and encourage his troupes and that the Ministers should presently preach vnto euerie companie praying God to send them an happie successe in this battaile so daungerous as euerie man is more religious when he sées him selfe pressed néere to any ill but if all things laught vpon him at pleasure then our nature is to forget him quickly to whom we were so deuout whē we feared the bastonnades of a mischief néere at hand But I will leaue them at their prayers and preparing of themselues to the reencounter the which they held assured and bring Puigaillard forward who staying for nothing lesse then for feare of raising of Puuiant and his companions out of their beddes hasted amaine But he was scarse at Cheurettes but that the companies of the Kings gard who being the spéediest had made a stand for a certeine tyme staying for the rest gaue soone enough into the barries of Sainct Gemme for the Protestants had shutte vppe the wayes of Sainct Gemme and Luson which they gotte and passed without resistaunce and ran thorough the borough in the houses whereof they founde the beddes yet hot wherewithall they finding themselues grieued did whilest they stayed for the armie some of them lay them downe to sléepe other fell to filling of their bellies and some ranne to hasten Puigaillard and to carrie him the newes of taking of Sainct Gemme whereinto he entred before the pricke of the daye crying in all quarters to his Souldiours to come out of the houses to putte them in order and range of Battaile for to folow the Protestants who some sayde were fledde to Marans and from thence to passe to Beraud In the ende séeing that the most part of the companies were out of the Borough he made them turne headde directly to Luson wher he hoped to be reuenged of the occasion that had hadde slipped out of his hande There fiftie souldiours Auantcourers of the best moūted of the Kings garde whome he had sent before the armie sent him woord that they had discouered the enimie who was prettie néere and in battaile These were a nūber of Gentlemen of the countrie who going out of Luson for to deuaunce the Armie hadde giuen in as farre as the tuffes of wood which were before marked vnto you being determined to trie the assurance and resolution of the Catholickes by some notable skirmish the which yet passed lightly enough as well on the one side as the other Vpon this certaine of the Catholicke armie being returning re-encountred x. or twelue valets of the Protestants
Lodouick vnderstood of their dismarch hée sent Ienlis word that he should take the way by Cambresis and goe to ioyne with the armie of the Prince his brother as well for to assist him to passe ouer the Mase the which the garrisons of the countrie being assembled dyd empeach as also to auoide the hasard of being broken by the troupes of the Dukes sonne who was Generall of the armie that then beséeged Mouns which he might happelie send to assaile him Moreouer he could doe him no seruice at Mouns for he had no such number of men as were sufficient to remoue the seage and therefore his troupes séeing he lacked no menne with in the towne could serue him to no other turne then to eate vp his victualls which they would soone doe and he should be constrained in the ende to giue vp the towne for famine But Ienlis returned aunswere that he feared not the enimie and that after he had bene at Mouns and séene his olde companions he might passe further as should be thought best Vpon this the troupes marched stil so carelesly and so taking their ease in the farme houses and small villages as though they had held themselues assured that the enimie had not bene within an hundreth leagues of them and that which was worse they had not any sure guide not well instructed what way they should take to be farre from the enimie In fine they being come néere to Bossu one league and an halfe from Mouns they sent forth an hundreth horse to make discouerie The Regiment of the Baron of Renty marched formost of the footemen Iuinelle followed next and so the rest Ienlis le Ringraue Ianissac others being in the taile thinking that the enimie would assaile theÌ„ there but they after felt the discouerie before them which they neuer once thought of As the countrie hath many seueralls and is full of hedges and bushes which enduced Ienlis to think he should preuaile because he was stroÌ„g in footemen the scoutes aduertised that they had séene certaine horsemen within a wood which caused the Baron of Renty to choose out certaine hundrethes of his men for Enfans perdus and seperate them for to serue at the heade of his battaâ—llon looking for the charge But as soone as the protestant horsemen that had discouered them sawe that the horsemen that came out of the wood into the plaine dyd neuer make an ende and that an number of harquebuziers were auaunced to draw them to the skirmish they were so estonnied that they could not retire themselues but a galloppe This was on the xvii of Iuly The horsemen of the Duke who were of the ordenances of the countrie commaunded by Noircarmes and others seing these felowes retire so hotly tooke courage to pursue them and namely séeing that their hundreth Mosquetaires Spaniards had alreadie attached fight with the head of Renty his Regiment who being feared with the flight of their horsemen and the comming vpon them of so great forces faire wel ranne away whom all the whole regiment not long after followed ouer the bellies of whome the discouerers had passed Then the rest being dismaied with the flight and disorder of so many men were not long but they also disbanded But three thousand paisants whome they had so tormented and that folowed them crying to God for vengeaÌ„ce receaued them with ill courtesie for besides those that they striped into their shirts there were slaine there aboue 1200. Renty the master of the Campe assuring himselfe vpon the strength of his horse slue aboue twenty paâ—sants before he dyed The Ringraue was slaine Ienlis lanissac and the Baron of Renty yéelded and were sent awaye prisoners to Antwerpe or Tourney and aboue 600. other into diuers prisons of whome there were aboue 60. gentlemen That night Beauieu ariued with seuen or eight at the Abbay of Epinleu adioyning to the walles of Mouns and kept by the Protestants where he gaue such cognisance and markes of himselfe that Payet let him in And the next day 100. harquebuziers entred into Mouns Ienlis dyed shortly after in prison at Antwerpe And the Prince of Orang not being of sufficient force to remoue the séege of Mouns Lodouick yelded it on honorable conditions ¶ The Battaile of Barrow fought betweene Mounsieur de Boisot the admiral of flissinghen Iulian de Romero Campe maister of the Tierce of Sicicile the second day of Ianuarie An. 1574. Out of Cornelio FLissingen the Kaye of the low Câ—â—â—trie standing at the mouth of the riuer of Scheld thâ—â—â—â—unneth by Antwerpe a great part of Holand as we tould you in the last battaile being reuolted from the Spaniard forces repayring vnto Flissing out of EnglaÌ„d ScotlaÌ„d France Germanie the low countries they became so mightie namely by sea that they streightly beséeged Middlebourg their neighbour the chiefe citie of the Isle of Walachren and their fléete was so mightie coÌ„monly called by the name of Vribuiters that they excéeded the number of 150. saile and had in An. 1572. discomfited the fléete of the Duke of Medina Celi consisting of xxv Saile but most Merchants of Spaine Portugall and Italie setting vpon them vpon a sodayne who knew nothing of this reuolt and tooke twelue of their shippes with a prise of aboue 600000. Crownes whereof 200000. was in readie coyne This dyd set the Prince of Orang the head of the Protestants opprobiously called Geux so on slote that as I said he did in a maner take al traficke froÌ„ Antwerpe had brought the towne of Middelbourg into extreme necessitie of all necessaries to relieue the which lacke being a matter of so great consequence as the cutting of all trafick and victualles by Sea from Antwarpe Lewes Requesenes the great Commendador of Castilia who lately succéeded the Duke of Alua in the gouerment of the low Countries thought he might not neglect without his perpetuall reproch contempt of his name power and person for euer if at his first comming he should léese a place of that momeÌ„t Wherefore séeing that he could not victuall Middelbourg vnlesse he did defaite the strong fléete that laye before it he determined to assemble and to gather together into one all his dispersed nauall forces To effect the which desseine he commaunded Sanchio Dauila the Castellane of Antwerp to saile with certaine great shippes from Antwerpe downe the Hont towards Flissing and not farre from the point of Tergoes to expect the comming of Iulian de Romero the Campe maister of the Tierce of Sicile who should set forth from Bergen op Soome downe the Scheld with a nauie of xxx great Hoies and small shippes verie well appointed in whome he had embarqued besides Flemings Wallons tenne bandes of Spaniards so that both fleetes méeting together about the point of Tergoes might with ioyned forces passe thorough to Middelbourg and encouÌ„ter the Princes fléete if they would assay to stop their passage Sanchio Dauila was so sharpe sette on this
counsaile of the towne for to consult what was best to be done In the ende it was determined that the Colonell of the companies of Bourgogne called the manne of Gibrao should issue out at one gate with one thousand Harquebuziers of his Regiment and the Counte Reux with as many at an other for to skirmish with the enimies on two sides not onely to the entent to assaie their forces but also to take some of them prisoners of whome they might learne what the enimie was minded to doe When the Souldiours were thus issued out the enimie receaued them in suche sorte that Don Iohns men were forced to retyre â—ncontinentlie with some litâ—le losse but yet neuer the lesse with two prisoners the which was it that they dyd desire by whome they knew that the armie was conducted and gouerned by the Lord de Gugny in the absence of the Conte Lalaing that they had charge to retire themselues that night vnto the towne of Giblou néere Louuaine and that for this effect the artillerie had alreadie begunne to march and they dyd also particularly declare many other things that were enquired of them When Don Iohn vnderstoode this he caused the men of armes that were there abouts to be assembled and at the breake of daye he found there eight Coronets of horsemen Italians and Spaniards together with whome Don Iohn issued out of the towne with intent onely to take a view of his enimies or to giue them some skirmish as they had done the day before The enimie that saw him conte with this troupe of sixe huÌ„dreth men stayed although they were in march and shewed them their faces they aranged theyr troupes and placed a good part of their best souldiours who were Frenchmen in an embush betwéene trées that grew there Then afterward they did set the horsemen on the left hand of their esquadron and the front was all of Mosquetayres in such sort that the arriereward came to make the auantgard and with it ioyned the battaile because that the auantgard hauing begun to march forward galantly could not come in good time The Lord of Gugny shewed great valoure and industrie in setting in array such an Armie within so short a time séeing he dyd dispose it so well as though he had had long time to haue done it and in such sort as if it should haue encountred with a great armie He composed his rereward which was first to be charged reenforced as wel with mosquetaires as with six thousand horse of thrée companies of braue valiant French footemen and xxiiii companies of Walons who were two regiments the one gouerned by the Conte de Eghmont and the other by the Conte de la March otherwise called the Lord of Lumay He had in the battaile xiii companies of English men and Scottes and two other regiments of Flemings the Colonels of whom were the Counte de Bossu and the Lord of Champagnie In the auantgard were the regiments of the Lord Montignie and the Lord de Heze both which regiments were either of them of ten or twelue companies and euerie companie had 150. men They had also besides many other Gentlemen that serued on their owne charges in hope of aduancement The kings campe séeing this good diligence entertained them still by little and little making a stand as they that had neither forces nor intent to ioyne in battaile with their enimies vntill such time as a Captaine of a companie of Italian horsemen called Mutio aduanced himselfe a little forward with his companie béeing followed of some few souldiers and so betwéene the one and the other there beganne a skirmish when the kings men had so valiantlie charged and ventured so farre that it séemed verie hard and dangerous for them to returne backe and to retire by reason that the Frenchmen and the mosquetaires shewed by their first furie great resistaunce and gaue an honourable charge on the Spaniards but with little damage the Prince of Parma séeing this buckled down his helmet and taking his shéelde made a shew as though hée would encounter them hauing lefte the footemen at a corner of the horsemen who were seauen hundreth men and nine Ensignes of the Ordinaunces euerie Esigne of fiftie men of arms and an hundreth and fiftie archers whom wee doe call light horse The intent of Don Iohn was nothing lesse than to fight considering as wée haue tolde you the small number that hée had but hée made semblance that hée would doe it staying for mo of his people for his whole armie followed that hée might retire safelie But when the Prince of Parma that was formost in the field with a valiant knight called the Lord of Billy otherwise Colonell Robles aduanuced to encounteâ— and charge his enimies they siedde at the first reâ—â—counter without anie resistance and flying they ouerranâ—â—â—â—d desâ—â—ted the esquadron of their owne footâ—â—â—â— which were in the waie that they shoulde passe And 〈◊〉 meane time the people of Don Iohn being come in followed the horsemen that fled and perfected the defait of the esquadron and slue still following the victorie vntill they draue them into Giblow Besides those that were slaine there were taken prisoners about foure hundred souldiours and of the principall Captaines aboue thirtie among whom was the Lord of Gugny who was taken by the verie same souldiour that at another time had taken him in the towne of Antwerpe They gained 70. Ensignes of footemen and many Cornets of horsemen and all the monie that they had to paie the souldiours good store of munition and sixe peeces of artillerie After this Don Iohn diuided his armie into two partes and sent the one vnder the conduct of Signeur de Hierges to Bouinges whether the Frenchmen and certaine Almanes were fied he himself went with the other vnto Giblou whether the noblest and best of his enimies their armie were retired Who considering the present furie and the small hope that they had of succour yeelded them selues to the mercie of Don Iohn who chose amongst them twelue of the best to remaine prisoners whome he sent to the Castle of Namur for to exchange for other if occasion required the rest he sent awaie with a sticke in their hande without anie weapon vnto the estates and yet neuerthelesse amiablie receiued them that would turne to the kings sernice The Lord Hierges did as much to Bouinges for after that the artillerie had made a brech those within neuer staied assault but yéelded the next daie in the morning with the same conditions that they of Giblou did were vsed in like sort There were slaine saith Dinoth in this iourney on the states their side 10000. and but ten men on the victours part After this ourthrow Don Iohn tooke Louaine Tilemont Arescot Sichenen Diest Spie Niuelle Philippe ville and the whole Dutchie of Limburg The battaile of Couwenstein dike neere Antwerpe fought betweene Alexander Prince of Parma and Monsieur de Haultan the Admirall of Flissing
and Monsieur Saint Aldegonde the 26. of May in Anno. 1581. WHen the Prince of Parma had taken awaie the vse of the riuer of Scheld from the Citie of Antwerp by building of a bridge ouer the riuer The Citizens and their confederates of Holand and Zeland attempted to cut out Couwenstein dike and to bring the course of the riuer to Antwerpe that waie To the which intent the 26. daie of Maie the Antwerpians hauing sent that euening twelue ships against the bridge hoping that through the violent force of them it might be broken did that night about thrée of the clocke send another fléese against Couwenstein dike the which the enimie kept And the like was done on the other side by the Holanders who laie at anker vnder Lillou For first sending certain ships set on fire which shuld be carried against the bridge they incontinentlie after assailed the dike with about an hundreth ships full of olde souldiours and such a furious storme of great shot and so great a showee of small was sent out of those shippes vpon both sides of the dike that the kings men were not able anie longer to defend themselues on the plaine and open dike but hauing lost many of their fellowes were forced to forsake their wards and to retire themselues to safer places In the meane time the states went a shore landing their men and hauing brought with them sackes full of earth wooll other stuffe did with incredible celeritie raise them vp fortifications so that they were defenced with a Rampire and trench as high as their neckes And winning still farther and farther through the helpe of their shippes they hadde gotten more than halfe the dike the which they dyd cutte thorough in cleauen places They defended their Nations wards for the space of sixe houres together within which time they had slaine many of the valiantest Captaines and souldiers on the kings side for they sent so great force and store of shot against the kings men that they not onelie tare all their bulwarkes and fortifications but also rent almost all their artillerie and made them of no vse Now when that the Spanish state was almost desperate and the Prince standing vp to the wast in water did driue his souldiours against the enimie with his sword drawen a Spaniard called Peter de Padillia a souldier of the Tierce of Peter de Paz taking courage againe did with eight of his fellowes first renue the charge on the States but hée was slaine in the attempt and his right hand cut off by the enimie In the meane time the kings men gathering together their forces dyd verie resolutelie with all their power assayle the munition that the Antwerpians had made and bent their thrée péeces of artillerie which onelie were lefte them whole against it When they first planted their batterie there was a verie thicke mist which by little and little vanished awaie so that the Maister of the Ordinaunce might sée the enimies campe a farre of and more certainlie leuell his péeces The kings souldiours dyd twice assault this fortification and were twice repelled but at the third assault they sighting with irresistable valour wanne the trench and slue all that were within it and the rest hasting to their shippes were parte slaine parte taken and part drowned The valour of the Almanes did appeare singular in this fight of whose prowesse almost all men had now despaired Those that were in the shippes disdaining to giue place fought so long that the tide lefte them and laide their ships drie so that they could not get them from the Flats By this meanes thrée and thirtie ships were taken a great number of men slaine and mightie store of artillerie and other warlike furniture taken There was found in the shippes many dead bodies of them that had béene slaine with the Ordenance that was shot from the dike The kings men vnderstood by the prisoners that two thousand of Antwerpians were slaine in fight and many also drowned and that among other shippes there was one taken that carried the sonnes of very rich Merchants but all the men in her were slaine Moreouer not a few of the Holanders Zelanders were slaine among whome are numbred the Lord of Haultan the gouernour of Flissing two Colonells of Scottes and English but in trueth there was no English Colonel slaine there xiiii other Captains and xxix Gentlemen On the kings side were found missing about 400. or as other report 300. Italians and Spaniards among whome were diuers renowmed Captaines Colonells who were most of them hurt and slaine from the Holand shippes For whilest the Antwerpians fought on the Dike a front the enimie the Holanders that kept themselues in their shippes plagued with their artillerie the sides of their enimies This fight endured from thrée of the clocke in the morning vntill about two in the afternoone and was fatall to Antwerpe for after that time no forces were assembled nor enterprise practised to relieue the Citie which yéelded in August folowing ¶ The Battaile of Pescherias fought by sea vpon the coast of Grece betweene the Nauie of the Christian league vnder the conduct of Don Iohn de Austria and the Turkish fleete gouerned be Haly Bassa the viii of Octobar 1572. Out of Peter Contarini WHen Selini the second the great Turke had falsely on a sodaine broken the firme league of his Father with the Venetians and inuaded with a mightie Armie the Ilande of Cyptus appâ—â—teining vnto the Venetians they entred into a 〈◊〉 offensiue and defensiue against all the enimies of the â—â—â—stian name with Philip the king of Spaine aâ—◠〈◊〉 Quintus the Bishop of Rome and Don Iohn de 〈◊〉 base brother vnto the king of Spaine was ordained Generall and high Admirall of the Nauie armie of the league with whome were ioyned in Commission the high Admirall and Generall of the Venetians and of the Pope with decrée that to bée executed which should be allowed ano approued of them all thrée or else of anie two of them For the execution of this league Don Iohn departed from Spaine with fortie seauen Gallies and after he had béene at Genoa and Naples about necessaries touching men munition victuals he ariued at Messina in Sicile where Mark Antonie de Colonna and Sebastian Veneri the Admiralls of the Pope and Venetians had staied for him with their Nauies and also the foure Gallies of the great maister of Malta There were come thether also the Ambassadours of Venice for to signifie vnto the Admiralles of the consederates how the Turkish Nauie did so much hurt on the coast of Slauonie and also to bée instant on them for spéedie succour The next daie after when the thrée Admiralls or Generalles met accompanied and assisted with other men of account for to consult what was best to bée done Veneri tolde them that of a certaintie the Fleete of Candie would also bee there verie shortlie But when almost all men doubted
good indifferent greate many of them that serued without paie other authors doe make the number of them two thousand So then Don Iohn de Austria the Admirall Generall of the league Marke Antonie de Colonna the high Admiral of the Popes power Sebastian Veneri the Admirall of the Venetian forces consulted what was best for them to attempt there were also present at this consultation the great Comendador of the knights of Malta Ascanio de Cornia Andrew Doria Augustine Barbarigo Marke Quirino Antonio Canali the Secretarie of the Venetians with the Scribe and sometime also the Princes of Vrbine and Parma Paulo Iordano Orsino the Marques de Sant Cruz other among whom Ascanius de Cornia after he had heard many mens opinions spake to this effect For two or thrée causes onelie most Honourable may a Generall with honour refraine to ioyne in battaile with his enimie Of whome the first is if hée shall gaine lesse profite by the fruite of the victorie than hée maye feare detriment if hée happe to bée ouerthrowen whereof take this example When the Duke of Guyse not many yéeres agoe had inuaded the kingdome of Naples the Duke of Alua had done vnwiselie if hée would haue giuen him battayle for the French could haue lost no more in that battayle than their armie but if the victorie had inclined to the French partie wée dyd leese with our armie the kingdome of Naples too The second is if he doe vnderstand that his enimies armie will bée broken and scattered without fight whereof the inuincible Emperour Charles the fift your Highnesse his Father of sacred memorie maye bée an example For when hee made warres against the Protestants in Germame he wold neuer ioyne in battaile with them because hée vnderstood that their armie would bée dispearsed without battaile neither could the strength of that league long indure and continue Finallie for a third cause may a Generall shunne battaile if he doe know that his power is so much inferiour to his enimies that hée can in no wise hope for victorie But most Honourable none of the former causes dubtlesse can moue vs for although the losse of this Nauie of the Christians bée a matter of verie great consequence as some haue sayde before mée and that wée doe graunt that the victorie will fall on our enimies side yet notwithstanding if wée do fight valiantlie as it becommeth vs it is likelie also that their Nauie will bée so sore shaken and spoiled that it cannot bée easilie and lightlie repaired by the Turke neither againe are our Princes of so small strength that they shall not bée able to repaire our power at the least as much as shall bée sufficient for to defend their owne But if that we doe obtaine the victorie then whereas wée may hope for other greater matters than speciallie the enfranchisement of Greece Moreouer the which we ought chiefelie to consider and holde for a certaine as I haue often admonished also héeretofore that we can doe nothing neither with this present power neither with anie other that shall bée supplied vnto vs hereafter nor doe anie thing of moment agaynst the Turkes except that we haue first desaited and broken their Nauie But that it will be dispearsed through wearinesse or lacke of things necessarie we cannot hope but rather our enimies may promise themselues the same of vs. Séeing then that our power is now so great that we may hope for victorie in battaile mine opinion is that in anie wise wée ought to fight neither is this present occasion in anio ease to be let slippe But whether our forces be so great as theirs that in déede is to be considered The forces consist as farre as I can conceiue in men and in gallies As for the men yea although they be such as it hath sayd before me that is to wit that the Spaniardes and Italians are for the greater parte fresh water Souldiours and of small experirience and also that the Almanes are of small seruice in Sea fight and that there is but a small number of Harquebuziers amonge them yet I doe not see howe our enimies can by anie meanes be in this point better furnished both by reason of the great plague that we doe vnderstand raged and raigned in their nauie the last yéere and also because they are forced to haue a great armie in Ciprus But now of the greatnesse of their Nauie we doe heare diuerse reportes so that I cannot pronounce of certaintie whether that ours bée the greater of the smaller For séeing I am smallie experimented in sea affaires I cannot tell with how many or how great common gallies and Foists of the Turkes our great Gallies may bee matched wherefore I will leaue the iudgement of these things vnto other This onelie I doe pronounce and thinke that wée must trie fortune for warre matters cannot so be managed but that fortune may doe much in them Therefore let vs departe hence with this Fléete and saile either towards Brindisi or Corfu for when wée shall bée so néere our enimies wée shall bée able to vnderstand some certaintie of their state and thereby take aduise and vnlesse some difficultie of getting victualls doe let I doe thinke it better that we saile to Corfu than to Brindisi because the enimie must néeds passe that waie when he saileth into the Leuant But before wée doe departe hence I doe thinke that wée must first and chiefelie doe one thing and that is fullie and assuredlie to determine with our selues that wée must fight and let this bée the firme and fixed resolution of vs that whensoeuer wée shall light vpon our enimies that wée will assaile them and to this ende let all thinges bée before hand disposed and ordered For if wée goe hence doubtfull then wée shall bée forced to take aduice at the verie instant and if wée doe chaunce to fall vpon our enimies on a sodaine wée béeing out of order and vncertain what to do shall easilie bée ouerthrowen and scattered And these are the things most Honourable that I doe thinke wée ought to doe but yet so that I will willinglie subscribe to them of more skill When Cornia had made an ende of his spéech all men assented to that he had sayd for they being forced by necessitie did vnderstād that this was the onely way to doe wel for to set vppon the enimie couragiously when occasion should be offered Wherefore Don Iohn that he might omit nothing that dyd beséeme a good Generall commaunded what euery man should doe afterward and how and in what order they should goe foorth He deuided all the Nauie into foure battailes that is to wit two winges a middle battaile which they called the fight and secret succours In the eight wing were 53. Galleies vnder the conduct of Iohn Andrew Doria and they had a gréene flagge in the toppe of the mast The left wing consisted of the like number of galleies and were ledde by Augustine Barbarigo with a yelow
The Elengina of the Popes Fabio Valciati Knight 12 The Ladie of Cania Phillippe Polani 13 The sea horse of Candy Antonie de Cabellis 14 The double Lion of Candie Nicolas Fratello 15 The Lion of Istria Dominicke de Tacco Before these vveÌ„â— Ambrose Bragadinâ— vvith his galeaze 16 The crosse of Cefalenia Marke Cimera 17 The Saint Virginia of Cefalenia Christopher Chrissa 18 The Lion of Candie Frances Bonacchio 19 The Christ of Candie Andrew Cornelio 20 The Angell of Candie Iohn Angelo 21 The Pyramis of Candie Frances Bono 22 The Ladie of Candie with the armed horse Antonie Eudomeniano 23 The Chrit raised again of Venice Simon Goro 24 The Christ raised again of Venice Federicke Reniere 25 The Christ of Corfu Christopher Condocolli 26 The Christ raised again of Cania Geogge Calergio 27 The Christ of Venice Barthelmew Donata 28 The Christ raised againe of Vegia Lewes Cicuta 29 The Retimana Nicolas Auonali 30 The Christ of Candie Iohn Cornelio 31 The Christ raised againe of Cania Frances Zancaruolo 32 The Rodus of Cania Frances Molino 33 The Saint Euphemia of Brescia Horacio Fisogna 34 The Ladie Marques of Doria Frances Sphedra 35 The fortune of Andrew Iohn Lewes Belui 36 The arme of Cania Michael Vizamano 37 The Sea horse of Venice Antonie de Cauallis 38 The Christ of Cania Daniel Calefatio 39 The arme of Venice Nicolas Lipomano 40 The our Lady of ZaÌ„te Nicolas Modino Before these galleies vveÌ„t Antonie Bragadini vvith his galeaze 41The Christ raised againe of Cania Frances Zancaruolo 42 The our lady of Venice Marke Antonie Pisano 43 The God the father vp-the Trinitie Iohn Contarini 44 The flame of Naples Iohn Cueua 45 The S. Iohn of Naples Garzias Vorgaro 46 The enuie of Naples Toribio Acaueso 47 The valiant of Naples Michael Quesada 48 The S. Iacobea of Naples Monserratto Guardiolo 49 The Saint Nicolaico of Naples Christopher Mongiua 50 The Christ raised again of Venice Iohn Baptista Quirini 51 The Angell of Venice Vmfrey Iustiniano 52 The Saint Dorethe of Venice Paule Nani 53 The Admiral of Venice Marke Antonie Quirini prouiditore of the VenetiaÌ„ Nauie In the middle Battaile which they called the fight this was the order of the Captaines Admirals and Galleies The names of the Galleies The names of the Captains 1 The Admirall of Lomelina Paulus Iordano Orsino the Admirall of that fléete 2 The maister Lomelina Peter Baptista Lomelino 3 The Admirall Bandinella Bendinello Sauli the Admirall of that fléete 4 The maister of Genoa Pallerano 5 The Toscano of the popes Metello Caracciolo knight 6 The man of the sea of Vicenza Iames Dressano 7 The our lady of Venice Iohn Zeno. 8 The Saint Hieronima of Lesina Iohn Balzi 9 The Saint Ioannica of Venice Iohn Antonie Colleoneo 10 The Saint Alexandrica of Bergomo George D'Asti Admirall 11 The Admirall Marina Hierome Canali 12 The log of Venice  13 The Mongibello of Venice Bertucco Contarini Frances Dandalo 14 The virgin of Candie Ciprian Marini 15 The temperance of Iohn Andrew Doria Vincentius Pascali 16 The good fortune of Naples Roccano Fuluio 17 The castle of Spaine Baccio Pisano 18 The victorie of the popes  19 The Pyramis of M. Antonie of S. Vliana 20 The Christ of Venice Hierome Contarini 21 The S. Frances of Spain Christopher Guasches 22 The peace of the popes Iames Antonie Perpignano 23 The perle of Iohn Andrew Doria Iohn Baptista Spinola 24 The Whéele Serpentin of Venice Gabriel Canali 25 The Pyramis of Venice Frances Bono 26 The Palme of Venis Hierome Veneri 27 The Admirall of Gillio Andrada Bernard Cinoguerra Paule Botein 28 The Granado of Spain Hector Spinola with the Prince of Parma 28 The Admirall of Genoa  29 The Admirall of Venice Sebastian Veneri the Admirall of the Venetian fleet 30 Behind the pup of the high Admirall Generall Veneri was the Maister Roiall  31 The gallie roiall Don Iohn of Austria chiefe Generall of the league 32 The Admirall of the great Comemdador which defenced Don Iohn and Colonna at the pup  33 The Popes Admirall Marke Antonio de Colonna high Admirall of the popes Nauie 34 The Admirall of Sauoy The Lorde Leiny with the Prince of Vrbine 35 The Grifonia of the Popes Alexander Nigroni 36 The Saint Theodoro of Venice Theodoro Balbi 37 The Mendozza of Naples Martino de Caide 38 The Mountaine of Cania Alexander Vizamano 39 The Saint Iohn Baptist of Venice Iohn Mocenigo 40 The victorie of Iohn Andrew Doria Philip Doria 41 The Pisana of the popes Hercules Lotta 42 The Figiera of Spaine Diego Lopes de Diglia 43 The Christ of Venice George Pisano 44 The Saint Iohn of Venice Daniel Moro. 45 The Florence of the Popes Thomas di Medici 46 The S. George of Naples Eugenio de Vargas 47 The maister of Naples Frances Benauides 48 The Moone of Spaine Emanuel Aguilar 49 The Passera of Venice Lewes Pasqualigo 50 The Lion of Venice Peter Pisano 51 The Saint Hierome of Venice Caspar Malipetro 52 The Admirall of Grimaldi George Grimaldi the Admirall 53 The maister of Dauid Imperiali Nicolas Luano 54 The Saint Christopher of Venice Alexander Contarini 55 The Iudith of Zante Marino Sicuro Frances Dundo Captaine of the galeaâ—â—â— 56 The Larmelina of Candie Peter Gradenigo 57 The middle Moone of Venice Valerio Valeresso 58 The Doria of Iohn Andrew Doria Iames Casali 59 The order of S. Peter Santubio 60 The order of S. Iohn Lewes Tessera 61 The Admiral of Malta The Prior of Messina Admirall 62 The Admirall of Sicile Iohn de Cardona the Admirall who yet went before when they sailed 2 The Piemontan of Sauoy Octauiano Moreto 3 The Admirall of Nicolas Doria Pandulfo Polidoro 4 The force of Venice Reniero Zeno. 5 The Quéene of Candie Iohn Barbarigo 5 The Nino of Venice Paule Polani 7 The Christ raised againe of Venice Benet Soranzi 8 The armed man of Retima Andrew Calergi 9 The Eagle of Retima Andrew Calergi 10 The Palme of Cania Iames Medio 11 The Angell of Corfu Stellio Carchiopulo 12 The S. Ioannica Arbera Iohn de Dominis 13 The Ladie Frauica Lewes Cipico 14 The ship of Venice Antonie Pasqualigo 15 The our Ladie of CaÌ„dy Marke Foscarino 16 The Christ of Crema Frances Corneri 17 The Saint Victorio of Crema Euangelist Zurlano 18 The maister of Grimaldi Laurence Treccha 19 The maister of Marini Antonio Cornili 20 The Margarit of Sauoy Bataglino 21 The Diana of Genoa Iohn George Lasagna 22 The Gingana of Naples Gabriel Medino 23 The Moone of Naples Iulio Rubbi 24 The fortune of Naples Diego Medran 25 The hope of Naples Peter Busto 26 The furâ—e of Lomelino Iames Chiappeo 27 The maister of Lomelino Georgo Greco 28 The Negrona Nicolas Costano 29 The bastard Negrona Laurenzo de Turri 30 The fire of Candie Antonie Bono 31 The Eagle of Candy Hierome Georgio 32 The S. Chistopher of Venice Andrew Trono
33 The Christ of Venice Marke Antonie Lando 34 The hope of Candie Hierome Conarini 35 The Reatila of Padoa Pataro Buzacarino 36 The S. Iosephica of Venice Frances Osedo 38 The resolute of Naples Iohn de Carasse 39 The Sicilia of Sicilia Frances Amadeo 40 The maister of Nicolas Doria Iulio Centaurio 41 The Eagle of Corfu Peter Buono 42 The S. Trifonica of Cataro Hierome Bizanteo Peter Pisano vvith a galcaâ—â— 43 The towre of ViceÌ„za Lewes de Portu 44 The S. Marie of the Popes Pandulfo Strozzi Knight 45 The S. Ioannica of the popes Augulo Bifalio Knight 46 The maister of Nigroni Lewes Gamba 47 The Admirall of Nigroni Iohn Ambrose Nigroni 48 The Monarcha of Iohn Andrew Nicolas Garibaldo 49 The hande maide of Iohn Andrew Nicolas Imperiali 50 The Admirall of Iohn Andrew Iohn Andrew Doria The battaile of succour that followed behinde for a gard had these Gallies and Captaines The names of Gallies The names of Captaines 1 The S. Ioannica of Sicile  2 The Baccana Iohn Peter Morilo 3 The Leina of Naples  4 The Constancie of Naples Peter Delagia 5 The Marchesia of Naples Iohn Machado 6 The Saint Barbara of Naples Iohn Aschaleo 7 The Saint Andrew of Naples  8 The Saint Catherine of Naples Iohn Rufio de Valasques 9 The Saint Barthelmew of Naples  10 The Saint Angelo of Naples  11 The Terana of Naples Iohn de Ripa Meillino 12 The Christ of Venice Marke Molino 13 The double hande of Venice Iohn Loredano 14 The Admirall of Naples Aluares de Bazan Marques de Sante Cruz. 15 The faith of Venice Iohn Baptista Contarini 16 The piller of Venice Caterino Malipetro 17 The Magdalen of Venice Lewes Balbi 18 The Ladie of Venice Iohn Bembo 19 The Minidus of Venice Philippe Leo. 20 The hope of Venice Iohn Baptista Benedicto 21 Saint Peter of Venice Peter Baduato 22 Saint George of Sabenica Christopher Lucicho 23 The Saint Michael George Cochio 24 The Sybilla of Venice Daniel Trono 25 The Crane of Spaine Lewes de Hereda 26 The Admirall of Vaschedo Veschedo Coranado 27 The Suprana of the Popes Antonie de Ascoli Peter Roises 28 The Occasion of Spain  29 The maister of the popes  30 The faire weather of the popes  The Nauie being thus distributed they sailed forth and euerie man was carefull for his charge the which that it might bée the more exactlie done the Generall had also appointed a Captaine ouer euerie 20. gallies who shuld dilygentlie looke that this order were obserued by them all So they sailed to Cefalonia where they receiued Letters from Paule Contarini the gouernour of the Isle of Zante that signified how the enimies fléete was in the gulfe of Patras in ill case and that fortie vessels were gone awaie vnder the gouernment of Oluzali towards Modone nor long after they receiued Letters from Famagosta Which things béeing knowen our men were full perswaded that they ought to goe forward and to assaile the enimie But whether in the meane time were our enimies idle for when Ali their high Admirall was come to Lepanto within the gulfe of Patras the 28. of September he sent Mehemet Bey with thrée score galleyes to Aspropitio a Citie within that gulfe for to bring thence victualls and speciallie souldiours that he might be redie for all euents And he had now dispatched the matter and being returned hadde brought besides victualls and other necessaries 10000. Ianizares 2000. common souldiours and as many voluntarie In the meane time he had vnderstoode that our fléete was come from Corfu to Cefalenia but of the greatnesse thereof or what they meant to doe he had yet learned no certaintie for although that Caracoza being sent to take view of our Nauie had brought word backe that hée had dilygentlie surueied it and that there were not in it aboue 150. Galleyes yet that was false But yet notwithstanding as though they did fore-sée their misfortune all in the fléete were afraide Wherefore Ali albeit he was fullie resolued to fight yet for that cause and reason he thought good to consult with the principall men that he had with him what was to be done héerein before that he did put these newe aides and supplie into his gallies Wherevpon hauing called together all the chiefe men of marke and authoritie and the most skilfull in martiall matters he gaue euerie man large leaue fréelie to vtter what they thought They sate long in counsaile for many to gratifie Ali whom they knew was resolued to fight affirmed that fortune was to bée tried neither on the contrarie part were there few that subscribed vnto Portau Bassa the Generall of the souldiours who held it stiflie that they ought in no case to sight Thus when diuerse opinions were spoken by diuerse men Hassan Bassan the sonne of Barbarossa sometime king of Argier hauing craued license to speake and laying his hande vpon his breast according to the vsage of that Nation spake to this effect Most excellent and mightie aboue all other beloued and aduanced by the maiestie of our most inuincible Emperor vnto the highest degrée of glorie men most desirous to doe seruice vnto the immesurable glorie of our Emperor which is the shadowe and spirite of the liuing God for euer and euer These Idolaters are in diuine matters worse than beastes and enimies of the true sonne of God Therefore I woulde not haue you doubt whether their Nauie ought to bée assailed and taken For besides those signes that many before mée haue wiselie rehearsed wée may certainlie knowe by the prisoners that these men are of the same Nation and gathered together after the same order that they were that thirtie yéeres agoe béeing ioyned together with a great number of Galleyes in these verie same seas were broken by Hariadin Barbaressa my Father with so greate facilitie that hée neuer néeded to doe so much as once to brawe his sword For although they had a greater Nauie than my Father had yet as soone as they sawe the beakes of our Gallies and heard the crie and valiant féese of our men they betooke them to flight for they are so faint hearted that they runne awaie as soone as they doe heare of our name Besides this they being blended together of diuerse Nations doe mutuallie hate one another neither wil anie one of them obey another the which is a matter of verie great moment in an armie there be a great number of Gallies of diuerse Princes come together not for to expose themselues to anie perill for their common defence but that they may séeme to haue a great Nauie They be blasphemers despisers of God apparelled and furnished with rich and precious clothes and armour and laden with monie But we on the other side are ignorant what blasphemie is and doe mutuallie loue and reuerence one another and are met together héere in armes to this onelie end that we may doe our onelie Emperor alwaies inuincible Prince
seruice in fight And séeing that al our men haue assembled to this end they will with one minde obey your valiant aduises and chieflie because they doe know that ye are the lieuetenants of our Emperor himselfe therfore fighting as it beseemeth valiant and well appointed men will carrie awaie assured victorie And this we may the more lightly hope because we haue 280. vessells well furnished of whom 200. are common Gallies and fiftie small Gallies all of them passing well armed to the augmentation of whose power strength yet more and to the farther encouragement of our most valiant men if that ye do distribute put into the gallies the 14000. men the came verie latelie also those of the Leuant that are in the 20. foists we shal rest assured of the victorie although we doe grant that our enimies are valiant men But now we doe certainlie know as we haue learned of our fellow Caracoza a verie wise man that they haue but 150. gallies furnished with such men as I told you before Wherefore most valiant and wise Gentlemen séeing that we do suffientlie know their state goe forward ye shall finde them in the vale of Alexandria and dispearsed along that shoare more giuen to idlenesse ease delights and delicatenes than is méete for warriours so that thereby ye shall take them al without difficultie for when they shall sée our Fléete they either flying awaie will runne on the shore and suffer shipwracke or else they will light and fall on our Nauie and be taken But that I maye comprehend all the matter in fewe wordes we haue the greater number of vessels and them also better furnished than our enimies verie valiant and skilfull souldiours wherefore wée must not let slip this occasion offered vs to fight with them that are so much inferiour vnto vs in number prowesse and experience and speciallie séeing that thereby wée shall execute the commandement of our high and mightie Emperour whose glorie shall indure for euer and winne our selues immortall praise but ye namelie shall performe that which yée promised vnto this our supreame Emperour when he appointed you in his owne place for to conduct this most mightie Nauie The same arguments vsed also at that time Oluzali the Chieftaine of the forces of Barbarie vsing a long spéech of the power of the Turkes and of the commandement and anger of the great Emperour of the Turkes who as also Cayabeg the Sanzach of Smyrne shewed with an effectuall spéech that neither they ought nor coulde without shame let passe this occasion to destroie the same Christians hauing now a lesser power séeing that they had alwayes ben defaitad and spoiled héeretofore by the souldiours of Ottoman the great Emperour of the Turkes although they had a fléete farre better furnished than theirs But of a flat contrarie minde were Syrocke the Sanzach or gouernour of Alexandria and Carabiue the Captain of Suurasar both verie ancient Captaines and singularlie well experimented in sea affaires and many other besides But Mehemet Bey the Sanzach of Nigreponto who somtime had gouerned Barbarie going about to extinguish this hot fire of Hassan Bassa spake to this sense I doe thinke and iudge most prudent péeres that the wordes the Hassan Bassa hath spoken are signes and tokens of a verie valiant man and namelie of him that desireth in all things to obey our most inuincible Lorde and king of kings who draweth his sword with the arme of God and liueth for euer and euer yet notwithstanding séeing it so pleaseth you the Bassaes your excellencies who next after our supreame Emperour doth deserue this Empire of Ottaman I will also speake what I doe thinke doubtlesse it is likelie the our enimies would not haue come in this far vnlesse they had before diligentlie learned out our strength forces wherefore it must néedes be that they haue a power at the least equall to ours or else greater because that otherwise they would neuer haue come thus farre Of the which thing this may bée an argument that they themselues may easilie knowe that the hope of kéeping and conseruing of the rest of their dominions and Empire that is left them or of recouering that which they haue lost doth lie in this onelie Nauie Therefore let vs not beléeue that this Fléete of our enimies hath come hether for to expose them selues to manifest perill and to cast awaie themselues wilfullie the which they must néedes doe if their Nauie be so simple as it hath béene painted out vnto vs also so small as our fellow Caracoza yet a man of great prowesse hath affirmed I for mine owne parte doe surelie thinke that a Nauie that commeth from Sicile thus farre to séeke their enimie speciallie at this time of the yéere is verie well appointed and doth come with certaine aduise and purpose to fight with hope to obtaine the victorie And if we doe diligentlie wey the thing we vnderstand that the reports of the Christian prisoners doe in all pointes agrée héerewithall for if they would onelie vantinglie and vainlie shew themselues and then flie awaie what néede they to haue come so farre vp into these our seas What That they flying awaie might léese all Wherefore grounding your selues vppon these arguments thinke that the Nauie of our enimies is verie strong and hath determined to fight with vs séeing that they are come vp thus farre not prouoked nor forced by vs but of their owne accord Neither haue wée reason to compare this fléete with that which our men in former yéeres did put to flight at Preuesa For this league of the Christian Princes against vs is another manner of thing than that which was made thirtie yéeres agoe the preparation other the skil in warfare other so that ther is no proportion betwéene them In that fléete were many and diuerse Generalls but little wisedome and that was the cause that they fled In this Nauie is Iohn of Austria the sonne of the Emperour Charles the fift and the brother of Philip the king of Spaine a verie valiant man and one excited by his Fathers glorie and inuited by the supreame degrée of honour that he hath obtained in this league through his brother finallie one beloued and reuerenced of all the whole Nauie the Captaines and Souldiours with one common consent And therefore without all doubt he will giue vs battaile neither without hope of victorie Moreouer the Venetians because they haue béen so déeplie endamaged by vs can being almost mad for anger séeke nothing else but reuenge that is to wit because we haue flaine so many of their people whom to be all verie valiant men we haue learned by the great losse of many of our men that certes we wil the more easilie beléeue if we do cal to mind how the same Venetians went about the last yéere to giue vs battaile although they had not then entered into league with these other Princes Therefore without doubt they wil fight
him selfe also lesse encouraged by the valour of Colonna and Venien the Admiralls of the Hopes Venetian forces then he himselfe had before confirmed the rest with his owne prowesse For they being now armed had so exhorted prouided and commaunded that they omitted nothing that 〈◊〉 make for the winning of so great a victorie And now the Ensignes of all sorts were aduanced in the masts of euerie Galley and in the high Admiral General Galley of Don Iohn of Austria they hanged soorth the Ensigne of the Holie League where were depainted the armes of the confederate Princes that the heartes of all men might yet be more incensed to prowesse they made a great noise signe of ioye with Drums Trumpets Fiftes other kinde of instruments with a loude voice called vpon God Almightie one in Trinitie Also Priestes going from the puppe of the galley to the stem did exhort all men with effectual words to be valiant for Christ himself would come downe from heauen because they fought for his name and would be present himselfe to help them all By the which exhortations of the Priestes and Admiralls all men were so thoroughly confirmed with concordious consent that they were readie to enter into and to vndertake any daunger But it was much more worthy of admiration that at the very same moment they that vntill that very instant had borne great hatred and vsed extreme enimitie one to an other were then mutinally reconciled one vnto other whervnto they could neuer before be brought neither by intercession of friends nor by Magistrates for feare of punishment Such certes was the power and goodnesse of God that brought to passe that those that persecuted one an other before with deadly hatred did now vppon a sodaine forgetting all miuries mutually embrace one an other But such was the nature of the place where the two fléetes did one happen on thother that it threatned manifest daunger vnto them that would flye both for that the fléetes were now to néere one an other and also because that gulfe of the sea was nothing greater for it was not in compasse round about aboue 250. miles and almost on euerie side inclosed either with the maine land or Ilands the Sea that runneth betwéene them being scarse twentie or fiue twentie miles broade For on the North they had a part of Albania called Natalico which reacheth from the I le of Saint Maura to Lepanto 80 miles in length On the East was the coast of Morea which lyeth out in length 70. miles frō the entrance of the gulfe of Patras to the Cape Torneseo On the South they had the I le of Zante whose length is 25. miles on the West Cefalenia and the I le of S. Maura of whom th one is 40. miles long thother 15. On the coast of Albania almost a mite frō the maine rise vp the 3. Rocks Cruzulari differing in greatnesse but yet neither of them notorious great they are from Lepanto 45. miles from the I le of S. Maura 35. from Cefalenia 70. and finally from Zante 80. miles Now these rockes were to our men as they sayled on the North and they had Lepanto the Gulfe of Patras betwen the East North. Betwene the South the East was a créeke of the sea that runneth in betwene Morea and Zante 25. miles broade They hadde betweene the South and the West the sea that lyeth betwéene Cefalenia and Zante 12. miles broade The gulfe called Viscardo sited to them on the West was but seuen miles broade After that the two fléetes had thus on a sodain vnlooked for descryed one the other they could not auoyde the battaile Wherefore when one about Don. Iohn saide that it were good that a consultation were held before that they descended to the fight Don Iohn auns wered very wisely That now there was neither time nor place left for new counsailes and aduises and that it was enough and enough againe if that euerie man would by fighting valiantly endeuour to execute that which had bene before cōcluded in the coūsaile But our enimies had 270. vessells of whom 200. wer common Gallies fiftie smal galleies and twentie Foistes But they had distributed all this Nauie into foure battailes as also our men had done And the middle battaile Ali himselfe ledde and he had therein nintie Galleies In the middest of whome he abiding was garded on the right side with Portau Bassa and on the left with the Treasurer of the Nauy who did defense him on both sides with eche of them thrée Admiralls The right wing which was opposed against our left had fiftie Galleyes and Mehemet Siroch for Captaine Their left wing which came against our right had 90. Galleies vnder the conduct of Oluzali In the battaile of succour were not aboue ten gallies and 20. Foistes Being thus arranged they came against our men but yet otherwise affected in minde thē they were for Don Iohn Colonna Venieri and the rest of our Captaines and voluntarie men yea and all the whole fléete had with one consent determined to fight and therefore they went foorth to méete with their enimies not onely with entent to fight but also with good hope to obteine the victorie But the Turkish Bassaes with the rest of the Pyrates and the whole Nauy went to méete our men with this minde that they dyd assuredly think that they would flye insomuch that they measured the euent of the fight more by their owne light beléefe and their former successe then by comparing of the powers because they could not learne in so short a time the strength of our holie league Wherefore they were in trueth astonned when they comming néerer had séene that the power of our nauie was so great But séeing there was now no time at all left for to consult and they saw that our men drew towards them couragiously they also prepared all things necessarie for fight They aduaunced first very proude and rich Ensignes and then after the maner of that nation the rest of the Galleies being almost filled full of other innumerable Ensignes they vehemently incited all their men to fight valiantly setting before them the fauour of the great Emperour and the hope of an inestimable prise and bootie And yet they had still thought that our men would flye but when the néerer they came the greater they found our mens forces to be then they began to doubt of the matter saw that they must néedes fight But although this was so yet the Captaines omitted nothing that became valiant men For séeing that they sawe but onelie the right wing she middle battaile and the battaile of succour neither could yet sée the left wing because it was hidden by the maine they did not yet suppose the forces of our men to be greater than Caracoza bad reported vnto them But when they had within short time after descried also all the lefte wing and had séene the Galleazes verie happilie rowed forth
receiued of the Citizens with surpassing ioy honour and gratulation For whilest his Father was yet liuing he had perceiued the singular fauour and good will of his subiects and found it also after his death because as long as he liued he sought for nothing else but golden peace and the quietnesse of his subiects and to kéepe them happie and blessed without anie harme Whereby he gathered together so great riches and treasure as scarce anie king that euer liued before him had gotten So Abdallas raigned alone certaine yéeres and kept his Court by turnes one yere at Fesse and two at Marocco vntill such time as hée made an heire apparant and instituted a successor After Abdallas had raigned long time in singular quietnesse and had alone vsed exercised the supreame rule gouernment he determined with himself to abrogate disanul the law the his Father with the péeres of the kingdome had made for the succession in the crowne which should in order still descend alwaies to the elder brother liuing And although that Abdallas did priuelie secretlie practise it with those in whom he reposed greatest trust yet notwithstanding the matter came at length to the notice of his brothers of whom some béeing carefull of their liues and fearing to bée made awaie by some trecherie fled out of the kingdome as Abdelmunen and Abdelmelec who not without passing great perill because there were many priuie awaites laide for them in their iourney by the seruants of their brother Abdallas fledde to Tremissen And béeing there they were curteouslie entertained by the Turkes as young Gentlemen of the bloud rotall And anone after they withdrew themselues to Argier that they might liue more safelte there vnder the defence of the Turkish Emperour When Muley Abdallas who as we told you before priuelie compassed the murther of his brothers that hée might safelie leaue the kingdome to his sonnes heard that they sought to saue them selues by flying out of the Countrie hée dissembling his anger for it greeued him at the heart that some of them had escaped least the rest of his brothers should bée also afraide gathered together all his forces out of hand vnder pretence of going to the Citie of Fes Wherefore being first encamped before the Citie of Marocco and anone after his Campe remooued as though he woulde goe to Fes When he heard that his Brothers were come to salute him hee leauing his youngest brother whose childish yéeres hée contemned staied for them feare daies iourney from the Citie of Fes So then when they were come together and hadde saluted one another it happened that a littie while after they suspecting no ill nor fearing anie falschoode were with monstrous crueltie all thrée beheaded in their Tentes The which thing dyd not pricke the kinges subiectes a little at the heart but déepelie pearced it yet they were forced to dissemble their sorrow After that hée had done this so Tragicall an act hée finished his iourney to Fes to the intent for to thrust his sonne Muley Mahomet vpon the Fessans for their Prince and sole heir of all his kingdomes so force them to sweare faith obedience vnto him For although he had other childreÌ„ and in déede more worthie of the Empire yet because this was his eldest and also for other causes he rathest made choice of him to be his successour Wherfore as soone as hée came to Fes he assembling the States brought the matter to that passe that they gaue their allegeance to his sonne sware to be true liegemen vnto him rather constrained by feare than brought to it by loue and good will towards the Prince or for anie right that he could pretend to the kingdome After he had dispatched these matters and séeing the al things had succéeded as he did wish then that he who was now almost broken with age might passe the rest of his life in quiet idlenesse he returned with his armie to Marocco leaning his sonne in the Citie of Fes for to gouerne that Prouince Things standing in this state in Barbarie the two brothers got then to Argier for to escape and auoide the furie of their brother Muley Abdallas and the younger of them Muley Abdelmelec went to Constantinople Where he did serue so well both by sea and by land that for his noble courage of heart and passing strength of bodie he allured many men to his loue through his valiant acts and victories gotten of his enimies he wan the fame of a great name not onelie among the people but also with the Prince of the Turkes himselfe The which thing got him not onlie singular fauor honor full of good will but also gained him immeasurable riches That I may omit with what how great promises the Emperor of the Turkes loded him in how great hope he did put him that he wold reduce him into his fathers kingdome out of the which he had ben driuen by his brothers iniurie But Muley Abdelmunen that abode at Argier was so simple witted that by the perswasioÌ„ of his brother Abdallas he returned again to Tremissen whether Muley Mahamet â—eÌ„t thrée cut throte villains for to dispatch him out of the way And it fel out to as he wold haue it for when these villains were come to Tremissen they so well eied Abdelmunen the one fridaie as he was praying in the temple they wounded him with an arow of that which wound he died within 2. daies after no auctor of the trecherie and villanous fact being knowen When newes was brought to Abdelmelec at Constantinople of the death of his brother he was verie heartely sory therefore Which caused Solyman themperor of the Turkes to promise him aide to recouer his kingdome But that this promise was not performed the death of Sultan Solyman that followed shortly after was the let But when Sultan Amurathes was come to the Empire now reigneth ouer the Turkes Abdelmelec obteined more fauour and credit then euer he had before About the same time Muley Abdallas fell sick and dyed within thrée daies after in the Citie of Marocco His death was concealed kept close thrée dayes not onely that in the meane time Muley Mahamet who was then in the citie of Fes might be certified of the decease of his father but also least that if his vncles had knowen of the death of their brother Abdallas before him they would make themselues Princes of the citie of Marocco in the possession whereof the state of the kingdome consisted But the subiects bare more good will to the two brothers of Mahamet although they were younger then he But when Mahamet had receaued newes of his Fathers death he caused himselfe to be proclaimed king of Fes and immediatly after went out of the Citie with an armie and came to Marocco the head and Metropolitan citie of the whole kingedome and there although the people were vnwilling dyd assume the dignitie royall no man resisting nor impeaching him
you before he lead forth his armie with purpose to march toward Maroccco for he had heard that Mahamet was in the field with a mightie armie And because he began to be now a little better he being carried in an horse litter marched towards Marocco with sixe thousand harquebuziers twentie thousand horsemen with speare and shéeld two thousand argolets with twentie field péeces On the other side Mahamet being aduertised of his vnkles intent went verie spéedelie out of Marocco with great hast and heate to fight and to trie the right of a kingdome with the perill of his life And because the narration of the order and araie of the battailes which they both vsed maketh almost nothing for the thing that we do purpose we will comprehend all the whole Hystorie in few words So in a certaine valley thrée leagues from the riuer of Sala towardes the West a long the sea coast in a place called Motha Arracahana they encamped where the 29. of Iune at thrée of the clocke in the after noone a cruell and a bloudie battaile was fought in the which the victorie enclined now to Mahamet and then to Abdelmelec his partie But Abdelmelec being a wise a skilfull Captaine when he sawe that night was at hand and that his men although they had a long time laide on with might and maine could not obtaine the victorie and that his enimies resisted stoutlie he going out from the middest of his band and vambrashing his semitarre in his hand compelled his souldiours with thicke blowes to renue the charge and hée himselfe béeing seene among the formost ranne in vpon his enimies with such force and violence that hée forced them to turne their backes shamefullie of whome Mahamet was the first that ranne awaie The victours in this last battaile slue aboue sixe thousand But Abdelmelec sent his brother Hamet for to pursue Mahamet with certaine light horsemen but hée himselfe after he hadde stayed a while for the burying of the dead marched towarde Marocco with his whole armie Mahamet séeking safetie by flight came to Marocco not without the greate infamie of his men followed by a sixe or eight speares and then going into the plaine hée tooke out as much treasure as could bée commodiouslie carried awaie and laide it on fiue Mules staying in the Citie not aboue two houres betooke him againe to flight hasting to escape his vnkles troupes that were not farre off Béeing thus departed out of the Citie with a few horse men he hasted a fling on the spurre towards Mount Atlas now Clario which béeing sixe leagues from Marocco is the sanctuarie and refuge of proscribed and banished men and théeues But leauing Mahamet in the mountaines of Clario let vs returne vnto Abdelmelec He as soone as he had gathered together the spoiles of the vanquished enimies marched with all his armie to Marocco and being ariued there the eight daie after the victorie was receiued with so great pompe ioy as neuer was séene before in those Countries for he had gotten a great fame to bée a good curteous affable and pittifull man towards those in calamitie and was also verie well furnished with many other vertues Then againe the insolencie and tyrannie of Muley Hamet made Abdelmelec the more gratious better beloued of all men As soone as he was entered into the Citie which was the xv of Iulie in the same yéere he began to set in order the politike state of the kingdome that he might shew himselfe to be not onelie valiant in armes and the field but also singular in wisedome for framing of a publike weale For he abrogated many lawes statutes made by his ancestors he vsed passing great curtesie and gentlenesse towards his subiects he also gaue great gifts and largesse diuided victuals among the people applying all his actions to this end that he might by these meanes extend his same and get himselfe immortall glorie aboue all the kings of Africa that went before him Although at the first he was nothing gratious speciallie because that the people were offended with the vnreasonablenesse and vnrulinesse of the Turkes that he had with him because that they as they are proud vnrulie intollerable and lawlesse did verie licentiouslie oppresse the poore Moores which many grieuous iniuries violences but the king did soone rid the Countrie of them sending them awaie by little and little and by two and by thrée at a time so that at the length there remained not aboue 200. whome yet he kept from his companie sight and being brought into order constrained them to liue quietlie without doing harme The which thing made his subiects to turne their loue towards him and they bing moued with the onlie fame of his vertue did offer themselues vnto him most humbly promised him due obedience finallie they with liberall and bountifull mindes brought him a vie great rich and honourable gifts and presents out of all partes and prouinces There were also not a few Christian Princes that did take singular ioy of his friendship and he also on the other side receiued them into his friendship with a most louing heart did thinke himself flourishing in their familiaritie fauour to be a happie and blessed man insomuch that many Christians did continually out of all quarters repaire vnto his kingdome whom he did more loue made more of than he did of any other kind of men that vsed to come into his countries For he gaue thē many great beneuolences vsed thē with wonderful curtesie gentlenesse he also dismissed many frée without ransome gratis of an vnwonted benificence But I will not dwell long vpon this his liberalitie magnificence namely seeing that his noble workes are verie well knowen to the whole worlde through the publike reporte of fame But after he hadde obtained the roiall throne the first thing he did was to appoint who shoulde succéede him in the kingdome and to confirme the lawe made by Muley Mahamet Xeque his Father and therefore hée swore all the péeres of the kingdome vnto his brother Muley Hamet although that he himselfe had a sonne but yet of tender age whom he might haue nominated to be his successour The which thing although it held the nobilitie in suspence with admiration yet incontinentlie incredible feasts triumphs were kept in honour of the new Prince and memorie of the olde law and also the memorie of his granfather Xarif was honourablie mentioned renued by the péeres In the meane time Muley Mahamet who had gotten him to the streights of mount Clario beganne straight waie to gather together some souldiours and among them some outlawes théeues insomuch that he had gathered together fiue hundred harquebuziers and two hundreth horse men with shéelde and Speare Being furnished with which bands he beganne to commit robberies he spoiled those that he met and sacked the villages and places that laie vnder mount Clario and forced their