Majesty of a Kingdom as then when Richard the First King of England passing that way with his Fleet for the relief of the Christians then distressed in the Holy Land about the year 1191 was prohibited there to land and certain of his People by force of Tempest there cast on Shore were by the Cypriots either cruelly slain or taken Prisoners which barbarous violence King Richard took in so evil part that he there by force landed his Army and rested not until he had taken Isaac the King Prisoner and subdued the Island The King he sent in Chains of Silver to Tripolis there to be kept in close Prison the Kingdom he kept a while in his own hand which not long after he gave or as some say exchanged with Guido the titular King of Ierusalem for which cause the Kings of England for a certain time afterwards were honoured with the Title of the Kings of Ierusalem This Kingdom by many descents came at length to Ianus Son of King Peter who in the year 1423 was by Melechel a Sultan of Egypt taken Prisoner but afterwards for the ransom of an hundred and fifteen thousand Sultanins was set at liberty and restored to his Kingdom paying unto the Sultan and his Successors a yearly Tribute of forty thousand Crowns This Ianus left a Son called Iohn who after the death of his Father married the Daughter of the Marquis of Mont-Ferrat after whose death he married one Helena of the most noble House of the Paleologi in Grecia by whom he had one only Daughter called Carlotte but by another Woman a base Son called Iames. This King Iohn was a Man of no Courage altogether given to pleasure and according to the manner of his effeminate education shewed himself in all things more like a Woman than a Man which Helena his Wife a Woman of a great Spirit quickly perceiving took upon her the Soveraignty and whole Government of the Realm gracing and disgracing whom she pleased and promoting to the Ecclesiastical Dignities such as she best liked abolishing the Latin Ceremonies and bringing in them of the Greeks and took such further order as pleased her self in matters of State concerning both Peace and War her Husband in the mean time regarding nothing but his vain pleasure whereby it came to pass that all was brought into the power of the Greeks the Queens Friends Now the Queen her self was much ruled by the Counsel of her Nurse and the Nurse by her Daughter so that the People would commonly say The Daughter ruled the Nurse the Nurse the Queen and the Queen the King. The Nobility ashamed and weary of this manner of Government by general consent of the People sent for Iohn the King of Portugals Cousin-German whom some call the King of Portugal to whom they gave Carlotte the Kings Daughter in marriage with full power to supply that want of Government which was in King Iohn his Father in Law. He taking the Authority into his Hands quickly reformed the disordered Kingdom as well in matters concerning Religion as civil Policy The Latin Ceremonies were again restored and the Government of the Daughter the Nurse and the Queen brought to an end But the mischievous Daughter doubting the Countenance of the young King perswaded her Mother as she â—endred her own Life to poison the King. Which thing the wretched Woman by the consent of the Queen Mother as was reported in short time performed and so brought that noble Prince well worthy longer life unto his untimely end whereby the Government was again restored unto the Greek Queen who in the name of her weak Husband commanded again at her pleasure But above all the Nurse and her Daughter insulted upon the young Queen Carlotte which she not well brooking grievously complained thereof to Iames her baâ—e Brother requiring his help for redress thereof who not long after slew the Nurses Daughter not so much in revenge of the wrong by her done unto his Sister as to prepare a way for himself for the obtaining of the Kingdom grieving inwardly that she or her Husband should be preferred before himself Which thing Helena the Queen quickly perceiving perswaded the King her Husband to cause his base Son to enter into the orders of Priesthood and so to become a Churchman thereby to cut off all his hope of aspiring unto the Kingdom which the King at her instance did and made him Archbishop of Nicosia In the mean time Carlotte by the perswasion of her Mother and the Nobility of the Country married Lewis Son to the Duke of Savoy who being for that purpose sent for came with all speed to Cyprus After that the Queen-Mother and the old Nurse desiring nothing more than to revenge the death of the Nurses Daughter upon Iames now Archbishop devised first how to thrust him out of all his â—piritual Promotions which were great and afterward quite banish him the Kingdom Hereupon the Queen wrote Letters against him to the Pope to have him disgraded for that he being a Man base born with his hands imbrued with innocent Blood was unworthy of holy Orders Which Letters by chance came to Iames his hands who inraged therewith accompanied with a number of his Friends and Favorites suddenly entred the Court slew such of his Enemies as he found there divided their Goods amongst his Followers and as King possessed himself of the Regal City In this Broil the Greek Queen Helena died and shortly after her Husband also All things being thus in an hurly and out of order certain of the Nobility for redress thereof sent for Lewis the Husband of Carlotte as for him to whom that Kingdom in the right of his Wife most justly belonged who upon his arrival was of all sorts of Men joyfully received and welcomed as their King. Iames the Usurper understanding before of the coming of Lewis and perceiving the inclination of the People towards him fled with divers of his Friends to Alexandria to crave aid of the Egyptian Sultan in whose Court he found such Favour as that he was by the Sultans commandment Royally apparelled and honoured with the Title of the King of Cyprus which he promised for ever to hold of the Sultans of Egypt as their Vassal and Tributary At which time the Sultan also by his Embassadors commanded Lewis to depart the Isle who by all means sought to have pacified the Sultan declaring unto him his rightful Title yet offering to pay unto him the wonted Tribute and to allow unto Iames a yearly Pension of ten thousand Ducats during his life But all in vain for Iames still present in the Sultans Court and wisely following his own suit at last concluded with the great Sultan who thought it more honour to make a King than to confirm a King and receiving of him a great Army returned into Cyprus where in short time he so distressed Lewis that he was glad to forsake the Island with his Wife and to return into his Country
the setting forward of the Emperor Fredericks Son-in-Law for the recovery of his Wives Right to the Kingdom of Ierusalem which although he solemnly vowed at such time as he with all Princely Magnificence married the said Lady at Rome yet otherwise letted with troubles nearer home performed not the same untill almost seven years after all which time the Christians in Syria enjoying the fruit of the late concluded Peace for eight years lived in great rest and quietness where so leaving them until the arising of new troubles let us in the mean time return again unto the troubled affairs of the Turks Greeks and Latines at Constantinople and in the lesser Asia Henry the Second Emperor of the Latines at Constantinople after he had as is aforesaid with much ado repressed the Fury of the Bulgarians and Scythes his barbarous Enemies and so given peace to the miserable Country of Thracia died having reigned a most troublesome Reign about the space of eleven years Afteâ— whom succeeded Peter Count of Ausserre his Son-in-Law third Emperor of the Latines in Constantinople who in the beginning of his Empire willing to gratifie the Venetians and to revenge himself of Theodorus Angelus a great Prince of Epirus Competitor of his Empire besieged him in Dirrachium which strong City the said Theodorus had but a little before surprised belonging unto the Venetian Seigniory At which Siege Peter the Emperor lying was so cunningly by the wilie Greek used that a Peace was upon most honourable conditions betwixt them concluded and a familiar kind of Friendship joyned Insomuch that the Emperor at his request not well advised came unto him as his Guest who now of his Enemy became his Host entertaining him with all the formalities that feigned Friendship could devise But having him now in his power and fearing no harm regarding neither the Laws of Fidelity or Hospitality he most traiterously slew him as he was yet in the midst of his Banquet Of whose end some others yet otherwise report as that he should by the same Theodorus have been intercepted about the pleasant Woods of Tempe in Thessalia as he was travelling from Rome to Constantinople and so afterwards to have been by him cruelly put to death Of whose misfortune Tepulus Governour of Constantinople understanding for the more safety of the State in that vacancy of the Greek Empire made peace with Theodorus for five years and the Turks for two Shortly after came Robert the Son of the aforesaid unfortunate Emperor Peter with his Mother to Constantinople and there in his Fathers stead was solemnly saluted Emperor but not with much better luck than was his Faâ—her before him for shortly after his coming he took to Wife a fair young Lady the Daughter of a great rich and noble Matron of the City but before betrothed unto a gallant Gentleman a Burgundian born with whom the old Lady broke her promise and more careful of her Daughters preferment than fidelity gave her in marriage unto the new Emperor The joy of which so great an Honour was in short time converted not into a deadly heaviness but even into death it self for the young Burgundian more enraged with the wrong done him than discouraged with the greatness and power of the Emperor consorted himself with a company of lusty tall Souldiers acquainted with his purpose and awating his time when the Emperor was absent by night entred the Court with his desperate Followers and first meeting with the beautiful young Empress cut off her Nose and her Ears and afterward threw her old Mother into the Sea and so fled out of the City into the Woods and Mountains with those desperate cut-throats the ministers of his barbarous cruelty The Emperor pierced to the heart with this so great a disgrace shortly after went to Rome to what purpose was not certainly known but in returning back again through Achaia he there died leaving behind him his young Son Baldwin yet but a Child begotten by his first Wife to succeed him in the Empire who by the name of Baldwin the Second was crowned the fifth and last Emperor of the Latines in Constantinople And for because he was as yet but young and unfit for the Government he was by the consent of the Nobility affianced and afterward married unto Martha the younger Daughter of Iohn Brenne King of Ierusalem a worthy old Captain but as then Governour of Ravenna which City he being certain years before sent for out of France for that purpose by Honorius the Pope he notably defended against the Emperor Frederick his Son-in-Law but that affinity was before broken off by the death of the said Emperors Wife who now sent for out of Italy unto Constantinople had committed to his charge and protection both the Person and Empire of the young Emperor Baldwin now his Son-in-Law Which great and heavy charge he for certain years after worthily and faithfully discharged until such time as that Baldwin was himself grown able to take upon him the government Now although the Imperial City of Constantinople with the Countries of Thracia Thessalia Macedonia Achaia Peloponesus and the rest of the Provinces of Greece were all or for the most part under the Government of Baldwin the Emperor the Venetians or other the inferior Latine Princes yet were the oppressed Greeks the natural Inhabitants thereof in heart not theirs as abhorring nothing more than that their forreign government but wholly devoted to their own natural Princes Theodorus Lascaris and Alexius Comnenus the one reigning at Nice in Bithynia the other at Trapezond in Pontus both called by the Greeks Emperors and so of them generally reputed Lascaris of the two the better beloved and by far of greatest power had during the time of his Government fought many an hard Battel as is in part before declared and strongly fortified his chief Cities against the invasion of his Enemies as well the Turks as the Latines and so having as it were erected a new Empire in Asia and there reigned eighteen years died leaving behind him one Iohn Ducas Batazes that had married the fair Lady Irene his Daughter and Heir to succed him in the Greek Empire in Asia This Iohn was a man of a great Wit and Spirit and of more gravity for his years than was Theodorus his Father-in-Law never undertaking any thing before he had thereof well considered and once resolved not omitting or neglecting any thing for the performance thereof So that it was not unfitly said of the Greeks The planting of this new Empire to have required the celerity of Lascaris but the stay thereof to have been the gravity of Ducas He in the beginning of his Reign in very short time having set all things in good order greatly augmented his Legions and shooting at a fairer mark than the Empire he held even the Imperial City it self and the recovery of all Thracia and Grecia out of the hands of the Latines which could not be done
well knew not how to stay or what to do So being on every side circumvented and hardly charged most of them there fell excepting some few Horsemen whom the Greek Horsemen pursued unto the entrance of Chersonesus with purpose there to shut them up Philes coming thither also there upon those Straits encamped at which time the Emperor presently sent out five Gallies to keep the Straits of Hellespont so that no aid might be brought unto those Turks out of Asia Whilst these things thus went two thousand choice Horsemen came to the aid of Philâ—â— out of Servia and the Potestate of Pera came by Sea also with eight Gallies more into Hellespontus to the aid of the Christians wherefore when the Grecians and the Servians had thus on the one side shut them up by Land and they that were in the Gallies on the other by Sea Philes with all his Power came and incamped about the Town and the Trenches wherein the Turks lay planting his battery against the Castle wherewith he greatly shook the same and made great Slaughter of the Turks and of their Horses and that not only by day but by night also But the Turks seeing death now present before their Eyes and no way left for them to escape for that they were so on every side both by Sea and Land inclosed thought good thus to adventure their lives resolving by night to set upon the Grecians rather than upon the Servians whom they had hitherto accustomed to overcome and whom they had with often Slaughters terrified that so the rest by them also happily discouraged they might so delay the assault but in attempting the same they perceived themselves much deceived finding them even at their first sallying out ready in Arms to receive them wherefore having in vain given the attempt as against a strong Fortress they were shamefully enforced to retire Yet were they not therewith so discouraged but that the straight Siege still continuing they gave the like attempt upon the Servians but being also by them in a like manner with loss repulsed they began now utterly to despair Wherefore the next day about midnight casting away their Arms they with their bosoms and pockets full of Coyn ran down unto the Sea-side towards the Gallies with purpose to yield themselves unto the Genowaies that were therein as fearing of them less harm as of men whom they had never hurt But the night being dark and misty and the Moon giving no light many of them unawares came unto the Greek Gallies and there flying the smoke fell into the fire for being lightned of their Mony they were by them forthwith without any pity slain also But the Genowaies slew not all their Prisoners but only such as had brought with them the most Coyn lest afterwards bewraying the same it â—hould have been sought after by the Greeks the rest they cast into bonds of whom some they sent unto the Emperor othersome they kept to themselves as their own Prisoners Thus by the valour and good conduct of this worthy devout Captain the Turks were for that time again chased out of Europe and the Country of Thracia delivered of a great fear Now by that we have already written is easily to be seen the chief causes of the decay and ruin of the Greek Empire to have been First the Innovation and change of their ancient Religion and Ceremonies by Michael Paleologus whereof ensued a world of Wo then by Covetousnes covered with the name of good Husbandry the utter destruction of the chief Strength of the Empire next unto that by Envy the ruin of the Great false Suspition the loser of Friends Ambition Honors overthrow Distrust the great minds torment and foreign Aid the Empires faithless Porter opening the gate even unto the Enemy himself whereunto foul Discord joyned as shall be forthwith declared what wanted that the barbarous Enemy could desire for the helping of them in the supplanting of so great an Empire But again to our purpose Michael Companion with his Father Andronicus in the Empire had by his Wife Mary two Sons Andronicus who was afterward Emperor and Manuel sirnamed the Despot and two Daughters Ann married unto Thomas Prince of Epirus and Theodora married to the Prince of Bulgaria of all these the old Emperor Andronicus their Grandfather so entirely loved Andronicus his Nephew as that in comparison of him he seemed little to regard either his own Children or the rest of his Nephews wishing them all rather to perish than him which many supposed him to do as purposing by him the better to establish the succession of the Empire in his House as also for his excellency of Wit and comliness of Person the likeness of name also happily furthering his kind affection For which reasons he caused him to be honorably brought up in his Court as not willing to spare him out of his sight either day or night But when he was out of his Childhood and grown to be a lusty Youth at which time mens hot desires are commonly most vehement he began to contemn all chastisement and government especially in so high a calling and in the prime of his youth Besides that his Companions became unto him the Ministers and Perswaders of all those vain Delights which unstaid youth most desireth and at the first began to lead him forth to walk the Streets to hawk to hunt and to haunt Plays and afterwards to night-walks also not well beseeming his State which riotous course of life when as it required great expence and his aged Grandfather gave him but a certain spare allowance for his convenient maintenance he acquainted himself with the rich Merchants of Genoway which dwelt at Pera. Hereof arose hard taking up of Mony great Debts fine devices how to come by Coyn with secret consultations and purposes of Flight For when he saw his Grandfather old Andronicus long to live and his Father Micâ—ael like to succeed him he had no hope of aspiring unto the Empire whereupon his ambitious thoughts and impotent desires long time tormenting his haughty Heart suggested unto himself such purposes For when as he would not obey his Grandfather as his Tutor nor follow other mens Councils as a Child he sought after the Imperial Liberty and abundance of Wealth that he might have that was sufficient for himself and wherewith to reward others as the Followers of an Emperor Which seeing he could not do his Grandfather yet living and his Father reigning he sought after the Soveraignty of other Principalities and Countries one while after Armenia as belonging unto him in the right of his Mother the King of Armenia's Daughter another while after Peloponesus and sometime he dreamed of Lesbos and Lemnus and other the fruitful Islands of the Aegean Sea which when it was secretly told sometime to his Father and sometime to his Grandfather he was now crossed and reproved of the one and afterwards of the other And to pass over many other
humor Yet might Bajazet seem to do him wrong if he should not according to his promise again restore him unto the possession of the Empire which he had almost thirty years before received at his hands as is before in the beginning of his life declared But Selymus being of a more haughty disposition than to brook the life of a Subject under the command of either of his Brethren and altogether given to martial Affairs sought by infinite Bounty feigned Courtesie subtil Policy and by all other means good and bad to aspire unto the Empire Him therefore the Janizaries with all the great Souldiers of the Court yea and some of the chief Bassaes also corrupted with Gifts wished above the rest for their Lord and Sovereign desiring rather to live under him which was like to set all the World on a hurly burly whereby they might increase their Honour and Wealth the certain rewards of their Adventures than to lead an idle and unprofitable Life as they termed it under a quiet and peaceable Prince Whilst men stood thus diversly affected towards these Princes of so great hope Bajazet now far worn with years and so grievously tormented with the Gout that he was not able to help himself for the quietness of his Subjects and preventing of such troubles as might arise by the aspiring of his Children after his death determined whilst he yet lived for the avoiding of these and other such like mischiefs to establish the succession in some one of his Sons who wholly possessed of the Kingdom might easily repress the pride of the other And although he had set down with himself that Achomates should be the man as well in respect of his Birth-right as of the especial affection he bare unto him yet to discover the disposition of his Subjects and how they stood affected it was given out in general terms That he meant before his death to make it known to the World who should succeed in the Empire without naming any one of his Sons leaving that for every man to divine of according as they were affected which was not the least cause that every one of his Sons with like ambition began now to make small account of their former Preferments as thinking only upon the Empire it self First of all Selymus year 1511. whom Bajazet had made Governor of the Kingdom of Trapezond rigging up all the Ships he could in Pontus sailed from Trapezond over the Euxine now called the Black Sea to the City of Capha called in ancient time Theodosia and from thence by Land came to Mahometes King of the Tartars called Praecopenses a mighty Prince whose Daughter he had without the good liking of his Father before married and discovering unto him his intended purpose besought him by the sacred Bonds of the Affinity betwixt them not to shrink from him his loving Son-in-law in so fit an opportunity for his advancement And withal shewed unto him what great hope of obtaining the Empire was proposed unto him by his most faithful Friends and the Souldiers of the Court if we would but come nearer unto his Father then about to transfer the Empire to some one of his Sons and either by fair means to procure his favour or by entring with his Army into Thracia to terrifie him from appointing either of his other Brethren for the Successor The Tartar King commending his high device as a kind Father-in-law with wonderful celerity caused great store of shipping to be made ready in the Pontick Sea and Moeotis but especially at the Ports of Copa and Tana upon the great River of Tanais which boundeth Europe from Asia and arming fifteen thousand Tartarian Horsemen delivered them all to Selymus promising forthwith to send him greater Aid if he should have occasion to use the same These things being quickly dispatched Selymus passing over the River Borrysthenes and so through Valachia came at length to Danubius and with his Horsemen passed that famous River at the City of Chelia his Fleet he commanded to meet him at the Port of the City of Varna called in ancient time Dionysiopolis in the Confines of Bulgaria and Thracia he himself still levying more men by the way as he went pretending in shew quite another thing than he had indeed intended which the better to cover he gave it out as if he had purposed to have invaded Hungary But Bajazet a good while before advertised that Selymus was departed from Trapezond and come over into Europe marvelling that he had left his charge in Asia the Rebellion of Techellis and the Persian War yet scarce quieted and that upon his own head he had entertained forreign Aid to make War against the most warlike Nation of the Hungarians and farther that with his Army by Land he had seised upon the places nearest unto Thracia and with a strong Navy kept the Euxine Sea he began to suspect as the truth was That all this preparation was made and intended against himself for the crafty old Sire had good proof of the unquiet and troublesome nature of his Son especially in that without his knowledge he durst presume to take a Wife from amongst the Tartars and afterwards with no less presumption of himself raise an Army both by Sea and Land whereby he easily perceived that he would never hold himself contented with a small Kingdom so long as he was in hope by a desperat adventure to gain a greater Yet thinking it better with like dissimulation to appease his violent and fierce Nature than by sharp reproof to move him to farther Choler he sent unto him Embassadors to declare to him with what danger the Turkish Kings had in former times taken upon them those Hungarian Wars for example whereof he needed not to go no further than to his Grandfather Mahomet the Great who many times to his exceeding loss had made proof of the Hungarian Forces wherefore he should do well to expect some fit opportunity when as he might with better advice greater power and more sure hope of Victory take those Wars in hand Whereunto Selymus answered That he had left Asia inforced thereunto by the injuries of his Brother Achomates and was therefore come over into Europe by dint of Sword and the help of his Friends to win from the Enemies of the Mahometan Religion a larger and better Province for that little barren and peaceable one which his Father had given him bordering upon Hiberia and Cholchos bare and needy People living as Connies amongst the Rocks and Mountains As for the Hungarians whom they thought to be a People invincible and therefore not to be dealt withal he was not of that base mind to be daunted with any danger were it never so great and yet that in his opinion the War was neither so difficult or dangerous as was by them prentended forasmuch as the ancient prowess of that warlike Nation was now much changed together with the change of their Kings and their Discipline of
upon another Mans weakness and necessity have encreased his insatiable desire and not granted them Peace being brought low and forsaken except they would deliver unto him the Islands of Cephalenia Zacinthus and Corcyra a matter no less grievous than the destruction of the very City of Venice it self So that the great Embassadors Vastius and Hanebald who came of purpose to have hindred the League with the Turk by their great diligence wrought nothing more effectually than that the Venetians the better foresâ—eing the danger of their State should as they did make haste to conclude the same for it falleth out in Mens purposes and Actions That a good and happy success otherwise well hoped for is oftentimes marred with too much diligence and care Neither was it any doubt but that Hanebald was sent by the French King but for fashion sake and secretly underhand by Pellicerius the old Embassador perswaded the Venetians to hasten the conclusion of Peace with Solyman Which as Badoerius their Embassador was carefully soliciting the matter at Constantinople and being loath to yield the strong Cities which Solyman required offering unto him in stead of them a great sum of Mony Solyman took him up with threatning words as a shameless Dissâ—mbler earnestly protesting That he would never grant him Peace without the yielding of those Cities rehearsing unto him the most secret points of his Embassage and how that he was authorized from the Decem-Viri to yield them unto him which thing the Embassador little thought Solyman had known year 1540. Wherefore Badoâ—rius so shamefully reproved and standing in doubt of his life seeing the greatest secrets of his Embassage revealed to Solyman and his Bassaes was glad to accept of Peace by yielding unto him Nauplium and Epidaurus two Cities in Peloponnesus and with them Nadinum and Labrania two Castles of Dalmatia to the great grief of the whole Senate for granting whereof the Common people ignorant of the secret Decree of the Decem-Viri and supposing that Badoerius had given away that which he had no authority to give were so inraged against him at his return that there was much ado to save the guiltless Man from exile and his Goods from confiscation although the Traitors were then known which had discovered the Secrets of the State unto the Turks These were Mapheus Leonius a Senator and Constantinus Cobatius Secretary to the Colledge of the Decem-Viri and Franciscus Valerius one of the Senators base Sons the Traiterous disperser of the Turks Mony for the corruption of others who with other his Complices were for the same Fact hanged in the Market-place when as Leonius and Cobatius were a little before fled into France About the same time which was in the Year of our Lord 1540 died Ioannes Sepusius King of Hungary Solymans Tributary after whose death ensued great Wars in Hungary and the lamentable subversion of that flourishing Kingdom for the better conceiving whereof it shall not be amiss with as much brevity as the plainness of the History will permit to open the causes and grounds of the endless calamities which afterwards ensued and never took end until that warlike Kingdom was to the great weakning of of Christendom utterly subverted King Ferdinand and this tributary King Iohn had with like desire of Peace and quietness made between them a League profitable to them both as their Estates then stood rather than honourable yet most welcome to the Hungarians who divided into Faction and having followed some the one King and some the other enjoyed nevertheless their Lands and Goods by the benefit of this Peace the Towns and Castles being still kept by them in whose possession they then were at the making of the Peace In the capitulations of which Peace it was comprised That Ferdinand should from thenceforth call Iohn by the Name of a King whereas before he had both in his common Talk and Letters called him by the Name of the Vayvod only It was also expresly set down in the same Articles of Peace and subscribed by the Hands of divers of the Nobility of Hungary That if King Iohn should die King Ferdinand should succeed him in the whole Kingdom of Hungary which condition was suppressed and kept very secret for fear of Solyman who accounted of that Kingdom as of his own gotten by Law of Arms and bestowed upon King Iohn as upon his Vassal neither was it to have been thought that if he should have known thereof being of a haughty mind by nature and not able to endure an injury he would have suffered that Kingdom got and defended with so great danger and cost to be by the Will of an unthankful Man transferred unto his Enemy This matter of so great importance was as it is reported by Hieronimus Lascus Embassador for King Ferdinand to Constantinople revealed unto Solyman and the Bassaes to bring King Iohn into hatred So much did this noble Gentleman for his rare Vertues otherwise greatly to have been commended yield unto his grief and desire of revenge when after the death of Aloysius Grittus he fell from the friendship of King Iohn being as is before declared by him committed to Prison and hardly afterwards enlarged at the request of King Sigismund Whereupon Solyman being exceedingly angry with King Iohn called him unthankful Churl and turning himself about to Luâ—zis Bassa his Brother in Law said How unworthily do these two Christian Kings wear their Crowns upon their faithless Heads who as shameful deceivers are not afraid either for worldly shame or fear of God for their profit to falsifie their Faith But King Iohn understanding thereof and wonderfully fearing his own Estate did by good Friends and rich Presents pacifie Solyman again laying all the blame upon King Ferdinand as better able to bear it Not long after King Iohn having set his Kingdom in good order and strongly fortified the City of Buda being now far stricken in years at the earnest request of most of the Nobility of Hungary and other his best Friends married Isablla the Daughter of Sigismund King of Polonia a gracious Lady and of great Spirit which King Sigismund had long before married Barbara King Iohns Sister after whose death he married the Lady Bona Sfortia the Daughter of Ioannes Galâ—acius Duke of Millain by whom he had this Lady Isabella whom King Iohn now married Which Marriage Solyman liked well of having many times by way of talk before condemned the single life of the King but King Ferdinand liked thereof nothing at all plainly foreseeing that the Hungarians if the King should chance to have a Son would forthwith look upon him as their natural King and reject himself as but a Stranger This young Queen in short time as he had feared conceived with Child and was now very big when King Iohn was enforced to make an expedition in person himself against Maylat famous for the death of Aloysius Grittus and Balas both Governours of Transylvania whereof
both in years and favour it fortuned with Solyman as it doth with Men delighted in change that he became amorous of Roxolana of some called Rosa but more truly Hazathya by condition a Captive but so graced with beauty and courtly behaviour that in short time she became Mistress of his thoughts and Commandress of him that all commanded and that which more established her in possession of his love she had in time made him Father of four fair Sons Mahomet Selymus Bajazet and Tzihanger and one Daughter called Chameria Married to Rustan or Rustemes the great Bassa In this height of worldly Bliss nothing troubled her more than the exceeding credit of Mustapha Solymans eldest Son by the Circassian Woman who honoured of the greatest and beloved of the rest stood only in her light imbarring her and hers as she thought of the hope of the Empire which he now above all things sought to bring to one of her own Sons which the better to compass she under the colour of great good will and love procured that Mustapha the young Prince and his Mother should as it were for their greater honour and state with a Princely allowance be sent into Caramania to govern that great Country far from the Court. Which was no great matter for her to bring to pass for that the Turkish Emperors usually send their Sons after they come to any years of discretion unto such Provinces as are far from the Court attended upon with one great Bassa and some grave Doctor of their Law so to acquaint them with the manner of Government the Bassa instructing them in matters of civil Policy and the Doctor in matters concerning their superstition and yet by sending them afar off to keep them from aspiring to the Empire by the favour of the Court a thing of the Turkish Emperors not unworthily feared even in their own and beloved Children Roxolana having at once thus cunningly rid the Court of the great Competitors both of her Love and of the Empire things of all others enduring no Partners rested not so but began straitway to plot in her malicious Head the utter destruction of him to whom all others wished all happiness This she saw was not to be brought to pass without some Complices wherefore after she had in her secret conceit discarded many of whom at first she had reasonable good liking at last she made choice of Rustan Bassa her Son in Law upon whom she would set up her rest This Rustan was a Man basely Born in Epirus altogether composed of dissimulation and flattery ever serving his own turn were it never so much to the hurt or grievance of others by which means he although none of the best Souldiers was yet by many degrees grown up to be the greatest Man in the Court and Solymans Son in Law him she probably thought to wish the succession of the Empire to one of her own Sons his Wives full Brethren rather than to Mustapha her half Brother Beside that she was not ignorant how that Rustan as one careful of the Emperors profit the readiest way to preferment had abridged the Pensions and Fees of the Officers and Servitors in Court which he perceiving to please the Emperor proceeded so far therein that he attempted to have cut off if it had been possible some part of Mustapha his princely allowance for which doing she knew how odious he was to all the Courtiers whereof he made small reckoning but especially to Mustapha insomuch that it was though he would not forget so notorious an injury if ever he should obtain the Empire Hereupon she brake with Rustan upon the matter whom she found ready enough of himself to do what in him lay to further her mischievous desire To begin this intended Tragedy she upon the suddain became very devout and being by the favour of Solyman grown exceeding rich pretended as if it had been upon a devout Zeal for the health of her Soul after the manner of their Turkish Superstition to build an Abbey with an Hospital and a Church which so godly a purpose she imparted to the Mufti or chief Mahometan Priest demanding of him if such works of Charity were not acceptable unto God and available for her Souls Health Whereunto the Mufti answered That those works were no doubt gracious in the sight of God but nothing at all meritorious for her Souls Health being a Bondwoman yet very profitable for the Soul of the great Emperor Solyman unto whom as unto her Lord both she and all she had appertained With which answer of the great Priest she seemed to be exceedingly troubled and thereupon became wonderful pensive and Melancholy her chearful countenance was replete with Sadness and her fair Eies flowed with Tears her mirth was mourning and her joy heaviness Which thing Solyman perceiving and sorry to see his love upon conceit so to languish sent her word to be of good chear and to comfort her self promising in short time to take such a course as should ease her of all her griefs which he forthwith did solemnly manumising her from her bond Estate So great a favour obtained Roxolana with great chearfulness began those meritorious works by her before intended as if she had thought of nothing but Heaven whereas indeed her thoughts were in the depth of Hell. When she had thus a good while busied her self in paving the way to Heaven as was supposed Solyman not able longer to forbear the company of her in whom his Soul lived after his wonted manner sent for her by one of his Eunuchs who should have brought her to his Bed-Chamber To whom she with her Eies cast up to Heaven demurely answered That her life and whatsoever else she had was at her dread Sovereigns command but again to yield her Body unto his Appetite she might not in any case do without the great offence of the High God and maniest Breach of his sacâ—ed Laws which permitted her not now voluntarily to yield him that being free which he before without offence might command of his Bondwoman and because she would not seem to use this as an excuse she referred her self all in things to the grave judgment of the learned and reverend Mufti with whom she had before at full conferred This she did presuming of the Sovereignty she had over that great Monarch whom she right well knew she had so fast bound in the pleasing Fetters of his affection towards her as that she was sure enough of him without a Keeper Solyman ravished with her love and well the more for her denial sent for the Mufti requiring his judgment in the matter who before instructed in all points agreed with that Roxolana had said aggravating the heinousness of the Fact if he should proceed to enforce her as a Slave who being now free he might not without great offence touch unmarried Whereupon Solyman more and more burning in his desires became a
a daily apprehension of Death At his first coming to the Empire he caused the Persian Ambassador to be set at liberty whom his Brother Achmat had caused to be restrained contrary to the publick Faith for that News came unto the Court of some Combustions raised by the Persian After which he sent speedily to the Bassa of Buda in Hungary commanding him to entertain the Treaty of Peace made by his Predecessor with the Emperour inviolably Yet notwithstanding he carried himself during the small time of his Reign insolently and cruelly for violating the Laws of Nations he had ill intreated the Baron of Mole or Sancy Ambassador to the most Christian King setting Guards upon him as a Prisoner having caused his People to be put in Prison and tortured after their manner The reason of this Indignity which Mustapha did unto the French Ambassador and to his People grew upon an occasion which will require an ample Discourse for the better understanding of that which hath gone before After the Overthrow and taking of the Princes of Moldavia Prince Coresky as you have heard was brought by Skinder Bassa to Constantinople whereat the Grand Seignior was wonderfully well pleased for that he was held even by his Enemies for one of the most valiant and redoubted Princes of Christendom wherefore he was sent away Prisoner and confined to the Towers of the black Sea the which are distant five miles from Constantinople a place appointed for the guard of Prisoners of great Quality and Importance such as he was He was shut up with a French Captain called Rigaut in a little Chamber which was on the top of one of those Towers in which Chamber there was a Window capable for a Man to pass through and yet it had no bars for that the height of the place freed it from all suspicion This Prince was much sollicited by the Turk to become a Renegado as the Princes Alexander and Bougdan his Brothers-in-law had done but he resisted it with a generous Resolution resolving rather to die in that tedious Captivity than to commit so base an Act against God and his Conscience The which being made known unto the King of Polonia it moved him to compassion and made him write to the French Ambassador and to intreat him to be a means that this Prince might be put to Ransome and freed from Captivity at what price soever the which the Ambassador durst not undertake although he desired it much for that he had no Charge from the King his Master The Emperour's Ambassador did what possibly he could knowing how much the Liberty of this Prince might be available to Christendome for which Considerations the Turk would not yield in any sort to suffer him to be released so as the Friends of this Captive Prince were out of hope ever to see him at liberty But most commonly in such Extremities the Almighty works by the secret Instruments of his divine Providence and gives assistance unto them that fear him when as all humane help and hope fails as you may understand in the sequel of this History whence grew the Ambassador's Affront which he received About the same time there had been a Lady taken out of Podolia with a fair young Daughter of hers and a Maid-Servant by the Tartarians who sold them unto a Turk and he brought them unto Constantinople to make his Profit This Lady who was a Christian hearing nothing from her Husband for the space of nine months went accompanied with her Daughter to the French Ambassador's House which was at Pera to crave his Aid and Assistance where his Secretary who was called Martine moved with Compassion and Love promised unto them all Service and afterwards assured the Mother That if she would promise he should marry her Daughter he would endeavour to redeem them from Captivity whereunto the Ladies yielded and they passed their Promise in Writing to the Secretary whereupon he payed two thousand and five hundred Crowns for their Ransome and sent them home into their Country Being returned the Lady made her Husband and the rest of her Friends acquainted how they had been freed from Captivity and of the Contract of Marriage which was past between her Daughter and the French Ambassador's Secretary but the Father did altogether dislike of this Marriage for that Martine he said was no Gentleman and had not an Estate to entertain his Daughter according to her Quality The Mother advertised Martine soon after of the Father's Refusal protesting unto him That he alone was the hinderance and as for the Mony which he had disbursed for their Ransome they would send it unto him if he pleased to Constantinople with Interest Martine was much discontented and divers Letters and Expostulations past betwixt them but he could not obtain the Execution of his desire and their promise whereupon he grew full of Grief and Melancholy and thereupon went to visit Prince Coresky who was in the Black Tower to make his Complaint unto him and to take his Advice what course were best for him to follow He made his Excuse that he had been sent by his Master to carry the Prince some Money as he had done at other times who making the Prince acquainted with his Discontent for that he knew these Podolians and had formerly allowed of the Suit which he had made to this Virgin he comforted him saying That if he might by any means get out of Prison he would willingly supply the Defects which they objected against him and would maintain him against all that should oppose themselves against his accomplishing of his Desires year 1618 This made Martine study by what means he might free the Prince to the end he might bind him to succour him when he was at liberty and Love which is many times the Author of many goodly Inventions suggested one unto him which was very subtile and difficult to execute which was to send unto Prince Coresky a bottom of Packthread in a little Pye which he sent him with other meat advertising him by a Letter that upon a certain night concluded betwixt them he should put down the Packthread at his Chamber-Window whereunto a Ladder of Cords should be tied by the which he might descend from the Tower the which was afterwards punctually effected not by Martine himself but by a Greek Priest who lived in Constantinople to whom he had imparted his Enterprise and had ingaged him upon hope of great reward from the Prince In the mean time Martine doubting that he should be suspected to practise this Escape resolved to be gone and took leave of the Ambassador whom he gave to understand that he had some special urgent Affairs which did press his speedy Return into France and therefore he left the Execution of his Design to the Greek Priest who failed not at the time appointed to do as the Secretary had directed him The Prince having drawn up this Ladder of Ropes with the help of his Packthread
together with Priest Sorich Captain of the Morlachs entered into the Enemies Country spoiling burning and destroying wheresoever they came The Morlachs more greedy of Prey than ambitious of Glory divided themselves into small Parties to rob and pillage in which interim they were assaulted by the Turks but being scattered were so far from making a stout resistance that they committed themselves to a shameful flight in which great numbers of them were miserably Butchered nor could the valour of Sorich nor of the Governour Possidaria reduce them by their Examples into any Order whilst together with some few valiant Dalmatians and Morlach Captains they endured the shock of all the Enemies Fury in which Skirmish the Turks lost seven Agas and about seventy Souldiers On the Christians side were killed four hundred some few Slaves and about seventy Ensigns taken amongst the rest the good Priest Sorich scorning to turn his back had the misfortune to fall into the Enemies hands whom they flead alive and afterwards impaled and though they subdued his Body yet he was still master of his mind bearing the same constancy in his Torments as he had shewed Magnanimity and Courage in the Face of his Enemy Whilst these Martial Affairs were transacting with the Blood and Life of many thousands on both sides Sultan Ibrahim like a stout Souldier of Venus waged another War in the Elysiums of Cupid and casting aside all thoughts of Candia remitted the sole care and management thereof to the Vizier and Pashas of the Divan following a Life so lascivious and sensual as can neither be imagined with a chast Fancy or described by a modest Pen. A principal Instrument of his Delights and Engine to compass his Amorous Designs was a certain cast Wench of his which he named Shechir Para which signifies a little piece of Sugar for it seems she was so complaisant and dulcid in her Humour and Discourse as merited that apt Name to express the sweetness of her Conversation this Woman having the convenience to visit all the Baths in Town took notice of every Woman which she saw of more than ordinary Features and Proportion and having enquired her Condition and Dwelling presently reported the same with all advantage to her Sultan who having heard the Beauty described be came passionately Enamoured and could find no repose in his Fancy until his Instruments either by fair words or violence had seduced her or forced her to his Bed. But growing now extravagant and over-wanton in his Amours he fell in love with the Sultana or Widow of his Brother Sultan Morat To win her Affections he had recourse to his Dear Shechir Para who used all her Arts in this Service but her pretty wheedling Terms could prevail nothing on this Lady who answered her in short That at the Death of her Lord Sultan Morat she had resolved upon a perpetual Widowhood for that the memory of him was still so lively in her that she could not entertain the thoughts of admitting any new Embraces This repugnancy and opposition inflamed the heat of Ibrahim like a Feaver so that he resolved to assault her himself one day by force and took his time just as she came out of the Bath but she being a bold Woman and disdaining the wandring loves of Ibrahim laid her hand upon her Dagger which Sultana's and great Ladies usually wear threatning to wound him in her own defence the noise and brawling hereof being over-heard by the Queen-Mother called her from her Retirements and concerned her in the Quarrel who whilst she reproved her Son for the rape he intended on his Brother's Wife gave opportunity to the Sultana to escape and so delivered her out of the hands of this Satyr But Ibrahim mad with love and fuming with disdain to be checked and opposed by his Mother Commanded her immediately to the old Seraglio where he confined her to several days Imprisonment during which time he understood in what manner she had treated his large-siz'd Armenian of whom we have already spoken whereof the Queen-Mother being conscious submitted her self with all humility to her Son begging his Favour and Pardon and so well acted her part by those who carried her Addresses that she overcame quickly his easy Nature and was again restored to his Grace and her Lodgings in the new Seraglio In the mean time Shecher Para travelling over all the Baths in Town to discover new delights for her Master at length had the fortune to cast her Eyes on a Daughter of the Mufti a Maid of Incomparable Beauty and Features of Countenance and proportion of Body which she reported to Ibrahim so sensibly as if she her self had been in love and after she had praised every Part and Member of her she concluded in sum that she was the most Excellent and admirable Piece that ever Nature framed The Sultan had no sooner heard the Story but according to his usual Custom fell most desperatly in love and had immediately without farther consideration or counsel dispatched his Emissaries or without other Preamble Ceremony or Courtship to have fetched her to him had not the sense of the late Rebuff he had received from his Brother's Wife made some impression of fear in him and the apprehension he had of the Power of the Mufti created in him a certain Caution and Respect in the treatment of his Daughter wherefore he rather resolved to send for the Mufti with whom he treated of honourable Terms concerning Marriage promising to take her into his Bosom and prefer her in Honour equal to any other of his Sultana's The old Man who was tender of and doated on his Daughter knowing well the wandring humour of the Sultan in his Amours intended rather to marry her to some great Personage with whom she might be more happy than in being a Soltana for he considered that Ibrahim having already other Sons her Issue would either be Sacrificed for security of their Brothers or else spend their days in a Prison and become Grey-headed whilst they breath in a medium between Life and Death and are sad Recluses in the Grave of their unhappiness These considerations were well imprinted in the mind of the Mufti but because he durst not deny his proposal he dealt with him as Inferiours usually do with their Lords and Superiours that is he returned him thanks expressing infinite Obligations that he would vouchsafe to cast his Princely Eyes on the unworthiness of his Family however he advised him that according to the Canons of their Law of which he was the Expositor and obliged to be a severe and precise Observer it was great Impiety in a Father to impose on the Affections of his Child so that though he could heartily wish that his Daughter would embrace this Honour to which he would exhort her with all the earnest Perswasions of a Father yet if she proved refractory thereunto it would not be becoming his Power to force her and therefore hoped his Majesty would believe that
with Women in Turkey is but strange and unfamiliar yet not to be guilty of this discourtesie I shall to the best of my information write a short Account of these Captivated Ladies how they are treated immured educated and prepared for the great Atchievements of the Sultan's Affection and as in other Stories the Knight consumes himself with Combats Watching and Penance to acquire the love of one fair Damsel here an Army of Virgins make it the only study and business of their Life to obtain the single nodd of invitation to the Bed of their great Master The Reader then must know that this Assembly of fair Women for it is probable there is no other in the Seraglio are commonly Prizes of the Sword taken at Sea and at Land as far fetched as the Turk commands or the wandring Tartar makes his Incursions composed almost of as many Nations as there are Countries of the World none of which are esteemed worthy of this Preferment unless Beautiful and undoubted Virgins As the Pages before mentioned are divided into two Chambers so likewise are these Maids into two Odaes where they are to work sew and embroider and are there lodged on Safawes every one with her Bed apart between every five of which is a Kadun or grave Matron laid to oversee and hear what Actions or Discourse passes either immodest or undecent Besides this School they have their Chambers for Musick and Dancing for acquiring a handsome Air in their carriage and comportment to which they are most diligent and intent as that which opens the Door of the Sultan's Affections and introduces them into Preferment and Esteem Out of these the Queen-Mother chuses her Court and orderly draws from the Schools such as she marks out for the most Beauteous Facetious or most corresponding with the harmony of her own Disposition and prefers them to a â—ear attendance on her Person or to other Offices of her Court. These are always richly attired and adorned with all sorts of precious Stones fit to receive the Addresses and Amours of the Sultan over them is placed the Kadun Kahia or Mother of the Maids who is careful to correct any Immodest or light Behaviour amongst them and instructs them in all the Rules and Orders of the Court. When the Grand Signior is pleased to dally with a certain number of these Ladies in the Garâ—en Helvet is cry'd which rings through all the Seraglio at which word all People withdraw themselves at a distance and Eunuchs are placed at every Avenue it being at that time death to approach near those Walls Here the Women strive with their Dances Songs and Discourse to make themselves Mistresses of the Grand Signior's Affection and then let themselves loose to all kind of lasciviousness and wanton Carriage acquitting themselves as much of all respect to Majesty as they do to Modesty When the Grand Signior resolves to chuse himself a Bed-fellow he retires into the Lodgings of his Women where according to the Story in every place reported when the Turkish Seraglio falls into Discourse the Damsels being ranged in order by the Mother of the Maids he throws his Handkerchief to her where his eye and fancy best directs it being a Token of her election to his Bed. The surprised Virgin snatches at this Prize and good Fortune with that eagerness that she is ravished with the Joy before she is deflowered by the Sultan and kneeling down first kisses the Handkerchief and then puts it in her Bosom when immediately she is congratulated by all the Ladies of the Court for the great Honour and Favour she hath received And after she hath been first washed bathed and perfumed she is adorned with Jewels and what other Attire can make her appear Glorious and Beautiful she is conducted at Night with Musick and Songs of her Companions chanting before her to the Bed-chamber of the Sultan at the Door of which attends some Favourite Eunuch who upon her approaching gives Advice to the Grand Signior and permission being given her to enter in she comes running and kneels before him and sometimes enters in at the Feet of the Bed according to the ancient Ceremony or otherwise as he chances to like her is taken in a nearer way with the Embraces of the Grand Signior This private Entertainment being ended she is delivered to the care of the Kadan Kahia or Mother of the Maids by whom she is again conducted back with the same Musick as before and having first washed and bathed hath afterwards the lodging and attendants that belongs to Hunkiar Asa-kisi that is the Royal Concubine if it be her good Fortune to conceive and bring forth a Son she is called Hasaki Sultana and is honoured with a solemn Coronation and Crowned with a small Coronet of Gold beset with precious Stones Other Ladies who produce like Fruits from the Grand Signior's Bed have not yet the like Honour but only the Name of Bash Hasaki Inkingi Hasaki the first and second Concubine and so forward The Daughters that are born from the Grand Signior are oftentimes at four or five years of Age wedded to some great Pasha or Beglerbeg with all the Pomp and Solemnities of Marriage who from that time hath care of her Education to provide a Palace for her Court and to maintain her with that State and Honour as becomes the Dignity of a Daughter to the Sultan At this tenderness of Age Sultan Ibrahim Father of the present Grand Signior married three of his Daughters one of which called Gheaher Han Sultan hath had already five Husbands and yet as is reported by the World remains a Virgin the last Husband deceased was Ishmael Pasha who was slain in the passage of the River Raab and is now again married to Gurgi Mahomet Pasha of Buda a Man of 90 Years of Age but rich and able to maintain the greatness of her Court though not to comply with the youthfulness of her Bed to which he is a stranger like the rest of her preceding Husbands After the death of the Grand Signior the Mothers of Daughters have liberty to come forth from the Seraglio and marry with any Person of Quality but those who have brought forth Sons are transplanted to the old Seraglio where they pass a retired Life without Redemption unless the Son of any of those Mothers by death of the first Heir succeeding release his Mother from that Restraint and make her sharer with him in all his Happiness and Glory CHAP. X. Of the Agiam-Oglans WE have hitherto spoken of the Ichoglans or Pages Mutes Dwarfs Eunuchs and the Feminine Court it will now be necessary to speak of the under Officers and Servants called Agiam-Oglans who are designed to the meaner Uses of the Seraglio These are also Captives taken in War or bought of the Tartar but most commonly the Sons of Christians taken from their Parents at the Age of ten or twelve Years in whom appearing more strength of Body than of Mind they are
rested upon the coming of the two mighty Princes Philip the Second of that name King of France and Richard the First King of England who having agreed betwixt themselves with their combined Forces to relieve the distressed Christians of the East and again if it were possible to repair the broken State of the Kingdom of Ierusalem were now met together at Marseilles in Provence From whence the French King first departing with his Fleet for Cicilia and with a prosperous gale for certain days holding on his course and now come nigh unto the Island was by force of a furious tempest suddenly arising so tossed and tumbled in the deep that many of his Ships there perished eaten up of the Sea others by force of Weather driven upon the Sands and Rocks were there broken all to pieces and the rest some with their Masts broken some with their Tacklings and Sails rent and all in general sore Weather-beaten with much ado arrived at Messana the desired Port. At which place King Richard afterwards but with better fortune arrived with his Fleet also Both the Kings now met together resolved there to winter the French King enforced by necessity so to do for the repairing of the late Losses he had received as well in his People and Provision as in his Shipping all which was to be relieved by new Supplies out of France and the King of England staying to take Order for the Dowry of his Sister Ioan Widow of William the late King of Cicilia with Tancred the base Son of Roger that had now aspired unto the Kingdom of that Island About which matter great Stirs arose betwixt King Richard the Queens Brother and Tancred the new King insomuch that it was like to have broken out into open War had it not to the good contentment of King Richard been otherwise taken up and so the Controversie ended But whilst these two great Kings thus wintred in this fruitful Island and oftentimes as good Friends met together sometime for their disport and sometime to confer of their so weighty Affairs the way as was thought to have appeased all former displeasure and to have increased love it fell out clean contrary jealousie and distrust not only reviving the old but also still raising new Quarrels betwixt them to the great hindrance of the common good by them intended which may serve for a warning to all great Princes willing to continue in Amity and to hold a good Opinion one of another never to see one the other or coming so to an interview not to converse or stay long together which as it is not often done without the danger of their persons so can it not possibly be long continued but that it will engender in themselves as well as in their Followers Jealousie envy hatred and mistrust aâ— we have before said and hereafter in the coursâ— of this History may appear There was an old 〈◊〉 betwixt these two great Kings Richard â—nd Philip about Adela the French Kings Sister whom Richard having before his Father yet living affianced had now rejected as her whom his aged Father Henry the Second had too familiarly used and in stead of her to the great disgrace of the French espoused the Lady Berengaria Daughter to the King of Navar which Indignity with divers others then arising betwixt the French and the English as then with great heart-burning smouldred up in respect of the common Cause then in Hand afterwards brake out again to the shameful overthrow of this most honourable Expedition and lamentable disturbance of both Realms Winter past and the Spring now come the French King not altogether the best pleased first loosed from Messana and with his Fleet in safety arrived at Ptolemais where he was by the Christians now the third year lying at the Siege so joyfully received as if he had been to them sent with Succours from Heaven After whom shortly after followed also King Richard of whose Fleet by force of Weather sore beaten and dispersed two Ships by the rage of the Tempest driven aground upon the coast of Cyprus were by the Island people spoiled and the Men that in them had hardly escaped the danger of the Sea with most barbarous Inhumanity some slain and some taken Prisoners the rest of the Fleet arriving there also were with like Incivility forbidden to land the Cipriots ready at hand in all places to keep them off With which so great an Indignity the King justly moved and by force landing his people with incredible Celerity and Success over-ran the whole Island never ceasing until he had made a full Conquest thereof and taken Isaac Comnenus commonly called The King of that Island and of some for what reason I know not Emperor of the Griffons Prisoner yet was he indeed neither King nor Emperor but being a man of great Nobility and Power and of the honourable Stock of the Comneni had in the troublesome Reign of Andronicus Comnenus the Emperor his Cousin laid hold upon that fruitful Island and there tyrannized as a reputed King until that now he was by King Richard taken Prisoner and for his unfaithful dealing sent fast bound in Chains of Silver into Syria The King thus possessed of the whole Island there at Limozin married the Lady Berengaria the King of Navars Daughter brought thither by Ioan late Queen of Cicilia the Kings Sister And so disposing as he thought best of all things for the safe keeping of the Island set forward again with his Fleet towards Syria Where by the way he light upon a great Ship of the Sultans laded with Victuals and other War-like Provisions for the relief of the besieged all which became a Prey unto him So holding on his course he at length arrived at Ptolemais where he was by the French King and the rest of the Christians there lying most honourably rereived Now had the City of Ptolemais been three years besieged by the Christians and notably defended by the Turks during which time many an hot Assault and bloody Skirmish had passed betwixt them And now the eyes of all men were fixed upon the two Kings of England and France unto whom all the rest offered their Obedience and Service The Christian Camp was great composed especially of Englishmen Frenchmen Italians and Almains not them that were left of the Emperor Frederick his Army for they were for the most part dead or else returned home again into their Countries but of such as moved with the Zeal they bare unto this Religious War came daily in great numbers thither as did also many others of divers Nations desirous in some measure to be partakers of so honourable a War. These Religious and Venerous Christians thus lying at the Siege had with much painful labour undermined one of the greatest Towers of the City called the accursed Tower with some part of the Wall also by means whereof they were in hope to find a way into the City Wherefore all things being
these so great Innovations happened through the working of ambitious heads to the lamentable ruine and destruction of a great part of the Christian Common-weal Alexius the Usurper but now Emperor not contented as is before declared traiterously to have deprived Isaac his elder Brother of his Empire and sight together sought also after the life of the young Prince Alexius his Brothers Son and Heir apparent of the Empire who seeing the Villany committed in the Person of his Father saved himself by flight from the fury of his Uncle and so accompanied with certain great Lords of the Greeks his Fathers Friends fled to crave Aid of the Christian Princes of the West whom the Grecians commonly call the Latines And first he took his way to Philip the German Emperor who had married Irene his Sister the Emperor Isaacs Daughter by whom he was most honourably received and entertained This great Lady not a little moved with the Miseries of her Father and the flight of her Brother ceased not most instantly to solicite the Emperor her Husband not to leave unrevenged so great a Villany by the example thereof dangerous unto himself and others of like Majesty and State. She declared unto him what an execrable Indignity it was to see her Father the Emperor unworthily imprisoned deprived of his Empire and sight and of the society of men by his Brother that had by him received and recovered his Life his Light and his Liberty and to see the Heir apparent of the Empire banished by the wickedness of his Uncle to wander up and down here and there like a Beggar a great part of which disgrace as she said redounded unto her self the Daughter of Isaac and Sister to the young wandring Prince and to himself also the Son in law unto the unfortunate Emperor her Father Moreover she said that the Murderer Alexius durst never have been so hardy as to commit so great and detestable a Villany if he had not lightly regarded and contemned the Majesty of the said Philip whom if he had had in any Reverence or Honour or at all feared he durst not have attempted so Villanous an act This Greek Lady moved with just grief with these and such like Complaints so prevailed with her Husband that he promised her to be in some part thereof revenged which he could not for the present perform letted by the Wars he then had with Otho his Competitor of the Empire At the same time it fortuned that great Preparations were making in France and Italy and divers other places of Christendom for an Expedition to be made against the Turks into the Holy Land. The chief men wherein were Theobald Count of Champagne a man of great fame and General of the Christian Army Boniface Marquess of Mont-Ferrat Baldwin Earl of Flanders and Hainault and Henry his Brother Earl of St. Paul Henry Duke of Lovain Gualter Earl of Breame with divers other noble Gentlemen which to name were tedious unto whom resorted also many valiant and devout Christians out of divers parts of Christendom ready to have spent their lives in that so Religious a War so that now the number of them was great and the Army right populous But being thus assembled together they thought it not best to take their way to Constantinople through Hungary and Thrace and so to pass over into Bythinia for that the Greeks had still in all former times shewed great discourtesie unto the Latines in passing with their Armies that way and therefore they thought it much better now by the way of Italy to take their Journey by Sea into the Holy Land and for their Transportation especially to use the help of the Venetians whom they found much the easier to be intreated for that by the means of so great an Army they were in hope to scoure the Adriatick then much infested by the Dalmatians as also to recover Iadera with some other Cities upon the Coast of Sclavonia before revolted from their State to the Hungarians as indeed they afterward did But by the way as this Army was marching out of France and come into Piemont the noble Count of Champagne General thereof there fell sick and died to the exceeding grief and sorrow of the whole Army in whose stead the Marquess of Mont-Ferrat a man of great Nobility and well acquainted with the Wars of the East was chosen General This great Army transported by the Venetians into Sclavonia took Iadera with divers other Port Towns along the Sea coast and having there done what the Venetians most desired was about again to have been imbarkt for Syria and so into the Holy Land. But the young Prince Alexius in the mean time had by himself and the noble Grecians fled with him for fear of the Tyrant so wrought the matter with the Latine Princes of the West especially with Innocentius tertius the Pope with Philip the Emperor his Brother in law and Philip the French King that they pittying his Estate and induced also with some other Considerations more proper to themselves took him as it were into their Protection commending by Letters and Messengers for that purpose sent unto the Army which they might command the defence both of himself and his Cause who with the Commendation of three so great Princes coming to the Army yet lying at Iadera expecting but a fair Wind to have passed into Syria was there of them all most honourably received as the Son of an Emperor and as became one to them so highly commended And he himself also as one knowing his good was not wanting unto himself but recommended his person to their Protection as a poor exiled Prince in Distress yet was he of a lively Spirit gracious in Speech beautiful to behold and very young and withall fully instructed by the noble Grecians that were with him in all things that might serve to further his purpose And forasmuch as this great Army consisted of divers Nations especially of the French Italians and Venetians not all to be by one mean moved he fitted every one with such motives as he thought might best prevail with them Unto the French he promised to pay the great sums of money they had borrowed of the Venetians for the furnishing of themselves in this War Unto the Venetians he promised Recompence for all the Injuries they had sustained by the late Constantinopolitan Emperors especially by the Emperor Emanuel who for that they refused to Aid him in his Wars against William King of Sicily did in one day confiscate all the Goods of the Venetian Merchants within his Empire of a great value and afterwards contrary to the Law of Nations shamefully entreated their Embassadors sent unto him amongst whom was Henry Dandulus now by fortune General for the Venetians in the Army who moved as well with the wrong in particular done unto Himself as with the Common desired to be revenged both of the one and the other which although he could not have of
understanding and struck with present despair both of his State and Life the night now coming on fled with Euphrosina the Emperor Alexius his Wife and Eudocia her Daughter whom he had married when he had reigned about a month and sixteen days The Tyrant Author of all this mischief and of the calamities ensuing thus fled and the Latines furiously entring the Priests and Religious Men in their Surplices and other Ecclesiastick Ornaments with their Crosses and Banners as in solemn procession met the Latines and falling down at the Souldiers Feet with Floods of tears abundantly running down their heavy countenances besought them but especially the Captains and Commanders to remember the condition of wordly things and contenting themselves with the Victory the Glory the Honour the Empire the Immortality of their Name to abstain from Slaughter from burning from spoâ—ling and ransaking of so beautiful a City and that seeing they were themselves men they would also have pity of men and being themselves Captains and Souldiers they should also have compassion upon Captains and Souldiers who although they were not so valiant and fortunate as they were yet nevertheless were both Captains and Souldiers and that they would keep and preserve their City whereof if they ruinated it not they might have much more pleasure and commodity than if they should destroy the same which as it had been the principal seat of the Greek Empire so might it now be of the Latines That seeing they had thereof a careful regard as then belonging to another man they ought now upon better reason to have more care thereof being their own That the Authors of all these troubles and mischiefs Alexius the Elder and Murzufle had already received a reward answerable to their follies in that they were driven into Exile That they would have pity and compassion of an innocent and unfortunate Multitude of poor People oppressed and grievously tormented with the often tyrannies of their murderous Lords and Governours That in so doing God the Lord of Hosts the giver and guider of Battels the God of mercy would therefore reward them To conclude they humbly besought them to pardon their Citizens to put on the hearts of gracious and merciful Lords and Fathers not of Enemies and rough Masters of Forgivers not of Revengers and to understand by their Tears their miserable Estate and Woes passed With this so humble a Submission and Complaint of the Religious some of the better sort were happily moved but with the common Souldiers breathing nothing but Victory with their Weapons in their Hands and the Spoil of an Empire in their Power what availed Prayers or Tears Every man fell to the Spoil and in so great choice and liberty of all things â—itted his own disordred appetite without respect of the wrong or injury done to others only from the effusion of innocent blood they abstained they whose lives they sought after being already fled together with the Tyrant Other injuries and outrages so great as that greater none could be were in every place so riâ—e that every Street every Lane every Corner of the City was filled with Mourning and Heaviness There might a man have seen Noble Men earst of great Honour and reverend for their hoary Hairs with other Citizens of great Wealth thrust out of all they had walking up and down the City weeping and wringing their hands as men forlorn knowing not where to shroud their Heads Neither stayed the greedy rage of the insolent Souldiers within the Walls of mens private Houses but brake out into the â—tately Palaces Temples and Churches of the Greeks also where all was good prize and nothing dedicated to the Service of God left unpolluted and defaced no place unsought nor corner unrifled right lamentable and almost incredible it were to report all the miseries of that time Some of the Greek Historiographers men of great mark and place and themselves Eye-witnesses and Partakers of those evils have by their Writings complained to all Posterity of the insolency of the Latines at the winning of the City to their eternal dishonour but that disordered Souldiers in all Ages in the liberty of their insolent Victory have done such outrages as honest minds abhor to think upon Thus Constantinople the most famous City of the East the seat and glory of the Greek Empire by the miserable ambition and dissention of the Greeks for Sovereignty fell into the Hands of the Latines the twelfth of April in the year 1204 year 1204. or after the account of others 1200. Constantinople thus taken and the Tyrants put to flight the Princes and great Commanders of the Army held a Council to consider what were best to be done concerning the City and the new gained Empire for after so great a Victory they thought it not good to raâ—e so antient and important a City seated as it were a Watch-Tower upon the Theatre of the World overlooking both Asia and Europe from the one to the other as an eye of the Universal and so commodiously planted as was no other City of the World for the keeping under of the Enemies of the Christian Religion but that it were much better to place there a Latine Governour to establish there the Latine Laws and Customs and to unite the Greek Church as a Member unto the Church of Rome In which consultation some were of opinion not to have any more Emperors in Christendom but one and therefore to make choice of Philip the German Emperor Author of this War whose Wife Irene was the only Daughter and Heir of the late Emperor Isaac Angelus unto whom by all right the Inheritance of her Fathers Empire belonged But the greater part considering that the troubled affairs of Greece in so great a change and newness of the Empire had need of the personal presence of a Prince thought it better to make choice of one among themselves who there still resiant in that place might at all times give aid unto the Latines in their sacred Wars taken in hand against the Infidels which opinion as the better was approved of them all The chief men in this Election of the new Emperor were Baldwin Count of Flanders and Hainault Henry his Brother Lewis Count of Bloys Simon de Montfort Iohn de Dammartin Gualter de Brienne Hugh Count of St. Paul Iohn Count of Brenne Boniface Marquess of Mont-Ferrat Stephen Count of Perch and five Gentlemen of Venice unto whom also were joyned two Bishops of Syria the one of Bethlem the other of Ptolemais who had oftentimes come to the Camp of the Latines to stir them up for the taking in hand the sacred War in Syria with two Bishops of France also namely of Soisson and Troy in Champagne and the Abbot of Lemely These great Lords and Prelates assembled into the Church of the holy Apostles after they had there with great devotion craved of God to inspire them with his Spirit for the choice of a good and just Prince fit for
without a Fleet at Sea built a great number of Gallies in the Ports of the lesser Asia And so having rigged up and manned a strong Fleet and scouring the Seas in one Summer took in most of the Islands of the Aegeum namely Lesbos Chios Samos Icaria Coos with the famous Island of the Rhodes and many others also And not so contented to have increased his Empire the next Spring crossing the Hellespont and landing his Forces first invaded Chersonesus and afterward to terrifie the Latines forrageing the Country far and near even to the Gates of Constantinople no man daring to oppose himself against him At which time also he took many Cities and strong Towns alongst the Sea-coast as Calliopolis Sestus and Cardia with divers others thereabout some by force some by composition the Greeks almost in every place yielding themselves where they were not so oppressed by the Latines as that they could not help him Now by these proceedings of the Greek Emperor in Europe was plainly to be seen again the ruine of the Latine Empire in the East all things prospering in his hand according to his hearts desire Assan the Bulgarian King no small terror both unto the Latines and the Greeks moved with the fame hereof by his Embassadors sent of purpose unto Iohn the Greek Emperor offered his Daughter Helena in marriage with young Theodore his Son of which offer the Emperor gladly accepted For being busied in his great Affairs he was loath to have so great a King as was Assan his Enemy able at his pleasure to call in the Scythes who with their multitude as a great flood breaking over the Banks had oftentimes carried away whole Countries before them Wherfore the match agreed upon the two great Princes by appointment met together about Chersonesus where Helâ—na King Assans Daughter being then about ten years old was with great Joy and Triumph solemnly married unto young Theodor the Emperors Son much of the same age Not long after Embassadors were also sent unto the Emperor from the Sultan of Iconium to confirm and prolong the League betwixt them for the Tartars not contented to have driven the Turks out of Persia and the far Eastern-Countries began now also to cut them short in their Provinces in the lesser Asia Wherefore the Sultan of Iconium fearing lest whiles he had his hands full of those his most dreadful Enemies of themselves too strong for him he should behind be set upon by the Greek Emperor and so thrust out of all sent these his Embassadors unto him for Peace which he for many causes easily granted First for that he foresaw what an hard matter it would be for him to maintain War at once both in Asia against the Turks and in Europe against the Latines then by this War-like Nation as by a most sure Bulwark to keep his own Countries safe from the Invasion of the barbarous Tartars unto whose fury he should himself lie open if the Turks were once taken out of their way Both sufficient Reasons for the Emperor to yield unto the Sultan which he did so was the Peace concluded and the Embassadors dispatched This Peace exceedingly comforted and afterwards inriched the Emperors Countries for now the people generally delivered of the fear and misery of continual War began on all hands to fall to their fruitful Labours of Peace Yea the Emperor himself to the stirring up of others to the like good Husbandry caused so much Land to be ploughed up for Corn and so many Vineyards to be planted as might plentifully suffice his own house and such poor as he daily relieved with a great overplus which he caused to be carefully laid up in store he kept also great Herds of Cattel Flocks of Sheep and Fowls of all sorts without number The like he caused his Kinsmen and other of the Nobility to do to the intent that every great Man having sufficient for his own spending at home should not take any thing from the poor Country men that so every man contenting himself with his own might live in peace without the grievance of others By which means in a few years every Barn and Granary was full of Corn every Cellar full of Wines every Stable full of Cattel every Store-house full of Victuals the Fields were covered with Corn and Cattel and in every mans Yard were to be seen all kinds of tame Fowls without number About which time also there fortuned a great Famine among the Turks insomuch as that they were enforced to fetch their greatest Relief from out of the Christian Countries Then might you have seen every way full of Turks Men Women and Children travelling to and fro into the Emperors Countries for Victuals their Gold their Silver their other rich Commodities they gave unto the Christians for Food a little Corn was worth a good Commodity every Bird Sheep and Kid was sold at a great rate by which means the Country-mens houses were full of the Turks wealth and the Emperors Coffers stored with their Treasure The greatness of the profit arising of this plenty of the Christians and penury of the Turks may hereby easily be gathered for that of Eggs daily sold so much Money was in short time gathered as made the Empress an Imperial Crown of Gold richly set with most orient Pearl and precious Stones of great price which the Emperor called Ovata for that it was bought with Egg-money Thus flourished the Greek Empire in the lesser Asia under the good Emperor Iohn Ducas the Turks at the same time declining as fast daily pilled in one corner or another by the Tartars and consumed with Famine at home Frederick the German Emperor had of long time vowed to take upon him an Expedition into the Holy Land for performance whereof he was hardly called upon first by Honorius quartus the Pope and afterward for his long delay excommunicated by Gregory the Ninth not so much for the Zeal they had unto the Sacred War as to busie the Emperor afar off in Wars abroad whilst they in the mean time to increase their own power drew from him some one part or other of his Empire which he not without cause fearing from day to day and year to year delayed the performance of his Vow so much urged by the Pope by his Presence and Power still disappointing all the fly designs of the Popes conceived or put in practise against him But now at length moved or more truly to say inforced with the Thundering and Lightning of Pope Gregory he resolved to set forward in the year 1227. About which time Iolenta or Yoland his Wife the King of Ierusalem his Daughter died in Child-bed being before delivered of a fair Son. Now were met together at Brundusium an exceeding great number of couragious and devout Souldiers out of all parts of Christendom especially out of Germany under the Leading of Lodwick Lantgrave of Thuring and Sigefride Bishop of Augusta all stirred up with the fame of
joyful news of the recovery of the Imperial City was in short time carried unto Michael Paleologus the Greek Emperor at Nice who at the first believed it not as thinking it scarce possible so strong a City to have been by so weak a power surprised whereas he himself not long before was not able with a right puissant Army and much other like provision to win the Castle of Galata over against it But afterwards assured of the truth thereof with his Hands and Eyes cast up towards Heaven gave most hearty thanks to God therefore causing Hymns and Psalms of Thanksgiving to be solemnly sung in every Church with all the other signs of Joy and Triumph that could be devised So setting all other things apart he wholly busied himself in making preparation for his going unto Constantinople now once again the seat of the Greek Empire wherein and in travelling having spent many days he at length with the Empress his Wife and Andronicus his Son then but two years old as if it had been in solemn Procession on foot entred into the City by the Gate called the Golden Gate and so after Prayers and Thanks given went to the Palace prepared for him near unto the Tilt-yard for the other Imperial Palaces of greater beauty sometime the stately dwellings of the greatest Emperors of the Greeks had now of long during the Reign of the Latines lien ruinous or altogether defaced And shortly after because vertue and true desert should not want their due honour he caused Alexius Caesar by whose means the City was recovered in solemn Triumph in his Robes of Honour with a Crown upon his Head not much inferior unto the Imperial Crown with great Pomp to be carried through all the City and farther commanded that his name for one year next following in all solemn Prayers and Hymns of Thanksgiving should be joyned with the name of the Emperor himself And yet not thinking to have done him honour enough caused his lively Image afterward to be most curiously made and as a Trophie to be set upon a fair marble Pillar before the great Church of the Holy Apostles in perpetual remembrance of him and what he had done for the delivery of his Country which shortly after overthrown by an Earthquake was by his Son again restored Now was this great and famous City sometime the Beauty of the World by these strange and fatal mutations wonderfully defaced and brought to great desolation in every place was to be seen great Heaps or rather to say the truth great Hills of Rubbidge the eternal Witnesses of the ruin thereof the Houses stood some quite fallen down some ready to follow after and some other great and stately buildings now the small reliques of great Fires for the great beauty thereof was before at such time as the Latines took it most defaced by Fire who all the time that they had it ceased not night and day to destroy some part or other of it as if they had known they should not long keep it neither did this last Fire raised by the Greeks themselves to terrifie the Latines a little deform it for which cause the Emperors chief care now was to cleanse the City and in the best sort he could to reform so great a confusion of things not to be all at once amended first beginning with the Churches which ruinous or ready to fall he repaired and next to that filled the empty houses with new Inhabitants And albeit that the chief of the Latines were together with the Emperor fled and gone yet was most part of the Artificers and Tradesmen of the City Venetians and of them of Pisa mingled together unto whom also to joyn the Genowaies and so to fill the City with Latines he thought it not altogether safe although that by them he reaped great profit wherefore he assigned unto them the City of Galatia now called Pera on the other side of the Haven for them to inhabit granting them great Privileges and every of those Companies to be governed by a Consul or Potestate of their own As for the Imperial City it self he stored it as near as he could with Natural Greeks born Now although all things went as Paleologus the Emperor could himself have wished yet could he not rest so contented for fear lest those which now did eat their own Hearts and with great grief smouldred their anger should at length as the rightful Heirs of the Empire by him usurped break out into open force and so breed him great troubles yea and perhaps work his confusion For such is the tormenting state if usurping Tyrants never to think themselves safe so long as any one liveth whom they may suspect Wherefore at once to rid himself of this fear he thought it best so to dispose of the Children of the late Emperor Theodorus Lascaris as that he should not need of them to stand in doubt to take them out of the way besides that it was a thing odious he saw it like to be unto him dangerous Mary and Theodora two of the Eldest Daughters being before by their Father married unto two great Princes one the Despot of Epirus and the other Prince of Bulgaria with whom he had much before to do and of them yet stood in some doubt but these were safe enough out of his reach Other two young Sisters there were in his custody Theodora and Irene with their Brother Iohn the only Heir of the Empire Theodora he married unto one Belicurâ— a Gentleman of Peloponesus and Irene to one Vigintimilio of Genoa both Latines men of no great Birth or Power such as he needed not to stand in doubt of These two Ladies the Daughters of so great an Emperor as was Theodorus thus basely bestowed remained only their Brother Iohn the only Heir of the Empire then but ten years old whom Peleologus long before even in the beginning of his Reign had sent unto Magnesia there to be safely kept far off from the Court for fear lest in his right and quarrel some discontented persons desirous of innovation should now begin some new stirs dangerous unto his Estate Which indignity done unto the young Prince Arsenius the Patriarch put in trust by his Father for the bringing of him up took in so evil part that he forsook the Court with all his Ecclesiastical dignity and as a man weary of the World retired himself unto a little Monastery of Pascasins in the Country there to spend the rest of his days From whence for all that he was after the taking of Constantinople from the Latines almost against his Will drawn thither by Paleologus the Emperor and made Patriarch thereof there together with so great an honour to find his greater discontent For Paleologus the Usurper altogether unmindful of his Faith so solemnly before given for the safety of the young Prince and the restoring unto him of his Empire and now fully resolved to establish unto him and his Posterity
of gilt Plate Cossi took upon him this Message which when he had delivered to Othoman he found him very willing to go as a man not doubting any harm But Cossi inwardly grieving to see so brave a man and his kind Friend by such treacherous manner to be brought to his end moved with compassion discovered unto him the whole Conspiracy of the Captain against him and of the Plot laid for his destruction willing him to take heed unto himself for which vertue Othoman gave Cossi great thanks as to his Friend for saving his life and withall richly rewarded him promising him greater matters if he would continue that his faithful Friendship Now concerning the Captain of Bilezuga saith he at your return recommend me unto him and tell him That I think my self much bound unto him for many curtesies but especially for that he hath heretofore divers times in most friendly manner protected my Goods and Cattel within the safeguard of his Castle which his Friendship I most humbly request him to continue for one year more enforced thereunto by reason of the dangerous Wars betwixt me and the Prince Germean-Ogli as he well knoweth wherefore if it might so stand with his good pleasure I would presently send unto his Castle such things as I make most reckoning of requesting him once more to be the faithful keeper thereof as he hath been before and tell him further that my Mother-in-Law with her Daughter my Wife desire nothing more than to find opportunity to be acquainted with the honorable Lady his Mother for which cause if it please him I will bring them both with me to the marriage This Othomans request when the Captain of Bilezuga understood by Michael Cossi he sent the same Cossi back again to hasten his coming willing him to bring with him what guests he pleased appointing certain time and place when and where the marriage should be solemnized And because the Castle of Bilezuga was thought to be too little conveniently to receive the multitude of People which were expected at the marriage there was another open place of greater receipt appointed in the Country for that purpose about three miles distant from the Castle The marriage day drew nigh whereunto Othoman must repair for his promise sake and therefore prepared with all diligence to set forward and to put in execution what he had devised for the safety of himself and destruction of his Enemy Othoman had of long accustomed in dangerous times to send by carriage the best of his things made up in packs to be kept in safety in the Castle of Bilezuga under the colour whereof he now made great packs in form as he was wont but instead of his rich Houshold stuff and such other things of price he thrust in armed men covering those packs with homley coverings sending them by Carriages to the Castle of Bilezuga giving charge that they should not come thither before twilight After that he apparelled certain of his best Souldiers in Womens apparel as if it had been his Wife and Mother-in-Law with their Women so casting his journey that he with these disguised Souldiers and the other sent in packs might at one instant meet at the Castle aforesaid The Captain being now in the Country and understanding that Othoman was coming in the Evening with a great train of Gentlewomen thought the cause of his late coming to be for that the Turkish Women use to shun the sight of Christian men by all means they can Othoman being now come to the place in the Country where the marriage was next day to be solemnized having done his humble reverence to the Captain requested him to do him the honour that his Gentlewomen which were nigh at hand might by his appointment be sent to his Castle there to have some convenient lodging where they might alight and bestow themselves apart from others according to the homely fashion of their Nation lest peradventure the presence of so honorable a company of Noblemen and Gallants might put them out of countenance which the Captain granted and having saluted them a far off after the Turkish manner commanded them to be conveyed to his Castle making reckoning of them all as of a rich prey At the same time that these disguised Souldiers arrived at the Castle came thither also the other Souldiers covered in packs in the carriages which so soon as they came into the Castle suddenly leapt out of the packs and drawing their short Swords with the help of their disguised Fellows slew the Warders of the Castle and without more ado possessed the same the greatest part of the Captains people being before gone out of the Castle to the place of the marriage Othoman having tarried so long with the Captain as he supposed the Castle at that time by his men surprised so soon as the Captain had taken his Chamber suddenly took horse with all his Followers accompanied also with Cossi taking his way directly to the Castle of Bilezuga of whose sudden departure the Captain understanding presently took horse and pursued him with all his Train which were for the most part drunk and overtaking him before he came to the Castle set upon him in which conflict he was by Othoman slain and the rest put to flight The same night Othoman using great celerity early in the Morning surprised the Castle of Iarchisar also where he took Prisoners the Captain thereof with his fair Daughter Lulufer which should have been married to the Captain of Bilezuga the next day with all her Friends as they were ready to have gon unto the marriage which fair Lady he shortly after married unto his eldest Son Orchanes who had by her Amurath third King of the Turks and Solyman Bassa Othoman omitting no opportunity presently sent one of his Captains called Durgut-Alpes a man of great esteem and valour to besiege the Castle of Einegiol wherein he used such celerity that preventing the fame of that was done at Bilezuga he suddenly environed the Castle in such sort that none could pass in or out until such time as that Othoman having brought his Prisoners and Prey to the Castle of Bilezuga and there having set all things in good order came with the rest of his men of War to Einegiol which he presently by force took promising the Spoil thereof unto his Souldiers The Captain called Hagio Nicholaus his ancient Enemy he caused to be cut in small pieces and all the men to be slain which cruelty he used because they a little before had used the like tyranny against his Turks When Othoman had thus got into his subjection a great part of the strong Castles and Forces of the greater Phrygia with the Territory to them belonging he began with all carefulness to make good Laws and to execute justice to all his Subjects as well Christians as Turks with great indifferency studying by all means to keep his Country in peace and quietness and to protect his Subjects
These two great men Cairadin Bassa and Cara Rustemes before named sometimes two Doctors of the Mahometan Law were as the Turkish Histories report the first that corrupted the Turkish Court with Covetousness and Bribery and are therefore of them even yet much blamed Whilst Amurath thus wintred in Asia News was brought unto him That the Christians of Servia and Bulgaria had gathered a great Army for the besieging of Hadrianople which caused him to prepare great Forces in Asia to aid his Captains in Europe But in returning out of Asia he by the way took the Town of Boga where he put to the Sword all the Christians that were therein able to bear Arms leading the rest into Captivity and with the spoil rewarded his Souldiers This strong Town was not long after again recovered by the Christians who requited the Turks with like measure and doubting the keeping thereof rased it down to the ground yet was it afterwards reedified by the Turks as it is at this present to be seen which was done in the year of our Lord 1365. In the mean time the Christian Army of Servia and Bulgaria in number betwixt forty and fifty thousand marching towards Hadrianople and now come very near the same fell in mutiny among themselves Whereof the Turks by their Espials having intelligence suddenly in the night set upon them who blinded with inward hatred and no less fearing one another than their Enemies neglected to joyn their Forces against them but were ready to turn their Weapons one upon another and so by their own discord more than by the Enemies force were made a prey to the Turks by whom they were put to flight and slain with so great a slaughter that the place wherein they fell not far from Germia is thereof at this day called Zirf-Zindugi that is to say the place wherein the Servians were overthrown The news of this so notable a Victory with the fith part of the Spoil and a great number of the heads of the slain Christians were after the barbarous manner of the Turks sent to Amurath into Asia being now ready with a great Power to have come over to Callipolis who joyful thereof and glad to see such a Present the assured witness of the Victory returned again to Prusa This was done in the year 1366. In which year also Amurath with wonderful Triumph circumcised his two Sons Bajazet and Iacup At which time he also built a Temple with a Monastry and a Colledge at Bilâ—zâ—ga and another fair Church at Neâ—opolis At Prusa he also built a stately Palace in the Castle with a great Church at the Gates thereof in which City he also founded an Abbey and a Colledge Germean Ogli a great Mahometan Prince in Asia whose Territory for the most part lay in the greater Phrygia and the Countries thereabout bordering upon the Oâ—homan Kingdom having always envyed at the rising of the Othoman Kings as did all the rest of the Mahometan Princes of the Selzuccian Family and fearing that their Greatness might after his death grow dangerous to his son Iacup being now himself very aged thought good for the more safety of his State to joyn in Alliance with Amurath And for that purpose sent Isaac a learned Doctor of the Mahometan Law Embassador to him with many rich Presents and to offer his Daughter the Lady Hatun in marriage unto his Son Bajazet promising with her in Dowry divers great Cities and Towns with their Territories in Phrygia and Bâ—thynia adjoyning upon the Othoman Kingdom namely Cutaie Sâ—maâ— Egrâ—giâ—s Taâ—sanle and others Neither was this a small Dowry but well beseeming so great a Prince the City of Cutaiâ— being at this day the pâ—ace whereat the Turkish Emperors great Lieutenant or Vice-Roy in Asia is always resiant as in the heart of his Kingdom in the lesser Asia Of which Mâ—tch so offered Amurath liking well contracted his Son Bajazet unto the said Lady and for Solemnization of the Marriage prepared all things with great Magnificence sending his Embassadors to most of the Mahometan Kings and Princes both far and near to invite thereunto commanding also most of the Nobility of his Kingdom to honour the same with their presence The time of this Marriage drawing near Embassadors came to Amuraths Court from all the Princes before invited amongst whom the Embassador from the Egyptian Sultan had the highest place These Embassadors brought with them many great and rich Gifts such as well beseemed the great Princes their Masters which they with all Reverence presented unto Amurath At length amongst the rest of his own Nobility came the Lord Eurenoses whom he had before left Governor of the Frontiers of his Kingdom in Europe who besides many other rich Gifts not easily to be valued presented unto Amurath an hundred goodly Boys with as many beautiful young Maidens all Christian Captives sutably attired in Garments richly embroidred with Gold and Silver every one of them carrying a Cup of Gold in the one hand and a Cup of Silver in the other the Cups of Gold having in them divers precious Stones of great value and the Cups of Silver being filled with Gold. The richness of this Present was so great that all the Embassadors of the foreign Princes much wondred thereat All which rich Gift Amurath most bountifully bestowed upon the strange Embassadors and the Presents which were sent unto him from other Princes he liberally gave to Eurenoses The Learned and Religious which came to that Marriage he so bountifully rewarded also that none came to the same poor but he went away rich He had before sent divers of his Nobility with an hundred Ladies and Gentlemen and a Guard of three thousand Horsemen to attend the coming of the Bride On the other side the old Prince Germean-Ogli meeting this honourable Company upon the way saluted every man of Account according to his Degree and bringing them to one of his Cities in most Royal manner feasted them bestowing upon them many rich and princely Gifts all which things with great Solemnity performed he delivered his Daughter the Bride to two of the most ancient Ladies whereof the one had been Bajazets Nurse and so taking leave of his Daughter sent her away accompanied with his Wife Ienses and other of his Courtiers who conveying her to Prusa she was there in most Royal manner married to Bajazet The Cities and Towns promised in Dowry were accordingly delivered into the Possession of Amurath who shortly after took Possession of the same and furnished them with his own Garrisons At this Marriage Chusen-Beg Prince of Amisum in Galatia by his Embassador sold his Territory of Amisum unto Amurath with many fair Cities and Towns doubting as it was thought how to be able to keep them now that Amurath was come so near him whom he saw not to let slip any occasion offered unto him for the inlarging of his Kingdom When Amurath had in this sort spent great time in Asia he gathered
So that as Schahin was returning homeward with a rich booty having then with him but a thousand men suddenly appeared in his way thirty thousand Christians well armed which Schahin seeing thinking it folly to oppose so few against so many would have presently fled but the rest of the Gallants that were with him presuming of their good Fortune and loth to lose their rich Prey would needs first Skirmish with the Christians in which desperate Conflict they were almost all slain and the spoil they had taken all recovered by the Christians As for Schahin he was glad by shameful flight to save himself The like mishap befel the other Turks in the other parts of Bosna who for the most part were likewise intercepted and slain so that of twenty thousand scarce five thousand returned home Whilst these things were doing in Europe Amurath in great Triumph at Neapolis married the Emperor of Constantinople his Daughter whose two Sisters were also given in marriage to his two Sons at which time he with great Solemnity circumcised three of Bajazets Sons At this time also returned Iazigi Ogli whom he had before sent Embassador to the Sultan of Egypt in requital of the honourable Embassage before to him sent from the said Sultan Now Amurath understanding of the loss of his men in Bosna with the revolt of Lazarus Despot of Servia was therewith much disquieted Wherefore he commanded Alis Bassa his chief Counsellor with all speed to send forth Commissions into all parts of his Kingdom for the levying of a Royal Army which was done in such post hast that it was thought he would have taken the Field before the beginning of the Spring At which time also the other Mahometan Kings and Princes of Asia Caraman Ogli Teke Ogli and the rest bound unto him by Homage with divers others of smaller Power were sent for to Aid him in his War who partly for fear and partly moved with the zeal of their Mahometan Superstition brought their Forces with great devotion Unto this War against the Christians came also great numbers of the Mahometans from far Countries as voluntary Souldiers Bajazet his Son also then Governor of Cutaie with a great part of Galatia gathering all his Forces came to aid his Father in this religious War as it was by them termed The Christian Tributary Princes were not then forgotten of whom two came namely Custendil and Seratzil other two forsaking Amurath came not which was Sasmenos Prince of Bulgaria and the Prince of Varna and Dobritza with whom Amurath was highly offended In the time of this so great Preparation old Lala Schahin Amuraths Tutor and faithful Servitor died being a man of great years and Temurtases was appointed Governor in his place The revolting of the two Christian Princes Sasmenos and the Prince of Varna much grieved Amurath Wherefore he commanded Alis Bassa with an Army of thirty thousand to invade and spoil Sasmenos his Country now called Bulgaria and in ancient time the lower Mysia Alis Bassa according to that was given him in charge calling unto him Iaxis Beg the Son of Termutases Ulu Beg Suraâ—ze Bassa with other Captains and Commanders of the Turks Provinces in Europe assembled an Army of thirty thousand for the Invasion of Bulgaria With this Army the Bassa took many strong Towns and Castles in Bulgaria as Piravade Venuzina Madra Suni and others In the mean time whilst Alis Bassa had thus begun the War against the Christians in Bulgaria Amurath having gathered a great Army in Asia determined in the beginning of the Spring to pass over with the same into Europe commending the Government of his Countries in Asia to Temurtases Bassa Ferices Beg Temurtases Subbassa Cutlu Beg and Haza Beg and so all things set in order in Asia he drew down his Asian Forces toward Hellâ—spontus where he was a while stayed with contrary Winds but was afterwards transported to Callipolis by Ienitze Beg Sanzack there This was the third time that Amurath brought his Army out of Asia into Europe But whilst he stayed at Callipolis Bajazet his Son with a great Power came unto him thither Alis Bassa also understanding of Amuraths arrival in Europe retired out of Bulgaria and came to him at Alcide recounting unto him the whole Success of his Expedition into Bulgaria Sasmenos Prince of Bulgaria seeing his Country spoiled his strong Cities and Castles taken by the Turks and withall hearing of their great Preparations for War by the advice of his Nobility thought it best betimes again to submit himself unto Amurath wherefore tying a Winding-sheet about his Neck in token that he had deserved death after the manner of the Barbarians he came to Amurath at Calcide where falling flat upon the ground at the Horses feet whereon Amurath sate he in most humble wise craved pardon offering by a certain day to deliver Silistria the chief City of his Dominion into Amuraths Possession as a pledge of his Fidelity who thereupon granted him pardon and to assure him of his Favour commanded a rich Garment to be cast upon him after the manner of the Turks sending Alis Bassa at the time appointed to take possession of Silistria But Sasmenos repenting himself of that he had so largely promised would not deliver his City but in strongest manner he could presently fortified the same Wherewith Amurath more offended than before commanded the Bassa with Fire and Sword again to spoil and wast his Country who according to his commandment entred again into Bulgaria and struck such a terror of his coming into the hearts of the people that many strong places were voluntarily yielded into his Power namely Diritze Cossova with the City of Ternova the Seat of the Princes Court Tzernevi Novakestri Zistova with divers others and proceeding farther he laid siege to Nicopolis the strongest City of Bulgaria upon the side of the great River Danubius whether Sasmenos was for fear himself fled Who finding himself unable to hold out the Siege once again with shame enough tying a Winding-sheet about his Neck as he had done before and taking his Son with him went out of the City and in most abject manner falling down at the Bassa his Feet craved pardon which the Bassa moved with compassion to see the misery of so great a man and having already taken from him the greatest part of his Dominion and now out of fear of further resistance easily granted And having thus ended the Bulgarian War returned to Amurath of whom he was right joyfully received Amurath had now made great Preparation for the invading of Servia for which purpose he had drawn over into Europe the greatest Forces he possibly could out of Asia sending also for his youngest Son Iacup Governor of Carasia who understanding his Fathers pleasure repaired unto him with all the Power he could make This Army by Amurath thus assembled was the greatest that ever was before that brought by the Turks into Europe Lazarus not ignorant of this
danger to seek how to enlarge the same long lived in most happy rest with his Subjects no less happy than himself not so much seeking after the hoording up of Gold and Silver things of that Nation not regarded as contenting himself with the increase and profit of his Flocks of Sheep and Herds of Cattle then and yet also the principal revenues of the Tartar Kings and Princes which happily gave occasion to some ignorant of the manner and custom of those Northern Nations and Countries to account them all for Shepherds and Herdsmen and so also to have reported of this mighty Prince as of a Shepherds Son or Herdsman himself vainly measuring his Nobility by the homely manner of his People and Subjects and not by the Honour of his House and Heroical Vertues such as were hardly to be found greater in any Prince of that or other former Ages His peaceable Father now well stricken in years and weary of the World delivered up unto him not yet past fifteen years old the Government of his Kingdom joyning unto him two of his most faithful Counsellors Odmar and Ali to assist him in the Government of his State retiring himself unto a solitary life the more at quiet to serve God and so to end his days in Peace which two his trusty Servants and grave Counsellors he dearly loved whilst they lived and much honoured the remembrance of them being dead The first proof of his Fortune and Valour was against the Muscovite for spoiling of a City which had put it self under his protection and for entring of his Country and for proclaiming of War against him whom he in a great Battel overthrew having slain five and twenty thousand of the Muscovites Footmen and between fifteen and sixteen thousand Horsemen with the loss of scarce eight thousand Horsemen and four thousand Footmen of his own After which Battel he beholding so many thousands of men there dead upon the ground was so far from rejoycing thereat that turning himself to one of his Familiars he lamented the condition of such as commanded over great Armies commending his Fathers quiet course of life accounting him happy in seeking for rest and the other most unhappy which by the destruction of their own kind sought to procure their own glory protesting himself even from his Heart to be grieved to see such sad tokens of his Victory With this overthrow the Muscovite discouraged sent Embassadors to him for peace which upon such honorable Conditions as pleased him to set down was by him granted and so the Peace concluded Now the great Cham of Tartaria his Fathers Brother being grown old and out of hope of any more Children moved with the Fame of his Nephew after this Victory sent him divers Presents and withal offering him his only Daughter in marriage and with her to proclaim him Heir apparent unto his Empire as in right he was being his Brothers Son and the Daughters not at all succeeding in those Empires Which so great an offer Tamerlane gladly accepted and so the marriage was afterwards with great Triumph at the old Emperors Court solemnized and he proclaimed Heir apparent unto that great Empire Thus was Tamerlane indeed made great being ever after his marriage by the old Emperor his Uncle and now his Father-in-Law so long as he lived notably supported and after his death succeeding him also in that so mighty an Empire Yet in the mean time wanted not this worthy Prince the envious Competitors of these his so great Honours insomuch that whilst by the advice and perswasion of the old Emperor he was taking in hand to make War against the great King of China who had as then gon far beyond his bounds and so was now well onwards on his way he was by the Conspiracy of Calix a man of greatest Power and Authority in the great Cham his Court almost thrust out of his new Empire Calix with a right puissant Army having already seized upon the great City of Cambalu and the Citizens also generally favouring those his traiterous proceedings as disdaining to be governed by the Zagatian Tartar. For redress whereof Tamerlane was enforced with the greatest part of his Army to return and meeting with the Rebel who then had in his Army fourscore thousand Horse and an hundred thousand Foot in a great and mortal Battel wherein of the one side and of the other were more than fifty thousand men slain overthrew him though not without the great danger of his own Person as being there himself beaten down to the ground took him Prisoner and afterwards beheaded him Which so dangerous a Rebellion with the death of the Traitor and the chief of the Conspirators repressed and his State in the newness thereof by this Victory well confirmed he proceeded in his intended War against the great King of China brake down the strong Wall which the Chinoies had made four hundred Leagues long betwixt the Mountains for the repressing of the incursions of the Tartars entred their Country and meeting with the King leading after him three hundred and fifty thousand Men whereof there were an hundred and fifty thousand Horsemen and the rest on Foot in a great and dreadful Battel with the slaughter of sixty thousand of his Men overcame him and took him Prisoner whom for all that he in the course of so great a Victory wisely moderating his fortune shortly after set again at liberty yet so as that having before taken from him the one half of his Kingdom and therein left Odmar his trusty Lieutenant with a sufficient Power for the restraining of the proud King if he should again begin to raise any new stirs and withal imposed such other conditions as pleased himself with the yearly Tribute of three hundred thousand Crowns he well provided for the assuring of those his new Conquests and so in Triumph returned with Victory unto the old Emperor his Father-in-Law at Cambalu not a little glad to see both him and his Daughter who had in all those Wars still accompanied him But leaving him now thus by Birth great by his Fortune greater but by his Vertue greatest of all as able now to draw after him almost the whole Power of the East let us again return thither from whence we have for the better knowledge of him thus with him digressed The War against the Turkish Sultan Bajazet as is aforesaid by Tamerlane resolved upon he sent Axalla the great Captain to his Country of Sachetay called of some Zagatay to give beginning to the assembling of his Forces from all parts to the end that with the first of the Spring he might set forward for the relief of so many distressed Princes and the abating of the Pride of so great and mighty a Tyrant as was Bajazet Now had Tamerlane procured from the great Tartarian Emperor his Uncle and Father-in-Law an hundred thousand Footmen and fourscore thousand Horsemen hoping to have as many more from Sachetay his own Country
Paul wrote two Epistles in the latter whereof he forewarneth them of a great Defection to come before the latter day Before this Christian City then in the Protection of the Venetians Amurath encamped his great Army of misbelieving Turks and laid hard Siege to it with most terrible Battery at which time he by secret means corrupted certain of the wicked Citizens to have betrayed the City by a secret Mine and to have let him in which Treason was by the Venetian Governors perceived and the Plotters thereof for safeguard of their lives glad to leap over the Walls and to fly into the Turks Camp. Amurath having greatly battered the Walls of the City the more to encourage his Souldiers promised to give them all the Spoil thereof if they could by force win it The greedy desire of this rich Prey wherein every common Souldier promised unto himself whatsoever his foolish fancy or unbrideled affection could desire so inflamed the minds of these barbarous Souldiers and especially of the Janizaries that giving a most terrible Assault to the City they by force entred the same and won it The Venetian Souldiers fled to their Gallies lying at Anchor in the Haven and so got to Sea but the infinite miseries which the poor Christian Citizens endured in the fury of that barbarous Nation no Tongue is able to express or Pen describe death was less pain than the ignominious Outrages and unspeakable Villanies which many good Christians there suffered heartily wishing to die and could not and yet the furious Enemies Sword devoured all the people without respect of Age or Sex except such as for strength of body or comeliness of person were reserved for painful labour or beastly lust which poor Souls were afterwards dispersed into most miserable servitude and slavery through all parts of the Turkish Kingdom The infinite Riches of that famous City became a spoil unto the barbarous Souldiers the goodly Houses were left desolate void of Inhabitants Thus the beautiful City of Thessalonica sometime one of the most glorious Ornaments of Graecia the late pleasant dwelling-place of many rich Christians was by the Tyrant given for an habitation to such base Turks as at their pleasure repaired thither to seat themselves and so is by them at this day possessed This Calamity happened to Thessalonica in the year of our Lord 1432. Thessalonica being thus taken Amurath returned to Hadrianople himself and at the same time sent Caratze with the greatest part of his Army into Aetolia Charles Prince of that Country dying a little before the coming of Amurath to Thessalonica and having no lawful Issue had divided the Country of Acharnania amongst his three base Sons Memnon Turnus and Hercules leaving all the rest of his Dominion to his Brothers Son called also Charles But shortly after such discord â—ell among these Brethren that Amurath sending his Turks to Aid one of them against the other as he was by them requested in fine brought all that Country of Aetolia into Subjection to Himself leaving nothing for the foolish Brethren to strive for more than the bare titles of imaginative Honour The other Grecian Princes of Athens Phocis Boetia and all the rest of Graecia unto the strait of Corinth terrified by their Neighbours harms were glad to submit themselves to the barbarian Yoke and to become Tributaries unto the Turkish Tyrant under which slavery they of long time most miserably lived if intollerable slavery joyned with Infidelity may be accounted a life Thus the Grecians lost their Liberty which their Ancestors had many times before to their immortal Praise worthily defended against the greatest Monarchs of the World and are now so degenerate by the means of the Turkish Oppression that in all Graecia is hardly to be found any small remembrance of the ancient Glory thereof insomuch that whereas they were wont to account all other Nations barbarous in comparison of themselves they are now become no less barbarous than those rude Nations whom they before scorn'd Which misery with a thousand more they may justly impute to their own Ambition and Discord At this time amongst the distressed Princes of Macedonia and Graecia one Iohn Castriot reigned in Epirus who seeing how mightily the Turk prevailed against the Princes his Neighbours and considering that he was not able by any means to withstand so puissant an Enemy to obtain Peace he was glad to deliver into Amurath his Possession his four Sons Stanisius Reposius Constantine and George for Hostages whom Amurath faithfully promised well and honourably to entreat But assoon as he had got them within his reach he falsified his Faith and caused them to be circumcised after the Turkish manner and to be instructed in the Turkish Superstition to the great grief of their Christian Parents and afterwards when he understood of the death of Iohn Castriot their Father he poisoned all the three elder Brethren and by Sebaly one of his great Captains seised upon Croia his chief City and all the rest of his Territories as if they had by good right devolved unto him But George the youngest whom the Turks named Scander-beg or Lord Alexander for this excellent Feature and pregnant Wit he always entirely loved as some thought more passionately than he should have loved a Boy Him he caused to be diligently instructed in all kind of activity and feats of War wherein he excelled all other his Equals in Amurath his Court and rising by many degrees of Honour came at last being yet but very young to be a great Sanzack or Governor of a Province and was many times appointed by Amurath to be General of his Armies in which Service he so behaved himself that he got the love of all that knew him and increased his credit with Amurath until at last he found opportunity by great policy and courage to deliver both himself and his native Country from the horrible slavery of the Turkish Tyranny as shall be afterwards declared Shortly after that Amurath had thus danted the Princes of Graecia he turned his Forces into Servia but the Prince of Servia unable to withstand so mighty an Enemy to procure his Favour sent Embassadors offering to pay him a yearly Tribute and to do further what he should reasonably demand Amurath beside the yearly Tribute required to have Mary this Princes fair Daughter in marriage and that he should not suffer the Hungarians to pass through his Country to invade him and further not at any time to deny passage unto the Turkish Army when he should send forth the same for the Invasion of the Kingdom of Bosna All which unreasonable conditions the Prince was glad to agree unto and fent his fair Daughter by Saratze who was afterwards married to Amurath About this time Iosephus and Machmutes Amurath his Brethren and Orchanes the Son of Solyman who had his Eyes put out by his Uncle Mahomet with many other Men of great account among the Turks died of the Plague at Prusa
Whilst Amurath was thus busied in his Wars in Europe the King of Caramania his Brother in law invaded his Dominions in Asia for so it was agreed between the Christian Princes of Europe and the Mahometan Princes of Asia to whom the greatness of the Othoman Kingdom was now become dreadful That whensoever he invaded the Christians in Europe the Mahometan Princes should invade his Countries in Asia and that whensoever he should turn his Forces into Asia the Christian Princes should spoil his Countries in Europe Against this Caramanian King Amurath transported his Army into Asia and as he went seised upon the Countries of Sarucania Mentesia and other Provinces which were before but Tributaries unto him driving out the poor Princes before him and so entred into Caramania and inforced the King so far that he was glad to agree to such conditions of Peace as it pleased him to propound unto him and to send his Son to wait at his Court. And at the same time picking a Quarrel with Isfendiar Prince of Castamona caused him to become his Tributary and to send his Son to his Court also By which means the name of Amurath became terrible to all the Mahometan Princes When Amurath had thus quieted all his Troubles in Asia he returned to Hadrianople and understanding that the Hungarians passing over Danubius had in his absence made divers Incursions into his Dominions he was therewith greatly offended and in Revenge thereof first sent Alis Bassa the Son of Eurenoses with an Army to invade Hungaria which he performed accordingly by the space of a month and returned from thence with rich Booty Not long after he himself in Person made another Road into Hungary commanding the Prince of Servia his Father in law to give his Army free passage through his Country and charging Dracula Prince of Valachia to aid him with his Forces in that Expedition which his Commandment both the Christian Princes more for fear than of good will diligently performed So Amurath having inriched his Souldiers with the spoil taken in Hungary returned home and wintred at his Court at Hadrianople The secret Confederation between the Hungarians and the Mahometan King of Caramania was not unsuspected of Amurath which he was the rather induced to believe for that whensoever he invaded the one he was presently set upon by the other either in Europe or in Asia of which Plot he doubted not but that George Prince of Servia his Father in law was chief Author although in shew he was therein the least Actor Wherefore Amurath intending to spoil the Play sent for the Prince his Father in law to come to the Court of Hadrianople but he doubting some Turkish Tragedy pretended great occasions that he could not come and fearing that which afterwards fell out fortified and manned all his strong Cities and Castles by all means he could possibly especially his chief City Semendre otherwise called Spenderovia and left therein his Son Gregory or as some call him George as Governor for his other Son Stephen was long before in Amurath his Court with the Queen his Sister The Prince of Servia himself went into Hungary to procure from thence some Aid having there also himself certain Territories which he had in exchange of Sigismundus late Emperor and King of Hungary for the City of Belgrade It was not long after but Amurath forgetting both the Affinity and League he had with the Prince his Father in law entred with a great Army into Servia destroying all before him and hardly besieged Semendre where after long Siege the young Governor the Princes Son doubting to fall into his Enemies hands by sudden Assault yielded himself with the City which thing so discouraged the rest of the Servians that in short time Sophia Novomont with all the rest of the Cities of Servia were yielded into the Power of Amurath After which Conquest he returned to Hadrianople and hearing that the Prince of Servia with the Hungarians were making head against him and that the two young Servian Princes Gregory and Stephen his Wives Brethren had Intelligence with their Father he commanded them both to be cast in prison at Dydimoticum and their Eyes cruelly to be burnt out with a brazen Bason made red hot a common unmerciful practise among the Turks About this time Albertus Duke of Austria having before married Elizabeth the only Daughter of Sigismund the Emperor and succeeding his Father in law both in the Empire and Kingdom of Hungary unto which Type of highest Honour nothing more furthered him than the remembrance of Sigismund in the second year of his Reign before he was well setled in those new atchieved Honours died of the Flux as he was making great preparation against Amurath the Turkish King who having lately driven Gâ—â—rge Prince of Servia and Roscia out of his Dominions had now extended the Turkish Kingdom even unto the borders of Hungary This Albertus dying left his Wife great with child The Hungarians in whose minds the remembrance of Sigismund was yet fresh could have been contented to have lived under the Government of the Queen his Daughter the Widow of Albertus then great with child but that Turkish King was now grown so great and come so nigh that it was thought more than needful by Iohn Huniades and other of the Hungarian Nobility for the defence of that Kingdom not wholly to rest upon the devotion of the people toward the Queen and the expectation of her Issue whereby they should be nothing strengthned but to make choice of some great Prince by whose Power they might the better defend themselves and the Kingdom against their dangerous Enemies Whereupon with consent of the Queen it was resolved upon to make choice of Uladislaus the young King of Polonia then a Prince of great Power but of far greater Fame and Expectation and by Embassadors to offer unto him the marriage of the Queen and with her the Kingdom also This Embassage being sent unto Uladislaus the matter was to and fro debated in the Polonian Court Whether it were to be accepted of or not Some began to speak of the inequality of the Match considering that the King was but in the prime of his Youth and the Queen well stept into years urging farther that nothing was offered in that Match but Wars and that the Hungarians therein sought for nothing more than by the Polonian Forces to defend themselves against the Turks Others of the contrary opinion said That the uniting of those two mighty Kingdoms would be to the great good of them both and to the great Honour of the King whose very name would thereby become terrible unto the Turks and that it were greater policy by the Forces of both the Kingdoms to keep the Turkish King from entring into Hungary than to leave that Kingdom to him for a prey and afterward be inforc'd to fight with the same Enemy in the heart of Polonia And as for inequality of years betwixt the King
wonderfully even to the astonishment of the World increased and extended their Empire But of them more shall be said hereafter This great King was whilst he lived of his Subjects wonderfully beloved and no less of them after his death lamented He was more faithful of his word than any of the Turkish Kings either before or after him by Nature melancholy and sad and accounted rather politick than valiant yet was indeed both a great dissembler and painful in travel but wayward and testy above measure which many imputed unto his great Age. He had issue six Sons Achmetes Aladin Mahomet Hasan otherwise called Chasan Urchan and Achmetes the younger of some called Calepinus three of whom died before but the two youngest were by their unnatural Brother Mahomet who succeeded him in the Turkish Kingdom even in their infancy in the beginning of his Reign most cruelly murthered Christian Princes of the same time with Amurath the Second Emperors Of the East John Palaeologus 1421. 24. Constantinus Palaeologus 1444. 8. Of the West Sigismund King of Hungary 1411. 28. Albert the Second King of Hungary and Bohemia 1438. 2. Frederick the Third Arch-Duke of Austria 1440. 54. Kings Of England Henry the Fifth 1413. 9. Henry the Sixth 1422. 39. Of France Charles the Sixth 1381. 42. Charles the Seventh 1423. 38. Of Scotland James the First 1424. 13. James the Second 1436. 29. Bishops of Rome Martin the V. 1417. 13. Eugenius the IV. 1431. 16. Nicholas the V. 1447. 8. Qui riâ—i inÌ„uumeros populos tot regno lot urbes Solus eâ— immensi qui timor orbis â—ram Me 〈◊〉 quaecunque rapit mors improba sed sum 〈◊〉 â—xcelsa duclus ad astra tamen 〈◊〉 Aleâ—â—â—nder non me suit Anibal et non Eâ—deriâ— Auâ—oniâ—s tot licet ille Duces 〈…〉 Danaos domuique feroces 〈…〉 populâ—s Sauromatas que truces Pannonius sensiâ—â—â— antum surgebit in armis Vis meaâ—quâ—e latio cognita nuper erat Arsacidae sensere manus has sensit Arabsque El mea suâ—t Persae cognita tela duci Mens fueral bellâ—re Rhodum superare superbam Italiam sed non fata dedere modum Hei mehi nam rapuit mors aspera quaeque sub alto Pectore â—onâ—ideram rertit et hora brevis Sic hominum faâ—lus perâ—unt sic Stemata Sicque Imperium atque qurum quicquid et Orbis habet I who to kingdomes Cities brought their fate The terrour of the trembling world of late Yield to the greater Monarch Death but am Yet proud to think of my immortal fame Greater than Alexander once was I Or him that Camps of Romans did destroy I vanquisht the victorious Greeks and I Destroyd Epyrus and fierce Tartary From mighty Me th'Hungarians had their doome And the report reacht y e proud walls oâ— Rome Th'Assyrian and Arabian felt my hand Nor could the Persian my dread power withstand Ore Rhodes and Italy I designd to ride But fate the progress of my aimes denyd Ai me grim Death and one unlucky houre Has baffled all my thoughts and boundless power So haughty man and all his hopes decay And so all sublunary gloryes pass away The LIFE of MAHOMET The Second of that NAME The Seventh KING and First EMPEROR of the TURKS For his many VICTORIES sirnamed The Great THE report of the death of old Amurath the late King was in short time blown through most part of Christendom to the great joy of many but especially of the Greeks and other poor Christians which bordered upon the Tyrants Kingdom who were now in hope together with the change of the Turkish King to make exchange also of their bad Estate and Fortune and the rather for that it was thought that his eldest Son Mahomet after the death of his Father would have imbraced the Christian Religion being in his Childhood instructed therein as was supposed by his Mother the Daughter of the Prince of Servia a Christian. But vain was this hope and the joy thereof but short as afterward by proof appeared For Mahomet being about the Age of one and twenty years succeeding his Father in the Kingdom in the year of our Lord 1450. year 1450. embraced in shew the Mahometan Religion abhorring the Christian but indeed making no great reckoning either of the one or of the other but as a meer Atheist devoid of all Religion and worshiping no other God but good Fortune derided the simplicity of all such as thought that God had any care or regard of worldly men or of their actions which graceless resolution so wrought in him that he thought all things lawful that agreed with his lust and making conscience of nothing kept no League Promise or Oath longer than stood with his Profit or Pleasure Now in the Court men stood diversly affected towards the present State the mighty Bassaes and others of great Authority unto whom the old Kings Government was never grievous inwardly lamented his death doubting lest the fierce Nature of the young King should turn to the hurt of some of them in particular and the shortning of their Authority in general as indeed it shortly after fell out But the lusty Gallants of the Court weary of the old King who in hope of preferment had long wished for the Government of the young Prince were glad to see him set upon his Fathers Seat. And the vulgar People never constant but in unconstancy and alwaies fawning upon the present exceedingly rejoyced in their young King. The Ianizaries also at the same time according to their accustomed manner took the Spoil of the Christians and Jews that dwelt amongst them and easily obtained pardon for the same whereupon he was by the same Ianizaries and other Souldiers of the Court with great Triumph saluted King. Which approbation of these men of War is unto the Turkish Kings a greater assurance for the possession of their Kingdom than to be born the eldest Son of the King as in the process of this History shall appear so great is the power of these masterful Slaves in promoting to the Kingdom whichsoever of the Kings Sons they most favour without much regard whether they be the eldest or not This young Tyrant was no sooner possessed of his Fathers Kingdom but that he forgetting the Laws of Nature was presently in person himself about to have murthered with his own hands his youngest Brother then but eighteen Months old begotten on the Daughter of Sponderbius Which unnatural part Moses one of his Bassaes and a man greatly in his favour perceiving requested him not to embrue his own hands in the blood of his Brother but rather to commit the execution thereof to some other which thing Mahomet commanded him the Author of that counsel forthwith to do So Moses taking the Child from the Nurse strangled it with pouring water down the throat thereof The young Lady understanding of the death of her Child as a Woman whom Fury had made past fear came and in her rage reviled the Tyrant to
dreadful unto his Neighbour Princes gave to him his only Daughter Despina in Marriage by such Alliance to strengthen himself against the Turkish Tyrant if need should require At which Marriage it was agreed That Usun-Cassanes should in the right of his Wife enjoy all the Kingdom of Pontus after the death of Calo Ioannes her Father and of David his Brother and that Despina should so long as she lived have the free Exercise of her Christian Religion By this Woman Usun-Cassanes had a Daughter called Martha whom I willingly remember for that she was the Mother of Hysmael afterwards the great King of Persia commonly called Hysmael the Sophy of whom more shall be said hereafter in the Life of Selymus Usun-Cassanes honoured with this Marriage and strengthened with this new Alliance ceased not after his wonted manner daily to encroach upon his Neighbour Princes and proceeded so far that at length he began to lay hand upon a part of Armenia which was then part of the Dominion of the Persian King. Zenza whom some call Tzokies which was indeed the name of his Father reigning then in Persia by his Embassadors admonished and in short commanded Usun-Cassanes to hold himself content with his own or at least with that he had already wrongfully taken from others and not to presume to come within the bounds of his Dominion threatning otherwise to take him as an Enemy to his State and to turn his Forces upon him With which Embassage Usun-Cassanes being much offended gave the Embassadors no entertainment but commanded them with speed to get them out of his Kingdom and to tell their Master That he would shortly himself in person come and debate the matter with him face to face With which proud Answer from so mean a Prince the Persian King moved levied such an Army for the invading of him as was thought to have been sufficient to have subdued a far greater Prince and so appointed set forward toward Armenia Usun-Cassanes much inferiour to this great King in Wealth and Number of Men but not in Haughtiness of Mind and Valiantness of Courage stayed not to expect the coming of so puissant an Enemy but full of hope set forward to meet him and by great journeys sought to come upon him before he could have any knowledge of his coming yet had he then in his Army scarce one man to ten but all armed with couragious Hearts and conducted by a most fortunate Chieftain which feared nothing So holding on his way at length he met with a great Army of the Persians with whom he presently joyned Battel and after a long and cruel Fight overthrew them in the plain Field with such a Slaughter as might well have weakned the Forces of a right great Kingdom The great King more inraged than discouraged with his overthrow raised a far greater Army than before the very Strength of his Kingdom resolving now not to send any more his Lieutenants but to go in person himself against so desperate an Enemy All things being in readiness he set forward and at length met with the Armenian Prince whom he found as ready to give Battel as he was at the first So being both desirous to trie their fortune they joyned battel wherein the Persians were again discomfited and put to flight and more of them slain in that Battel than were brought into the Field in the first Army Zenzes the Persian King was there slain with Usun-Cassanes his own hand and Cariasuphus his Son taken Prisoner whom the Armenian Prince used with the greatest honour could be devised giving unto him the Honour and Title due to the Persian King taking to himself the bare name of the Protector of the Persian State. Which he did only to please the Persians and to keep them quiet until he had got some more assured possession of that Kingdom But after he had in the two former Battels broken their greatest Strength and then under the colour of a peaceable Governor got into his power the regal City of Tauris with the rest of the Cities and strong places of that great Kingdom and that all men had him now in great reverence and admiration for his great vertues he secretly dispatched out of the way the poor titular King his Prisoner the last of the Posterity of the mighty Tamerlane and took upon himself the highest place which admitteth no Partner Whilst this restless Prince was thus tumbling in the World and not yet well setled in his new gotten Kingdom Mahomet the Turkish Emperor no less ambitious than himself had scornfully rejected the Embassadors and Presents which Usun-Cassanes had sent and having shamefully put to death David the Emperor of Trapezond his Allyance had converted all the Kingdom of Pontus which Usun-Cassanes of right claimed as his Wives Dowry into the form of a Province and so united it to the Turkish Empire Which so manifest a wrong Usun-Cassanes in the newness of his so late atchieved greatness durst not adventure to address but after that he was surely seated and had with the course of time overcome all dangers at home being daily prickt forward with the remembrance of the former injuries still suggested by the importunity of his Wife Despina and the sollicitation of the Venetians to whom he had by solemn promise bound himself he determined now to take the matter in hand and to try his Forces upon his proud Enemy the Turkish Emperor Hereupon he raised a great Army and being well appointed of all things necessary passing through Armenia toward Pontâ—s near unto the River Euphrates was encountred by Mustapha Mahomets Eldest Son a young Prince of great hope and Amurath the great Bassa of Romania whom Mahomet fearing such a matter had sent before with a strong Army out of Europe to joyn with such Forces as Mustapha had already raised in Asia so to withstand the invasion of the Persian These two great Commanders Mustapha and Amurath joining Battel with Usun-Cassanes were by him in the plain Field overthrown where Amurath the great Bassa himself with thirty thousand Turks were slain Mustapha with the rest of the Army by shameful flight saving themselves Now when Mahomet understood that Amurath was slain year 1474. and his Army discomfited he was therewith exceedingly troubled but purposing to be thereof revenged gave order into all parts of his Dominions for the levying of new Forces so that at the time by him appointed was assembled a great and mighty Army of 320000 men Usun-Cassanes in like manner was in the Field with an Army nothing in number inferior unto his Enemy These two Mahometan Kings drawing after them â—heir huge Armies met together near the Moâ—ntains of Armenia where at the first encountâ—â— one of the Turks great Bassa's was slain with 40000 Turks With which hard beginning the proud Tyrant was so daunted that he could hardly be perswaded to prove his fortune any further but contenting himself with that loss was about to have retired and
had undoubtedly so done if some of his most expert and valiant Captains which might be bold with him had not sharply reproved him that having so populous an Army as scarcely felt that small loss he should once think of returning without Victory With which their comfortable perswasions he was again encouraged to give Battel Yet for his more safety he withdrew his Army into a Strait betwixt two Mountains and with his Carriages foâ—tified the front thereof as with a Trench behind which Carriages he placed his great Ordnance and on either side his Archers The Persians as men of great Valour and thereto encouraged with their former Victories came on as men fearing no peril to have charged the Turks even in their Strength presenting their whole Army before they were aware into the mouth of the Turks Artillery which suddenly discharged amongst the thickest of them brake their Ranks and took away a number of them Besides that the Persian Horses terrified with the unacquainted and thundering report of the great Ordnance were not to be ruled by their Riders but starting back ran some one way some another as if they had felt neither Bit nor Rider Which their confusion Mahomet perceiving presently took hold of the occasion offered and with his Horsemen fiercely charged them being now by themselves intangled and out of order Nevertheless the Persians made great resistance and slew many of the Turks but still fighting confusedly and out of order they were at the last inforced to flie in which Flight a great number of them were slain and their Tents also taken Zeinal Usun-Cassanes his eldest Son labouring to stay the Flight of the Persians was slain with a small shot So the Honour of the day remained with the Turks yet they had no great cause to brag of their winnings having lost in that Battel forty thousand Souldiers whereas of the Persians fell not above ten thousand Mahomet contenting himself with this dear bought Victory returned homewards and Usun-Cassanes leaving another of his Sons with his Army for the defence of Armenia returned likewise to Tauris But whilst the Christian Princes were in their greatest expectation what might be the Event of these Wars betwixt these two mighty Mahometan Kings they upon the suddain concluded a Peace and confirmed the same with new Affinity excluding the Christians quite out of the same This last Battel betwixt Mahomet and Usun-Cassanes was fought in the year of our Lord 1474 about four years before the death of Usun-Cassanes who died the fifth of Ianuary in the year 1478. In the time of these Wars died the noble Mustapha Mahomet his eldest Son at Iconium having spent himself with reveling amongst his Paragons or as some write commanded to die by his â—ather upon this occasion This youthful Prince upon a time coming to the Court to see his Father or as they term it to kiss his hand became amorous of the Wife of Achmetes Bassa a Lady of incomparable Beauty and Daughter to Isaac Bassa the chief men in the Turkish Empire next unto Mahomet himself but finding no means to compass her in whom his Soul lived he awaited a time when as she after the manner of the Turks went to bath her self and there as he found 〈◊〉 all disroabed shamefully forced her without regard either of his own Honour or of hers Of this so foul an outrage Achmetes her Husband with his cloaths and hat all rent for madness came and grievously complained to Mahomet craving vengeance for the same Unto whom Mahomet again replied Art not thou thy self my Slave and if my Son Mustapha have known thy Wife is she not my Bondslave he hath had to do withal Cease therefore thus to complain and hold thy self therewith content Nevertheless he in secret sharply reproved his Son for so hainous and dishonorable a Fact by him committed and commanded him out of his sight and as he was of a severe nature caused him within a few days after to be secretly strangled Nevertheless the wrong done unto the Bassa sunk so deep into his haughty mind as that he would never admit excuse therefore but put away his Wife the ground of the implacable hatred betwixt him and the great Bassa Isaac his Father-in-law and in fine the very cause of his utter destruction as is afterward declared in the life of Bajazet Mahomet delivered of his greatest fear year 1475. by the Peace he had lately concluded with Usun-Cassanes the Persian King was now at good leisure to imploy all his Forces against the Christians And bearing a deadly hatred against the Princes of Epirus and Albania with a wonderful desire to extend his Empire unto the Ionian and Adriatick that he might from thence but look toward Italy which he began now to long after he determined with himself first to subdue those Countries as standing in his way both for the invasion of Italy and of the Territories of the Venetians And forasmuch as the strong City of Scodra otherwise called Scutary then in the possession of the Venetians for the commodious Situation thereof seemed to give him the best entrance into the Countries of Albania Epirus Dalmatia and to such Cities as the Venetians held alongst the Sea coast he resolved there to begin his Wars This City was of great Strength as well for the natuaral Situation thereof as for the strong Fortifications therein made by the hand of man which thing Mahomet was not ignorant of but presuming of his own Strength and Power vainly perswaded himself that no place was now able long to hold out against him Wherefore having prepared all things fit for the besieging thereof he sent Solyman Bassa an Eunuch whom he made his Lieutenant General in Europe in the place of Amurath Bassa before slain by Usun-Cassanes with eighty thousand Souldiers to besiege Scodra This great Bassa according to his charge came and with great pomp incamped round about the City the 25 of May. Shortly after having planted his battery he began most furiously to shake the Walls and ceased not by all means he could devise to trouble the Defendants and when he had by force of the Canon done what he could gave divers sharp assaults unto the City but was still with great loss valiantly repulsed by them of the City Long it were to declare how often and in what terrible manner that warlike Bassa Mahomet his chief Captain attempted to have won the City as also to shew how they of Scodra directed by their worthy Governor Antoninus Lauretanus valiantly defended themselves and their City nothing was omitted that the Enemy could do or devise for the gaining thereof but all his devices and attempts were so met withal by the Defendants that they served him to no other purpose but to the destruction of his people Whilst the Bassa thus lay at the Siege of Scodra Mocenicus having received such commandment from the Senate came and joyned himself to Grittus the new Admiral who then lay with
whom forsomuch as he had always heard much honour he was in good hope to find succour and relief in that his distressed estate protesting unto God and the World that if ever it should be his good Fortune by their means and help to obtain the Empire he would never be unmindful of so great a benefit but to make with them a perpetual and inviolable Peace and so to rest their fast Friend for ever The Great Master on the other side comforting him with chearful Speeches promised to keep him in safety from the fury of his Brother and farther to commend his Cause to the other great Kings and Princes of Christendom This exiled Prince Zemes was about the age of eight and twenty years when he came to the Rhodes of stature tall somewhat corpulent and well limb'd grey-eyed but looking something asquint hook-nosed and in the middle rising in such manner as the Persians commend in their Kings of colour brown spare of speech and by nature cholerick a great feeder so that he seemed rather to devour his meat than to eat it much delighted in swimming and to lie abroad in the night pensive and melancholy which men imputed to his great cares never merry but in the company of the grand Master a religious observer of the superstition from which he could never be drawn during the long time he lived in exile learned as among the Turks so that he wrote the History of his Fathers life But leaving him in safe keeping with the grand Master of the Rhodes let us again return to the course of our History Bajazet having now the second time chased away his Brother after he had well quieted that part of his troubled Kingdom in Asia returned again to Constantinople carefully attending when some new motion should be made by his Brother to his farther disquiet But after he understood that he was with the Great Master of the Rhodes he sent certain of his Bassaes amongst whom Achmetes the great Souldier is reported to have been one unto the Great Master requesting him to deliver up Zemes offering for him a wonderful sum of money Which dishonourable request when it could by no means be obtained the same Embassadors in the name of their Master concluded a Peace very commodious for the Rhodians wherein among other things it was agreed That the Great Master should keep Zemes in safe custody so that he should no more trouble the Turkish Empire in consideration whereof and for his honourable usage Bajazet should yearly pay unto the Great Master thirty thousand Ducats the first of August which was afterward accordingly payed year 1484. It fortuned that whilst Achmetes the great Bassa employed in matters abroad was absent from the Court Bajazet discoursing with the other Bassaes his grave Counsellors upon his late Expedition into Asia against his Brother seemed to be highly offended with the untrustiness and doubtful faith of some of his greatest Captains and Souldiers yet upon whom he might justly lay the blame he well knew not although it seemed by his talk he should somewhat distrust the great Captain Achmetes Hereupon Isaac the most ancient Bassa of the Court and of greatest authority next unto Bajazet himself whose Daughter a Lady of exceeding beauty Achmetes had long before married but doubting that she had yielded her Honour to the wanton lust of Mustapha the eldest Son of Mahomet the late Emperor had put her from him and would by no means be reconciled for which cause there was a secret hatred ever after betwixt those two great Bassaes perceiving the Emperors discontented and suspitious humour and desiring nothing more than the destruction of Achmetes took hold upon this opportunity and by all means he could devise encreased the suspition of the Treason which had already too much possessed the jealous Emperor sometimes craftily imagining Intelligence to have passed betwixt Zemes and Achmetes and forthwith amplifying his Power and Authority which as he said was so great with the Janizaries and Souldiers of the Court that they by reason of his often imployments were wholly at his devotion so that he might at his pleasure do more in Zemes his quarrel than should stand with the safety of Bajazet a matter well to be considered of and also carefully prevented For remedy of which dangers it was thought necessary that Achmetes at his return to Court should be taken away and slain Achmetes fearing nothing less than that which was contrived against him came after his wonted manner to the Court and was with the other great Bassaes invited to a solemn Supper which Bajazet had commanded to be prepared to solace himself after his travels as it was given out with his chief Bassaes. To this Royal Supper came Achmetes with the rest of the bidden Guests mistrusting nothing and was there sumptuously feasted by Bajazet who to make his Guests the merrier drank Wine plentifully himself causing them also to drink in like manner so that they were full of Wine a thing utterly forbidden by their Law yet daily more and more used especially by their great Men in their Feasts Supper now ended and the night far spent Bajazet in token that they were welcome and stood in his good Grace caused certain rich Robes of pleasing colours to be brought forth and to be cast upon every of his Guests one giving beside unto every one of them a fair giâ—t Bowl full of Gold. But upon Achmetes was cast a Gown of black Velvet which among the Turks may well be called the Mantle of death being so sure a Token of the Emperors heavy Indignation as that it is death for any man once to open his mouth or to intreat for him upon whom it is by the Emperors commandment so cast Achmetes seeing himself now under the shadow of death and knowing it but vain to intreat for mercy as he was a man of great spirit brake forth and said Oh cachpogly which is as much as to say Thou Son of a Whore sith thou entendedst so much cruelty against me why didst thou not put it in execution before thou hadst inforced me to drink this impure and forbidden Wine and so casting his Eyes upon the ground sate still The other Bassaes having leave to depart giving thanks to the Emperor and craving pardon for their excess kissed the ground at his Feet and so departed with whom Achmetes offered to have gone out also but was forthwith commanded to sit still for that the Emperor had to talk with him in secret The Bassaes were no sooner departed but the terrible Executioners of Bajazet his wrath stept in and laid hands upon Achmetes to have slain him when one of the Eunuchs in greatest favour with the Tyrant standing by advised him not to be too hasty in executing of so great Man so entirely beloved of his best Souldiers and Men of War but rather to stay his Execution for a while to see how the matter would be disgested and in the mean time
of the Christian Religion Whereby it came to pass that this Martha her Daughter instructed by her Mother became a Christian also who now married by her Father unto this precise Hypocrite Haider Erdebil in short time bare him a Son called Hysmael whom she so much as she could trained up in the Principles of the Christian Religion Whereby it came to pass that afterwards when he had by rare fortune obtained the Kingdom of Persia he always during his life had the Christians in good regard and never found fault with their Religion Haider thus graced with the marriage of the great Kings Daughter Martha only for his rare Vertues and Purity of Life as was commonly supposed grew now into far greater Credit and Estimation of the People than before So that his doctrine and opinions began to be generally received and the number of his Followers so greatly augmented that Iacup succeeding his Father Usun-Cassanes but lately dead began to have the Power and Credit of Haider his Brother in law in suspect and to distrust lest the Persians who secretly favoured the remainder of the Posterity of their ancient Kings should assemble together under the colour of this new Superstition and raise some dangerous Rebellion before he were well setled in his Seat. For he was not ignorant that Asembeius Usun-Cassanes his Father had but by Force and Policy usurped the Kingdom having killed Moloonchres the lawful King whereof there arose two Factions some favouring the Usurper and othersome the poor remainder of the descent of their ancient Kings of the race of Tamerlane For which causes Iacup as he was of a suspitious and troublesome Nature and above measure jealous of his State nothing regarding the near Alliance or reputed holiness of his godly Brother in law caused him suspecting no such matter to be secretly murdred and so having struck off his Head with Fire and Sword persecuted all the Professors of that new Doctrine so to deliver himself for ever of that his vain and needless fear Hysmael the Son of Haider who was afterwards called the great Sophi of Persia being then but a Child as it were by fatal Destiny escaped the Fury of his cruel Uncle Iacup and fled into Hyrcania unto one Pyrchales his Fathers Friend who then ruled in a small Territory near unto the Caspian Sea. Amongst many others of the Disciples and Followers of Haider which in that cruel Persecution were glad to flie for safeguard of their lives the two before named Chasan Shelife and Schach Culi afterwards sirnamed Cuselbas in outward shew both of Vertue and Learning not inferior unto their Master flying that dangerous Tempest and passing over the River Euphrates came into Armenia the lesser and there took up their dwelling at the great Mountain Antitaurus at the foot whereof the broken Rocks have divers dark and obscure Caves made partly by Art and partly by Nature which place is of the Inhabitants called Teke-Ili whereof divers Historiographers I know not whether deceived by the name of the place or else wittingly transferring the name of the place unto the man that lived therein have called this Schach Culi who of the two proved of greater fame by the name of Techellis by which name we will also from henceforth call him A thing heretofore much used amongst the religious and also some of the Children of great Princes who oftentimes bare the names of the places where they were born or where they most lived This place is both wholesome and exceeding pleasant for the variety of Fruits and lively Springs wherewith the Plains adjoyning are continually watered and the Mountains at all times of the year garnished Here Shelife with his Companion Techellis having separated themselves far from the Company of men and given themselves wholly to a contemplative life for divers years lived most straitly and austerely contenting themselves with such things as the Earth of it self afforded them without seeking for better These Hypocrites were first seen and afterwards acquainted with the Shepheards and Heardsmen living upon the Mountains and in process of time with the rude Husbandmen and Country People who wondring at their strait and devout kind of life relieved them with all things necessary Yea Bajazet himself hearing of their austere and devout manner of living sent them yearly six or seven thousand Aspers as his Alms given them upon Charity and Devotion But afterwards when they began to tell Fortunes and as it were by the way of divination to prognosticate of things to come the Rural People held them for more than men and conceived of them a firm opinion that they were some divine Prophets And so were by the Country People first drawn into the Country Villages and afterwards as if it had been against their Wills into the Cities where they had in short time filled all the Country far and near with the admiration of their fame But after they began to publish their new phantasied Doctrine concerning the true successor of their great Prophet Mahomet they wanted not their new fangled followers as had Haider their Master before amongst the Persians who had them in singular Reverence perswaded now by them that they should be condemned for ever if they did not as they were by them taught give the honour of the true succession of their great Prophet only to Haly and him only to reverence and call upon next unto the great Prophet himself When they had thus with their often Sermons and blinded Prophecies seduced the People and in short time won great Credit amongst the Vulgar sort of themselves too much given to Novelty and Superstition they commanded their Disciples and Followers to wear upon their Turkish Hats a red Band or Ribband whereby to be known from others that were not of their profession Of which red Bands or Ribbands they which professed this new Superstition were and yet are over all the East part of the World called by the name of Cuselbassas which is to say Red Heads Hysmael also living in exile most earnestly embraced that new Superstition which Haider his Father had before taught in Persia but with far better Fortune and Success For as soon as he was grown to mans Estate he following his Fathers manner of life and being by nature wonderful eloquent comely of person exceeding wise and of an invincible Courage was of the rude Vulgar People accounted of more like a god than a man so that he grew to be of great fame and power amongst those barbarous People with whom he lived And not the base and vulgar sort only but divers Noblemen also and others of good reputation once allured with the Novelty of his Doctrine the more to manifest their good Will towards the Author of their sect after they had forsaken their old Superstition ceased not as the manner of men is to commend him in the highest degree of Vertue and Honour And he himself as yet but a youth altogether bending his Wit
and fearful by how much he was at that time inferior unto his Son both in warlike Provision and number of men Wherefore it were good for him they said to moderate his anger and not now in the winding up of his life to make too much hast by a miserable death in a woful Battel to stain the whole glory of his former life There was as they would have perswaded him but one only course to be taken full of wholesome Policy and Safety and that was That he should with such speed as he had begun march on forward to Constantinople that so Selymus excluded out of the City his chiefest hope and then not knowing which way to turn himself should either of his own accord or for fear of his Fathers greater Forces think of return and so with his rascal Followers more honestly perish by the hands of them whose Countries he had spoiled and upon whom he must of necessity live in his return than by the sword of his Father The Author of this Counsel was Mustapha the most ancient Bassa of those which being in greatest Authority about the Emperor are only of his Privy Council and sway all matters of importance concerning either Peace or War he then upon an unthankful and malicious mind loathing Bajazet as one that had too long reigned hated him also for certain private displeasures conceived of the emulation of the other younger Bassa's by him promoted and secretly bare great affection to Selymus both in condition and favour resembling his Grandfather the Great Mahomet by whom he was brought up himself and him of all the Sons of Bajazet he thought most worthy of the Empire This Mustapha was born in the Town of Seres near unto Amphipolis the Son of a Greek Priest a man of a sly crafty and subtil Wit always subject to corruption which diseases of mind were in him well to have been discovered by his froward look and squint Eyes the certain notes of a nature to be suspected Next unto this Mustapha was Bostanges Bassa born of the honourable House of the Ducagina in Aetholia and therefore called Ducaginoli a man for his Covetousnes Ambition and Treachery infamous as the foul and miserable end of his life afterwards declared Unto this man Selymus had by secret promise betrothed one of his Daughters now marriageable as a reward of his corrupt Faith. By which sleight he had also allured Ajax Aga or Captain of the Janizaries and great Master of the Houshold to promise his Aid for the obtaining of the Empire whereunto he said he was by Destiny called and by his means drew other inferior Captains secretly to favour his quarrel unto whom he spared not to promise whatsoever might please their humors Yea the Captains almost generally either corrupted with reward or for fear following the inclination of the greater Commanders of themselves leaned that way Of all the rest only Cherseogles Bassa whom the Turks Histories call also Achmet Hertezec-Ogli a faithful constant and upright man free from all double dealing and deceit a fast and assured Friend unto Bajazet his Father in Law was of opinion That the immoderate Pride and Insolency of Selymus was even there by force of Arms and strong Hand forthwith to be oppressed before he should approach any nearer unto the Imperial City for fear of raising some further trouble or tumult there than were well to be appeased which was the thing that Selymus his Friends most of all desired Neither was it to be thought as Cherseogles said that the naked Tartarion Horsemen although they were in number more would ever be able to abide the first charge of Bajazet his well armed Pensioners As for the Janizaries of whose approved Faith and Valour tried in many dangers he had before had good experience there was no doubt but that they would now to the uttermost of their power defend the Person and Honour of their aged and victorious Emperor who had of long time so well of them deserved and also to revenge his quarrel upon disobedient Selymus who neither fearing God the just Revenger of such ungracious dealing neither the infamy of men had most unnaturally lift up his Sword against his Father wickedly to deprive him of life of whom he had received life Wherefore he perswaded him in his own just quarrel to go forth unto his Souldiers with chearful countenance and putting them in remembrance of the benefits they had from time to time most bountifully received at his hands as also of their Allegiance and Duty to make them to understand that reposing his trust in their Fidelity and Valour he had resolutely set down with himself in that place before he went any further by their faithful hands to chastise the presumptuous insolency of his unnatural Son together with his rebellious Followers But now that we are fallen into the remembrance of this Cherseogles it shall not be amiss both for the honour of the man and the great love he always bare unto the Christians to step a little out of the way to see the cause why he being a Christian born turned Turk For he was not as almost all the rest of the great men about Bajazet were of a Child taken from his Christian Parents and so brought up in the Mahometan Religion but now being a man grown turned Turk yet so as that he never in heart forgot either the Christians Religion or love towards the Christians a thing not common among such Renegates He being the Son of one Cherseogles a small Prince of Illyria near unto the black Mountain and going to be married unto a Lady whom he most entirely loved and unto whom he was already betrothed honourably descended of the House of the Despot of Servia his intemperate Father with lustful Eye beholding the young Lady of rare Feature and incomparable Beauty desired to have her for himself and regarding more the satisfying of his own inordinate desire than his own honour or the Fatherly Love of his Son took her in marriage himself all his Friends labouring in vain to disswade him and with open mouth crying shame of so foul a Fact. Wherefore the young man moved with the indignity of so great an injury and driven headlong with despair fled first to the Turks Garrisons which lay not far off and from thence to Constantinople where the fortune of the man was to be wondred at For being brought before Bajazet who with chearful countenance entertained him for that he was honourably descended and well liked both of the man and of the cause of his revolt smiling upon him said Be of good chear Noble Youth for thy great courage is worthy of far greater fortune than thy Fathers House can afford thee now in stead of thy Love wrongfully taken from thee by thy Father the Kinswoman of a poor exiled Prince thou shalt have given thee in marriage the Daughter of a great Emperor of rare and singular perfection And not long after abjuring his
mine Army am returned to my Imperial City of Constantinople from whence Farewel The Great Master having read these Letters and well considered of the same perceived forthwith Solymans meaning and that Peace was offered him in words and shew but War in deed and meaning Which because he was ready by force to repulse he rewarded the Turks Messenger and sent back with him another of his own a private Person For the Rhodians did seldom vouchsafe to send any honourable Embassadors to the Turkish Emperors with whom they for most part lived in Hostility either the Turks to them By this Messenger he answered Solymans Letters with other of like vain as followeth Philippus Villerius Liladamus Great Master of the Rhodes to the Turk I right well understand your Letters which your Messenger brought unto me The friendship you write of is as pleasing to me as displeasing to Cortug-Ogli your Servant who went about to have intercepted me upon the suddain as I came out of France but failing of his purpose stealing by night into the Rhodian Sea he attempted to have robbed certain Merchants Ships bound from Joppa to Venice but sending my Fleet out of my Haven I staied his fury constrained the Pyrat to flie and for hast to leave behind him the Prizes he had before taken from the Merchants of Crete Farewel from the Rhodes By this answer Solyman perceived that he was well met withal in his own fineness and that he should not so easily carry the Rhodes as he had before done Belgrade Yet being fully in himself resolved to try his Fortune therein he called unto him certain of the chief Commanders of his Wars to whom he opened his whole determination in this sort Although I doubt not worthy Chieftains but that you are of the same mind now that yoâ— have been always of in the invading of other Nations yet I have thought it good in matters tending to the common Glory and good of us all to use your general advice and counsel Since the time that my Father left this World we have made War with divers Nations and People The Syrians by nature unconstant and prone to Rebellion we have by force reduced to their former Obedience The Sophi that mighty King Nephew unto the great King Usan-Cassanes by his Daughter the Sister of King Jacup in heart and deed our mortal Enemy not contented with the Kingdoms of Assyria Media Armenia the greater Persia and Mesopotamia we have with our Forces shut up within the compass of his own Dominions The last year running through Hungary both on this side and beyond Danubius we took Belgrade the strongest Fortress in that Kingdom And whatsoever else we attempted we subdued Yet for all that to speak plainly of my self my mind greater in conceit than my Empire and the Blood of Othoman findeth no contentment in these Victories For whatsâ—ever you have yet done although it be great yet I deem it all but little in regard of your worth my desire carrieth me further This have I always above all things most earnestly desired to set upon the Rhodes and utterly to root out all the strength and forces yea the very name of those Rhodian Souldiers And have not you also no less than my self desired the same How often have I heard you crying out The Rhodes The Rhodes I have expected the time that being discharged of other Wars I might here imploy my whole strength and power That we so long desired is now come there was never greater opportunity of good success offered a great part of the Walls of the City of the Rhodes now lying even with the ground which cannot in short time be repaired especially in their want of Coyn. Beside this the Garrison in the Castle is but small and their aid from France far off which will either come too late when the City is lost or that which I rather believe never For neither will the French King being at mortal Wars with the German Emperor and Lords of Italy suffer his Store-houses to be disfurnished or his Ports bared of the necessary defence of his Shipping Neither do you believe that the Spaniards distressed at home with Famine War and civil Dissention will easily come hither out of Scilicia and Campania with supplies of Men and Victual But you may perhaps think that great danger is to be feared from the Venetian Fleet and the Isle of Crete which I assure you is not so for I know although I will not now manifest the same how I have prevented that mischief Wherefore couragious Souldiers born to the subduing of all Christendom much more of the Rhodes with chearful hearts follow me your Sovereign against these your most perfideous and cruel Enemies How long I pray you will you suffer that stain and disgrace to stick upon the Othoman Family and generally upon all the Name of the Turks which these Rhodians cast upon us the last time they were besieged Which was not so much done by their Valour as by the unfortunate counsel of my great Grandfather Mahomet calling home Mesithes Palaeologus his General in that War for one unlucky Assault But admit that their Valour gained them Victory will you therefore always suffer these pyratical excursions upon our Main and Islands The ransacking of Cities and Countries The carrying away of your Cattel and richest Substance The captivity and slaughter of your Wives and Children The slavery of your nearest Friends and Kinsmen So help me great Mahomet it shall not so be I Vow in despight of Christ and John in short time to set up mine Ensigns with the Moon in the middle of the Market place of Rhodes Neither do I seek any thing unto my self more than the honour of the enterprise the profit I give unto you my fellow Souldiers their Coyn Plate Iewels which is reported to be great their Riches and Wealth is all yours to carry home with you unto your Wives and Children Wherefore let us now with all our forces and courage set forward to the besieging of the Rhodes Solymans purpose thus made known and the same with one accord of all his Captains well liked Pyrrhus the eldest Bassa and of greatest authority who at the first disswaded the War standing up in the midst of the rest said I cannot but much admire the great Wisdom and rare Vertues of our young Emperor who so wisely and advisedly hath declared all the deep Counsels of a worthy Chieftain in taking of War in hand Blessed be Mahomet thrice and four times Blessed is this Empire Blessed is our Estate and Blessed are we with such a Prince which carrieth with him in his Wars not only Men and Habiliments of War but most deep wisdom and policy Which wholesome manner of proceeding if we had always before our eyes and would follow we should in short time bring under our subjection not the Rhodes only but all the Kingdoms of the Christians Yet beside that which our Emperor hath most
death which by Embassadors dissemblingly entreating of Peace had in the mean time craftily waged War. Amongst these Prisoners was one Souldier of Bavaria of an exceeding high Stature him in despight of the German Nation he delivered to a little Dwarf whom his Sons made great account of to be slain whose head was scarce so high as the Knees of the tall Captive with that cruel spight to aggravate the indignity of his death when as that goodly tall man mangled about the Legs a long time by that apish Dwarf with his little Scimeter as if it had been in disport fell down and was with many feeble blows hardly at last slain by that Wretch still heartned on by others to satisfie the Eyes of the Princes beholding it as their Sport. This barbarous and cruel execution done Solyman sent his Embassadors with Presents to the young King which were three beautiful Horses with their Bridles of Gold and their Trappings richly set with precious Stones and three Royal Robes of Cloth of Gold and unto the chief of the Nobility he sent rich Gowns and Chains of Gold. The Embassadors which brought these Presents in courteous manner requested of the Queen to send the young King her Son attended with his Nobility into the Camp and without all fear to hope that all should go well both with her and her Son for that Solyman who exceeded all other Kings not in Power and Fortune only but in Vertue and upright dealing also was of such an heroical Disposition that he would not only defend the Child whom in the right of his Father he had once thought worthy his Protection and Favour Victory confirming the same but would also augment his Estate with the largest Bounds of his ancient Kingdom Wherefore he was desirous to see the young King and to behold in him the representation of his Father and with his own hand to deliver him to be imbraced of his Sons that of his Protection renewed so happily begun might be grounded a firm and perpetual Friendship with the Othoman Kings and that he would always account of her as of his Daughter But the cause why he came not to see her which he did in courtesie desire was for that by ancient custom the Othoman Kings were forbidden that point of courtesie to visit other mens Wives in their Houses Besides that Solyman they said was not so forgetful of his Modesty and Honour as to receive into his Pavillion the Daughter of a King his Friend and Ally and she the late Wife of a King his Friend and Tributary and the fair young Mother of a Son growing in the hope of like Regal Dignity for fear he should draw into any suspition the inviolate name of her Chastity which in Queens was to be guarded with an especial and wonderful care Whereunto the Queen a manifest fear confounding the tender Senses in her Motherly Affection answered very doubtfully but the Bishop perswading her and instantly requesting her not to give the Turks occasion to suspect that she had them in distrust by her little and unprofitable delay sent her young Son in Princely swathing Clothes in a rich Chariot with his Nurse and certain great Ladies unto the Camp attended upon with almost all the Nobility to whom Solyman had sent Presents In his coming to the Camp he was for honours sake met upon the way by certain gallant Troops of the Turks brave Horsemen and all the way as he passed in the Camp orderly stood the Janizaries of Solymans Guard. As soon as he was brought into the Camp Solyman courteously looked upon him and familiarly talked with the Nurse and commanded his Sons there present to take him in their Arms and to kiss him in certain token of the love they would bear him whom they were in time to have their Friend and Tributary when he was grown to mans estate these were Selymus and Bajazet begotten of his fair Concubine Roxalana bearing the Names the one of his Grandfather the other of his great Grandfather As for Mustapha his eldest Son by his Circassian Wife he then lived in Magnesia a great way off who though he was a Prince of so great hope as never any of the Turkish Kings had a Son of greater and was therefore exceedingly beloved of the Men of War yet was he not so well liked of his Father brought out of favour with him by Roxalana as if he had traiterously gone about to take the Empire from him yet living as did Selymus his Grandfather from Bajazet for which cause Solyman secretly purposed to take him away as afterwards he did and to appoint Selymus for his Successor as hereafter shall appear But Solyman at such time as the Noblemen of Hungary were dining merrily with the Bassaes had commanded certain Companies to whom he had before given instructions what he would have done under the colour of seeing the City to take one of the Gates called Sabatina and the chief Streets which was done so quietly and cunningly that a wary Watchman standing there and beholding the manner of the Turks coming and going too and fro could hardly have perceived how the Gate was taken until it was too late For many of the Turks walking fair and softly by great Companies into the City as if it had been but for pleasure to have seen it and other some to colour the matter walking likewise back again as if they had sufficiently viewed the City by that means they without any tumult or stir quickly took the appointed Gate with the Market place and chief Streets of the City Which so finely done the Captain of the Janizaries caused Proclamation to be made in all parts of the City That the Citizens should without fear keep themselves within their Houses and forthwith as they would have their Lives Liberty and Goods saved to deliver all their Weapons which they seeing no remedy did and having delivered their Arms and taken the Turks Faith for their security they received them into their Houses as their unwelcome Guests But such was the quietness and modesty of the Turks by reason of the severity of their Martial Discipline that no Citizen which took them into their Houses was by them wronged by Word or Deed. Solyman understanding that the City was thus quietly and without resistance taken sent the Child back again unto the Queen although it was now almost night but the chief Noblemen he retained still with him these were George the Bishop and Treasurer Petrus Vicche the young Kings nigh Kinsman and one of his Tutors Valentinus Turaccus General of the Queens Forces Stephanus Verbetius Chancellor and Bacianus Urbanus Governor of the City of Buda This suddain and unexpected change exceedingly troubled all their minds and so much the more for that the great Bassaes with changed countenance began to pick quarrels with them and as it were straightly and impudently to examine them and to call them to account for all that they
Gentlewoman of exceeding Beauty had with her good Grace so warmed the withered affection of the old Pyrat Barbarussa that he now fitter for the Grave than for Marriage became amorous of her person so that taking her from her Father and entring her into the Mahometan Superstition he made of her as of his Wife insomuch that certain Months after he welcomed and bountifully entertained the Captain as his Father in Law coming to see his Daughter at the Port called Portus Herculis in Tuscany where the Turks Fleet then lay Barbarussa sailing alongst the Coast of Italy came to Ostia in the Mouth of the River Tibur and brought such a fear upon the City of Rome that the Citizens were ready generally to have forsaken the City had not Polinus by his Letters to Rodolphus the Cardinal then the great Bishop Paulus his Legate in the City in part staied the suddain Tumult The Bishop himself was then at Buxetum a Town betwixt Cremona and Placentia travelling in shew with the Emperor to have made a Peace betwixt him and the French King but labouring in secret to have bought of him the Dukedom of Millan for Octavius his Kinsman the Emperors Son in Law. Polinus his Letters written to the Cardinal at Rome and sent by the Governour to Tarracina were to this effect This Fleet which is by Solyman sent for the defence of France by Barbarussa his Admiral is by his appointment at my command so that it is not to hurt any but our Enemies Wherefore make it known to the Romans and others dwelling alongst the Coast of the Popes Territory That they fear of us no Hostility for the Turks will never violate the Faith of their Emperor solemnly given unto me and you know most assuredly that the French King desireth nothing more than that the Estate of Rome might not only be kept in safety but also flourish most gloriously and be therefore preserved from all injury Farewel In like manner he also comforted up them of Neptunianum and Ostia so that they brought unto the Turks all manner of Victual and sometimes for four Sheep or a couple of Oxen redeemed a good Prisoner taken in some place of the Kingdom of Naples Yet for all this the Romans did not so much credit the Embassadors promise in the behalf of the Turks good dealing but that many of the weaker sort fled out of the City into the Country by night although the chief Magistrates did what they might to have staied them When Barbarussa had thus lien three days in the Mouth of the River Tibur and there watered he passed alongst the Coast of Etruria and Liguria without doing any harm and so sailed directly to Marseilles Where leaving him with his Fleet for a while expecting the French Kings further pleasure we will again return unto Solyman who at the same time that Barbarussa was spoiling the Frontiers of the Emperors Dominions in Italy came with a great Army into Hungary for the more assured possession of that Kingdom whereafter he saw King Ferdinand so much longed And because he would make all sure before him he sent Amurathes Governour of Dalmatia and Ulamas the Persian Governour to Bosna to besiege Walpo a strong Town situate upon the River Dravus not far from Exek famous for the overthrow of the Christian Army under Cazzianer after whom followed also Achomates the great Commander of his European Horsemen This Town part of Perenus his possessions was against all these Forces kept and worthily defended by Perenus his Wife her Husband then lying in Prison at Vienna and her Friends by the space of three Months but was at last by the treacherous Souldiers delivered to the Enemy together with their General whom when they could by no means perswade to consent to the yielding up thereof but that he would needs hold it out to the last they took him perforce and so delivered him with the Town to the Turks who received him with all courtesie and used him honourably but those traiterous Souldiers whether it were in detestation of their Treachery or for the spoil of them were all put to the Sword the just reward of their Treason The rest of the Citizens were taken by the Turks to mercy and well used The Bishop and chief Men of Quinque Ecclesiae a famous City not far off on the other side of Dravus hearing of the loss of Walpo and terrified with the greatness of the Turks Army fled for fear leaving none but the meaner sort of the People in the City who willingly yielded the same unto the Turks The next Town of any strength was Soclosia belonging also to Perenus which for a while held out against the Turks for that divers Gentlemen of the Country which were fled into the City encouraged the Citizens to stand upon their defence But after much harm done on both sides when they were no longer able to hold out they retired into the Castle in hope to have so saved their lives and liberty by yielding but Amurathes was so offended with them that he would come to no reasonable composition or promise them any thing more than that they should at their pleasure come forth and so as they came out at the Gate slew them every Mothers Son thereby to terrifie others from making like resistance Solyman understanding of all these things gave those Towns which were taken to Amurathes the General and having put all things in readiness departed from Buda with all his Army to besiege Strigonium which was then kept by Liscanus and Salamanca two proud covetous Spaniards with a Garrison of one thousand three hundred Souldiers whereof some few were Spaniards and Italians and the rest Germans Paulus Bishop of Strigonium got himself out of the City betimes despairing of all mercy if he should have fallen into the power of Solyman by whose intercession he had been once before reconciled to King Iohn and had again revolted from him to King Ferdinand The Castle of Strigonium was situate upon a high Hill overlooking Danubius running underneath it the Walls were built even without any Flankers after the old manner of building before the invention of Guns for which cause Vitellius and Torniellus two expert Captains the year before sent from the King to view the place and the manner of the Fortification were of opinion that the City could hardly be defended if it were besieged by any strong Enemy being subject also unto a Hill not far from the Gates of the City Against which inconveniences the old Garrison Souldiers which Wintred in Strigonium cast up new Bulwarks and Fortifications and after the manner of windy headed Men making great boast before the danger what they would do seemed to wish for the coming of Solyman But after that the Barbarous Enemy had with his Tents covered the Fields and Mountains round about the City and withal brought a gallant Fleet up the River all those brags were laid in the Dust and every Man
of Narbona rifled certain Towns in Spain standing upon the Sea-Coast and about the Promontory of Venus called of the Mariners Creum took great prize and in the Haven of Palamos took one Merchant Ship and a Gally with which Prey they passed over to Algiers as they were commanded there to winter and with the first of the Spring to return again to Barbarussa in Brovence That Winter Barbarussa repairing his Fleet was furnished with many necessaries by the Genowayes and especially by Auria himself who under the colour of redeeming of Prisoners willingly furnished the Turk with such things as he wanted for although he professed himself one of the Emperors Captains yet would he not shew an Enemies mind by the unseasonable denial of a little Sea Furniture lest in so doing he should have hurt his Native Country of Genoa which he saw then subject to the injury of so great a Fleet so nigh at Hand But leave we now Barbarussa to winter in Provenoâ— and with the course of time turn a little out of the way to see in Muleasses King of Tunes the small assurance the greatest have in highest place of worldly honour This Mahometan King once before thrust out of his Kingdom by Barbarussa and restored again by Charles the Emperor as is before declared hearing of his coming with this great Fleet and imagining nothing less than that he should come to the aid of the most Christian King doubted not without cause lest it was prepared against himself Besides that divers great Cities of his Kingdom namely Constantina Mahemedia and Mahometa called in ancient time Cyrtha Leptis and Adrumentum were then holden by the Turks Barbarussas Favorites Wherefore fearing the worst about the same time that Barbarussa was sailing alongst the Coast of Italy he passed over into Sicily to have met the Emperor at Genoa and to have obtained of him greater Aid against the Turks At his departure out of Africk he committed the tuition of his Kingdom to such valiant men as he supposed would have been unto him most faithful First he appointed Mahometes then Maniphet to govern the City and Corsus otherwise called Fares his old Servant to keep the Castle leaving Mahometes his Brother and Fares his Son with Touarres a Spaniard Captain of the Castle of Guletta as Pledges the one of his Brothers the other of his Fathers Faith but unto Amida his Son he committed the leading of his men of War for the defence of his Kingdom against the Turks and Numidians As he was passing out of Sicilia to have met the Emperor at Genoa he was by contrary Winds driven first to Cajeta and afterward to Naples where he was by the Viceroy honourably entertained and a House appointed for him richly furnished the Neopolitans wondring at the strange Attire of the People with the manner of their feeding and curious plenty of all manner of sweet Perfumes for into every Dish they put in Odors of exceeding price so that it was well known that a Peacock and two Pheasants dressed after the manner of the Kings Kitchen cost above an hundred Ducats so that not only the Dining Chamber when they were carved up but all the House was so filled with the strange and fragrant smell that all they that dwelt near thereabouts were partakers of that unusual and delicate Perfume From Naples he was about to have travelled by Land unto the Emperor being then in conference with the Pope at Buzetum fearing to adventure the Sea possessed by the Enemies Fleet had not the Emperor by his Letters willed him to stay still where he was But whilst he made his aboad at Naples and carefully attended what Course Barbarussa would take who furnished with so great a Fleet was departed from Nice disappointed of his purpose he was by certain Messengers advertised out of Africa That Amida his Son was risen up against him and possessing himself of the Kingdom had slain his Captains polluted his Wives and taken the Castle of Tunes With which news he being exceedingly troubled determined without delay to pass over into Africk and though late yet as he might to remedy his domestical troubles in hope to oppress that Rebellion in the beginning and his Son also before he could gather any strength to rest upon Wherefore he with all the haste he could opened his Coffers and entertained Souldiers the Viceroy giving leave to all such banished Men as would to come and give their names to pass over as Souldiers into Africk upon report whereof such a number of Malefactors and condeâ—ned persons came flocking to Naples that it was thought a sufficient Army might have been made of such kind of men every one of them chusing rather to enter into Pay and blot out the infamy of banishment and prove the fortune of Wars than to live wandring up and down the Woods and in danger every hour to be hanged Of these infamous Men one Ioannes Baptista Lofredius a Man well born but of a fierce and covetous disposition undertook the leading he covenanting with Muleasses to have three months Pay before hand levied a thousand and eight hundred Men which he presently shipped and keeping the greatest part of their Pay to himself passed over with the King into Africk and landed at Guletta But how Amida rose up against his Father and what was the end of that bloody Rebellion shall not be amiss briefly to rehearse There were certain Noblemen of great Authority about Amida when Muleasses departed which at their pleasure ruled the young Prince who easily hearkned unto their Counsel and followed the same the chief of these was one Mahometes Son of Bohamer who in the Reign of Mahometes Muleasses his Father was Maniphet whom Muleasses possessed of the Kingdom put shamefully to death by cutting off his Privities because he had by hasty Marriage deceived him of Rhahamana a Maiden of incomparable Beauty the Daughter of Abderomen Captain of the Castle whom he most passionately loved for which cruel fact Mahometes his Son had long time conceived a deadly hatred against Muleasses which he had many years dissembled that he might as occasion served be the more cruelly revenged Next unto him was another Mahometes sirnamed Adulzes whom Muleasses was wont commonly to call his worst Servant These two with a few others conspiring together gave it out that Muleasses was dead at Naples and before his death had most irreligeously as they accounted it revolted to the Christian Religion With which report they perceiving Amida moved came unto him and perswaded him quickly to enter into his Fathers Seat lest Mahometes his younger Brother then lying in hostage with the Christians at Guletta should by the favour and help of Touarres whose Garrison was ever ready be preferred before him For Mahometes was eighteen years old resembling his Grandfather in Name Favour and Disposition and therefore of the Citizens of Tunes best beloved Wherefore Amida came in post haste out of the Camp to Tunes
his privy Members flapped them upon his Mouth after a most barbarous and filthy manner It is reported that the Queen was then also murdered by them certain it is that the poor Lady never after that day saw the light of the Sun but whether it was put in execution by the appointment of the King her Husband or that the Sultans did it for the publick Interest is not certainly known Upon these Murders sprung up many Troubles and much civil Dissention threatning the utter Confusion of the Persian Kingdom to the singular benefit of Amurath All which tumultuous Disorders the King by bridling his own Affections and the Motions of his Son Emir Hamze Mirize well appeased procuring at last a perfect Unity as then most Necessary for the defence of his Kingdom Osman Bassa being in Derbent the only place of refuge now left for the Turks in Siruan ceased not with all carefulness to devise what he possibly could for the assuring of that Country of late won and now again almost lost under the Government of Amurath For the better establishing whereof together with his own safety he thought it good to enter into Friendship with old Sahamal the Georgian Lord of the Mountain of Brus. With this man did Osman practice many tokens of good will and he again interchangeably towards Osman whereupon there arose great Friendship between them at leastwise in outward appearance whereunto in short time there was added a strait knot of Alliance for that Osman took to Wife a Daughter of the said Sahamals the greatest sign of his sincere love towards him Nevertheless shortly after Osman upon some reasonable Conjectures began to suspect as indeed the truth was that Sahamal for all the fair shew of Friendship he made towards him might for all that receive some secret order from the Persian King to betray him and to free the City from the Turks and so to reduce all that Province unto the ancient Devotion in which jealous suspicion he was fully confirmed by the Speeches of his Wife the Daughter of Sahamal who ravished with the Honour Valour and Riches of her Husband could not conceal any thing that she knew devised against him but frankly told him That her Father being secretly reconciled to the Persian King held Friendship with him and that Letters went between them of great matters and particularly of the Affairs of Siruan Hereupon the Bassa perswaded himself that all the Friendship of Sahamal was but deep Dissimulation and the Marriage of his Daughter nothing but a mean to procure his Death Nevertheless he made shew unto his Wife as if he had made no such reckoning of it as indeed he did but kept it in store to his own safety and the Destruction of Sahamal whom for all that he still entertained with all Honour and Kindness due unto a most loving Father-in-law But to prevent the malicious purpose of Sahamal having invited him according to the custom to a certain solemn Feast he acquainted certain Companies of his most trusty and valiant Souldiers with his Determination enjoyning them that as soon as Sahamal was entred into his Court even in the very dismounting from his Horse they should all fall upon him cut off his Head and put all his retinue to the Sword. Which his cruel command was by them accordingly at Sahamals comming put in execution he in lighting from his Horse being slain and all his Followers murdered when forthwith were sent forth by Osman two thousand Horsemen to spoil and sack all the Country of the said Georgian Lord to the great marvel and astonishment both of far and near The Persian King hearing of these News took the matter grievously as foreseeing that the recovery of that Country and Province of Siruan would prove a matter of great Difficulty and fearing greatly that it would still remain as indeed it doth in the Possession of the Turks This was the end of the Turks Attempts against the Persians in Siruan this year 1578 wherein they lost above seventy thousand men devoured partly with the Sword and partly with Famine and the other Miseries of War. And so Winter comming on very sharply every man withdrew himself from the Field wholly attending the keeping of that they had already gotten untill the coming on of the next Spring Amurath advertised by Letters from Mustapha of all that had hapned in the late Expedition against the Persians upon these prosperous Successes which the Bassa had for the advancing of his own Credit described to be far greater than indeed they were began to cast many Devices in his Head touching such matters as were to be attempted the next year And first he thought it necessary to send his â—orces again into Siruan to recover such Places as were first conquered by Mustapha but afterward again subdued by the Persians so to establish his Government in that Country But upon better consideration he ceased further to think of that matter for the great hope he had conceived of the aid that was promised him by Tartar Chan who had faithfully assured both him and Osman that he would over-run that Province anew and do great matters in furtherance of the Turks Designs all which for all that fell out to be but windy words yet in respect of this hope he laied Siruan aside and committed the defence thereof to the false Promises of the Tartarian and the Valour of Osman And pleasing his ambitious Desires with more haughty Thoughts he began to devise with himself for sending his Army directly to Tauris there to erect a Fortress which being strongly fortified and furnished with a great Garrison of most valiant Souldiers should never be again subdued by all the power of Persia and by this means to keep in Subjection all those great Countries between Tauris and Erzirum Which his conceit being of great weight and importance was much increased by the perswasion of others very inward with him every man being almost of Opinion That it was an easie matter for so great an Host in few days to perform that Service and to pierce not only into Tauris but farther to pass whithersoever he would desire Yet after he had more deeply considered of an Enterprise of so great importance and with more indifferent Judgment compared his own Forces with his Enemies he began to find many difficulties and Dangers which in the heat of his ambitious desires he at the first saw not for beside the length and tediousness of the Journey he doubted that in sending his Army for Tauris it might be on the other side assailed by the Georgians of whose obedience he had as yet no great assurance and on the other side by the Persians and so brought into great danger which he was always to fear whensoever he should have occasion to send new supplies unto the Fortress by him intended at Tauris Whereupon laying aside all his former Conceits as too eager and perillous he resolutely concluded with himself first to
assured loss pass the same which thing much troubled the Bassa and filled his head with many Conceits how he might make his Journey some other way and decline the danger prepared for him Thus perplexed and altogether doubtful what to do or which way to turn himself Aliculi Chan the Persian who to purchase his Liberty could have been content to have done any thing offered Hassan to shew him a short and safe cut whereby he might without danger pass with his Army out of that troublesom Country yet covenanting before that he should promise him to set him at Liberty for his so good Service Which his request the Bassa did not stick in large manner to promise although he afterwards to his great dishonour performed not the same So bending his Journey on the right hand he was guided by Aliculi through strange and uncouth wayes out of those Woods and Dangers not meeting so much as with one of his Enemies But when the Persian Duke well hoping for his Liberty put the Turk in mind of his promise he with deep and feigned sighs protested That he was right sorry that he could not perform what he had promised to do for him forasmuch as it lay not in his Power to set any man at Liberty that was taken in Battel by the Souldiers of his great Lord and Sovereign yet gave him his faith that so far as his Intreaties and Favours with the General Mustapha could prevail he would use all the most earnest means he could to procure his liberty and return to his own Country Simon the Georgian perceiving that the Turks were removed imagined forthwith that they had taken this new way but being afterward certified by his faithful Spies that it was so indeed he ran all headlong and as it were desperate to meet with this so happy an Army And all inflamed with rage for this great Fortune of the Turks he fell upon the tail of the Turkish Host which with unmeasurable Fury he wholly destroyed leading away with him all the People all the Horses and all the Treasure of Mahamet Bassa which he brought from Teflis and all the Treasure of Hassan Bassa likewise As for Aliculi Chan whom Simon most greedily sought for he was sent way in the front of the Army so that he was not to be rescued Hassan holding on his way came to Chars in the space of eight days after his departure from Teflis and there presented unto Mustapha the General the Persian Captain Aliculi recounting unto him the dangers he had indured and whatsoever else had hapned in that Expedition Aliculi the unfortunate Persian was by the commandment of Mustapha carried to Erzirum and there in the Castle committed to Prison Not long after Mustapha returned himself also to the said City of Erzirum with his Army sore weakned and discontented which was there presently by him discharged About the same time that these things were in doing Amurath to make a safer and more easie passage for his Forces into Georgia sent Vluzales his Admiral with a great Fleet into the Euxine Sea to Mengrelia called in ancient time Cholchis who entering the famous River of Phasis now Fassa there fortified and laid such a beginning that it is now one of the Turks proud Beglerbegships although those Fortifications shortly after the departure of the Admiral were for the present again by the Mengrelians demolished And this was the end of the stirs of this year 1579. Of all these Successes Mustapha afterwards sent Advertisements to the Court to Amurath recounting unto him the fortifying of Chars the Deserts of Hassan as well for the succouring of Teflis as for the taking of Aliculi the Persian And because the said General had the year before perswaded Amurath That the Country of Georgia and the People thereof were brought under his Obedience to the end that he should not marvel at so many Losses and so many Battels and thereby doubt of some false Informations he declared unto him that all these Troubles were not raised by the natural and home-bred Georgians but by two certain Captains Aliculi and Simon sent out of Persia who had made all these stirs of which one of them now remained with him in Prison for him to determine of at his Pleasure With great Delight did the Turkish Emperour read all that Mustapha had written and by two of his Gentlemen-Ushers sent to Hassan a Battle-axe all gilt and set full of Stones a Targuet of Gold and Pearl and a rich Garment of Cloth of Gold in reward of his good Service for which he greatly commended him and withall gave order That Aliculi should be kept where he was in the Castle of Erzirum in diligent and safe Custody These Invasions of the Turks much troubled the Persian King in his Court at Casbin considering that now they had both throughly acquainted themselves with all the Passages into Georgia in the difficulty and roughness whereof consisted the chief defence of that Province as also that divers of the Georgian Princes were more than inclining unto the Turks Service so that he could not but justly fear that his Enemies would in time begin to pierce into the noble Cities of Media the greater yea and peradventure even unto Tauris before any of the rest Which his care of foreign Invasion was doubled with domestical Fears Mirize Salmas his chief Visier and upon whom he most rested still filling his Head with a jealous Suspition That Abas Marize's Son made Governour of Heri by Tamas his Grandfather was about in these Troubles with the Turk to proclaim himself King of Persia to the great Ignominy of his Father and Prejudice of Emir Hamze his eldest Brother the worthy and undoubted Heir of that Kingdom This Mirize Salmas according to his longing desire had married a Daughter of his to the said Emir Hamze with the Consent of the King his Father but yet not content with that Honour ceased not continually with ambitious Devices to seek out means how to bring to pass that the Persian Estate might wholly remain to his Son-in-law undivided and intire from the Participation of his Brethren and therefore little regarding the Perils that might happen from the Turks and blinded with the desire of his own greatness he went about to turn the King being a man very credulous and inconsiderate against Abas Marize either to take him and commit him to Prison or at least to bereave him of all Authority and Command And the better to perswade the King thereunto he discovered unto him how little Abas Marize's Son had respected him in divers Occasions and that in these late Wars he had not so much as sent forth one man against the Turks but had forbidden such as were of his Jurisdiction of Heri to come to Casbin at such time as they were summoned both by Letters and Commandment to have passed with Emir Hamze into Siruan by reason whereof not one of them would stir a foot answering That
sort by his Advice and Counsel the Forces should be imployed and the Armies disposed for the subduing of that City which over all the Nations of the World was so famous and so great an honour to the Persian Kingdom To all which demands his Answer and Resolution was That forsomuch as the matters of Georgia were now well settled the treacherous Passages by the new built Forts assured and the Province of Siruan under his Obedience established there was now no cause why he should any longer foreslow so famous an Enterprise but by the Conquest of Tauris and erecting of a Fort in that proud City to bring a Terrour upon all Persia and to raise a glorious renown of so mighty a Conquest among the Nations of Europe for the accomplishment whereof he thought that either the same Army or at the most a very little greater would suffice so that it were raised of the best and choicest Souldiers By reason of one of the Letters which Sciaus Bassa had written to the late Tartar King and by the Instigation of the young Sultan Mahomets Mother jealous of the near alliance of the great Bassa with her Husband as prejudicial and dangerous to her Son Amurath had in the open Divano deprived the said Sciaus from the Office of the chief Visier and hardly pardoning him his Life at the Intercession of his Wife being his Sister had banished him the Court so that he lived afterwards about Calcedon upon the Borders of Asia not far from Constantinople in a close Palace he had there built for his own Pleasure in whose room he appointed Osman to be chief Visier and to honour him the more nominated him the General of his Army against the Persians Such Power hath Virtue that even from the very scum of the rascal sort and out of the rustical rout of Mountain Peasants which notwithstanding cannot be truly justified of this Osman his Father being Beglerbeg of Damasco and his Mother the Daughter of the Beglerbeg of Babylon it doth oftentimes in the course of this variable World draw divers men into Princes Courts and advance them to the highest Dignities Truth it is that from a private Souldier though well born he by sundry degrees grew up to the highest Honour of that so great an Empire and was at one instant created the chief Counsellor and General of the Othoman Forces Great was the Joy that Osman conceived hereat and great was the desire he had to make himself worthy of so honourable Favours and the greater Confidence he perceived that Amurath had reposed in him the more eagerly was he spurred on to any thing possible whereby he might shew himself to have deserved the same And therefore advising with himself that forasmuch as the greatness of the Enterprise required a greater Army than was levied in former years so it was necessary also for him the sooner to send out his Advertisements into all his subject Provinces and by his own example to stir up the other Captains and Souldiers even in the Winter though it were as yet somewhat troublesome to pass over to Scutari and from thence to Angori to Amasia to Sivas and there in those Territories to drive out the time untill his Souldiers which were summoned were all gathered together And because upon this his great speed it might peradventure fall out that the Enemy misdoubting his purpose for Tauris might provide a greater Army than they would otherwise he caused it to be given out That he must go for Nassivan to the end that the Persians so beguiled should not regard the gathering of so mighty an Army as they could have done if they should have heard of the Turks coming to Tauris and so the General cousening Rumour flew not only through all the Cities subject to the Turks but into the Countries of the Persians also who notwithstanding being very jealous of the City of Tauris and fearing that the matter would fall out as indeed afterward it did ceased not make most curious and diligent inquiry about it And although the disgrace offered to his Ambassadour at Constantinople disswaded him from sending any other for treaty of Peace yet to spie out the Secrets of the Turks and to understand the certainty of their purpose for Nassivan or Tauris he sent divers Messengers to Osman as if he had meant to feel his mind touching a Peace but in very deed for nothing else but to sound his Designments which for all that he could not with all the cunning he could use possibly discover but still remained doubtful as at the first the Fame still running for Nassivan In the beginning of this year now growing towards an end Amurath sent one Mustapha one of the meanest of his Chiaus unto Stephen King of Polonia to excuse the Death of Podolovius so shamefully murthered as is before declared as if the same had hapned by the Insolency of certain Souldiers and not by his Commandment who the better to colour the matter had brought with him two base Fellows as Authours of that outrage for the King to take revenge upon but were indeed no such men as they were pretended to be but rather as it was thought men before condemned for some other Fact worthy of Death and now sent thither to serve that purpose for whom the Chiaus in proud and threatning manner in the name of his Master required to have present Restitution made of all such goods as the Polonian Cossacks had not long before taken from the Turks and the Captain of the said Cossacks to be delivered also unto him to be carried to Amurath and so hardly urged the matter that notwithstanding the unworthy Death of Podolovius and his Followers and the taking away of his Horses all the goods taken by the Cossacks were forthwith restored which the Chiaus almost in triumphant manner presented unto Amurath at Constantinople This Summer also Amurath disporting himself with his Mutes was almost dead These Mutes are lusty strong Fellows deprived of their Speech who nevertheless certain by signs can both aptly express their own Conceits and understand the meaning of others these men for their Secresie are the cruel Ministers of the Turkish Tyrants most horrible Commands and therefore of them had in great regard With these Mutes mounted upon fair and fat but heavy and unready Horses was Amurath upon a light and ready Horse sporting himself as the manner of the Turkish Emperours is riding sometime about one sometime about another and striking now the Horse now the Man at his Pleasure when suddenly he was taken with a fit of the falling Sickness his old Disease and so falling from his Horse was taken up for dead insomuch that the Ianizaries supposing him to have been indeed dead after their wonted manner fell to the spoyling of the Christians and Jews and were proceeding to further outrages had not their Aga or Captain to restrain their Insolency to the Terror of the rest hanged up one of them taken
of their Friends from whom they expected most speedy relief and beside the Terror of the continual Battery and still feared Assaults pinched also with extream wants of all things began now to faint Wherefore the Bassa with the other Captains overcome with the aforesaid Difficulties and the general out-cry of the fearful People resolved with one consent to come now to parley and upon reasonable Conditions to yield up the City whereupon a flag of Truce was set up and Parley craved Which granted the Archduke after the going down of the Sun came into the lower Town where nine of the Turks attended his coming who entring into Parley required that they might under safe Convoy with Bag and Baggage depart and so leave him the City which the Arch-duke would not by any means agree unto At length with much Intreaty they obtained that they might upon the samâ— Conditions depart that the Christians did at Rab with their Scimitars by their sides and so much of their Goods as they could carry upon their Backs unto such Ships as were to be appointed for the carriage of them to Buda For the performance whereof Hostages were on both sides given and so the next day being the second of September they began to come out of the City more in number than either the Prisoners taken in the time of the siege had confessed or the Christians had thought Thirty Ships were appointed for the conveying of them down the River to Buda which not sufficing many of them tarried in the City until the next day at which time the Bassa with the sick and wounded sailed to Buda the Prisoners and Pledges on both sides being before faithfully delivered Thus by the Goodness of God and the good Conduct of a few valiant Christians was Strigonium the Metropolitical City of Hungary after it had fifty two years groaned under the miserable Yoke of the Turkish Servitude again restored unto the Christian Common-weal which the Christians forthwith repaired and new fortified as was thought best for the defence thereof against the Enemy All which being done about the midst of this Month the Arch-duke sent eighteen thousand to besiege Vicegrade otherwise called Plindenburg a strong Castle of the Turks upon the River between Strigonium and Buda which Castle they took Which when they of Buda understood they were strucken with such a fear that many of the better sort were ready to forsake the City insomuch that the Bassa to stay their flight was glad to command the Gates of the City to be shut upon them and no man suffered to pass out This good Success of the Christians in these Wars caused great rejoycing to be made in most parts of Christendom All this while the Christians were thus busied at the siege of Strigonium the Transilvanian Prince was not idle but in divers places did the Turks exceeding much harm so that now his Name began to be dreadful unto them It fortuned that the same day that the County Mansfelt departed at Komara that the Prince at Alba-Iulia with great Solemnity married Maria Christina the Daughter of the late Arch Duke Charles the Son of the Emperour Ferdinand her other Sister Anna being before married unto Sigismond now King of Polonia for so it was agreed for the more assurance of the League between the Emperour and him that he should take his Wife out of the House of Austria which he now did Of this Solemnity the Turks his evil Neighbours having Intelligence assembling to the number of 30000 or more thought as unwelcome Guests to have come unbidden or unlooked for thereunto but the vigilant Prince understanding of their coming provided for their Entertainment accordingly and setting his Pleasures for a while apart and coming upon them when they least looked for him in a great Battel overthrew them and slew most part of them carrying away with him as a triumphant Victor the whole spoil of his Enemies About the same time the Transilvanians also besieged Fagiat a Town holden by the Turks not far from Temeswar where after they had lain 12 days they of the Town dispairing to be able long to hold out came to Parley and covenanting to depart with Bag and Baggage began to go out of the Town But in their departure understanding that the Bassa of Temeswar with the Sanzacks of Lippa and Ienne were coming to their relief they that were yet in the Town began to find delays and they that were already gone out began to return Wherewith the Transilvanians much moved by plain force entered the Town and put them all to the Sword and afterward turning upon the Bassa who with ten thousand Turks and certain Field-pieces was coming to have relieved the Town had with them a cruel Battel wherein most part of the Turks fell with small loss of the Transilvanians who so eagerly pursued the Victory that the Bassa himself had much ado with five hundred others to escape The two Sanzacks with divers others of good Place were taken and sent Prisoners to the Prince Not long after about the latter end of August the Transilvanians also besieged Lippa a famous City of Hungary standing upon the River Maracz not far from Temeswar which the Turks being not able longer to hold fled into the Castle where finding themselves in no great safety after three days siege they came to Parly and so yielded upon Condition that they might in safety depart with so much of their Goods as they could themselves carry About which time also the Bassa of Bosna with ten thousand Turks and Tartars went forth to have again recovered Babotsca a frontier Town before taken by the Christians which the Stirians and the rest of the Christians dwelling thereabouts between the two Rivers of Sauus and Drauus understanding conducted by the Lords Herbenstein Leucowitz and Eckenberg that had the charge of those Frontiers overtook the said Turks and Tartars near unto Babotsca fought with them and in the plain Field overthrew them Mahomet not a little grieved with the good SucSuccess of the Christians in every part of Hungary and above measure offended with Ferat Bassa his General through whose Negligence all or at leastwise most part of this had hapned as he was by the Envy of Sinan Bassa perswaded sent for Ferat home and in his Place sent out Sinan Of which the great Sultans Displeasure Ferat was not ignorant as forewarned thereof by her that best knew even the Sultans Mother and advised not to come in sight until his Peace were made Who nevertheless trusting to his own Innocency the comfortable but most dangerous and weak stay of the great and doubting not to answer whatsoever Sinan should be able to charge him with came to the Court where he was by the Commandment of Mahomet shortly after strangled and his Goods to the value of five hundred thousand Duckats confiscated Among all the dangerous Enemies of the Christian Common-weal was none at this time more
great Spirit and yet exceeding proud which was the cause that he was both the less beloved and feared of his Subjects in general but especially of the Janizaries and other his Souldiers and men of War who scorning his loose Government and griev'd to see even the greatest Affairs of his State not only imparted to Women but by them managed and over-ruled also as by his Mother the Sultaness his Wife and others not only rebelled against him but were oftentimes in their Rages about to have deposed him He was altogether given to sensuality and voluptuous pleasure the marks whereof he still carried about with him a foul swoln unwealdy and overgrown Body unfit for any Princely Office or Function and a Mind thereto answerable wholly given over unto Idleness Pleasure and Excess no small means for the shortning of his days which he ended with Obloquy unregarded of his Subjects and but of few or none of them lamented He had Issue four Sons and three Daughters married unto three of the great Bassaes. His first and eldest Son was called Mahomet after his own Name whom he caused to be strangled in his own sight upon suspicion of aspiring to the Empire and conspiring with the Rebels in Asia but afterward finding him guiltless caused his Body to be buried in his own Sepulchre and hanged the Bassa that had misinformed him His second Son died a natural Death being yet very young His third Son was Sultan Achmat who succeeded his Father and came to the Empire by the untimely Death of Mahomet his eldest Brother His fourth Son being then a Youth of about sixteen Years old was carefully kept within the Seraglio with such a strait Guard set over him as that his Name was not to be learned even by a good understanding Friend of mine of late lying above three Months together at Constantinople who most curiously enquired after the same having very good means to have learned it He was reported to have been long since murthered howbeit that he of late lived but looking every day to be by his Brothers cruel Commandment strangled which is accounted but a matter of course and a Death hereditary to all the younger male Children of the Othoman Emperours the Policy for the maintenance of their great Empire entire and whole so requiring His dead Body lieth buried at Constantinople in a fair Chappel of white Marble near unto the most famous and beautiful Church of S. Sophia for that only purpose by himself most sumptuously built about fifty foot square with four high small round Towers about the which are certain small round Galleries of Stone from which the Turkish Priests and Church-men at certain hours use to call the People every day to Church for they use no Bells themselves neither will they suffer the Christians to use any But the top of this Chappel is built round like unto the ancient Temples of the Heathen Gods in Rome In the midst of this Chappel being indeed nothing else but this great Sultan's Sepulchre standeth his Tomb which is nothing else but a great Urn or Coffin of fair white Marble wherein lieth his Body covered with a great covering of the same Stone over it made rising in the midst and stooping on each sidâ— not much unlike to the Coffins of the ancient Tombs of the Saxon Kings which are to be seen on the North side of the Quire of S. Paul's Church and in other Places of this Land but that this Coffin of the Great Sultan is much greater and more stately than are those of the Saxon Kings it being above five foot high at the end thereof and by little and little falling toward the feet covered with a rich Hearse of Cloth of Gold down to the ground his Turbant standing at his Head and two exceeding great Candles of white Wax about three or four Yards long standing in great brass or silver Candlesticks gilded the one at his Head the other at his Feet which never burn but there stand for shew only all the Floor of the Chappel being covered with Mats and fair Turky Carpets upon them And round about this his Tomb even in the same Chappel are the like Tombs for his Wives and Children but nothing so great and fair Into this Chappel or any other the Turks Churches or Chappels it is not lawful for either Turk or Christian to enter but first he must put off his Shoes leaving them at the Church or Chappel Gate or carrying them in his hand Near unto this Chappel and the great Temple of Sophia are divers other Chappels of the other great Turks as of Sultan Selim this Man 's Grand father with his seven and thirty Children about him of Sultan Amurath this Man's Father with his five and forty Children entombed about him Anâ— in other places not far from them are the Chappels and Sepulchres of the rest of the Great Sultans as of Sultan Mahomet the Great of Sultan Bajazet Sultan Selim the first Sultan Solyman all by these great Mahometan Emperours built whose Names they bear And being all of almost one form and fashion have every one of them a fair Hospital adjoyning unto them wherein a great multitude of poor People are daily still relieved Some others of the great Bassaes have their Chappels and Sepulchres with their great and stately Alms-houses also not much inferiour unto those of the great Sultans as namely Ibrahim Bassa of all the Bassaes that ever were amongst the Turks the most magnificent hath his stately Chappel Sepulchre and Alms-Houses near both in Place and Beauty unto that of Solyman's The Turks bury not at all within their Churches neither are any at all buried within the Walls of the City but the great Turkish Emperours themselves with their Wives and Children about them and some few other of their great Bassaes and those only in Chappels by themselves built for that purpose All the rest of the Turks are buried in the Fields some of the better sort in Tombs of Marble but the rest with Tomb-stones laid upon them or with two great Stones the one set up at the head and the other at the feet of every Grave the greatest part of them being of white Marble brought from the Isle of Marmora They will not bury any man where another hath been buried accounting it Impiety to dig up another man's Bones by reason whereof they cover all the best Ground about the City with such great white Stones which for the infinite number of them are thought sufficient to make another Wall about the City But not to stand longer upon the manner of the Turks Burials leaving this great Sultan to rest with his Ancestors let us now prosecute the course of our History Christian Princes of the same time with Mahomet the Third Emperours of Germany Rodolph the Second 1577. Kings Of England Queen Elizabeth 1558. 47. Of France Henry the Fourth 1589. Of Scotland James the Sixth 1567. Bishops of Rome Clement the
of Gold and drawn by four great white Horses wonderful beautiful Then followed eight other Caroches in which were a great number of the Brides Maids with many Negroes gelt and finally twenty five Virgin slaves chosen amongst the fairest all on Horse-back having their Hair confusedly hanging upon their Shoulders Such was the Pomp of this Marriage but many times the Nuptial Feast is intermixt with Funeral mourning For not many days after the Sultans second Daughter promised to Nassuf Bassa was carried to her Grave without any Pomp or Honour for the Turks make no great esteem of Women The day after the marriage the Grand Seignior did cruelly beat his Sultana the Mother of this Daughter whom he had married to the Captain Bassa he stabbed her with his Hand-jar or Dagger through the Cheek and trod her under his Feet The reason was because she had strangled a Favorite of his which was one of his Sisters Slaves whom the Grand Seignior having seen and beeing enamoured with her sent for her The Sultana hearing thereof caused her to be brought to her lodging where she stript her of her Apparel strangled her and put her Cloths upon one of her own Slaves whom she sent to the Sultan instead of the other and at her return strangled her also as she had done many others when they once appeared to be with Child by the Grand Seignior The Plague beginning furiously to spoil the City of Constantinople the Sultan was forced to return to his Country Palace called the Serail of Darut Bassa to avoid the danger of this violent Contagion the which makes me think that the Turkish Emperours for their own profit dispense with some Articles of their Faith for as we have said before The Turks are so obstinately tied to the belief of Predestination as they will not vouchsafe to turn from a pestiferous Body when it is carried to the Grave and much less forbear to visit his Friends being sick of the Plague for that say they if we must needs die of this Contagion it is in vain to flie it for it will find us wheresoever if not our Health shall never be empaired altho' we converse with those that are sick of this Disease But their Sultans know well how to flie the danger yea and to cause them to be led under the Arms that come to kiss his Hand lest they should offer him some violence Thus we see the defect of false Religions when as we see this mark of Universality in the Faith taken away for there every Man believes according to his private interest as well among many others which have separated themselves from the Truth to canton themselves in their Errors where we do often try the diversity of their belief Sultan Achmat being in his Palace of Darut Bassa and going to visit a stately Mosque which he caused to be built there a Deruis or religious Turk thrust on by some devillish Fury cast a great Stone at him to beat him down but the blow of this detestable Traitor fell upon his Shoulder and hurt him but lightly Achmat commanded they should draw from this wretch the Confession of his Confederates but the Officers of the Port caused him to be executed the next day somewhat too suddenly and by a Death too honourable for a Crime so full of Abomination for they caused his Head to be cut off A Deruis of the same Order had in former times sought to murther the Emperor Mahomet the Second On the fourteenth of April the Lady Ann Glover Wife to Sir Thomas Glover Ambassador residing at Constantinople for the English was buried with very great Solemnity the like had not been seen in the Country since the Turks conquered Constantinople There were present at this Funeral of most Nations in the World the Sermon was preached in a large Garden under a Cypress Tree and although but few of those present did understand it yet it wrought this effect that whereas the Jesuits and Friers had formerly possest both Turks Jews and other People that the English Nation since the change of their Religion had neither Churches nor any form of divine Service hereby they perceived that they had both and served God far more decently and devoutly than they themselves insomuch that the Jesuits being ashamed of their Impostures and slanderous Untruth durst not for a while after walk the Streets for fear of the Turks who threatned them for so much belying the English. The Sermon being ended the Body was carried from Pera unto the English Graves which were almost a mile from the Place it was closed in Lead and laid in a Caroch covered over with black Velvet and the Horses with black Cloth. The Dutch Ambassador the Hungarian Agent the French Collonel with a great number of all Nations both Men and Women followed her to her Grave The Tomb was of fair Marble built four square almost the height of a Man having an Epitaph engraven thereon We have seen the year before the Island and Town of Lango spoiled by the Gallies of Malta and Naples but the Castle was saved from Ruine by the resistance it made against the Christians Attempts but this year in Iune the great Duke of Tuscans Gallies running over the Archepelague assailed it so furiously as they forced and spoiled it carrying away twelve hundred Prisoners Mechmet Bassa Admiral at Sea whom we saw even now busied at his Nuptial Pomp with the Emperours eldest Daughter being advertised of these Spoils of the Florentines by the daily complaints of the Turks which lost their Shipping and of many other Enterprises attempted upon his Masters Countries lying near the Sea shore he departed from Constantinople in August with three and thirty great Gallies having commanded all the Beyes of the Islands and Towns in the Archipelague to joyn with him with as many Gallieâ— as they could make to stop the Christians Courses in the West But whilst that he is busied in those Seas the Pirats of Ruscia descending into the Euxine Sea by the Mouths of those Rivers which discharged their Waters into the Sea over-ran and spoiled the Turks Coasts in those parts At the firm Land Constantine one of the pretending Princes in Moldavia annoyed all that had any dependance upon the Turk A part of that great Army of the King of Polands which had mutinied for their Pay spoiled Podolia and a Prince of the Tartarians discontent for that Achmat had preferred a Cousin of his before hiâ— in the Investiture of the Realm of the Tartars Precopians with 5000 Souldiers spoiled the Rivers of Moldavia under the Turks Dominion and he did the like in the Gulph of Nicopolis This was at such time when as miserable Moldavia was the Theatre whereas the Turks Tartarians and Moldavians acted a bloody Tragedy at the Costs and Charges of the poor Country-men For Tomsho having been chosen Vayvod or Prince of that Province by the Turk Constantine who
could not endure that he should reign armed the Country over-ran it spoiled it and made havock of all detaining two Capigi Prisoners whom the Sultan had sent unto him with commandment to obey his Will and a prohibition not to trouble Tomsho in the Possession of his Province But this was a Message of hard Digestion to Constantine he could not with Patience yield to this Cession of Moldavia and instead of sending these Messengers back to the Turk with an Answer he carried them with him into Polonia whither he went to demand Succors and caused them to be guarded as Prisoners In the mean time by the Support and Aid of Potosky Governour of Velin his Brother-in-Law he obtained from the King of Poland that he should be supported against Prince Tomsho his Competitor whom the Turk had advanced and to make his entry into Moldavia more easie they resolved to send an Ambassador unto Constantinople to entreat Achmat to call back Tomsho to his Port that Constantine might quietly enjoy Moldavia and to acquaint him with the right and interest the Polonians had by their Capitulations with the Turks to name a Vayvod or Prince in that Province to the end no wrong might be done unto them This Polonian Ambassador being arrived at Constantinople thinking to be presently dispatched either by a grant or denial of his demand and not to stay above fifteen or twenty days being visited at his arrival by all the Ambassadors of Christian Kings and Princes which remained there but instead of Audience after six weeks attendance he was arrested and detained Prisoner understanding from the Turks that he should have no Liberty until that the two Capigi whom Prince Constantine carried into Poland were released The Troubles and Divisions among Christians Neighbours to the Turk have always served as a Bridge for this Infidel to invade them and by this Advantage to usurp such Towns and Countries as lie fit for him Now that Valachia Moldavia yea and Transilvania are tost and turmoil'd with continual Disorders and Combustions the Sultan seems to embrace this Occasion to make himself Sovereign of these Provinces and to get Possession of all that lies betwixt the River of Danow the Mountains of Sarmatia the River of Tibiscus and the Euxine Sea. He employs all his Thoughts and Inventions upon this Subject to bring his Designs to effect He arms and draws Forces about Belgrade under the Conduct of Bassa Mahomet Belzergi He commands the Tartarians to enter into Moldavia and he sent a Naval Army towards the Mouth of the River Danow which made the Frigots of Russia to dislodge the which had continually made Inrodes and Spoils upon his Lands Battori Prince of Transilvania was at that time before the Town of Cromstad which he had besieged but the tediousness of this Siege made him resolve to send an Ambassador to Constantinople to demand Succours from the Grand Seignior to the end he might be able to continue this Siege and to take the Town he gave this charge to Andrew Giezy and sent him to the Sultans Port but instead of serving his Master faithfully he practised a detestable Treason against him to put the Turk in full Possession of Transilvania and to make him absolute Sovereign The practice was concluded after this manner That the Bassa Mahomet Belzergi should enter the Province with his Army and that Giezi should joyn with him with certain Troops and should deliver unto him Veradin Lippa and some other strong and important Places and for recompence he should invest him in the Principality of Transilvania in the place of Battori and under the Authority of Achmat. This Treason might have drawn this miserable Province into Ruine and it may be the rest near adjacent if it had taken the Effect which the Treachery of Giezi had promised unto himself But the Bassa of Buda understanding that Battori had some vent of the Practice at the Port and that being now in great fear and Perturbation he had raised the siege from before Cromstad and was ready to cast himself into the Arms of the Palatine of Hungary and to crave relief from him the crafty Bassa knowing that this course would be prejudicial for the Sultan and finding that the deposing of Battori would be more difficult than they expected he diverted Mahomet Bassa from attempting any thing against Battori or Transilvania This act shews sufficiently that Christian Princes which think to shelter themselves under the shadow of the Turkish Crescent are very ill assured for he never fails to stir up Enemies against them to make them sue for Succours and himself Necessary Then in the end he expels them and becomes absolute Master of their Countries It was also said That the Bassa Mahomet would not attempt any thing in Transiâ—vania by reason of the Election of the Emperour Matthias whereof the Bassa of Buda was assuâ—ed by the Ambassador which the said Emperour sent to Constantinople to carry the Presents unto the Sultan which Ambassador was honourably entertained at Buda by the said Bassa and from thence conducted safely to Constantinople But not to keep these Turkish Troops idle Mahomet Bassa being advertised that Constantine the pretending Prince in Moldavia had been in Poland to crave some assistance from thence he resolved to employ his Forces that way to dispossess him and settle another But the better to understand the beginning and success of these Moldavian Wars we must make a Repetition of that which past some years before In the year 1608 Ieremy Mobyla Prince or Vaivod of Moldavia died committing the Government to his Brother Simeon during the Minority of his three Sons Constantine Alexander and Bougdan the eldest being but eight years old He left three Daughters married to three generous Princes of Polonia Poâ—osky Visinousky and Corresky Prince Simeon continued in the Government until the year 1611 after whose decease the young Prince Constantine by the Perswasion of his Mother that he might safely take upon him the Government of Moldavia and not attend any Confirmation from the Sultan for that Prince Simeon who had been confirmed by the Turk which then reigned was but Tutor to his Nephew entred the Government At this time there remained at Constantinople one Stephano or Tomsho who had of a long time practised the favour of one of the Visiers called Mehemet an Eunuch of Georgia who was then Chimacham or Lieutenant to the Grand Visier and of some other Bassaes as well by Money as by other Practices suggesting falsely that he was Son to Prince Aaron who had been Vaivod of Moldavia before the deceased Ieremy and he prevailed so by his Practices and Corruption whereunto the Turks are more subject than any Nation in the World as he was admitted to the Principality by the Grand Seignior and having given him to understand by the Visier that Constantine had thrust himself rashly into the Government and that he would not acknowledge him for his Lord
Armenian for their Interpreter parted from Thrace with this godly Resolution to preach unto the People far from God the Truth of his Holy Word and to guide them happily in the way to Heaven He passed the the Bosphorus of Thrace and the famous Castles of Leander and Hero and cut through those Waves whereas he that could not quench the Fire of his Passion quenched the flame of his Life he passed beyond Pompey's Pillar or rather that of the most happy Daniel Stylita who erected his towards this Mouth of the Sea and about the sixth of Iune this same year they arrived at Verna a famous Town in Thrace whereas a Company of French Souldiers whom the violence of Necessity had some years since forced to leave the Emperours Service in Hungary were in Garrison for the Turk to defend his Subjects against the Incursions of the Cossacks yet these Frenchmen do still observe the Catholick Religion inviolably From thence he sailed towards Cordula and by the encounter of a little Gallion he entered into the Port of Trabizond Within few days after he was carried in the same Vessel to Erissa in the Country of Laxia or Lassia which on the one side looks towards the Country of the Georgians and the other that of Trabizond The Christian Religion hath been for a long time planted among those People but very ill manured for the Fathers to free their miserable Children from the Tribute wherewith the Turks oppress them cause their Children to be circumcised after the Mahometan manner and for the same Consideration they marry their Daughters unto Janizaries Moreover they abandon themselves to the Mahometan Impiety to the end they may be delivered from their insupportable Oppressions and their Turkish Yoke The Jesuits found there a good Subject to work upon for the Health of Souls during their abode there for certain days they catechised the Men baptized the Children and advertised the Women married unto Turks what they were to do for the maintenance of their Faith But for that their Commission or Charge was to go unto Mingrelia or Cholcos they went again to Sea and sailed towards Govea which is the furthest Corner of the Black Sea this Haven being very unfit to cast Anchor in they followed the Gallies which carried a Bassa called Oneze from Constantinople who should treat a Peace on the behalf of Sultan Achmat with the Prince of the Mingrelians and dispose him to pay a Tribute with these Vessels they went into a Port called Macrogalo nine Miles from that of Govea holding this Place more safe than the other but in Truth there is little assurance whereas the Waves and Winds command Sovereignty A Northwest wind rising about Midnight on the fifteenth of September drave their Gallies near unto the Shelfs and Rocks whereas one was broken and cast away This Tempest continued many days and during the Violence thereof another Gallie was lost in the which the Jesuits had been by good advice they had retired to Land during the Fury of the Sea and Winds The Jesuits imputed the cause of this loss to the Prohibition which Oneze the Bassa had made unto them not to pass into Mingrelia before the Peace were concluded with the Princes of that Country the which grew long by reason of the Difficulties which happened in the Treaty In the end those Princes resolving to pay the Tribute unto the Turk it was concluded The Liberty of Travel follows Peace Grangier and his Companions proceeded in their Journey twenty days after their departure from Macregalo they arrived at Satrapella a place of Georgia whereas the Prince's Visier came to visit them and after the Georgian manner saluted them bare headed and kneeling upon one knee Gorel Prince of the Georgians who was then at Barlet whereas the Court was to pass the Feasts of Christenmas being advertised of the arrival of these new Christian and French Preachers sâ—â—t for them received them favourably and saluted them bare-headed and kneeling After that he had made them to bless his Court he held many Discourses with them of the Truth of the Roman Church and of the Popes Power as the Father of all Christendom being moved partly thereunto by a feeling of Piety to the Church and partly from the Instructions he received from these Jesuits so as enlightned with a new Beam of the true Light he intreated Grangier to crave Absolution of his Sins from the Pope the which said he he may give me by the Power he hath from God promising to send him his Confession in writing But understanding that the Jesuit had Power from the Pope to absolve him he purged his Conscience of all his Sins by a general Confession of his Life Without doubt the Zeal of these Souls so far from Succour shews plainly what the Harvest would be if so many Labourers were sent as are necessary A Monk of Georgia who had lived at Rome for the space of twelve years had in former times planted Piety there the which they of this mission did now alter This Prince Gorel intreated the Jesuits to send him some of their Company at their return into Europe promising to make great esteem of them and to give them a Church a House and all things necessary for their maintenance The Prince offered them Silver which they refused modestly excusing themselves upon the Rules of their Institution which forbids them to receive any temporal recompence for the Administration of Holy things Thus they parted from this Prince who commended much their manner of living and caused them to be conducted to Satrapella to continue on their Journey into Mingrelia The third of February in the year 1615 year 1615 they parted from this Town with the Turks who came to conclude the Peace and passing by the Banks of Fasso a River which doth water the Country of Cholchos now called Mingrelia they arrived at Herailcano otherwise called Heracka and from thence to Margoula whereas the Prince of the Mingrelians called Dodran then remained being busie in the Reception of Threbis Cham King of Georgia who was come thither to visit him being expelled his Country by the King of Persia. The Jesuits were brought to kiss the Hands of Prince Dodran and of Lipartia his Uncle who was Regent of the Realm during his Minority They both promised them assistance in their Affairs sending them to the Town of Macaury to make their abode there whilst they were busied in the Affairs of their Country the which at that time were somewhat confused The Bishop of that Place entertained them with great Demonstration of Love and soon after making a Feast to Threbis Cham or Prince of the Georgians he would needs have the Jesuits assist at this Banquet for a great Testimony of his Love. It is the manner of those of Cholchos or the Mingrelians as well as the Georgians to sing at their Meat The Threbis Cham desired that the Jesuits might sing some note when
they stayed at Yas with the rest of the Army to preserve the Country and to prevent all Alterations in favour of Stephano who had some Intelligencers Within few days after the Prince had news that the Inhabitants of Horreova a Country in Moldavia containing about fifteen or sixteen French Leagues in Circuit were in Arms and had joyned with a great Troop of Tartarians to come and invest him knowing well that Prince Coresky was otherwise employed with part of the Polonian Army Alexander stayed not to have these Rebels come to Yas but sent Visnouisky his Brother-in-law with such Forces as he could draw together to encounter with them They met together within two Leagues of the City where Visnouisky charged the Tartarians with such fury as half of them were slain upon the place and the rest of them fled there were a great number of Prisoners taken and all the poor Inhabitants of Horreova were brought unto Yas in token of triumph The dead being numbred there were found about eight hundred Tartarians and others slain and of the Polonians only fifty and some hundred hurt Prince Alexander having received News of this Defeat was wonderfully glad and went presently to Horse-back with his Company of French which he had only reserved about him to go and meet with Visnouisky and to congratulate his happy Victory This being done with many Complements and Embracings he cast his eye upon the poor Inhabitants of Horreova whom they led like a Troop of Sheep and had such Commiseration on them as he presently sent them back again having taken their Oath of Fidelity hoping that this his Clemency would draw the most Factious to Obedience having formerly tried the Oppressions of a most cruel Prince Prince Alexander having given Thanks to God for this new and unexpected Victory he sent a Gentleman unto Prince Coresky to advertise him thereof who at the same instant was busie to dispose of his Troops to meet with Stephano who returned into Moldavia The Encounter was in a plain Champaine having on the one side the River of Sirette the which divides Moldavia from Valachia the Skirmish continued from ten of the Clock untill it was Noon with like advantage but Prince Coresky being advertised that Stephano was in a Squadron of Horse which was some two hundred Paces distant from him he joyned unto his Troop four hundred Gerbeys who were well armed and led by a very valiant Captain with the which he charged him with such violence and fury as he forced them to give back yet fighting in such sort as the Event seemed to be doubtful the which being discovered by another of the Prince's Captains who led a Troop of five hundred light horse he came so fitly to succour him as Stephano and his Horse-men were forced to fly whom the Prince pursued and cut in pieces Stephano escaped with a Troop which he had reserved rather for the guard of his Person than to fight Prince Coresky at his return from the chase of his Enemies caused the dead to be numbred where he found that of Stephano's side were three thousand and four hundred men slain upon the place besides those that were Prisoners and wounded and of his part only three hundred and fifty Presently after this Victory the season of the year being cold it being the twelfth of November Prince Coresky put his Troops into Garrison and returned with one hundred and fifty Horse to Yas where he was received with much Honour and Joy. The Princess Mother to Alexander was yet in Poland but being advertised of her Sons fortunate Success she returned to Yas and brought with her Prince Bougdan her youngest Son with Alexandrina her Daughter who was yet to marry At whose Arrival there was great feasting and joy then they began to treat of a Marriage betwixt Prince Coresky and the Princess Alexandrina the which had been then consummated if Bellona had not opposed it stirring up new and more powerful Armies than the precedent to exercise the Virtues and Valours of the said Princes and to try the Patience of the two Lovers who loved one another reciprocally from their Youth To continue the deduction of new Affairs which troubled the quiet of the said Princes more than ever you must understand That about the end of November this Year 1615 they were advertised that Michna Prince of Valachia with a Bassa called Hebraim came against them with an Army of forty thousand men Turks Tartarians and Valachians to succour the Vayvod Stephano and moreover that Bethlem Gabor Prince of Transilvania had Charge from the Grand Seignior to arm against them and to assail them which in effect was a false Alarm for the said Bassa had been sâ—nt by the Grand Seignior to bring Caâ—hâ—anes which are Robes of Cloth of Gold which the Grand Seignior doth usually send in favour to Princes that are under his power both to Michna and Stephano who he held to be in peaceable possession of Moldavia but not with any Army nor with an intent to make War against the said Princes for he was yet ignorant what had passed against Stephano Noâ—withstanding the Princes holding this Advertisement to be true assembled a Council of the chief Noblemen in Court where it was resolved That an Ambassador should be speedily sent to Prince Michna both to know his Intent and to discover whether he marched toward Moldavia and with what Forces This Charge was given unto a brave Gentleman of Polonia called Boyarâ—stky who parted presently from Yas and being entered into Valachia he understood that Prince Michna was then in his Town of Bonza some twenty French Leagues distant from the Frontiers of Moldavia The Ambassador being arrived demanded Audience before Michna by whom he was sent unto the Bassa who at his first Entrance without hearing the Subject of his Ambassage demanded who had made his Master Alexander so bold as to carry Arms in the Country of the Grand Seignior without his Authority for the which he should be punished and those that did assist him commanding the Ambassador presently to be put in Irons as if he had been a Thief or some miserable Caitâ—ff The Ambassador's Servants seeing how they entreated their Master escaped as they could fearing the like who returning to Yas informed Prince Alexander what had passed assuring him that Michna had no Army ready nor any intent to enter into Moldavia at that time The Bassa disdaining to speak any more to the said Ambassador he gave charge to some of his Officers to examine him particularly of all matters concerning Alexander and what Forces he had and within few days after he returned to Constantinople leading the said Ambassador thither with him But as soon as they were arrived they sent the Ambassador unto the Divano where he was again examined by a Visier and in the end he was condemned by him to the Gallies there to remain perpetually So little account do these barbarous People make to
by Command of the Sultan to be Martyrdom and the only Crown of all their Merits and Deserts and knowing that he could not long subsist in Opposition to so great an Enemy he contracted an Alliance by Marriage with a Daughter of one of the Gordean or Curdean Princes and in Dowry had one of the strongest Forts of those Mountains delivered into his hands The Vizier finding himself thus foiled in his occult Artifices began publickly to profess his Enmity and therefore in the first place perswaded the Grand Signior that the long continuance of Mortaza in that Government beyond the usual term so Opulent and Powerful and of a Spirit so Ambitious and Rebellious could not but prove dangerous to himself and in time give him Confidence of Competition for the whole Empire which hazard to prevent with most prudence and advantage there being a present occasion of good Soldiers for relief of Candia Mortaza and his Complices could not be better bestowed than upon that Employment year 1661. The Grand Signior readily consented to his Counsel being naturally very apprehensive of Danger and in his place constituted the Aga or General of the Ianizaries posting him away with all speed possible to his Government who did not run so fast in his Journey but that the advices of the coming of a new Pasha arrived timely the Ears of Mortaza who judging it an unequal match to contend with the whole Empire gave way to his Successor but wiâ—hal kept himself so on his Guard that his Adversary could not reach his Head and send it as the first-fruits and Tribute of his new Office For yielding up his command as in an honourable manner of Retreat he gave out that with his Army reported to consist of Forty thousand Men he was on his March to Candia but soon after his design was discovered to be otherwise for believing his own Force unable to contend with his Masters he retired with his richess and some ofthose most faithful to him unto his Fort on the Mountains and to the Protection and Country of the King of the Curdi whose Daughter he had Married and remained in Epectation of time and opportunity to take his revenge on the Vizier hoping that with time this storm would blow over and that the Beams of his Princes Favour would again shine upon him These Curdi are called by some Writers Cordiaei from whence the Province had the name of Gordiene bordering on Assyria the Kingdom once of Zabienus who siding with Lucullus against Tigranes King of Armenia was by Tigranes murdered with his Wife and Children These People inhabit the Mountain Amanus dividing Syria from Cilicia which by reason of the difficult access thereunto was never yet subjected to the Ottoman Yoke they are said in former times to have worshipped a black Dog and dare not speak ill of the Devil not for love but fear But some report that have lately been amongst them that they have left off that hellish Superstition and embrace a certain sort of Religion mixed with Christianity and Turcism but yet without Baptism or Circumcision In brief they are a bad sort of gross People at the best contenting themselves with little Religion addicted to Blood and Robberies These Curdi or Gordeenes being a people retired keep within their Mountains are shy in their Conversation and Discourse and afford us little subject or opportunity of knowing with any Satisfaction their Religion or Manners but from such of our Country-men as have lately entertained Society with them we have this account They are seated on those Mountains as we have said before which of old are called Cordiaei or Gordiai beginning near Aleppo but running out as far as Persia they make shew of the Turkish Religion for fear but have in reality another of their own which permits them to eat Swines Flesh and drink Wine as the Druses and Kalbeenes Bacon being esteemed by them a particular Cordial or Restorative for the Sick. The chief Country and City of those near Aleppo is called Ieumee where they have a Convent of twelve Priests with a Superior over them and another of the like sort near Mosul or Nineveth The two Chiefs of these Monasteries meet at fixed times to consult for the good of the Common-weal Their Devotions are private in a Cave they tell us of but one Book which contains both their Law and their Rituals being asked what they thought of our Saviour they answered he was their Breath and their Soul at the name of Mahomet they Spit and with Nicodemus his Circumspection and Assurance of Secrecy they declared themselves and Christians the same which they would make appear so soon as they were delivered from their fear of Bondage to the Turk They say that they worship God and will not curse the Devil to which no Force or Power can compel them partly perhaps because they have heard of our Saviours Precept Bless and Curse not but rather because they hold that the Devil and his Followers shall one day be restored to their former seats of Blessedness and Dignity When their Priests are together and Wine brought in amongst them the Superior makes a sign for Silence and afterwards a short Admonition that Wine is the Blood of God. I have heard that a Capuchin Fryer was once invited amongst them with Promise to give him a sight of their Book of Rituals and being come to Ieumee was detained a day or two in a Cave on pretence that the other Superior of Mosul was then amongst them who being a severe Person if he knew of his being there would certainly put him to Death as one who came to alter their Religion upon which Suspicion the Capuchin forgetting his Curiosity fled for safety with all speed possible Their Priests are said to be Grave â—earing black throughout their Garments plaited or quilted the Vestures of the Commonalty are agreeable to Mountainiers whose Natures are Rough and Boisterous addicted to Blood and Robbery the common Vice of those People I have heard that the Son of a Gourdeene Widow being killed by some of that Country She assembled her nearest Kindred and required them to bring her the Windpipe of the Murderer which when they had done She together with her Friends eat it in Revenge In fine their Religion may have some small Reliques of Christianity but mixt with the dregs of other Religions 'T is possible they may be of the Manichee Race Their Opinion of the Devils Restoration was once held in part by Origen that of Wine that it is the Blood of God was the Heathenish conceit of the Egyptian Priests Their whole Nation if well united may compose an Army of thirty or forty thousand Men. But to return to our purpose The news of the Flight of Mortaza to this Ignoble Prince troubled the Grand Signior who still retained some Impressions of kindness to his Person remembring his Generosity Valour and former Deserts the memory of which was encreased also by the
generally addict themselves to the study of their Civil Law in which they use constant exercises in arguing opposing and answering whereby to leave no point undiscovered or not discussed In short they are highly Pharisaical in all their comportment great admirers of themselves and scorners of others that conform not to their Tenents scarce affording them a salutation or common communication they refuse to marry their Sons with those of a different Rite but amongst themselves they observe a certain Policy they admonish and correct the disorderly and such who are not bettered by their persuasions they reject and excommunicate from their Society These are for the most part Tradesmen whose sedentary life affords opportunity and nutriment to a melancholy and distempered fancy But those of this Sect who strangely mix Christianity and Mahometanism together are many of the Souldiers that live on the confines of Hungary and Bosna reading the Gospel in the Sclavonian Tongue with which they are supplied out of Ragusa besides which they are curious to learn the Mysteries of the Alchoran and the Law of the Arabick Tongue and not to be accounted rude and illiterate they affect the Courtly Persian They drink Wine in the month of Fast calâ—â—d the Ramazan but to take off the scandal they refuse Cinamon or other Spices in it and then call it Hardali and passes current for lawfull Liquor They have a Charity and Affection for Christians and are ready to protect them from injuries and violences of the Turks They believe yet that Mahomet was the Holy Ghost promised by Christ and that the descending of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was a Figure and Type of Mahomet interpreting in all places the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie their Prophet in whose Ear the white Dove revealed the Infallible directions to happiness The Potures of Bosna are of this Sect but pay Taxes as Christians do they abhor Images and the Sign of the Cross they circumcise bringing the Authority of Christ's example for it which also the Copticks a Sect of the Greek Church imitated but have now as I am informed lately disused that custome Another subtle point about the Divine Attributes hath begot a Sect amongst the Ianizaries called Bektaschi from one Bektash which seems an improper subject so deep in the Metaphysical speculation to trouble such gross heads as theirs they began as it is said in the time of Solyman the Magnificent and are called by some Zerati that is those who have Copulation with their own Kindred and by the vulgar Mumsconduren or extinguishers of the Candle This Sect observe the Law of Mahomet in Divine Worship with a strictness and superstition above any of the Precisians of that Religion but hold it unlawfull to adjoyn any Attributes to God by saying that God is great or God is mercifull by reason that the nature of God being infinite and incomprehensible cannot fall under the weak and imperfect conceptions of man's understanding which can imagine nothing applicable to his Nature Of this Sect there was a famous Poet amongst the Turks called Nemisi that was flead alive for saying when the Emaum called the People to prayers at the ordinary hours from the Steeple with the usual word Allah Ekber God is one That he lied upon the supposition that no Epithete can be predicated of the Divine Essence Amongst the Ianizaries are at present many principal Commanders of this Sect but formerly were more in the time of Becktosh Aga Kul Kabya Mahomet Aga and others who for their Rebellion in Constantinople as we related before were put to death under the Historical Pillar in the time of this present Emperours minority These people against the instinct of nature use Carnal Copulation promiscuously with their own Kindred the Fathers mixing with their Sons and Daughters without respect to proximity of bloud or nearness in the degrees of relation suffering themselves to be transported contrary to the abhorrency of Nature by a weak and illogical comparison of the lawfulness and reason that he who engrafted the Tree and planted the Vine should rather taste of the Fruit than resign the benefit of his labours to the enjoyment of others and in this Argument act against the inclination of innate modesty according to that of Seneca Ferae quoque ipsae Veneris evitant nefas Generisque leges inscius servat pudor These people are easily induced to give false witness or testimony in the favour of their Sect without consideration of Equity or reasonableness of their cause by which means invading the right of others they became rich and powerfull untill they were debased by the deprivation of Becktashes Authority and Power of other potent favourers of their Sect and though afterwards upheld by Sudgi Beker a Standard-Bearer of the Ianizaries a rich and learned man they received a second blow by his death he executed by a Visier Kupriuli Mahomet for his diversity in Religion and Wealth together but farther animosity against this Sect was dissembled at that time by reason of the multitude of those professours in Constantinople and because reason of State saw it at that time necessary to draw bloud in many parts of the Empire for other causes than for errours in Religion The Sect called Sabin though Mahometans in profession seem yet to run contrary to the stream and general consent of all its professours who give themselves commonly the Title of Enemies and Confounders of Idolatry and yet these notwithstanding seem from the influence the Sun and Moon have on sublunary bodies of all living sensitive Creatures to conclude a certain Divinity in those common Lights of the World. In Constantinople there are some few Astrologers and Physicians of this Sect but in Parthia and Media they are numerous the Men commonly worshipping the Sun and the Women the Moon and others the Artick Pole they are not strict in a severity of life or in the conformity to the prescriptions of their Law but govern themselves with morality and prudence They are not apt to believe the immortality of the Soul nor the reward of Vertue or punishment of Vice in the next World nor prone to vindicate themselves from injuries reproachfull language or other evil actions of men but regarding them as the natural effects of the Celestial influences are no more provoked by them than we are with a shower of Rain for wetting us or the intense heat of the Sun in the Summer Solstice Munasihi is a Sect purely Pythagorical which believes the Metempsychosis or Transmigration of Souls of which there are some in Constantinople one Albertus Bobovius a Polonian by Nation but educated in the Seraglio and instructed in all the Learning of the Turkish Literature from whom I freely confess to have received many of my observations related to me a pleasant discourse that passed between him and a Dorgist at Constantinople touching this subject This Dorgist being Learned was the occasion that Albertus frequented his Shop
elder Brother Gherey whom the G. Signior would have imposed on them 3 a. he defeats him a second time though assisted by the G. Signior 10 b. Mehmet Pasha of Cairo made Great Vizier 19 a. Count Mellin slain 289 a. Michael Korebut Wisnowieski elected King of Poland 231 b. he dyes 239 a. Mocenigo General of the Venetians gains a great Victory at Sea over the Turks in 1651. 85 a. another in 1655. 87 b. in another his Ship blown up and himself slain 90 a. The G. Mogul promises to assist the Turk if he will break with the Persian 10 b. Moldavia troubles there 19 b. the Prince Revolts to the Poles 238 b. Francesco Molino Proveditor General to the Venetians 60 b. made Doge General of the Sea ib. b. dismissed from that Charge 61 b. Alvisé de Molino sent Ambassador to the Port but is transferred to the Vizier at Candia 208 a. after the Siege ended he passes to the Court at Adrianople 227 a. Mongatz refused to be surrendred by Teckely's Wife 315 b. Marquess S. Andrea Montbrun made Governour of Candia 203 a. his diligence in his Charge 204 b. Count Montecuculi Governour of Rab made a General at the beginning of the War in Hungary in 1663. 140 b. puts a thousand Men into Newhausel 142 b. joyns with Count Serini 152 a. clears Serinswar of Serini's Forces ib. b. repels the Great Vizier at Kemend endeavouring to pass the Rab 156 b. gives a second great Defeat to the Turks at Chiesfalo on this River killing seventeen thousand 157 b. for which he is highly applauded and made Lieutenant-General of the whole Army 158 a. Reasons why his Services were more acceptable than those of Serini or Soisé ib. a. Morat vid. Amurat. Moravia spoiled by the Turks in 1663 143 a. Morlacks revolt from the Turks to the Venetians 76 a. Girolamo Morosini Commander of the Venetian Galleasses 60 b. braves the Turkish Fleet 74 a. killed by a Musket-bullet shot through his Head 75 a. Francesco Morosini made Captain-General for the Venetians 194 b. he obtains a Victory over the Turks and is Knighted 101 b. he refuses a Present from the Vizier at the Surrender of Candia and why 219 b. Gioseppo Morosini Captain of the Venetian Galleasses 197 b. Morosini the Venetian General takes great part of the Morea 333 a. Mortaza Pasha treacherously strangles the Pasha of Aleppo that formidable Rebel 92 b. for which piece of Service c. being made Pasha of Babylon and removed from thence he flees to the Curdi whose Kings Daughter he had married who deliver him into the Turks hands and they strike off his Head 117 b. 119 a· ib. b. Morteza Pasha of Buda joyns with the Prince of Transilvania against the Emperour 6 a. b. he with the Prince make Peace with the Emperour 7 a. Mosul taken by the Persian 6 a. The Muscovites press the King of Poland to conclude a League Offensive and Defensive against the Turk 280 b. Musick in the Turks Camp at the Siege of Vienna 293 a. Sultan Mustapha his incapacity for the Government 1 a. is deposed 2 a. commanded to be slain by Sultan Morat 44 b. Mustapha Great Vizier strangled by Command of the Queen-Mother 55 a. Mustapha Captain-Pasha loses his Head 50 b. Mustapha Pasha of Grand Cairo in Egypt 53 a. made Pasha of Silistria ib. a Mustapha Captain-Pasha made Chimacam of Adrianople 131 b. his Affection and Popularity 163 a. A Mutafaraca what 162 b. N. NAdasti with others offer themselves to the Turk in 1670 221 a. they find not the Protection desired but are overtaken by the hand of Iustice 230 b. Bernardo Nani made Proveditor General and arrives at Candia with five hundred Foot 200 b. he is killed by a Musket-shot in the Head 204 b. Napoli di Romania surrendred to the Christians 338. b. Narenta in Dalmatia taken by the Venetians 311 a. Count Nassaw killed in the great Battel betwixt Montecuculi and the Turks on the Rab 157 b. Nathan a Iew an Accomplice with Sabatai Sevi the pretended Messiah gives out himself to be Elias 175 a. his Letters to Sabatai Sevi and the Iews of Aleppo ib. a. b. he arrives near Smyrna 182 b. The Duke de Navaille Commander of the Succours from France in Candia in 1669. 212 b. after having lost many of his Men he departs from thence 215 a. for which he incurs the disfavour of his Prince at his Return home ib. b. Navarino surrendred to the Christians ib b. Nehemiah Cohen a Rival of Sabatai Sevi in his Messiahship 179 a. Newhewsel besieged by the Turks in 1663 142 b. it bravely defends it self being stormed 143 a. the Turks storm it a second time and are repulsed ib. b. it is yielded upon Conditions ib. b. it s new Bassa assaulted by the Imperialists whilst on his Iourny 279 a. besieged b◠the Emperour 287 b. he suddenly raises his Siege ib. b. again besieged 312 a. Taken by Assault 313 a. Nitra by the Cowardise of the Commander betrayed to the Turks 145 a. taken again by the Christians under the Command of Count Soisé 153 b. The Nogay Tartar desires Lands of the Grand Signior for which they are fallen upon by the Crim Tartar 171 b. Monsieur de Nointel Ambassador at the Port from France 228 a. Novigrade surrendred to the Turks 145 a. taken by the Imperialists 309 a. O. OPium its Operation with the Turks 137 b more fully described 223 b. Oseck and the Bridge adjoining to it of six or seven Miles long taken by Serini and burnt 147 a. the Bridge is built again in forty Days by the Turks 151 b. P. PAdavini dyes at Canea 199 b. Count S. Paul together with la Fueillade c. arrive at Candia 205 a. their Valour ib. b. Peace offered in vain by the Turk 314 b. 317 b. 318 a. The Emperour sends an Ambassador to the King of Persia to break the Peace whereby to divert the Grand Signior from a War with Hungary 280 a. Persia the King enters the Turks Dominions with a powerful Army 5 b. his Success 6 a. sends an Ambassador to the Port with Proposals of Peace but without effect 9 b. sends another likewise without effect ib. b. the Persians receive a Defeat by the Turk 14 b. Peace made with the Turk but quickly broke 20 b. the King again sends an Ambassador to the Port with Proposals of Peace 34 a. who not succeeding in his Errand is forced to accompany the Turkish Army into Persia 38 a. After the loss of Babylon they send another Ambassador to the Port 45 a. who obtains a Peace ib. a. Pest taken by the Christians 315 a. Signior Pisani Proveditor General of the Kingdom killed by a Granado at Candia 199 a. Plague at Constantinople 315 a. The Plague at Hungary Newheusel and several parts in the Turkish Countreys 280 b. 285 a. Poland that King offers to enter into a League with the Emperour if he would declare War against the Turks
Extortion Cruelties and Acts of Injustice beyond any thing that was ever practised before in the Reign of the most Tyrannical Princes and in Process of time becoming vastly Rich with the Spoils and Ruine of many thousands of Families he accomplishes the full Measure of his Iniquity by the perfidious Breach of the Truce between the Emperor and his Master the Sultan For tho' it wanted only three Years of being expired yet trusting to the Power and Force of his ill-gotten Wealth he had not Patience to expect so long a Term being pushed forward by his own Destiny and incited thereunto by covetous and ambitious Desires joyned to a Scorn and a mean Opinion of the Christians to whom he would scarce allow either Understanding or Courage or Conduct in War In which vain Confidence and Presumption of his invincible Power he precipitated the whole Ottoman Empire into a dismal and direful Condition and State from whence proceeded nothing but Slaughter and Tragedies fatal both to his own self and to his Master as will appear in the Progress of this History But before we enter on those greater Matters let us first consider this Grand Vizier in his Behaviour towards the Turks and others who were Subjects to the Sultan It is certain that he had his first Rise from Kuperli the Father and married his Daughter and was afterwards on the score of that Alliance favoured by the Son he was made Capitan Pasha or Admiral of the Fleet but being as it were out of his Element and not pleased with the Sea he was constituted Chimacam and placed with the Grand Seignior and at all times next his Person when the Vizier was absent and employed in the Wars In which Capacity and Condition as we have before related he behaved himself with that gentle and affable Behaviour towards all Persons as gave Hopes and Expectations of better and more temperate Government when he should come to be Vizier But being raised to that sublime Station he soon changed his Humour and began to shew the Fierceness of his Nature which he had long suppressed In Evidence of which we have so many Instances and Examples of his Cruelty and Injustice to produce that had we no other matter than his Management of Affairs in the time of Peace without Regard or Reference to Foreign Wars his Proceedings were so irregular and unreasonable as might for the Extravagancy of them deserve to be kept in Memory But they are too many to be recounted and therefore we shall content our selves with some few which have relation to the English Nation and to the Subjects of other Princes in Peace and Alliance with the Turk The Case of Mr. Samuel Pentlow who lived about Thirty Years a Merchant at Smyrna will never be forgotten by the English Factory of that Place The matter is so extraordinary as might deserve to be related at large with all the Circumstances of it but I shall confine my self to a short and brief Narrative which was this Mr. Pentlow had by a long Trade in tract of time gained very considerable Riches besides an Estate in Land left him by his Father in England to inherit which being desirous to have Heirs of his own Body he married a Greek Woman of mean Extraction The Grand Vizier having received intimation thereof and of the Riches of Pentlow which were magnified to him according to the Account made on Rich Men whose Fortune it is to have their Estates always over-valued he immediately swallowed in his Thoughts all his Wealth and Estate as if he had been a Pasha or some other Subject who had grown fat and wealthy to a degree worthy the Grand Seignior's Notice and Acceptance And to bring him within the compass of such a Seizure he declared That whosoever had married a Woman who was a Subject to the Grand Seignior did by Virtue of such a Match become ipso facto a Subject and yield himself to the same Condition with his Wife which being a Law never before made or declared was levelled only at Pentlow to hook in his Estate having never before been practised and perhaps will never be again unless the same Circumstances concurr of such a Vizier and such a Person as this our Merchant was Pentlow had notice of this new Law which the Vizier had promulged and was not unsensible that it was levelled at his Estate But yet I know not what Star guided him or what Charm affixed or wedded him to the Countrey he provided not against the Snare laid for him which he might easily have avoided by exporting his Estate as Merchants commonly do into other Countries but instead thereof he keeps all about him and finding himself sickly and decaying he made his last Will and Testament in a formal manner and constituted two Merchants to be his Executors without Reflection or Thoughts how the Vizier had decreed the Grand Seignior to be his Heir which accordingly succeeded in a short time afterwards For Pentlow being dead the News was speedily carried to the Chief Customer at Adrianople who had laid the Plot to seize his Estate and by him the Grand Vizier was informed of the great Wealth fallen to the Sultan by the Death of his English Subject The covetous Desire of so vast Riches which was magnified five times beyond its real Value caused the Vizier with all Expedition to dispatch a Capugi-Basha to Smyrna to take all the Estate of the Deceased into his Hands for the Use of the Grand Seignior and in case the Executors refused to make a free and clear Resignation accordingly then to bring them up Prisoners to Adrianople The Executors not complying as the Officers required were carried up by him to Adrianople Where to extort from them a confession of the whole Estate they were threatned with the Gallies with the Rack the Wheel and other Tortures In fine after an Imprisonment of some Days with a Collar of Iron about their Necks to which a Chain was fixed and rivetted to a Post with Manacles on their Hands and after a thousand menaces of farther Punishment they were forced so far to comply as to Promise and give Obligation to pay unto the Vizier or his Order the Sum of Ninety thousand Dollars within a certain time after their Arrival at Smyrna To raise this Money against the Term prefixed such hast was made that the Goods of the Deceased were Sold at such low Rates that they amounted not within Five or Six thousand Dollars of the Sum for which the Executors had Engaged which they refusing to pay out of their own Estates were again Imprisoned at Smyrna where they lay for the space of five or six Months until such time as a Composition was made and Expedients found for their Enlargment Many other passages occurred of the like injustice thro' the whole course of this matter which for brevity sake we purposely omit In regard that what we have said already is sufficient to give the Reader an instance
Chapman brougth it to an Armenian to set in Silver The Armenian being a Jeweller soon apprehended the nature of the Stone but the largeness of the size causing him to mistrust his own judgment he Consulted two others and upon Trial it proved to be a real Diamond so when the Owner came for his Stone it was pretended to be lost and with a Dollar and half they contented him But the Jewellers disagreeing in the division of so great a Purchase and one fearing to be betray'd by the other he that had it in Possession discovered it and sent it to the Grand Seignior 'T was said to be the most perfect and best Water that ever was seen It was very old and given to be new Cut. It was judged to have been a Jewel belonging to the Greek Emperors it not being entred into the Register of the Seraglio where all Jewels of value are Recorded ANNO 1680. year 1680. THis year began with the most solemn Council that was ever known to have been held at Constantinople within the memory Man. Those present at it were all the Pashaes of the Bench the Ianizar-Aga Topegi-Bashee or Master of the Ordnance the Chief of the Spahees the two Kadileschers or Chief Justices in short all the Great Men then present of the Empire The Council was summoned at the motion of the Grand Vizier who having a Breach with the Christian Emperor then in prospect had a desire to feel the Pulse and try the Inclinations of the great Men how they stood affected to such an Enterprise But it seems the Proposal did not very well rellish for that a Moscovite Ambassador being on his Journey to the Port the Issue or Event of his Negotiation was first to be expected And in the mean time it was concluded most safe and prudent not to Engage in another War. Besides the Emperor was then actually in Treaty to renew the Truce with the Grand Seignior which in few Years terminated and to that end had sent an Envoy extraordinary to the Port but he dy'd before his Negotiation was accomplished as did also three other Residents in less than the compass of one Year year 1680. who were all employ'd to conserve and renew the Peace The preparations for War this year being thus laid aside The Vizier was at leisure to Marry his Daughter to the Grand Seignior's Hazna-Kajasee or Privy-purse who thereupon was promoted to be a Pasha of the Divan or Vizier of the Bench he was esteemed the Richest Man in the Empire which the Grand Vizier soon found to his high Advantage for he dying 40 Days after his Marriage the Vizier in right of his Daughter entred into a vast Inheritance The Widow remained not long in her desolate Condition before she was promised to Osman then Pasha of Grand Cairo who had formerly been Bostangi-Bashee or Chief of the Gardiners and Chimacam of Constantinople By these means the Vizier was grown so Rich and Great and Insolent that he created many Enemies but the most dangerous to him was a Faction at Court the Chief of which were the Kuzlir-Aga or Prime Eunuch of the Women and Solyman the Imbrahor or Master of the Horse the which made it their business to cross the Vizier in all his Proceedings and disappointed him of preferring a favourite of his to the place of second Master of the Horse which was lately become vacant by the death of that Officer and one prefer'd thereunto at the recommendation of Solyman Pasha who was his Friend and had been Treasurer to the late Vizier Upon which defeat the great Vizier fearing that he lost ground and decay'd in his power and interest thought fit to hasten his own Marriage with the Grand Seignior's Daughter a Child of 8 years of Age who like other Sultanaes was Married to no other end than that her Husband might have the Honour to maintain her a Court and Equipage agreeable to a Lady of her Degree and Quality This near Alliance to the Ottoman Blood and familiar Conversation with the Sultan could not be procured and maintained without a vast expence to the Vizier who was commanded by the Grand Seignior to Treat him once and sometimes twice a Week and at every Meal it cost him 25 Purses of Money besides other presents to the Valide or Queen Mother and other powerful Persons at Court to an incredible value To support which Charge Rapine and Violence were necessary and nothing but a share in the Booty and Pray could stop and fortifie the Ears of the Sultan and Ministers of the Court against the Cries and Groans of oppressed Wretches One of the ways to Raise Money and that esteemed none of the meanest was by Avanias or false pretences to be made on the Ambassadors or Residents of Christian Princes then actually residing at the Port the violation of whose Character and Office the Vizier esteemed to be no Sin or Offence being in his Opinion but Gaurs and Infidels and such as were sent for Pledges and Pawns for the Fidelity of their Masters to the Turks Besides which he conceived so mean an esteem of all Christian Princes and undervalued their power and courage in War that he believed no Indignities or Dishonourable usage could provoke them to a Resentment or a Revenge for any injuries received And so far had this belief generally prevailed that the Pashaes and Governours who lived at a distance from the Port would tell the Merchants that in case their Estates were seized and one of their Hands cut off and expelled the Country yet so wedded were they to their own Interest and to the Delights of the Turkish Air that the next Year they would return again and adventure the like Treatment rather than forego the hopes and sweetness of that profit which they had tried and expected in the Dominions of the Grand Seignior The Vizier had certainly thoughts like these and the same poor and contemptible esteem of Christian Princes in comparison with the Ottoman Force which was no doubt one of his chief Motives to commence that fatal War which in a few years afterwards he unhappily begun And in the mean time acting on these Principles he treated all the Christian Ministers at the Port with equal Scorn and Contempt To begin with the French he deny'd to that Ambassador the Privilege of Sitting on â—he Soffra when he admitted him to Audience an Honour formerly allowed to Christian Representatives but now out of the height of Pride over-looking all the World and not enduring to see a Christian to sit either so near or equal to him the Vizier made it a standing Rule That no Ambassador whatsoever should have his Stool placed on the Soffra But his most Christian Majesty who was always tender in Points which concern'd his Honour gave positive Commands to his Ambassador Not to accept of Audience on any Terms derogatory to the ancient respect and the Vizier as Resolute on the other side procured the Grand
near the Mountains The place belonged to the Countess Tekeli in right of her former Husband Prince Francis Ragotski She was Daughter of Count Peter Serini and Married to Tekeli as we have formerly mentioned Caprara having all the Winter his Quarters not far from Mongatz sent frequent Messages to this Lady to Surrender the Town and Castle to the Emperor promising in the name of his Caesarean Majesty to conserve both her self and her Son in the same Condition of Greatness and Estate as at present adding thereunto many Complements which are commonly given to a young and beautiful Lady The expressions he made to her were so full of tenderness and respect that she could not refuse to return an Answer agreeable to so much concernment as he testified for her assuring him That nothing so grieved her as to see herself embarked in a Cause against the Emperor and that nothing could be so uneasie to her and difficult to determin in what manner she was to behave herself between the Duty and Faith she owed to a Husband and Allegiance to the most gentle and gracious Prince of the Universe But as to the Surrender of the Town and Castle it was not in her Power but depended entirely on the Secretary and Deputy of her Husband who was there constituted Governour with all the Riches and Wealth of the place and that the Citizens and Chief Magistrates thereof were joyned in the same Resolutions with him to defend and maintain the Place to their utmost hazard of their Lives and Fortunes and that herein they were the more encouraged by Advices lately received from Count Tekeli whereby he not only gives them the good News of his Liberty and the great Honours and Aids which the Turks had bestowed upon him in recompence for the Affront which the late Vizier had cast upon him but promised them very speedily a Relief sufficient to drive their Enemies from their Doors and at a distance from their Country and would bring Rewards in his Hands for those who should in the mean time remain true and constant to his Interest Count Caprara rightly judging that by such delays and excuses as these the Princess intended only to gain time and to illude his designs began to draw his Forces nearer with a Train of Artillery Mortars and other Engins proper for a Siege But the Garrison nothing dismaid thereby made a Sally with Six hundred Men and gained a Redoubt which the Imperialists had raised near the lower Town with the slaughter of Four hundred Souldiers therein and having taken out the Arms and Guns they demolished the Fort and rased it to the very Ground Howsoever Caprara having received a Recruit of Two thousand Men possessed himself of a Post whereby he hoped to bar the Town of the Water which supplied both that and the Castle But matters happened quite otherwise for the Rains fell in such abundance as filled the Cisterns with Water which were anciently made to supply the wants of the Inhabitants on such occasions In the mean time Apafi Prince of Transilvania labour'd with all his power to gain a Neutrality for himself between the Turks and the Emperor by the first of which he was pressed with all imaginable instances to serve in this War both with Men and Money according to agreement and obligations of his Investiture when he received the Standard from the Sultan And by the other That is by the Emperor he was threatned to declare himself either a Friend or an Enemy for that no sort of indifferency would be admitted in this Case And the better to compel him thereunto Count Caraffa advanced into his Country with Eight thousand Men Two thousand whereof were Hungarians and took up their Quarters on the Frontiers of Transilvania which was now in a Condition under such a Force rather to receive Laws than to give them The Prince Apafi being much incommoded by Quartering of Soldiers dispatched three Agents to Vienna to Treat of those matters to which he was altogether averse in former times and readily offer'd to give free Quarter to those Troops which were sent into his Country but as to an open Declaration of nearer Alliance he desired to be excused considering that his Country was environed by the Turks and their strongest Garrisons bordering on his Confines so that until the Emperor had driven the Enemy at a farther distance it could not be advisable for him to make a more publick Declaration The City of Debrezin Situate between Tokay and Great Waradin is Populous and Rich and had voluntarily desired to be received into Protection of his Imperial Majesty after Zolnock and Cassovia had been reduced having conserved themselves in a Neutrality during the late Revolutions of Hungary without taking part in any Engagement with the Malecontents This City I say was received into Protection upon promise to maintain with free Quarter Five thousand Germans and One thousand Hungarians but finding themselves overburdened and harassed with Quartering these Soldiers they agreed to pay Eighty thousand Florins per Month for the space of six Months in lieu of their free Quarter by which Sum of Money they eased themselves from the inconvenience and insolence of Soldiers as did also many parts of the upper Hungary the main burden of Quarters being cast upon the Countries bordering on Transilvania which was of great relief to the Hereditary Countries This Year began early with Action for the Generals Mercy and Heusler having their Quarters at Zolnock made frequent Incursions upon the Turks with great Success and Advantage And having intelligence that in Transilvania a Convoy of about an Hundred Wagons was providing laden with Money Ammunition and Provisions for the subsistence and relief of Buda they made a Detachment of Five thousand choise Horse with some Auxiliaries from Count Caprara and ordered them to march towards Segedin and to Way-lay them in their Passage over the River Heusler being advanced about a League from Segedin gave Orders to Peterhasi with a strong Battalion to embosk himself within the Woods which grew very thick in that Country and when the Garrison of Segedin should Sally forth to the assistance of the Convoy That he should then with his Battalion arise from the place of Concealment and seize upon the Town which might perhaps be left naked and void of all defence Matters did not in all things answer expectation for the Convoy being Guarded with a strong party of Turkish Soldiers they Fought with such Valour and Resolution that thô the Imperialists remain'd Masters of the Field and of the Convoy yet the Action cost so much Blood that it could not properly be called a Victory for a Victory may be too dearly bought when it is purchased with the Lives of so many brave Men as are not to be estimated by any advantage whatsoever And so it happened now for thô Three thousand Turks were killed on the place yet they were not to be valued with the
pleasure to water them by Channels and Sluces out of the River of Nile which now pluckt up and opened the River began to rise and overflow all Then too late they perceived themselves 〈◊〉 as in a Grin without power to defend themselves or to make any resistance or by any other means to shew their Valour So the River still arising and overflowing gave unto the Turks and Egyptians good hope of their Wars and of a Victory more desired than hoped for over a warlike and victorious People All the ground where the Christians lay encamped was covered with Water so high that the Victuals were corrupted and no place left for a man to stand or lie dry in Now at the same time the Egyptians had taken the high places with the passages upon the Walls and Banks in that drowned Country to the intent that the Christians should not be able to retire or to save themselves out of the Bogs and Marishes covered over with Water So was their rash Valour and presumptuous Confidence in themselves exposed unto the Enemies Shot and Fury and when they would by force have defended themselves their hardiness was overcome by the crafty Subtility of the weak Enemy Then began every man to cry out against Pelagius the Legat accusing condemning and rayling at him the King himself they blamed not for that he had done his duty in disswading of this expedition and was contrary to his good liking himself drawn into this War the charge whereof he had not without great intreaty taken upon him neither might he with his credit well complain of this misfortune lest in so doing he might seem to have had no comfort in himself But as for the Legate what Counsel could he then give what Counsel could he then take for himself They of Venice Pisa and Genoa left at Damiata were indeed strong at Sea but how could they come to relieve him at Caire And how or by what Forces could the Christians break out of the Banks and Sluces of the Cuts and Channels which winding in and out with a thousand inextricable turnings inclosed them beset also on every side with the victorious Enemy After they had been thus coupt up and environed with the Waters three days you might have seen the poor Souldiers in every place fall down dead for want of Food and Sleep and so perish in the Water the like miserable kind of death the rest were also in short time after to expect other help there was none but to yield unto necessity and to accept of such conditions as it should please the proud Enemy to propound Now the Sultan desired not so much their lives as the Liberty of his Country and therefore required to have the City Damiata again restored unto him and all things else in such sort as were before the besieging thereof and so the Christians without more ado to depart his Country Hard Conditions if a man respect the hope whereupon the Christians had undertaken this War and were so come into Egypt with the toil there by them endured but unto him that will but enter into consideration of mens affairs and especially in Martial matters it will seem but an accident to be yielded unto the like whereof hath oftentimes happened unto the greatest men in the World. These Conditions such as they were were by the distressed Christians accepted of But when they were brought to Damiata and there propounded to the Christians there left a great contention began to arise among them some said they would not accept of them or surrender the Town which being kept would be a stay for all the affairs of the Christians in the East and a most commodious place for them to have recourse unto but being restored and lost carried away with it all the hope of the Christians and that therefore it were better to endure all extremities than to receive such dishonourable and hurtful a peace Others of the contrary opinion said That they ought not to forsake them that were in danger before Caire nor to expose them to the butchery but to have a Christian compassion of so many thousands of Souls as there lay distressed seeing they might be saved by the surrender of that one Town Towns they said consisted of the number of men and not Men of the Inclosures of Walls and Ditches They that were of this opinion for the delivering up of the Town seeing the other obstinately set down to the contrary withdrawing themselves from the Council presently took up Arms and by force entred the Houses of them that were of the contrary opinion and took from them their Weapons by that means and perforce to constrain them to yield to their desire As soon as they that lay before Caire almost drowned in the Waters understood of this dissention at Damiata about the delivery of the Town they sent them word that if they would not yield the Town to the Sultan they would forthwith send to Ptolemais which would not fail to do what should be commanded to have it instead of Damiata surrendred to the Egyptians So was Damiata again yielded to the Infidels and so great labours of the Christians taken at the Siege and winning thereof all lost That which made this indignity more tolerable was that Sultan Meladin having without bloodshed gained so great a Victory did neither by word or deed any thing in despight or reproach of the Christians but used them with all courtesie relieving them also with Victual and such other things as they wanted and by faithful Guids conducting them in safety out of the Country In like manner also Coradin his Brother Sultan of Damasco made truce with the Latines for eight years Whereupon the King of Ierusalem went over into Italy and there by the perswasion of Honorius the Pope his Wife being now dead gave his Daughter Yoland now crowned Queen of Ierusalem in the right of her Mother in marriage to Frederick King of Sicilia and Emperor of the Latines the rather thereby to stir him up for the taking in hand of the sacred War. Ever since which time he and the Kings of Sicilia his Successors have been called Kings of Ierusalem albeit that they have evil prosecuted that their pretended Right and Title as still busied in more prophane Wars against other Christian Princes King Iohn afterwards departing from Rome for France was by the way honourably entertained at Pisa but arriving at the French Court he found Philip the French King desperately sick who by his last Will and Testament gave unto the Knights Hospitalers and Templars sixty thousand Crowns for the maintenance of their Wars against the Infidels which Mony was to their use afterward paid unto King Iohn Who shortly to discharge himself of a Vow he had made to visit the Pilgrimage at Compostella going into Spain by the way married Berengaria the King of Castile his Daughter and there staying a great while returned again into France where he lay long expecting
themselves unto Eivases Bassa who taking possession of Mustapha his Tent caused the broken Bridge to be repaired whereby Amurath passing with his Army joyned himself with Eivases The other Bassa Ibrahim counselled Amurath to put to the Sword all those Rebels that had followed Mustapha but by the mediation of Eivases to whom they had yielded themselves they were generally pardoned Amurath departing from Ulibad or Lopadium came to Boga and there hanged up the Captain that had given Mustapha passage From thence he held on his way to Lampsacum intending to pursue Mustapha into Europe but being come to the Sea side he could find no passage for that Mustapha had caused all the shipping on that side to be brought over into Europe Yet at last Amurath by good fortune chanced upon a great Genoway Ship which he hired for four thousand Ducats to transport his Army and so with much ado at length landed in Europe Mustapha seeing that Amurath was now come over fled to Hadrianople where he found such cold Entertainment that fearing to be betrayed he was glad to speed himself thence thinking all the World too little to hide himself in and so came to an obscure place in the Country of the Turks called Kisul-Agatze-Genitze where the Souldiers sent to pursue him overtook him and brought him bound to Amurath then being at Hadrianople by whose Commandment he was shamefully hanged from the Battlements of one of the highest Towers of the City and there left to the Worlds Wonder This Mustapha is of some Writers reported to have been in deed the Son of the great Sultan Bajazet and that he was kept in prison all that long time and thus at length set up by the Greeks to trouble the State of the Turkish Kingdom but the Turkish Histories report as before calling him Dusme or counterfeit Mustapha And it is very likely that if he had been one of the Sons of Bajazet he would have found some means to have made some great stir long before that as all the rest of the unquiet Brood of Bajazet did which never rested until they had like the Earth-born Brethren one destroyed the other besides that their bloody Natures considered it is very like that Mahomet his younger Brother who reigned in Hadrianople almost eight years and was in League all that time with the Emperor of Constantinople would for his more safety have got him into his own Power if he had been in prison with the Emperor or else have dispatched him if he had been in prison with himself All which I am the rather perswaded to think for that Orchanes a Child the Son of Solyman could find no safe place of abode at Constantinople in the Reign of Mahomet but flying was apprehended and his eyes put out as is before declared in the life of Mahomet much less is it like that Mustapha being a Warlike Prince and his elder Brother could have been so long preserved and kept in prison from his fury It fortuned in these late Broils as oftentimes it doth with others in like case divers of the Rebels Asapi or Common Souldiers whom he for his greater Countenance had apparelled and armed like Janizaries to fall into the hands of the true Janizaries Amurath his faithful Guard whose lives indeed they spared but using them with all the Despight and Indignities possible Amongst the rest one of the Janizaries being an hungred brought two of these Asapi his prisoners unto a Cooks Shop offering to sell them unto him for a little Victual which the Cook refused to give him as having no use for such unnecessary Servants Wherewith the proud Ianizary inraged swore many a great Oath presently to cut off their Heads and to give them him for nought if he would not for a thing of nought redeem them And like enough he was to have so done had not the Cook moved with pity offered him for them both a sheeps head which the Ianizary took for them swearing that the Cook had given for them more than indeed they were worth Which disgrace so long since done unto these Asapi is yet oftentimes by way of reproach in great contempt by the masterful and insolent Janizaries objected unto the whole body of the Asapi the greatest part of the Turks huge Armies of whom for all that the proud Janizaries make small reckoning accounting them scarcely for Men and in their rage oftentimes telling them That two of them are not worth a sodden sheeps head Amurath having at length with much ado thus pacified the dangerous Rebellion raised by the counterfeit Mustapha both in Europe and Asia was yet not a little grieved to think how the same had to the great hazard of his Estate been first plotted by the Greeks and afterwards countenanced by the Greek Emperor of whom he thought now to be revenged And therefore sending before him Michael Ogli his Lieutenant General in Europe with his Europeian Souldiers to invade the Country about Constantinople followed himself after with the Janizaries and his Asian Forces and incamping before the City filled all that neck of land which lieth before it from Sea to Sea. And so incamped began right furiously to batter the Walls in hope so to have made a breach and by the same to have entred the City but finding the Walls of greater strength than he had before supposed and the Defendants still repairing whatsoever the fury of his Artillery had beaten down or shaken he ceased his Battery and coming on with all his Forces desperately attempted by Assault to have gained the City wherein his Fortune was not answerable to his Desire for approaching the City with Arrows as showers falling upon the Defendants and scaling-Ladders in the mean time clapt up to the Walls and the Janizaries with other of his best Souldiers valiantly mounting the same they were by the Defendants notably repulsed and beaten down losing some their hands some their Arms some their Heads but most their Lives no Shot falling in vain from the Walls Which Amurath beholding and grieved to see though unwilling commanded a Retreat to be sounded and the Assault given over and shortly after seeing no hope to prevail in great rage raised his Siege and departed Unto whom for all that the Greek Emperor not long after sent his Embassadors to intreat with him for Peace whereof he would by no means hear but proudly threatned to be ere long of all his Wrongs revenged which caused the Greek Emperor to devise what he might for the troubling of his Estate so to keep him otherwise busied as he did shortly after with the Caramanian King by countenancing another Mustapha sirnamed Cutzug or the Little Amuraths younger Brother against him to the raising of new Stirs and Amurath his no small trouble Mahomet the late King had five Sons and seven Daughters whereof Amurath was the eldest and succeeded in his Fathers Kingdom Mustapha the second sirnamed the Little Achmetes the third who died before his Father
the other two Iosephus and Machmutes both died of the Plague being but Children after the death of their Father Three of their Sisters were married to the three Sons of the King of Caramania Ibrahim Aladin and Isa other two were bestowed upon the Sons of the Prince Isfendiar Ibrahim and Casimes the sixth was given in marriage to Cozza-â—eg Vice-Roy of Anatolia and the seventh to the Son of Ibrahim Bassa who died at Mecha whither she went upon Superstitious Devotion on Pilgrimage At such time as Amurath was busied in his Wars in Europe against Mustapha the supposed Son of Bajazet the younger Son of Mahomet called also Mustapha being but thirteen years old and Amurath his Brother indeed was set up to raise new Troubles by the King of Caramania and other Princes as well Mahometans as the Christian Princes of Grecia who thought it good policy by that means to impeach the greatness of Amurath This young Prince Mustapha strengthned with the Forces of his Friends entred into his Brothers Dominions in Asia and besieged Nice which was at length yielded unto him Amurath advertised of this new Rebellion by great Gifts and large Promises corrupted Ilias Beg the young Princes Tutor to betray the Prince into his hands Whereupon Amurath with great celerity set forward with his Army from Hadrianople and in nine days came to Nice where he entred the City with small resistance as was to him before promised where Mustapha was by his false Tutor to him presented who because he would not spill one drop of the sacred Othoman blood as the Turks call it commanded the Executioner presently to strangle him with a Bow-string which was done accordingly and his body afterwards buried by his Father at Prusa Amurath having suppressed these two Rebellions and now out of all fear of any Competitor thought his five Counsellors too many by three and therefore removed the three Bassaes Omure Urutzi and Alis the Sons of Temurtases into honourable Places retaining of his Council only the two old Bassaes Ibrahim and Eivases But shortly after Eivases was secretly accused to Amurath that he sought by his Favorites the Souldiers of the Court to aspire unto the Kingdom himself and to depose the King and that intending some such matter he did usually wear a Privy-Coat This suspitious Report troubled the jealous Tyrant wherefore on a time as he rid accompanied with Eivases he cast his Arm about him as if it had been in kindness but finding him secretly armed would needs know the cause thereof whereunto Eivases answered That it was for fear of some Enemies he had in the Court but this Excuse could by no means serve his turn wherefore he was forthwith apprehended by the Commandment of Amurath and both his Eyes burnt out with a hot Steel glass Whilst Amurath was thus busied in subduing Rebellions at home Muhamethes the Caramanian King besieged Attalia a great City in Pamphilia by the space of six months which was valiantly defended by Hamza-beg Amurath his Lieutenant there at which Siege the unfortunate King himself as he was taking view of the City was slain with a great shot out of the City whereupon Ibrahim which succeeded him in the Kingdom brake up the Siege and returned home to bury his Father At this time also Dracula Prince of Valachia passing over Danubius did the Turks much harm about Silistra but was afterwards enforced to submit himself to Amurath and become his Tributary About this time also Tzunites the Prince of Smyrna which had before aided the Rebel Mustapha did by all means he could vex and molest Iaxis-beg Amurath his Lieutenant in Aidinia and having by chance taken his Brother Prisoner put him to death This Prince of Smyrna was descended of the ancient Princes of Aidinia and therefore pretended an interest in that Seigniory which his Claim the people of the Country secretly favoured so far as they durst for fear of the Turks Amurath hearing of the harms that this Prince of Smyrna did commanded Hamze-beg Vice-Roy of Anatolia with all his Power to make War upon him The Vice-Roy without delay assembled a great Army and invaded the Princes Country and the Prince being well provided for his coming meeting him upon the way gave him battel wherein Hasan the Princes Son leading a great part of his Fathers Army had put one part of the Turks Army to flight and pursuing them with too much fury left his Father at the same time so hardly beset by the Vice-Roy that he was glad to fly to his Castle of Hipsily fast by Hasan returning from the chace of the Enemy not knowing what had happened to his Father was by the Turks in his return overcome and taken Prisoner After which Victory the Vice-Roy presently laid Siege to the Castle wherein the Prince was This Siege continued a great while at length the Prince brought to extremity was content to yield himself unto the Vice-Roy upon condition he should use no violence against the Person of himself or his Son but to send them Prisoners unto Amurath which thing the Vice-Roy by solemn Oath promised whereupon the Prince came out of the Castle and yielded himself Prisoner to the Vice-Roy Iaxis-beg whose Brother the Prince had before put to death attended the going of Hamze the Vice-Roy to his Tent where finding Hasan the Princes Son sitting upon the ground as the manner of the Turks is took him by the choler with great fury and drawing him along to the Feet of the Prince his Father there most cruelly struck off his head and in the same rage laying his bloody hands upon the aged Prince struck off his head also to the great dishonour of the Vice-Roy who had before given his Faith for their safety The heads of the Prince and his Son were set upon two Launces within the sight of the Castle which the Defendants seeing and now despairing of all rescue yielded themselves with the Castle This infortunate Tzunites was the last Prince of Smyrna after whose death all his Territory was united to the Othoman Kingdom After all these Troubles Amurath with great Triumph married the Daughter of the Prince Isfendiar Amurath having laid up in the depth of his thoughts the remembrance of that the Grecian Princes had done in giving Aid to the Rebels aforesaid thought it now high time to take revenge of that wrong and for that purpose gathered a great Army wherewith he ranged at his pleasure through Macedonia until he came to Thessalonica surprising by the way divers Cities and Castles at that time belonging to the Constantinopolitan Empire This famous City of Thessalonica now called Salâ—nichi for beauty and wealth sometime not inferior to any of the greatest and most renowned Cities of Graecia is situate upon the Borders of Macedonia close unto a Bay of the Archipelago or the Sea Aegeum which Bay was in ancient time called Thermaicus-Sinus and now the Bay of Salonichi To the Christian Congregation there dwelling St.
had before sent a Fleet of Gallies to stop the passages of that Country alongst the Sea Coast. But the Country People understanding of his coming fled into the high and rough Rocks and Mountains from whence they did the Turks great harm who nevertheless with incredible labour and adventure mounted those difficult places and killing an exceeding number of those mountain and savage People carried all the Women and Children they could light upon away with them Prisoners and with Fire and Sword made all the Country desolate After which Spoil done Bajazet returned with his Army to Manastirum and departing thence upon the way met with a Dervislar which is a phantastical and beggarly kind of Turkish Monks using no other Apparel but two Sheep-Skins the one hanging before and the other behind a lusty strong fat Fellow attired after the manner of his order with a great Ring in each Ear who drawing near unto Bajazet as if he would of him have received an Alms desperately assailed him with a short Scimitar which he had closely conveied under his hypocrital habit But Bajazet by the starting of the Horse whereon he rid being afraid at the suddain approach of the Hobgoblin partly avoided the deadly blow by the Traitor entended yet not altogether unwounded neither had he so escaped the danger had not Ishender Bassa with his Horsemans Mace presently struck down the desperate Villain as he was about to have doubled his stroak but being now struck down he was forthwith rent in pieces by the Souldiers This treacherous and desperate fact so much moved Bajazet that he proscribed all them of that superstitious Order and banished them out of his Empire After so many troubles Bajazet gave himself unto a quiet course of life spending most part of his time in study of Philosophy and conference with learned men unto which peaceable kind of life he was of his own natural disposition more enclined than to Wars albeit that the regard of his State and the earnest desire of his Men of War drew him oftentimes even against his Will into the Field As for the Civil Government of his Kingdom he referred it wholly unto his three principal Bassaâ—s Alis Achmetes and Iachia who at their pleasure disposed of all things After he had in this quiet and pleasing kind of life to his great contentment passed over five years of a little neglected Spark suddainly arose such a Fire in Asia as was hardly after with much blood of his People and danger of that part of his Empire quenched the reliques whereof yet trouble those superstitious People at this day Which thing was brought to pass by the crafty device of Chasan Chelife and Schach Culi his Boy whom some call Teckel Scachoculis and others Techellis two Hypocritical Persians who flying into those Countries and with the counterfeit shew of feigned Holiness having procured to themselves a great name amongst those rude People with a number of windy headed Followers filled with the novelty of their new Doctrine raised first such a diversity of opinions about the true successors of their untrue Prophet and afterwards such a Rebellion amongst the People as that the one yet remaineth and the other was not in a good while after without great bloudshed appeased But for the better understanding of the ground of these troubles which hapned at this time in the Reign of Bajazet by occasion of these two fugitive Persians as also for the mortal Wars which afterwards ensued betwixt Hysmael commonly called the great Sophi of Persia and Selymus Bajazet his Successor it shall not be much from our purpose briefly to declare the great mutation which at this time happened to the Persian Kingdom as well in the State it self as in Matters of their Superstition At such time as Asymbeius Usun-Cassanes reigned in Persia there was one Haider Erdebil whom Iovius calleth by the name of Harduelles a man honourably descended amongst the Persians who contemning worldly Honour Riches Pleasure and whatsoever else belonged unto delicacy of life commonly accounted the greatest part of Human Felicity as meer Vanities and Trifles led such a straight and austere kind of life with such continency and contempt of the World as that the Vulgar People for most part given to pleasure wondering at that in him which they could not or would not imitate began to have the man in singular admiration for the opinion they had conceived of his upright Life and Vertues The fame of this new Prophet for so he was accounted was grown so great in the Persian Kingdom that People without number resorted out of all parts of Persia and Armenia unto the great City of Tauris to see the man. And he the more to seduce the Multitude delighted with Novelties began to inveigh against the common received opinion of the Mahometans concerning the true Successors of their great Prophet and to revive the opinion of Giuni sirnamed Sosi perswading the People as if he had been inspired with some divine Inspiration That none of the Professors of the Mahometan Religion should inherit the Kingdom of Heaven after they were dead but such as were the Followers of Haly the true Successor of the great Prophet Mahomet and his Fellow in writing Whom he taught them only to honour as privy to the mind of the great Prophet and so to receive his Writings as of all others most authentical rejecting Ebubekir Omer and Osman with their Writings as most wicked and accursed men whom the Turks had ever and yet do with the other Mahometans honour and worship as the true successors of their great Prophet Mahomet and his sincere Interpreters together with the aforesaid Haly whom the Persians do only acknowledge and therefore in their Prayers do commonly say Cursed be Ebubekir Omer and Osman and God be favourable to Haly and well pleased with him Which their difference about the true Successor of their Prophet in whom was no truth hath been and yet is one of the greatest causes of the mortal Wars between the Turks and Persians and not the divers interpretation of their Law as many have written which amongst the Turks and Persians is all â—ne Usun-Cassanes moved with the Fame and Vertues of this new Prophet or rather as some thought desirous to win the Hearts of the Multitude of them that had received this new phantasie gave him in marriage his Daughter Martha begotten of the Christian Lady Despina the Daughter of Calo Ioannes Emperor of Trapezond Which marriage the Christian Emperor made with the Mahometan Prince and he also accepted thereof thereby to strengthen themselves against the Turkish Emperor Mahomet the Great whose power was then become a terror unto all his neighbour Princes but to how small purpose this policy served them both is before declared in the life of the same Mahomet At the conclusion of this marriage the Emperor had especially covenanted with Usun-Cassanes that his Daughter Despina might have the free exercise
Religion and changing his Name of Stephen to Achomates and Cherseogles he married one of Bajazet his Daughters a Princess of great Beauty and deserved to have a place amongst the Bassaes of greatest honour in the Court. Yet still retaining the remembrance of his former Profession with a desire to return thereto again insomuch that he kept in his secret closet the image of the Crucifix which he shewed to Io. Lascaris as to his trusty Friend as he himself reported This man at such time as the City of Modon was taken by the Turks and a multitude of poor Christian Captives cruelly put to death in the sight of Bajazet by earnest intreaty saved the Venetian Senators there taken and afterward by earnest sute delivered Andreas Gritti being Prisoner at Constantinople and condemned to die who not many years after was chosen Duke of Venice He was the chief means whereby the Venetians to their great good obtained Peace of Bajazet He also by his great Authority and of his own charge redeemed innumerable Christians from the servitude of the Turks and set them at liberty Neither is his kindness towards the furtherance of good learning to be forgotten for at such time as the foresaid Io. Lascaris the notable and learned Grecian by the appointment of Leo the Tenth sought ancient works of famous Writers he procured the Turkish Emperors Letters Patents that he might freely at his pleasure search all the Libraries in Grecia to the great benefit of good Letters Now Bajazet encouraged by this mans perswasion as is aforesaid and hearing as he lay in his Pavilion the Alarm of the Enemy with the tumult and clamor of his own Souldiers as if they had been men afraid and sundry Messengers also at the same time coming unto him with news That Selymus with his Tartarian Horsemen had almost inclosed the Rearward of his Army and already taken some of his Baggage grinding his Teeth for very madness and grief of mind with Tears trickling down his hoary Cheeks got him out of his Pavilion in his Horse-litter for he was at the same time so troubled with the Gout that he was not able to sit on Horseback and turning himself unto the Pensioners and Janizaries standing about him as their manner is said unto them Will you Foster-Children valiant Souldiers and faithful keepers of my Person who with great fortune have served me in Field above the space of thirty years and for your faithful and good service have both in time of Peace and War of me received such rewards as by your own confession and thanksgiving far exceeded your own expectation and the measure of our Treasures Will you I say suffer the innocent Father to be butchered by his graceless Son And your old Emperor tormented with age and diseases to be cruelly murthered by a company of wild Tartars little better than arrant Rogues and Theeves Shall I be now forsaken in this my heavy old age and last act of Life And shall I be delivered unto mine Enemies by them by them I say who many years ago with great faithfulness and invincible Courage defended mine Honour and Right against my Brother Zemes And have many times since not only valiantly defended this Empire against most warlike Nations but also most victoriously augmented the same But I will not so lightly believe that which to my no small grief is brought unto mine ears concerning the revolting of mine Army neither if I did believe it am I so fearful as to be therewith discouraged or to seek to make shift for my self For to what purpose should I think of Flight as though I could in any other place find more faithfulness or surer defence than with you And concerning your selves what should be your hope by this so infamous Treachery If any of you for I cannot believe that you are all so mad without regard of faith of worldly shame or the fear of God have polluted your minds with the pernicious conceit of so foul a Treason do you think to gain greater Rewards and preferments by your Treachery and Villany than by your Fidelity and Constancy There be many which careful of my Person perswade me to reserve this my sick and feeble Body unto my better fortune and to commit my self to flight so rather to save my life with shame and infamy than to end my days with honour and glory Which is so far from my thought for the apprehension of any fear to do that I will to the contrary forthwith give the fierce Enemy battel and in this my last danger make proof of all your Fidelity and Valour and of every one of your good Wills in particular and so by conduct of the Highest either defeat the power and break the strength of this graceless man or else having reigned above thirty years an Emperor end my days together with them which shall unto the end continue with me in their Faithfulness and Loyalty although I should be most shamefully and dishonourably betraied and forsaken of some of mine own Guard which thing though lying Fame would make me believe yet will I not fear it until I see the proof thereof The common sort of Janizaries unto whom the great Commanders and Captains corrupted by Selymus had not for their levity and multitude communicated their purpose of transferring the Empire to Selymus began to cry out as if it had been with general consent That he should not doubt to joyn battel with his Enemies and so to make proof of their constant Fidelity and wonted Valor Which was done with such a cheerfulness and desire expressed by great Shouts clapping of Hands and clattering of Armor that it seemed they would play the parts of resolute Souldiers and that as guiltess men they took it grievously to be once suspected of Treason or Infidelity Others also who secretly and in heart were well affected to Selymus for fashion sake followed them with like cry but especially the great Commanders both of the Army and of the Emperors Court now changed their affection whether it were for shame of the Fact or for fear of discovering themselves out of season is uncertain Wherefore according to the manner of such men which through their mutability and mischievous disposition fearing to be convinced and discovered add unto the present a second and new Treason or Treachery to cover the former so Mustapha and Bostanges not daring now to shew themselves for Selymus to make a great shew of their feigned Loyalty towards Bajazet departed themselves out of his Pavilion to encourage the Souldiers and to martial the Battel Bajazet sick in his Chariot by the advice of Cherseogles the faithful Bassa placed his Battel in this order The Sanzacks which are the Governors of Provinces with their Horsemen in number about six thousand he set in the Front of the Battel the Spachi-oglans and Siliphtars which are the chief Horsemen of the Court and as it were the Emperors Pensioners were placed as two