saied Caythbey of ayde succour agaynst the Soudan wher unto most wyllyngly he dyd agree seyng it was the thyng y t he moste earnestly desyred and the meane occasion also that he greatly loked for howbeit he durst not open nor declare his mynde therupon seing these two armyes in the feldes for feare least they shuld haue agreed to haue fallē vpon hym watching and sekyng a meane howe he hymselfe myght bryng theim bothe to destruccyon wherfore he dyd incōtinently ioyne and associat himself with the sayde Emyr Caythbey and they defyed the Soudan Campson Ciaury which died in the batayle like as dyd Cathbey then Selim remained lorde of Surie of Damas of Hierusalem and of Iudee The Mammeluchs which coulde escape returne into Egipte with theim also that remayned at home chase another Soudan named Tomombey Emir of Alexandrie Selim followyng hotely this fortune victory entreed into Egipte and vaynquished Tomombey in another battayle and tooke the toune of Caire which of some is called the wrong full Carra and by some others by more apparaūt reasōs Mēphis And as y e sayde Tomombey saued himself by passyng ouer the ryuer of Nyle he was pursued by Canogle who folowyng him passed ouer the sayde ryuer to Nou with .x. thousand horses of Tartarie because he foūde the brydge y t was made of botes brokē and destroyed by the Iannissares so that the saied Tomombey was taken and brought backe againe to Selim whiche caused hym to be hanged wherby the said Selim dyd remayne kyng of Egipte which was in y e yere of our lord a. M. D. and eyghtene Selim beyng retourned agayne to Constantinople wyllyng to go to Andripoli died by the way at y e village of Ciorlich wher as I haue said he had assailled his father with y e Tartarians And he dyed in the yere of our Lorde a thousande fyue hundreth and twenty beynge fourty syxe yeare of age and the eyght yeare of the reygne of Francoyes the French kyng that nowe presently doth reygne after that he had put to deathe these thre Baccha Chenden Baccha because that he would haue made busynes with the Iannissaries mouyng theim to ryot at his entryng in Perse Boscangi or Constantin Baccha his sōne inlawe for dyuer◠robberyes and enormitees which he had cōmytted and Ianus Baccha none can tel why or wherfore saue onely but that he thought hym to proude or arrogante This Selym lefte one sōne onely called Soliman by y e Turckes Seleyman leuing him in the custody of Peribaccha whiche did gouerne him in his yoūg age THe tyrant Seleiman the which nowe hath the dominion and rule of the Turckes at thys present time lord and gouernour ouer the Turckes beganne his reygne the xxviij yere of his age who in the yere nexte following by counsel of Peribaccha beseiged Belgrado wāne and tooke the same from Lois kyng of Hungarie the soonne of Lancelot of Hūgarie which thē was very yoūge the princes and lordes of the hole countree beyng at greate debate varyaunce for the gouernemente both of the kyng and his realme wherby it so chaunsed that they tooke no heede to prouide for any ayde or succour of the saied place And the nexte yere after he wente agaynste the Rhodes lystenyng and watchyng at all tymes accordyng to y e custome of his predicessours wher he myght heare or perceiue any diuision or dissencion y t shuld chaunse to be among the christian princes the whiche enterpryse he dyd take on hand without y e counsell and aduise of the saied Peri Baccha whiche did recken the same to be very doubtesome and to greate an auenture Neuertheles it came to passe accordyng to his owne desyre and that in y t yere of our lorde a. M D .xxvij. when Italie was in warres and troubles Seleiman entered into Hungarie with fauour as he saieth of Iohn of ziphs Vaiuod of Sibens borge whiche pretended the sayed royalme to apperteyne vnto hym So that it came to passe that the younge kynge Lois was slayne as he came to the battayle and therafter deceased the sayde Iohn leuyng a very yonge chylde behynde hym which not long ago together with his mother were taken by y e sayed Seleiman sente vnto Costantinople as it is reported As concernyng such thynges as are chaunsed of these laste yeares it is not necessary to wryte to you of y e same seyng that the same is manifestely knowen howe he hath recouered Coron Patras Castelno other places whiche the Emperours armye and nauie by the sea had taken from hym The greate enterprise of the Barberousse whiche by greate craft and subtiltie tooke the towne of Tunys in Affrique that we call Barbarie the whiche is euē at our dores or nere vnto vs there is not if a manne maie saie it but one ryuer to passe betwene vs and the realme of Tunys The whiche realme of Tunys at this present tyme is in holde of y e Emperours maiestie who did moost victoriously cōquest y e same in the yere of God M. D. xxvi chacynge Barbarousse from the saied realme y e whiche he did before moost wrongfullie holde possesse occupie to the great hurt and damage of all Christians How y e great Turcke not long agoe hath discōfited in battail the armie of Ferdinand kyng of hungarie not by no valiaūt feact but thorow chaūse of variaunce debate betwixte the almaignes hūgarians whō he founde fightyng the one againste the other in their owne campes Like as the veniciens were constraigned to rendre to hym the strenght and fortresse of Naples of Romanie y t was called Nauplias And it is to bee thought that he shall not kepe theim forasmuche as he beleueth theim and letteth theim dooe what thei wil. Ye haue caused me to enter in this mater whiche requireth to be set foorth more largely and by one of a greater witte and knowelege then I am of And also I haue lightly and briefly ouer passed the same And it shall be expedient too knowe that not onlie a kyng as is this kynge of hungarye but a smalle lorde and in maner asimple gentleman had had strength and power ynough not onlye to resiste and withstande the assautes and entreprises of this nacion but to haue dryuen theim awaye in destroyenge and takynge theim and that in y e chefest of all their strēgth and courage Wherfore it is not vnpossyble but that we maie euen nowe in this tyme dooe as muche and more when it shall please God to encourage vs therunto THe lawes of Mahumet cōteine some thinges verie madd and disagreyng frō all reasō and some woorthie to bee abhorred and detested of all menne some folishe and like olde wifes tales c. Some haue suche colour of honeste wisdome that a manne would thincke theim right holily made Some bee so like Moses lawe and the euangelicall doctrine y t you would iudge theim to haue been deriued out of the
of Fraunce whiche gaue to them duke Iohan of Calabrie sonne of kynge Rene. Againe they retourned to Philyppe duke of Millan afterwarde lefte hym so y t they knewe not to what saint they shulde vowe them selues But the moste mischyefe was that the sayde warres were an occasyon of the losse of Sirya of the realme of Ierusalem and that they opened a gate vnto the Turckes in to Grecelande and Europe as I wyll declare hereafter And it was about that tyme when Loys of Rauiere Federike of Austrige were at varyance for the empyre of Almanie The sayde Orcan reygned .xxii. yeres to the beginninge of kynge Iohn of Fraunce whych was the yere of our lorde a. M .iii. hundred and fyftye And he lefte his sonne Amurath to be hys successoure AMurath which y e Hungariens call Ammerat and the Turckes Moratheg or Morathey and Norathegby which signifieth Morath y e lorde he succeded Orcan whē Cantacusan pursued the Emperoure Caloianne hys sōne in lawe w t the ayde of Marcke Carlouich lorde of Bulgarie He was fauoured also of certayne Barons and lordes of Grece enemies of the emperour Caloianne Whyche forbecause he perceaued hym selfe to weake he was constreygned to aske helpe of y e sayde Amurath he dyd sende to hym .xii. M. horsemen with y e which he pacified all his maters afterward gaue them licence to departe But they hauing sene and tasted of the goodnes pleasauntnes of y e countree of Grece perswaded as it was easy to do y e sayde Amurath to gooe into Grece lyke as he dyd in dede accompaigned with .lx. thousande men w t whome by the aide meanes of two marchauntes shyppes of the Geneuoyes whiche had of him lx thousande ducates he passed ouer the strayct in olde tyme called Hellespontus and nowe called Callipolly or the castel by reason of two castelles being there at this houre where somtyme were wonte to be .ii. townes Sestus Abidus And they toke the towne of Calipoli beynge nere to y e saide streyght And afterwarde Adrianopoli nowe callled Andrinopoli and Philippoli somtyme called Olimpias They also ouerran all y e countre of Thrace called of some Romanie euen to y e mounteyn of Rhodope called by y e Grekes Basilissa y t is the quene of mounteynes Othersome doth cal it y t mounteyn of syluer by reasō of diuers mines of siluer y t there are They discōfyted in bataile y e said Marcke Carlouich toke prysoner the Erle Lazare of Seruir whyche is Misia the lesse called of Frossarde the erledome of Lazaran and caused him to be behedded in the meane time y e Emperour Charlys the fourth beynge greatly hindered and damaged wyth the resystaunce of the chyldren of Loys of Bauiar some tyme Emperour and in defendynge hym selfe from Ferray or Federic Marques of Mysue frō the Erle of VVirtenberge his pursuers he was constrayned to leaue the Empyre after him to hys sōne Lancelot and to sell the townes and lordeshyppes of Italye as Myllan to vicountes and dyuerse other Finally the sayde Amurath was slayne by a seruaunte of the sayde Erle of Lazare in reuengyng of his masters death In the yere of our Lorde athousande three hundred three score and thyrtene after that he had reygned thre and twentye yeares euen nere tooe the begynnynge of the reygne of Charlis the fyfte kynge of Fraunce leuynge two sonnes behynde hym the one named Pazait and the other Seleyman PAzait or Bazait after y e Turkes which neuer pronoūce the letter P was called of Froyssart king Basant y e sōne of Lamorabaquin some tyme Amorabaquin after hys fathers name Engner master Nycole Gilles whych gathered and compyled the Cronycles of Fraunce dothe calle hym kynge Basaac Thys manne was hardye dylygente and a great enterpryser he slewe in one battayle Marcke Carlouich in the whyche also were slayne al the nobles of Seruie and Bulgarie and thereafter ouer ranne all the country of Thessalie Macedonie nowe called Thumenesie and Albainie He destroyed all Grece euen tooe Athenes called of some Cuthine he spoyled Bosue whych is y e vpper Misia Croace and Sclauonie whyche are Dalmacia and Liburnia The Emperoure Lancelot sonne of Charlys the fourth then liuyng was sooe peasyable and quyet that often tymes he was imprysoned by hys owne subiectes and was deposed of hys Empyre by the Almaynes whyche dyd elect two others that is to wytte Ioce hys neueiue and Roberte of Bauyere called Rueprech whyche sygnyfyeth in theyr language Trouble peace For tooe returne agayne tooe Bazait he entred into Hungarie and dyscomfyted kynge Sigismound whych afterward was made Emperour called by Engnarran Sagemont in the famouse battayle of Nicopoli whych was lost because the Frēch men wolde not beleue the sayde Sigismonde nor tarye vpon the approchinge of his battayles nor of the Almaynes which was rekened to theyr greate pryde and arogancye as sayeth Frossarde In the whyche battayle were taken the Erle of Neuers Ihon afterward duke of Burgoynie the sōne Philippe the fyrst duke Philippe of Arthois Erle Deu constable of Fraunce Ihon the Maingre called Boucincalte and dyuerse others to the nomber of .vii. or .viii. which were sent to Bursir al the rest were slaine to the nomber of a thousande speres The whych battayle was on the vygyll of Saynte Myghell in y e yere of oure Lorde .xiii. C. lxxxxvi The sayd prysoners were after ward redemed not without great raunsons by the dylygence of one called Iames of Hely gentelman of Pycardie whych was taken with theym and who also before was well beknowen and trusted in the courte of the sayde Amorabaquin After thys battayle Bazait assyeged the towne of Constantinople and had taken the same had not been that a great prynce of Tartarye dyd enter in the Lanatolie whyche was called Tamerlā or Tamburlam by the Turckes called Demirlenge and by some hystoryans of Fraunce named Tacon of Tartarie but he was called of hys owne Temircuthlu that is to saye fortunate or happie swearde or happie yron And was the sonne of Cham of Tartarie called zaym Cham of the Horde or multytude of zanoltha and Czahaday beynge be twene y e riuers of Rha Volha which entre in the see of Abacuth whych y e Latinistes call Mare Caspiū or Hircanū And thys zaym was the verye same whome they of Pole called in theyr hystories Bathy the fyrst Mahumetyst of al the Tartaryans Tamerlan soone after was lord of al Tartarie Precopie called by theym Prezelzoth which signifieth diches or trēches lyinge betwixt the ryuers of Tana called Tanais and called of the Bory sehenes Nepar and by the Turckes Decoz the whyche countrye in olde time was Scithia y e lesse beingnowe in the possessyon of the Turcke And the sayde Tamerlā helde his seege in the great towne of Samarcande vpō the sayd see of Abacuth made him self to be
Emperour Frederick y e thyrde gaue greate gyftes and substaunce in Austria Mehemet hauyng taken Constantinople as I haue saide he tourned hym to the realme of Hungarye and besieged Belgrado from whēce he was dryuen by Ihon Huniad whiche was within thesame with the Cardinal of saynt Ange called Ihon and a graye freer named also Iohn and surnamed Capistram From thys siege Mehemet fled shamfully for he was hurte lost his artillarye and other bagages without hope of the recouerye of Hungarye So that he was cōstreined to passe vnto Moree whiche the Venecyans had taken from hym and newlye repeyred the Examilo whiche is a walle conteignynge vi myles or two legues longe frō the goulfe of Patràs called y e baye of Corinthiacus vnto that of Legine whiche was called the baye of Megaricus where sometyme was the toune of Corinthe whiche nowe is brought vnto a lytle village called Corintho the whiche Examilo Amurath his father had beatē downe that he myght entre the easelyer into the Moree Mehemet commynge the Venecyens thought to wythstande hym but they were vaynquyshed and lost that battayll in the whyche was slayne a greate nombre of good capteynes of the Italyans after whose takynge the veraye same tyme was taken also the Isle of Negrepont called Eubeia ioynyng to the sayde land enclosed wyth a brydge And afterwarde the ysles of Stalimene or Stalmini in the olde tyme called Lennos and Methelim called Lesboos the whiche perteigned to Nycholas Cataluz geneuoye afterwarde also saynt Maurye called Nerytus and by some Leucas and Leucadia Imate in the olde tyme name zacynthus and Cephalenie called Chifalonye And recouered agayn Croya after the death of Schanderbeg he tooke the toune of Scutari or Scodra from the lorde Arinth Comino or Connenus surnamed Gollent that is to saye Cheuelu father of the lorde Constantyne that gouerned the Marques of Mountfarrat after the death of the Duchesse hys nyece thesame tyme that kynge Charles the eyght came from Naples Afterwarde he entred into Bosue and tooke the lorde or deputye named Stephyn Hierchec and of some historiphiers the duke of Latic whose heade he commaunded to bee stryken of and caused hys sonne to denye hys faythe and to bee circumcized and surnamed Achinath He tooke from the Geneuoys the toune of Capha whyche is called Theodosia sette in Precopie whiche is Taurica Chersonessus whyche in maner is as longe as the Moree and on the one syde thereof is the goulfe of Nigropila called the baye of Carcinites and on the other syde the blacke seea called Bicis Palus and nere vnto it is Meotides Paludes whyche at thys daye is called the goulfe of Tanais Beeynge thus combred and troubled wyth all these cares and prouyuysyons of warre and trauaylynge and labourynge in all these countryes lyeng so farre one from another he was assayled in Natolie by Piramet Caraman whyche constreigned him to leaue his entreprises and yet notwithstādyng before that he parted he tooke the stronge castell of Mancup situate vpon the streight whiche by land encloseth Precopie that in the olde tyme was called Taphie Thys thynge done he passed into Natolia dryuynge backe Caraman and entred into his countreye a greate parte wherof he wanne brought vnder his subieccion In his commyng backe he toke Sinope y e head of Paphlago sytuate vpon the great sea and Trapezus called Trebisonde whiche is an Empire and he caused to be slayne the Emperour Dauid Conyno or Commenus whiche was a Christian of the lynage of the valyaunt Isaac Conyno the whyche from a capteyne became Emperour of Constantinople next after the Emperour Mychael And all these thynges aforesayde came to passe in the tyme that the Hungaryans theim of Austriche made warre agaynste the Emperour Frederycke because they woulde haue had Lancelot the soonne of Albert theyr lorde and kynge whiche was in the kepyng of the Emperour and he woulde not delyuer hym to theim because he was not of leful age And streyte vpon these victoryes aroase a newe enemye of thesayde Mehemet whiche was the kynge of Persie called Vsuncassan or Assembeg whiche was accompaigned wyth a greate armye of the Persians whome the Turckes call Keselbach that is to saye redde heddes because thei vse to were redde cappes or hattes he entred into Capadoce and Trebisonde and in the fyrste battayle Mehemet was dyscomfyted in the seconde Assamheg had the woorsse and loste a greate parte of his countreye The whyche Assembeg was of the lignage of Dauid Conyno the Emperoure of Trebisonde lyke as before I haue made mencyon and he reigned in the yeare of oure Lorde M cccc and .lxxii. Mehemet beyng delyuered of this trouble retorned into Caramanie after the death of Piramet Caraman and constreigned Abraham hys sonne to seke ayde and succour of the Christians and of Pius the seconde byshop of Rome whiche byshop myndyng to go in his owne persone agaynste hym caused hymselfe to be caryed to Ancone where he prepared a greate armye by the seea and there dyed whyle he taryed the commynge of the Venecyans whyche should haue accompaignyed hym in this voyage Thē it came to passe he be ynge dead that the armye skattered and so departed wythoute takyng any effect the Almeignes beynge then in warre wyth the Hungaryans they founde Caraman alone without helpe or ayde whō the saide Mehemet caused to bee slayne And by thys meane the stocke of Caraman was destroyed and theyr contreye remeyned to Othmans Mehemet beynge sure of this quarter he sente to Marbeye Samgiac of Bosue whyche was the soonne of a Geneuoye to spoyle the countreye of Istrie called Liburnie of Craine or Carnie called Corinthe of Stirie whiche they cal Steirmarck in y t old tyme called Valeria whiche all are comprysed within Illirium and so passed forthe to Friol which was called the merket of Iulii trauersynge betwixte Gue and Nou the greate ryuers dyscōfyted the Venecyans which he found before hym wher wer slayn and taken prysoners al the rest of the good capteynes of Italye On the other syde Mehemet sent Achmath Bacha surnamed Ghendich that is to saye to the greate toothe the sonne of Stephyn late deputee of Bosne of whome I haue spoken before w t a great armye by seea into Italye he toke the toune of Otranto called Hydruntus and in old tyme Iapiginum in the countree of Pouille or Apulia Before this also Mesithba Paleologue whiche was of the lignage of the Emperoures of Constantynople had assieged the toune of y e Rhodes and coulde not get it And not content with these thre armyes Mehemet wente hymselfe against y e Soudiane of Egipt but beyng arriued very nye to Nicomedie whiche some at this day call Comedy he dyed in the yere of our lord M cccc lxxxii beyng aboute thage of liiii yeres and the .xxxi. yere of his reigne He was called by the Turkes Mehemet Boiuc that is the great And he lefte behinde hym .ij. soonnes named Pazait
¶ The order of the greate Turckes courte of hys menne of warre and of all hys conquestes with the summe of Mahumetes doctryne ¶ Translated oute of Frenche 1524. Ricardus Grafton excudebat Gum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum To the reader IF that good prophete Ieremye so bewailed y e beatyng downe of the walles of Ierusalem and woofull captiuitee of the people therof y t he was cōstreigned to cōfesse that he wanted water to powre out of his yies for the iuste lamentacion of that woofull case what streames of teares maye seme sufficiente vnto vs to testifie the inwarde griefe that we oughte to haue when we consyder howe farre and howe wyde Antichrist hath dilated his kyngdome by other his instrumentes and namelye by Mahumet that pestiferous false prophet For not onely castelles tounes and citees haue been blasted with the deadly breath of this poysoned serpente but also whole and soundrye prouinces realmes and nacions haue so dronken in his cākerde venome that it hath been harde for the verye chosen to escape his terrible stynges And where as other adders dooe onlye corrupte the bodies this hell viper with his forked fierye tongue hathe perced euen the verye soules of menne Reade Mahumettes actes who so luste and he shall fynde suche pryde and arrogācie suche ambicion such bloudynesse and crueltie suche hypocrisye and supersticion briefely suche a mynde to deface abholyshe and destroye the kyngdome of the sonne of the lyuyng God I meane Iesus our sauyoure as in the chiefest membre of Antichrist he calleth hym selfe the moost excellent Prophete and counceler of God he denyeth that Christ dyed in whose onlye deathe standeth oure whole hope of remission of synnes he taught his disciples to faste all daye and at night to geue theimselues tooe immoderate eatynge and drynckynge he was not ashamed to saye that God spake to hym from heauen and gaue hym lycence to abuse as many wemenne as coulde phantasie hym he counted his wicked lawes so good that no Christian manne myghte open hys mouthe agaynst theim without shedynge of bloude he was a treytoure and made insurreccion agaynst his prynce There are manye other false deuelishe and abhomynable doctrynes whyche this monster taught and meynteyned but it is more necessarie for vs to lamente the miserable case of Christes people and to flye to goddes mercye for ayde then to reherce his deceytes gyles delusions treasons and conspiracies agaynst the true and euerlastynge Messias and his chosen beleuers For we ought to knowe that for our synfull lyuynge and open contempte of Goddes holy woorde this cruell woolfe hath been suffered so piteouslye to haue stained his mouthe with Christian blood Neuerthelesse yf we which professe the name of Christe the promysed seede of Dauid earnestly consyderynge these myseryes woulde retourne to our mercyfull father wyth vnfayned purpose to chaunge our lyues and to embrace with all reuerēce his blissed worde he woulde shake of from our brethrens neckes these intollerable yokes Let vs remembre that he hath not onely promysed delyueraunce to theim that caste awaye theyr vnfaythfulnesse and earnestlye crye vpon hym for helpe but also hath perfourmed it in dede heretofore that we shulde in no wise doubte of his prompt and readie goodnesse When the Israelites were cruellye and miserably oppressed of the Egyptians and cryed faythfully to God for succoure he stirred vp Moses and Aaron to bee theyr captaynes and to leade theim oute of that fyrye furnace Lykewise when the Emperour Iuliane tormented the good Christians at the contynual prayer of his repentaunt seruaūtes God without any delaye plucked from theim that terrible tormentoure For at what tyme Iuliane tooke hys iorneye into Persia threatenynge the Christians that at hys retourne he woulde sacryfice theyr bloude to his false goddes by the prouisyon of the true God he was ledde asyde by a manne of Persia into a wyldernesse where he receaued hys deathes wounde and was constreigned to confesse wyth hys blasphemous mouthe that it was the manyfeste plage of God For he tooke clottes of bloude and threwe theim vp to the skyewarde saiynge thou hast ouercommed O Galilean thou haste ouercommed callynge Christe a Galilean because he was broughte vp in Galile There is also another later example which semeth more notable than that I can ouerpasse it Whē the Saracens with theyr captayne zulimus greuouslye assaulted Cōstantinople in the tyme of the Emperoure Leo a greate pestilence also piteouslye waistynge the toune in extreme desperacion of mannes helpe they wholye fled to the mercyfull goodnesse of God leauynge theyr supersticious religions and buyrying all their abused ymages of the toune and apointyng all the rest in theyr kyngdome to the fyre Then oure mercyfull God seynge theyr repentaunt heartes deferred no lenger from theym hys presente helpe For all these thynges foorthwyth came together vpon the Saracenes colde hunger pestilence sedicions amonge theimselues the death of theyr captayne theyr shyppes partelye brente vp with fyre from heauen partely bonged and drouned with an horrible tempest These examples oughte to moue vs bothe to abhorre and deteste oure wyckednesse and supersticion and also to conceaue a sure truste that God wyll shyne vpon vs wyth hys fauourable countenaunce and delyuer vs from our moost cruell enemyes yf we begynne a newe lyfe and turne vnfeynedlye vnto hym And yf there bee anye manne that earnestlye doothe not consyder the miseryes and calamiteis of Christian people let theim reade this lytle treatyse wherin they shall perceaue howe myghtye Mahumettes supersticious impietee hathe preueyled how ample regions the Cristians haue loste in what bondage they lyue and whereunto that base and vyle nacyon the Turckes haue increased through oure synnes Vpon the consyderacion wherof they and all other maye be sturred to call vpon our heauenlye father that he wyll sende hys lyuynge spirite amonge vs to woorke true faythe and repentaunce in al mennes heartes to rayse vp true preachers of y e kyngdome of Christ to confounde Antichrist with all his heretiquall and damnable sectes and to delyuer his people from miserable bondage Amen The estate of the courte of y e great Turcke The ordre of hys armye of his yerely reuenues Item a breife rehersal of al conquestes and vyctories that the Turckes haue had from the first of that stocke to this Solyman y e great Turcke that now reigneth Translated out of French into Englyshe 1542. Ricardus Grafton excudebat ☞ Cum priuiilegio ad imprimendum solum The estate of the courte YOu haue often requysred yet requyre that I wolde wryte to you y e estate of the court of the greate Turke whych thynge you knowe as well or better than I For I am certayne that you haue sene and red all that both the auncient authours and also menne of our tyme haue wryten therof whyche haue so largely entreated of this matter that it maye seme arrogauncie and presumpcion for me once to open my mouth after theym Neuertheles the frendshyp whyche hath beene
and zizimi which dooth signifie loue for Muscapha Laisne gouernour of Icony called Iconium dyed sone after y e seconde battayle of Ambassag in the whiche he bare hymselfe wel and valyaūtly PAzait or Bazait the seconde of that name the youngest of y t thre brethren by the ayde and helpe of the Iannissaryes specially of Laga that is to say a capitayne whiche was nigh kynne to hym he ceased or possessed the Empire And zizimi his brother had possessed hymselfe of a toune called Bursye wherwith he was well satisfyed and contented yet notwithstandynge Pazait with the armye that hys father had prepared to haue gone agaynste the Souldyan he assauted hys brother To the whiche Souldyā the forsaied zizimi fled and was by hym ayded bothe of money and menne but he loste two battayles and was dyscomfyted by Achmath Ghēdich Bacha Wherfore not thynkynge enye more to recouer he withdrewe hymselfe to the Rhodes for to haue succoure of the Christians and zizimi was of the age of .xxviij. yeres Pazait being aduertized hereof sent greate presentes vnto the chiefe maister and counceler of the Rhodes desyryng him to kepe and cherysh well his brother for the expences and good entreaty of whome he would pay vnto hym yerely fourty thousande ducates that so long as he was gentely enterteyned of theim he woolde make none enter prise or war w t the christians The which thynges he kepte and obserued w t theim And y e saied z zimi for the more suretie for that he was alwayes kepte in fear subieccyō of the saied Pazait he was sent into Fraunce where he lyued a greate while in one of y t houses perteining to y e Rhodians called Bourgānēsis afterward he was geuē to Innocēt bishop of Rome y e .viij. of y t name sent to Rome wher he was y t time y t kyng Charlies y e .viij. went to Naples which desired to haue him hoping by his ayde to haue recouered the Empire of Costantinople but Alexander the. vi bysshop of Rome deliuered hym to y e Emperour empoysened as some saie in suche sorte that he liued not past iii daies after and dyed at Tarracina Pazait dyspatched of his brother went aboute to conquiere y t Transiluana afterwarde he tooke Moncastro and Lithostomo the one vpon the ryuer of Neper or Boristhenes that is to saie Moncastro and Lithostomo vpon the mouthe of the Danowe Afterwarde he caused to bee put to deathe his good capitaine Achmath Ghendich Bacha whiche he myght haue saied had been equall with enie excellēt manne of warre and he was the soonne of his nere kinnesman Stephin depute of Bosne as I haue saied before This beyng done Pazait to go forwarde with the enterpryse of his father and to auenge hymself of the Soudian which had fauoured meynteyned zizimi his brother agaynst hym he sente a greate armye into Surie of the whiche the Mameluchs beyng aduertised did assemble theimselfes at Antioche and came towarde the Turckes to the mount Amanus called at this present mounte Negro or the blacke mountayne where they encoūtred and defyed the saied Turckes betwene y e saied moūte and y t goulfe Laiaffe whiche was called the baye of Issicus where sometyme Alexander the greate disconfited kyng Darius and there was taken Chirseogli beyng y e soonne in lawe of Pazait and was brought before y t Soudian in y e toune of Kair which the Turckes calle Misir But forasmuche as I am fallen from my matter by the reason the Māmaluchs it shall not be farre out of the waye to tell you what is meant by a Māmeluch Mammeluch in the Sirians tounge whiche also is Affricane by vs called Moresque but for the better vnderstandyng it signifyeth in our vulgare tounge a seruaunte or souldyour And ye muste vnderstande that the Souldyan and the Mammeluchs are one maner of relygyon and they professe chastite Vpon theyr other apparel they were a roobe of white Buckeram bryght and shynynge And lykewyse as y e greate Turcke hathe weytynge vpon hym foure Visir Baga so the Souldyā hathe foure Emyr Quiber that is to saye cheife or hed admyralles Besyde thys he hathe a greate or chiefe Conestable whiche they they calle Derdart Quiber The sayde Souldyan is made and chosen by the forsayde Mammeluchs amonge theimselfes as the knyghtes of the Rhodes those amonge theim selfes theyr greate mayster and mooste commonly is one of the Emyrs or hed admiralles and he that is chosen dooth geue vnto euery of the sayde Mammeluchs for his welcome an hundred ducates for a presente The whiche Māmeluchs were all Chrysten menne or Christen mennes chyldren that de nyed theyr faythe and professyon lyke as are the Iannyssaries for by no meanes they wyll receyue into theyr compaignye eyther Turcke More or Iewe. The whiche Māmeluchs the Tartres tooke solde theim by heapes to the fore sayd Emyrs whiche when they had bought theim brought them vp and made them Mammeluchs and they wer made the moost vyllaynes and slaues of all other menne and greately geuen to y e feactes of armes specially on horsebacke kepynge the lawe of Mehemet This religion begāne in the tyme that kyng Lewis was taken at Damiate which some call Heliopolis and the first Soudian was named Melech Sala whome the Mammeluchs slewe whiche caused that the saied Lewis was y e soner easelyer delyuered But for to come againe to Pazait this dyscomfyture that the Turckes had at Laiasse by y e Mammeluchs was the greatest that euer he had And therfore the saied Pazait seyng that his busynes framed not in y t quartre retourned into Sclauonie tooke the toune of Duraz of olde tyme called Dyrrachium and Epidamnus whiche was y e Carleuichs whom they saye came out of the house of Fraunce of Charles of Duraz surnamed of the peace the soonne of Peter duke of Grauine the soonne of Charles the seconde kyng of Naples brother to the forsaied Lewis In the yeare of oure Lorde a thousande foure hundred .xciii. Pazait sent eyght thousande horssemenne conducted by Cadum Bacha to ronne betwene Hungarye and Sclauonye agaynste whome came certen lordes of y e sayde coūtrey of Hungarye of Croace and of Sclauonye they met together vpon the ryuer of Moraua of olde tyme called Moschus where the Christians were scatered and dyscomfyted Fyue yeares after Haly Bacha Albanoys Monouc sente a greate armye by seea vnto Iara or Iadera beynge vpon the goulfe of Venyce called Mare Adriaticum on the coaste of Sclauonye And then for asmuche as the armye of the Venecyans whyche was veraye greate folowed theym they durste not assayle it wherfore Haly Bacha then knowynge that the Venecyans wer afrayed toke spyght of theyr beardes the toune of Lepantho called in olde tyme Naupactum In the .xv. C. yeare Pazait came hym selfe to Modon which was called Methone beeynge in the Morce and tooke it After that
kynge Lewys the twelfth and the Venecyans were of allyaunce agaynste Ludouic Sforce surnamed the Morâ—â— callynge hymselfe the duke of Millan Pazait at the request and desyre of the saide Ludouic caste of .x. M. horssemen of the Turckes wythin Fryol thewhyche came vnto Triuiz and wythin the sight of Venyce wherfore the Venecyans prepared set foorth by seea a greate and myghty armye With whome the gallyes of Fraunce dyd mete beynge vnder the charge and gouernaunce of the Lorde of Rauestaing and Gonsalo Fernando surnamed the greate capteyne wyth the gallyes of kynge Ferdinand Daragon called of the Frenchemenne Iohn Gippon The whyche armye tooke agayne the ysles of Chifalonie and of saynte Maure whiche afterwarde was geuen agayne to the Turcke by the sayde Venecyans vpon the conclusyon of peace made betwene theim by the intreatye of Maistre Androwe Gritti afterwarde duke of Venyce The gallyes of Fraunce went foorthe to the ysle of Methelin where they coulde dooe no good Aboute this tyme beganne the renounie and fame of Siach Ismail kynge of Persye named Sophi as was hys father and he was the sonne of one of the daughters of Vsuncassan and of one named Seichayder that is to saye the good Seich For he was counted for an holy manne and as a prophete And he was called Sophi of that secte or as I should saye that religion whiche they call Sophi or Sophilar of y e which I haue spoken before but some saye that it is because the countreye which they possesse is so called but neyther the Turckes ner yet the Persyans knowe what Sophene is The forsayde Seich after the death of thesayde Vsuncassan was sleyne by Iacobbeg hys brother in lawe for enuye of thys that the people of Persie were more enclyned and affeccionate to hym fearyng least they would haue made hym kynge Siach Ismael beynge then of y e age of eyght yeares fled and remayned a longe tyme in the toune of Leziam vpon the seea of Dabbaccuth vntyll he came to mannes state Afterwarde he retourned into Persie and founde the meanes to get vnto hym thrye hundred menne wyth whome he toke the toune of Sumach beynge then the chiefe or hedde toune of Mesopotamie afterwarde the nombre of hys people encreasynge he tooke Taurus and and then Syras the chief cytie of Armenie he vaynquesshed and caused to bee putte to deathe Aluant whyche was made kynge of Persie and he slewe Iacobegge the sonne of Vsuncassan and vncle of the foresayde Siach whyche made allyaunce with Aladule or Alnaudule and the Soudian of Egypte by whome he was sturred and persuaded to make warre vpon Pazait agaynste whome also he hadde many tymes preuayled And aboute thys tyme Selym the youngest chylde of the sayd Pazait departed from Trebisonde of the whyche he was gouernoure and without the knowlege of his father he maryed the daughter of Chan of Tartaire Precopie wyth the fauoure of whome and wyth the healpe of a greate nombre of horsses whiche his brother in lawe whome the Turckes call Chamogli or Canogli had sente to accompaignye hym and hauynge also on his syde the Iannyssaryes he compelled his father to geue ouer his realme vnto hym the whyche whyle they caryed him backe ouer the greate sea to haue lyued there the rest of his dayes he dyed by the waye poysoned by his sayd soÌ„ne Selym as some iudge because they dranke together at theyr departynge Pazait reigned xxx yeares and he lyued .lx. yeres and he dyed the. M. D. .xij. yere and the .xiiij. from y e reigne of Lois the twelfth And he lefte behynde hym .iij. sonnes Selym Achmat and Corcuth SElym beyng come to the realme by y e meanes aforesayd enteÌ„ded before all other thinges to dyspatch his brethren and first of all he caused to be sleyne Corcuth which was fled alonge the seea coaste nere to the Rhodes where he hyd hymselfe waytyng for a shyp to haue gone to the greate maister of the Rhodes but he was betreyed by one of his owne folkes and was taken and strangeled with a bowe strenge Achmet dyed the lyke death but he was takeÌ„ in battaile accoÌ„paignyed with a great armye whiche he had made oute by the ayde of Siach Ismail Sophie and of Campson Ciauri Soudan forasmuche as he was so fatte and grosse that he neyther coulde saue hymselfe by flyenge ner endure to ryde Selym beeynge thus delyuered dispatched of his father and brethren purposed to make warre agaynst the Sophie aswell for y e olde enemyte whyche was beetwene theim as also for the dyspleasoure that he dyd in aydyng his brother to make warre agaynst hym And the more easely to brynge to passe this hys purpose and entencyon he found the meane to haue peace with Lancelot kyng of Hungary and to refreshe and renue agayne for his more suretie y e allyauÌ„ce which he had wyth y e Venecyans then he toke the waye of Perse And as y e forsaid Sophy was come vnto him with a great nouÌ„bre of horsses armed and barbed euen vnto Assyrie he was scatered and dyscomfyted with the artillary of the Turkes with which the horses of y t Persians had not bene accustomed And the battayle was made in the playne of Calderam betwene Tauris and Coye wher as I haue sayde is the toune called Artaxata and this battayle is peynted or portured in the hall of the councell of Venice where I haue sene it and some saye that the sayde Selym sente it to theim After this battayle the sayd toune of Tauris came into the handes of y e Turckes with a great parte of the realme of Persye but it remayned not longe for Siach sone after recouered it agayne and it is kepte at thys daye by Taanas hys soonne Selym goynge backe agayne from Persye dyd wyntre in Trebisonde and the somer nexte folowyng he assayled the lorde Amandule whiche bordreth vpon y t Soudan toward the towne of Aleph called of the FreÌ„chmenne Halappe of the Turckes Aldephe and in the olde time Epiphania And it is called Aleph forasmuche as it is the fyrst toune of Sury On the other syde towarde Amasie is ioyned to y e Turcke Cony otherwayes called Icony and to the Persians by the lytle Armenie All the countree of the saied Amandule was taken and he hymselfe also whose hedde Selim caused to be smytteÌ„ of Then remayned there none but the Souldan whiche came w t a great strength agaynst Caythbey Emyr of Alep that dyd rebelle and disobey hym beyng accompaignied with xxviij thousand horsemen whiche were for the most parte Mammeluchs that nothyng regarded nor feared y e Turckes because thei had many tymes before beateÌ„ and vaynquisshed theim as is aforsaied Selym feyned hym to goo agaynst the Sophy makyng the bruyte to goo so a broade And as he dyd come vnto y e toune of Aman in olde time called Apamea beyng sumwhat betwexte Ale and Damas he was prayed and desyred by y e