French men esteemed themselues most happie to fall prisoners into the handes of more gracious Lordes from whose furie hardly could Frances de Montmorencie saue himselfe who onely remained there within lieutenant for the king whom in seeking to couer and defend D'ouartie was sore set vppon and hurt in his presence yet afterwardes hee was knowen and carried prisoner to Binecourt the Emperours Lieutenant The other more apparant prisoners as the Vicount de Martiques Dampierre de Losses Baudiment Bailet de S. Romain the Captaines Grille le Breul and Saint Romane yeelded themselues to diuerse masters as the hazard gaue them leaue and forasmuch as the simple souldiers were the first which entered in and not the captaines or Lordes of authoritie such prisoners as could readily make anye money went out good cheape as the Vicount De Martiques Dampierre de Saint Romane and the Captaine Breul But such as tarryed tardie were knowen and in great daunger there to abide by it long The surplus of the souldiers found at the Spaniards hands to whose mercie the most parte were fallen an honest entertainment taking of such as had meanes reasonable ransome and the poore hauing stript them of their weapons and best stuffe they sent backe safely and oftentimes themselues conducted them Within this little towne was found a great deale of good and grosse artillerie chiefly two verie faire and long Culuerines In this time the great Turke Sultan Soliman carryed himselfe too rigorously towardes the person of Sultan Mustapha his eldest sonne which he had of a slaue Who hauing beene sent with his mother from his first youth into the prouince of Amafia which was giuen vnto him was so well and carefully brought vp as hee there atchieued great honour and amitie not onely of all in that Countrie but thoroughout all the gouernments of his Father This mother beeing absent Soliman tooke another slaue vnto him named Roza of whome hee had foure other sonnes Mahomet Baiazet Selim Giangir the crooke backe and one daughter which was marryed to Bassa Rostan Roza being indued with admirable beautie accompanyed with all the flattering delights and allurements which possibly one could imagine knewe so well howe to plaie her part towardes Soliman who was as it were a man rauished that by the helpe of Muchthy as much to saie as the soueraigne Priest of the lawe of Mahomet and vnder colour of religion shee was not onely made free of condition but lawfull wife spouse of Soliman to which neuer anie before her attayned Raised now vnto such honour and seeing her selfe entirelie beloued she had no greater care than how to establish the Empire vnto one of her children after the death of the father But foreseeing that the singular vertues of Mustapha would bee so farre contrarie thereunto that whilest hee liued shee should neuer haue rest because that he had gotten the loue of the men of warre and how the eyes of all men were vppon him for the great hope of his magnanimious courage and singular dexteritie she studyed as much as she could to make him become odious to Soliman to which her sonne in law greatly aided her for that hee as then gouerned all the affayres Her reasons were how that Mustapha building vppon the loue and fauour which hee had gotten of all men thorough his great liberalitie courage dexteritie of spirit burned with such a longing to raigne as euerie man feared least in affecting the Empire hee would shorten the dayes of Soliman as alreadie Selim had done to his father Therefore shee vrged Soliman and besought him with many and great teares that hee would take order therein thereby to prouide for his owne safetie Now albeit in the beginning shee smally preuailed and that Mustapha had well discouered the crossebarres which shee ordinarilye prepared for him yet shee neuer ceased to continue by the helpe of a Iew a most renowmed inchantresse who hauing giuen vnto her certaine drugs shee caused the amitie of Soliman to bee redoubled towards Roza so well as she assured her selfe of a good euent at the last to her enterprises albeit a delaie might bee for a time Finally after many practises shee found meanes to suborne the gouernour of Mustapha and caused him to write though falsely vnto Soliman howe his sonne meant to take in marriage the daughter of the Kinge of Persia This olde man moued by the continuall plaintes of Roza and Rostan easily gaue credite to these newes and false aduertisements so as in the yeere 1552. hauing caused a bruite to runne of the Persians comming downe into Syria hee sent Rostan thether with a puisant armie for vnder colour of going to meete with his enimies to ceaze vpon Mustapha and bring him prisoner to Constantinople with expresse commaundement to kill him if otherwise hee coulde not take him But Mustapha aduertised of the whole matter and howe that the Persians were not at all in the field came towardes him with seuen thousand men of the best experienced in the warres which caused Rostan to make a quicke returne without dooing ought Whereat Soliman beeing the more prouoked the next yeere caused the same bruite agayne to runne and how hauing leauied a great armie he meant to go himself in person agaynst the Persians Beeing arriued in Syria hee commanded his sonne to come vnto him to his campe Mustapha knowing how it was him alone which they shot at albeit hee was prayed and greatly solicited to auoide the furie of his Father and retire himself into some other part trusting in his owne innocencie and thinking it a matter more commendable and worthie of his greatnesse to die in obeying of his Father than liuing to incurre a note of infamie and treason yea though thereby hee might gaine the Empire of the whole world thinking in like sorte that for that he neuer made anie refusal by his owne presence hee might appease the furie of his father went on his waie thether but being entered within Solimans tent hee was sodainly taken and strangled in his owne presence after at the same instant the Bassa his head of the Prouince of Amasia was stroke off This crueltie beeing come to the knowledge of Giangir the crooke backe one of the rest of the foure brothers hee manfully reiected the gifte and spoile which his father had presented vnto him so that lamenting the death of his brother he could not command himselfe nor refrain from vttering these speeches Ha cruell Traitor I cannot say Father take now to thy selfe the treasures the Horses the Tapistrie and the Prouince of Mustapha and gouerne it at thyne owne pleasure could it fall into thy thought O infamous man and without humanitye to cause to dye against all lawe so valiant a personage as neuer was nor neuer will be the like in all the house of Ottomans Ha ha it shall not bee true and I will take order that thou shalt neuer bee able impudentlye to vaunte that euer thou didst the like
fifteene Ensignes of French Fanterie and almost two thousand horse against nineteene Ensignes of the Spanish Fanterie which lay encamped about the little towne for that the inhabitants had shutte the gates vpon them fearing to be sacked by them as their neighbours had beene The skirmish lasted almost a whole day eche partye being obstinate to the gaining of the victory which after a long hazard vncertaine combate remained to the French very few of them being either dead or hurte but many more of the Spaniards whereof in like sort diuers were brought away prisonners After all this coyle the French returned to Anchy and about Hedin where the Almanes were put in garrison the bayliwick whereof was giuen by the King to the Count Reingraue In summe towards the end of the moneth of October some companies as well of the French Fanterie as light cauallerie being cast the rest were deuided and put into garrisons to passe ouer the winter which drew on In the meane time the Emperour proceeded on to pursue a marriage betweene his son the K. of Spaine and the infant Mary new Q. of England with such earnestnes as he forgot nothing which might serue to the consummation thereof seing him selfe almost out of all hope to haue succour elsewhere or recouering of any monie at neerer hand which many of that Realme sought to hinder foreseeing an immortal warre with the French which was prepared for them by this meanes remembring well the losses and damage which they had alreadye sustained in hauing vpholden the warre against this nation from whence the Countrie of England reaped great commodities Notwithstanding so much auayled the perswasions of the Emperor with the instigation of the two Queenes Mary and Elenor and aboue all the inductions of Cardinall Pole cosin to the Q. that she being cleane rauished with this new loue and with the ambition to see her selfe wife to the Sonne of an Emperour the better to assure her estate against the reformed and other malcontents in spite of the aduise and liking of the greatest of her Realme keeping her sister Elizabeth likewise a prisonner consented to this marriage Afterwards with as much speede as was possible she affianced by Proctor which was the Earle of Aiguemont Philip K. of Spaine hoping shortlye after to perfit and consumate the ouerplus The K. knowing that all these things tended to no other end but cheefely to endamage and annoy him made a great masse of monie calling such to his aide and succour as he knew were most obedient and faithfull vnto him and as hee thought best able to aide and do him seruice Pope Iuly to the end to pacifie these great troubles of Christendome had sent the Cardinall of England to mediate a peace betweene the King and the Emperour for you must vnderstand that vpon the pursute of the warres of these two Princes Pope Iuly seeing all Europe as it were much moued with the feare of mischeefes which was likely to ensue to euery Countrye by reason of the particular quarrels of these two Monarcks with a secret remorse and gnawing of conscience for himselfe had beene the Author had sent the Cardinall of England his Legate to the King and the Emperour to aduise and by all meanes to vnite and cause them to condescend to a good peace in which he imployed himselfe so vertuously that laying aside all ambition or feare of hatred or other cōsiderations he neuer ceased to lay before them the infinite miseries wherewith the poore Christian people were afflicted togither with the vncertaintye and miserable estate whereunto the Catholicke Church by their dissentions was reduced And albeit that many accounted him to fauour the Emperour more then the King yet hee seemed to haue so well managed their hartes that the hope of a peace was alreadye common thorough out Fraunce and quarters neighbouring about yea so great that the poore borderers of the one and other Lord perswading themselues thereof so assured themselues by little and little that they reedified and began to reinhabite their cottages and small tenementes as yet besmoaked with the fire wherewith they had beene burned to ashes so farre as euery man promised vnto himselfe a happy repose if it would please God to mollifie the harts of these two great Princes But euen as all the tokens of Moses and Aaron hardened the more the obstinate courage of Pharaoh to the end afterwards to make the great wonders of the Lord to appeare so this great God not yet satisfyed and content with so small a punishment for our enormous sinnes would not permit vnto them the vnderstanding to receaue a good and assured peace for the ease and repose of all Christendome wherfore the Legate after many trottings to and fro of each side returned very sorrowfull vnto the Pope leauing in the harts of these two Princes this so inueterate an enmitie whereof the clamors could not so soone mortifie the effects The Queene was deliuered at Fontaine-bleau about nine of the clocke and three quarters past in the morning the eighteenth of March 1554. of a sonne named Hercules by Charles Cardinall of Lorraine Anne de Montmorency Constable and the Duchesse of Guyse daughter to the D. of Ferrara afterwards leauing that name he was called Francis D. of Alencon and of Aniou In the meane space and about the first of the spring there arose a certaine brute of a warre at hand betweene these Princes and much furniture and weapons were dispersed whereby they might bee polished and made readye to the seruice afterwardes to be mustered as soone as the fame was spread throughout France how the Emperour had prepared a great leauye of men of warre and all other sortes of prouisions towardes the Countries of Liege and Ardennes with intent to besiege the Towne of Mesieres hauing established Mariembourg and Auanes as store places and markets to his armye so as Bourdillon who then was at the Courte was presently sent back to fortifie strengthen this little Towne with whatsoeuer should be necessary to attend their comming On the other side the K. foreseeing the Empeperours determination and intent made all meanes to assemble his forces to the end to meet him and preuent him of this small enterprise hauing sent sufficient enough of succour into Piemont and Italye thereby to pursue and continue such good beginning as fortune in that parte had presented vnto him Besides hee dispatched Captaines and commissioners to bring him men of warre as well out of Germany as from those Cantons of Zuizers as were his confederates This was about the ende and issue of the Spring when as the Sunne raysing him selfe high to send among vs his great heates burned and consumed the fruites of the earth with so strange a drouthe that togither with the long trauayle of the warre the poore people expected nought els to the aggrauating of their miseryes then a great and mortall famine for the heape of all theyr pouertyes
being at his tayle without any great preiudice notwithstanding by reason of the good order which he gaue in the discamping conduct of his armie the which was furnished with victuals in the Placentine Countrey by the commaundement of Octauian Farneze D. of Parma which the D. of Guise caused to be payd for expresly forbidding any souldiar to doe wrong to the subiectes of this Prince We will leaue then for a while the D. of Guise marching with his forces in Italie to the Popes succour to enterlace you here an accidente as straunge as any which hath happened in the memorie of our forefathers Dauid George who since made himselfe to be called Iean de Bructe borne at Delph in Hollande an authour of a peruerse secte making himselfe to be named by his followers King and Christ immortall dyed the yeere passed 1556. the 24. day of August and his wife a little before retired with a verie great familie of her owne to Basle in the yeere 1544. He sayde he was fled his owne Countrey for the Gospels sake and there bought houses and a Castle neere vnto the towne called Buiuignen with landes of great reuennewe He was verie cunning of great Spirite and had his eyes addressed on all partes to gayne the heartes of many and an exteriour reputation which was mainteined and greatly augmented by his riches his money and most precious moueables which he had brought thither and which men brought vnto him day by day as well out of the high as lowe Countries of Flaunders as it falleth out that almost all men suffer themselues to be cousined with an apparaunce magnificence of worldly things rather thē to be caried away with the vertue truth of euery thing Two things presaged vnto him his death one of his houses which he had at Basle was smotte with lightning and another sumptuously builded within his pastures was likewise burned with parte of his rarest and most exquisite moueables shortly after the floure of the house wherein he lay fell all downe at one blowe and sodainly yet nothing happened more grieuous vnto him before his death then the comming of a man of authoritie out of Base Almania to Basle For from thenceforth as well aduised and forecasting hee knewe that by little and little he shoulde easily be discouered His disciples were marueilously astonished at his death for that he had assured them of his immortalitie yet their hope was somewhat vpheld because he had giuen them to vnderstande certayne dayes before howe he shoulde take life againe by the space of three yeeres and perfect most excellent things Hee kept a porte within his house almost like a King in like sorte was the gouernement of his house and castle very well ruled Euerie man had his estate and office their charges and dueties being so distributed as he shoulde neede to employe no other therein then his owne In gouerning their common wealth they obserued verie straightly 3. things thereby more and more to conceale their pernitious secte First that none of them once published the name of Dauid George Secondly that none reueyled of what condition hee had bene whereupon it grew that many thought hee had beene yssued out of some great noble House other that hee was some great Marchaunt which had his factours abroad both by Sea and by land Thirdly that they shoulde not discouer so much as any one article of their doctrine to any man in Basle not so much as to a Swizer nor shoulde not endeuour to drawe any man vnto their doctrine the summe whereof was The doctrine of Dauid George Heretique THat whatsoeuer had bene heretofore giuen from God by Moses by the Prophetes by Iesus Christ himselfe or by his Apostles was imperfecte and vnprofitable for the obtayning of the true felicitie thereby And was onely giuen for this vse that vntill then it mought represse men as babes and young children and to contayne them within their office But the doctrine of Dauid George was perfecte and had efficacie to make him happie which shoulde receaue it as being the true Christ and Messias the welbeloeud of the Father in whome hee tooke his delight not borne of fleshe but of the holy Ghost and Spirite of Iesus Christ hauing bene kept vntill that present in a place vnkowen to all the Saintes to restore in spirite the house of Israel not by crosses or tribulations or death as the other Christ but by loue grace of the Spirite of Christ In the yeere 1559. the 5. of March his children his sonnes in lawe and all them of his familie with some other adhering to his Secte were adiourned before the Senate of Basle after information made of that pernicious secte which he had alwayes helde in his life time The Atturney declared vnto them howe the Seigneurie stoode duely infourmed that they were retyred to the Castle of Buiuignen not as men persecuted for the Gospell as they had falsly giuen out but for the secte of Dauid wherewith they had bene alreadie infected Eleuen were made prisoners to draw out the trueth of the whole The greater part examined by a more straight inquisition confessed the truth who in the ende obtayned pardon Then the first day of May the Ministers Rectour Professors and Scholemaisters of Basle hauing all with one voyce condemned the pointes of the doctrine the Senate fully informed of the whole proceeded the 13. of May to the conclusion of the proces to wit That all his writinges as full of iniquitie mortall poyson Item his bodie or his bones and whatsoeuer shoulde be founde more within his graue shoulde be burned together with his picture which they founde in his house representing him verie liuely and that generally all the goodes of so wicked a man wheresoeuer they were founde shoulde be confiscate and adiudged to the Seigneurie This sentence was proclaimed according to the Custome of the place and all the fourme of righte and ordinances of the Towne was kepte in the obseruation thereof Before that I handle againe the tearmes of warre betweene the Frenche and Spanyardes I will finishe and in fewe wordes the Empire and managing of the affayres of Charles of Austria the fifte Emperour of the Almanes About the ende of August Charles of Austria resolued to passe into Spayne for the occasions before rehearsed wente from Bruxelles to Gaunt the place of his natiuitie where he assembled the 27. of that moneth all the Embassadours one after an other resiant about his Person within his chamber vsing in generall no other speech vnto them but of the declaration of his old age indisposition praying thē to perfourme all good offices for the repose due vnto Christendome Protesting to the Nuncio that is the Popes Embassadour how all his life long hee had loued and defended the holy apostolike Sea to the Venetian how much hee honored that Seigneurie common wealth whose libertie preseruation he had all his life long desired knowing howe