days after this the Ambassadours of France and Venice were sent for to Court and given to understand that the Grand Seignior desired to know of them who these people were who had taken his Gallion and why they the Ambassadours had not advised him of it without being asked To so impertinent a question their answer was that they knew nothing of it and that it was certain it was come to pass without the consent of their Princes who desired to maintain a sincere correspondence with the Grand Seignior It was replied that his Highness was amazed to understand that the King of France his ancient Confederate should send his Subjects to Malta to make war upon him under the Banners of others that he had always held the King of France for his very good Friend but that for the future he should look upon him as his mortal Enemy if he did not call his Knights of Malta home and make them restore all that they had taken upon his Gallion To this the French Ambassadour answered that the French who lived at Malta were out of the Kingdom of France that the King his Master had no authority over them that Island being tributary to the King of Spain who was then in war with France and as for the restitution of the Goods which were taken by men who did not depend upon his King there was no reason why they should speak to him of it Then they began to reproach the Venetian Ambassadour that the Ministers of the Republick contrary to the Peace sworn with the Grand Seignior had given free ingress to the Malta Galleys into the Ports of Candia and that after the taking of his Gallion they had there landed men and horses and sold their Prizes And therefore to prevent the like inconvenience for the future his Highness demanded of them the Port of Suda to secure his Fleet which he was sending to besiege Malta The Ambassadour answered That Candia had never entertained the Galleys of Malta That the Grand Seignior was misinformed and that he would acquaint the Senate with his demand but that he did verily believe they would never grant it In the mighty preparations which were now making for the invasion of Candia Ibrahim and the Selectar with most profound dissimulation endeavour'd to hide the design and to take all umbrage from the Venetians of a War with them they gave leave for two Drugger-men and a Janizary to pass to Venice with a Safe-conduct to fetch Seignior Dolfino who was designed Bailo to Constantinople as they were used to do in times of peace And with Seignior Soranzo the present Bailo at Constantinople they continued all demonstrations of courtesie and friendship to make him believe that Ibrahim intended a sincere Correspondence with the Republick But Soranzo who was a man of an acute and penetrating understanding discerned that all this was counterfeit and that notwithstanding this appearance of good-will they were preparing to sheath their swords in the bowels of the Venetians But not being able to penetrate the certainty of their design he sollicited the Senate to provide for Candia With this concurred the advice of Antonio Navagiero Proveditor of Canea who had information from some Spies of his at Constantinople that the preparations making were not for Malta And at the same time Navagiero took some disguised like Fisher-men sounding the depth of the Water about Canea whom he kept Prisoners and acquainted the Senate with it taking occasion from thence to give them an account of the condition of the place and what Souldiers and Provisions were necessary for the defence of it Ragozzi likewise Prince of Transylvania who had constant intelligence from Constantinople advised Cardinal Mazarine that the Turk had a design upon Candia which the Cardinal presently imparted to Seignior Battista Naris the Venetian Ambassadour at Paris But the knowledge of this came not to Venice till after the Venetian Bailo was arrested and that the Turkish Fleet was under sail for Candia The Senate of Venice being now alarmed and fluctuating in their opinions what to do betwixt the fear of neglecting their own defence on the one side and of provoking the Ottoman power on the other resolved on a middle way which commonly proves fatal to those who use it And therefore they would not send such a force to Candia as might make the Grand Seignior think they designed a War with him but onely as much as was necessary to reinforce their Garisons and so be onely upon the defensive without giving occasion of coming to a rupture So they fitted up two Galleazze and elected thirty Gentlemen to command so many Galleys giving order to Cornaro General of Candia to make ready the twenty Galleys of that Kingdom and to keep them there to defend the Port of Suda They likewise laded two ships with Ammunition and Victuals which as they were going for Candia at the Cape of Mattopan were met with five Vessels of Biserta which engaged them in a bloody fight that continued six hours But at last the Venetians notwithstanding the disadvantage of their number opened their way with their Cannon and came well to Candia But Capello who was sent with other ships which carried nine Companies of Foot with divers Gunners and Enginiers besides provisions of Victual and Powder arrived at Suda without any ill encounter Upon which General Cornaro sent the twenty Galleys of the Kingdom thither with divers other Vessels for the preservation of a place upon which it was thought the fate of Candia depended But experience hath shewed what a mistake that was and that the preserving not of Suda but of Canea had been the saving of that Kingdom For Canea being taken which was upon the firm land of the Island there was no force there sufficient to resist the impressions of the Turks so that to loose that was to loose all Whereas the Fort of Suda was not of that consequence being onely a Rock in the Sea and at a good distance from the main land of Candia As soon as Ibrahim understood that his Fleet was ready he declared Isuf Selectar Bassa Captain-General of the Expedition giving him a Commission sealed up with express command not to open it till he came to Navarino in the Morea where he was to consult with his Captains what course to take for the better executing of his design And then he went in person to see his Armada where Isuf cast himself at his feet with threescore and ten of his chief Officers It is reported that Ibrahim being told how the Aga of the Janizaries had said that if the Army went for Candia the Laurels which they brought thence would be watered with Turkish blood cryed out that they would meet with no opposition and that he had sent Isuf to take possession for him of that Kingdom When Isuf took his leave Ibrahim presented him with a rich Scymitar set with Diamonds and prayed to Mahomet to give him a prosperous and
and that he had not Seamen ready to man so great a Fleet as was necessary for such an Expedition and above all they minded him of the strength of the place which he would besiege which was not onely admirably fortified both by Art and Nature but defended by the most expert men of all Christendom who having no imployment but to fight were bred Souldiers from their infancy and with a few Galleys kept the whole Levant in awe Upon which Ibrahim who would not be contradicted as knowing no reason but his own will grew into that fury that he had like to have put them to death who made this remonstrance to him so that for some time no man durst open his mouth to him any more upon this matter At last one of the Visirs who had more courage than the rest said None of us know what Malta is having never been there but it would be fit before your Highness resolve upon so great an enterprize that you had exact information from some one who hath been upon the place and then told him that he knew an Aga lately come from thence who had been a slave there four years and could give a perfect account of all things if it were his pleasure to command him Upon which the Aga being called Ibrahim bad him faithfully and freely relate to him the state of that Island The Aga with profound obeisance assured him that the strength of Malta was considerable that besides the advantage of the scituation and double fortifications which made it almost impregnable it was defended by men of high resolution that all the Campagne round the Town was nothing but a hard rock without earth to work on so that it was almost impossible to make any Approches that the Fleet which should bring an Army there could not stay before the place by reason of want of Ports and the furious winds which reigned in those Chanels that Italy and Sicily were so near that the place would continually receive succours and last of all that Malta was so far from Constantinople that his Army could not arrive there time enough it being necessary for whoever would besiege that place to be there in June since in three months time they of necessity must retire the tempests in those Seas were so violent about the beginning of September These reasons so contrary to the designs of Ibrahim instead of satisfying him did but inflame his anger But however that he might know all that the Aga could tell him he asked him what People those Maltese were who made the Conquest of Malta so difficult The Aga answered that they were a body of Nobility drawn from all parts of Christendom and naming the Knights Nation by Nation told him that the major part of them were Frenchmen that their Prince the great Master who commanded them was a Frenchman and that to make the enterprize easie it would be best for his Highness to try if he could prevail with the King of France to call home the Knights of that Nation without which it would be almost impossible to take Malta At these words Ibrahim was so incensed that he storm'd as if he had been mad and hardly knowing what he said or did commanded them immediately to bring him the French Ambassadour's head which had certainly been done but that the Chizlar Aga a black Eunuch who was there diverted him This Aga being a grave man and of great reputation for his Judgment as well as Zeal for the Grand Seigniors Service remonstrated to him how that for above these threescore years in which he had had the honour to serve five Emperours he had seen many Wars and great calamities had befallen the Monarchy but in all the Consultations of his time he had never known so much as mention made of cutting off an Ambassadours head that such an indignity could not be done to so potent a Monarch as the King of France but it would be revenged and if the Galleys of Malta could give his Highness such disturbance what might the King of France do with the mighty Forces of his Kingdom That this action was contrary to all Reason of State and good Government and would redound much to the prejudice of his Empire which his Ancestors had maintained from time to time as well by prudence as by power This discourse was heard with applause by all the Council but Ibrahim who measured the reason of all things by his own caprice was so offended with him who made it that in a rage he commanded the unfortunate Eunuch to be put to death The Council though they were sensible of the danger to which they exposed themselves were so touched at the injustice of this sentence and had that respect for the Chizlar Aga that they interceded for him But all they could obtain was to have the Judgment of Death changed into Exile And so the poor man was banished to Gallipoli and in an instant despoiled of all which he had been getting in the service of threescore years The enterprize of Malta being found not advisable and Ibrahim still breathing hate and revenge against the Christians proposed in Council to fall upon Sicily which if they were once Masters of Malta could not long resist since from thence it had all its provisions Some Sicilian Bandito's who commonly are the most mortal enemies of their own Country had suggested this to the Grand Visir perswading him that they would put Syracusa into his hand which he being once possessed of might with little difficulty subdue the rest of that Kingdom Others advis'd an expedition into the Kingdom of Naples But both these Propositions being rejected they fell into discourse of Candia when Isuf Selectar Bassa to whom Fortune now presented an occasion to be revenged of the Venetians represented to them that in his opinion that business was the most feasible of any thing that had yet been thought of And that it was just too since the Maltese who took the Grand Seigniors Gallion after this exploit landed first in Candia and were courteously received there by the Inhabitants who bought their Prizes of them But for the present this was secretly diverted by the Grand Visir who was a friend to the Republick of Venice and condemned by the Mufti as contrary to their Law which will not allow a War to be made against Christians when they are in War amongst themselves for fear they should unite together against Believers Besides the Mufti said that it would be unjust to invade any Prince before they had declared War against him Upon which there was nothing at that time concluded But Ibrahim in his own mind determined now to turn his Arms upon Candia which was a Secret he would deposit no-where but in the bosom of the Selectar and therefore kept it from the knowledge even of the Grand Visir for fear he should discover his design to the Venetians with whom he suspected that he kept intelligence In a few
observed His horse stood always ready sadled at the door of his Pavillon that he might not lose a moments time where there was occasion for his presence Upon the opening of the Trenches and the raising of the Batteries he gave fire with his own hand to the first Gun which was followed with a furious tempest of Canonades In the beginning the besieged sallied out in gross Squadrons but being repulsed with great slaughter they grew more cautious There was a bloody Contest one day to get a Half-moon and it was hard to say whether the Aggressors were less expert in attaquing or the Besieged in defending But the Turks vast numbers supplied their defect of Skill overcame all difficulties so that they brought their Works to the edge of the ditch And though their Mines had no effect the besieged began to abate of their Courage being in despair of succour The Siege was carryed on more with Swords than Spades since there being no Outworks all was reduced to Assaults Amurat was so transported with a desire of carrying the place that he would have led his men to the Breach himself but that he was stay'd by his Captains who represented to him the extremity of his danger offering to precipitate themselves and sacrifice their own lives rather than he should adventure his Having passed the first and second Ditch they met with desperate resistance at the third but with multitudes of men they filled that too and lodged upon it so that now there was no defence remaining but the Wall which after they had made a breach in it of fifty yards long they furiously assaulted And here appeared a theatre of death not onely in tempests of Shot but showrs of artificial Fire Sulphur and Bitumen Both sides fought for Life the besieged expecting no quarter if the place were taken and the besiegers no mercy from Amurat if they did not take it On Christmas-day the Turks made their last attempt led on by Mustapha Bassa whose men mounted the breach with greater bravery than it had been yet assaulted The Persians with equal resolution met them and here began a Fight which was to decide the quarrel As some men fell new ones still succeeded the earth being dyed with blood and covered with carcasses At last the besieged were forced to give ground being quite tired and the Turks still re-inforced with fresh Recruits climbed up the breach over heaps of bodies and Mustapha being the first who entered with his own hand planted the Royal Standard in the City In this Siege of diseases and wounds there perished fifty thousand Turks and above ten thousand were wounded Of the Persians all the bravest men fell onely some four and twenty thousand who survived the slaughter throwing down their Arms were by Amurat's command received to mercy But Mustapha offended at the clemency of Amurat perswaded him to put them all to the sword remembring him how at Revan in Persia where he gave the Conquered Quarter to requite his Mercy as soon as his Army was gone they rose upon his Garison and cut them in pieces and restored the City to the Persian This made Amurat notwithstanding his Faith passed give order to his Janizaries to cut all their throats and that the execution might be more terrible to do it in the night by the light of lanterns and torches Of all this number there were onely seven and twenty escaped who were reserved by Amurat to be carryed to Constantinople to adorn his Triumph As soon as this bloody execution was ended the sacking of the City was given to the Souldiers which continued three days with all imaginable cruelty their avarice not distinguishing Mahometans from Christians nor Friends from Enemies The loss of Babylon was a greater mischief to the Christians than to the Persian for as long as this place stood the Ottoman Forces were continually employed upon this frontier and wasted with long marches through desert and uninhabited Countrys so that they did but now and then molest the Christians But from the loss of Babylon and the Peace with Persia the Calamities of Christendom may take their date From hence it is that Poland and Hungary have been of late invaded and Candia lost And since this time the Persian hath attempted nothing considerable but hanged up his Scymeter against the wall and let his Arms grow rusty for want of use This hazardous enterprize of Babylon being brought to so happy a conclusion Amurat would have pursued this Victory into Persia but that he was stay'd by some indisposition of health and at the same time he received a Letter from the Favourite Sultana being then upon the frontier attending his return who invited him from the assaults of War to those of Love A woman of a most charming behaviour and so bountiful that she gave the Messenger who brought her the news of the taking of Babylon ten thousand Dollars Amurat who was unbounded in his Rewards as well as Punishments to requite the Grand Visir who was slain in the Siege made his Son though very young Governour of Mesopotamia one of the most esteemed Commands in the Empire and Mustapha Bassa who had been so great an instrument in the taking of Babylon he advanced to the supreme Visirship He sent his chief Ecuyer with a rich Present of Sables to the Queen his Mother to acquaint her with his success having ever born her a most filial reverence To reward this grateful News the Queen obtained of her Son the Bassaship of Bulgaria and confer'd it upon the Messeger Amurat at his departure from Babylon left the Grand Visir behind him with secret instructions not to reject any reasonable offers of Peace and then he dismissed the Persian Ambassadour whom he had kept Prisoner with him all this while and delivered him a Letter in answer to that which the Ambassadour had brought him from his Master the tenor of which was I who am Lord of Lords and command Arabia Persia and Greece exalted by the aid of God to the Empire of the Vniverse the invincible Possessor of the White and Black Sea Lord of the Divine House of Mecca and Medina as also of Hierusalem Aleppo Damascus and of all those Holy and Venerable places of Cairo and Babylon of Ethiopia and the lesser Asia of the Georgians and the Tartars and in a word supreme Lord of the seven Climates Sultan Amurat Can To the brave Soffi to whom God give peace if he deserve it As soon as this my Imperial Letter which is fit to be obeyed shall come to thee be it known that the cause why I detained till now thy Ambassadour whom thou hast sent to my happy Port to sue for Peace was that I might subdue Bagdat which I have done thanks to the edge of my Invincible Sword If thou desirest to be quiet deliver up those Provinces which were the Dominion of my unconquered Ancestors putting them into the hands of my Beglerbegs who will advance thither with my