conversation with them who read the Old and New Testament unto him for himself was unlettered he preferred Christianism and seemed of opinion that thereby only a man might attain unto salvation and accordingly he framed his life which bred admiration in them that knew him and gave him a greater reputation then he did expect But this hasty spring was quickly blasted for the Devil taking advantage by this his esteem enflamed his heart with pride which wrought in him a desire to be taken for a Prophet thinking all other attributes of Religion and sanctity to be but vile and base Mahomet aspires to the name of a Pâ—â—phet To aspire unto that opinion he embraced a solitary life retiring to a Cave in the Mountains where he lived free from the ordinary conversation of men repaired seldom to his own home and his speeches mixt with gravity and holiness teaching good life and beating down Idolatry moved not onely such as saw him to admire but the rest also that heard by other mens ears held him to be a Saint To increase this opinion of sanctimony of the falling sickness wherewith he was afflicted he made good use Mahomet troubled with the Falling sickness for he gave it out when he fell into his fits incident to that disease that he conferred with the Angel Gabriel by whom the pleasure of God was revealed unto him and that his trance proceeded through the weakness of his earthly Carcase that was astonished at the Divine presence of the Heavenly Ambassadour To pass by the vulgar story of his pedigree Grown now famous he thought it necessary to divulge into the world some works in writing whereby his name might encrease His best help was a Jew Scribe whom for want of a better Scholar he entertained but shortly after his Master the Devil the Church of Christ then labouring with the sickness of many Heresies procured the acquaintance of a Christian called Sergius born in Alexandria by profession a Monk and by infection a Nestorian witty eloquent and learned who having mist of some Ecclesiastical preferment which in his opinion he had deserved full of despight and revenge The Monk Sergius his Coadjutor in a devillish discontent having fled out of Syria into the house of Mahomets Master sought as well to raise a scandal upon the Christian Religion as upon the professors thereof the readiest way to kindle this fire he found to be Mahomet who as is already said had won some extraordinary opinion of sanctity After some conference between them the Jew for insufficiency was discharged Sergius being fully informed how Mahomet had hitherto proceeded made him to understand how weakly and grosly he had erred in fundamental points necessary for the advancement of a new Religion His damnable advice and cunningly shewed him not only the means how to smooth his past errors without scandal but to compose a new Treatise collected out of the Old and New Testament united into some common principles with devised additions of his own to bring Christians Jews and Gentiles under one profession that should give credit to his Doctrine and humour the hearers which being divulged amongst the Idolatrous people who were easily caught spread the poyson it contained over all the Arabies but the wiser sort fearing as they had cause that the setling of a new Religion might also draw with it a new form of Government opposed themselves against it calling Mahomet an Impostor reproving his hypocrisie and taxing his sensuality and drunkenness of both which he was guilty and sent to apprehend him whereof Mahomet from some of his friends in Mecca having notice left his Cave and fled to the Desarts Sergius in the mean time sounding in the ears of the people his parts and piety the sixteenth of July 622. from which flight the Turks begin their computation of Hegyrathi unto whom divers Novelists resorted The Hegyra as also such as the Estates had banished for approving his late coyned trash This swarm of Wasps being stirred nothing but revenge could ease their hearts Mahomet willingly taking the advantage there offered enlarged his thoughts holding it now less difficil for him to gain a Kingdom then the title of a Prophet which he had obtained To make a smooth way to his enterprize by under-hand means he exasperated the heady Novelists whereof there were many of wealth and estimation to be sensible of their banishment and to repair their wrongs by force himself accounted unto them Revelations which assured him that God was displeased with the Meccans for the rigorous prosecuting him and his Sectaries that God willed to chastise their Tyranny of victory he was assured and whosoever of them dyed in that holy War his soul should presently ascend to Heaven with these and such like motives the giddy people encouraged and seduced elected Mahomet to be their chief who ordaining Officers and Captains and receiving an Oath of fidelity as well from them as from their troops marched to the City of Medina Mahomet takes Medina and though repulsed at first yet after a field fight with the said enemy at a place called Bedez often mentioned in the Alcoran where he had the Victory took it by force the cause of his quarrel being pretended against the Jews Synagogue which he converted into a Temple for his own abominations This first good fortune wrought the effect he desired for instantly by his Army he was saluted Calipha which interpreted is King and because his creation happened upon a Friday that day was ordained by him to be their Sabboth Takes Mecca His next conquest was the City of Mecca where he triumphed in the blood of his Neighbour Citizens which was not spared and proclaimed death to all those that did not embrace his Doctrine The Princes and great men in Arabia opposite unto him assembled all their forces Opposed by the Nobles oâ— Arabia Mahomet being too weak was overthrown wounded and fled to Mecca yet in the end the war continuing he prevailed and reduced the three Arabies under his subjection Grown great and glorious with his Victories at that time the Emperor of Constantinople and King of Persia being men of weak and tame Spirits and assisted with the Saracens who had been deceived and abused of their pay by Heraclius the Emperor as also by Julian the Apostate for Mahomets appearance was signalized with the contemporary raign of that miscreant he invaded their Dominions and with a conquering sword triumphed over Syria the City of Jerusalem His conquests the Kingdom of Mesopotamia and Persia the great City of Babylon with other Eastern Provinces of all which as of the Arabies he stiled himself King Being now grown elder by his inordinate life in the state of his body then in years which exceeded not sixty seven full of glory as well in regard of his large Empire as in opinion of sanctity in being esteemed a Prophet And retirement and weary with war with
gross absurdities did he publish to catch the credulous inconsiderate multitude but his devices are so ridiculous that a wise man cannot chuse but smile at his conceits in pleasure this indeed hath made many of the most serious of them to mislike his inventions and sensual delights amongst the rest hear Avicena one of his own Sect Mahomet saith he hath given as a Law which sheweth the perfection of felicity to consist in those things which concern the body whereas the wise and sages of old had a greater desire to express the felicity of the soul then of the body as for the bodily felicity though it were granted them yet they regarded it not nor esteemed it in comparison of the felicity which the soul requireth Nor were his ridiculous fopperies of Hell less then the other namely that it was in the navel of the world compassed with a large high wall of attractive Adamant having seven gates of flaming brass to enter in at that it was divided into several Cells or Dungeons whereof some were more loathsom and fuller of torments then others which are prepared for those souls who have highest transgressed Some of these Caves saith he are so deep that a milstone in a thousand years cannot attain to the bottom and other places are without bottom In the descent of these deep Caves or Dungeons are placed sharp pikes and swords to wound and torment the souls that move there These Dungeons are full of flaming oyle and brimstone which striketh such a terror that the very Devils themselves do howl scrich and rage there beyond measure other Dungeons be full of serpents toads and all manner of venemous and noison creatures that can be imagined Here shall the wicked eat of the fruit of the Tree Zacon which being in their guts shall flame like sulphur they shall drink boyling water and every day have alteration of new torments Some Rivers saith he be full of Crocodiles others so cold as makes them gnash and chatter others boyl with violence of heat yet saith the Alcoran shall not these pains endure for ever for after so many thousand years when each soul hath suffered according to the demerits of the sins which he hath committed then shall they be delivered by Mahomet yea his charity is so great that he will deliver the Devils also first changing their affrighting shapes into others more tolerable and then by washing them in a River flowing out of Paradise called Alcanzar they shall become whiter then the driven snow and from thence forward sing Lala hillulaes unto Mahomet His doctrine of Angels was that they were either good or bad yet both subject to death the good as consisting of flame because Lucifer an Angel by ambition was cast out of Paradise the bad Angels are imprisoned in Dogs Swine Toads Wolves Bears Tygers c. After the Judgement day they must be tormented in Hell some millions of years and afterwards be delivered by Mahomet As absurd and ridiculous were his opinions concerning our Saviour Christ as that the Virgin Mary conceived him by smelling to a Rose presented to her by the Angel Gabriel and that he was born out of her breasts also that he was not crucified but Judas or some other wicked thief in his stead Christ being separated from them by a cloud that covered him which came from Heaven that at the last day the Righteous should enter into Heaven the Jews under the banner of Moses the Christians under the banner of Christ and the Saracens under his banner Having with these and the like odd whimzies patched up his Alcoran to give it the better credit that the people might imagine it to come from Heaven he devised this cuning way He secretly caused a wild Ass to be taken and bound his Alcoran being fairly written about his neck then as he preached unto the people he pretended a sudden rapture of some extraordinary thing that was revealed to him from above and with a loud voice spake to the people Ye have desired a Law behold God hath sent you a Law from Heaven go to such a Desart there shall ye find an Ass and a Book tyed about his neck which will direct you in the wayes which God hath commanded Thereupon the people ran in great hast and as they could do no other found it according as he had said so with great pomp they bring back the Ass with the book about his neck suitable to the bearer and now as thoroughly convinced they give great honour to this their new Prophet Thus were these silly souls deluded by this cunning Impostor who worse then Herostratus purchased to himself a lasting name by by the grandest wickedness that could be committed We shall conclude this Chapter with a brief Epitomy or Summary of their Religion such as it is wherein all those that are not wholly given over to sensuality and brutishness may see the ridiculous machine whereon the great fabrick of their faith is grounded A Summary of the Religion of the TURKS THe Turks believe one sole God in one sole Person Creator of heaven and earth the rewarder of the good and punisher of the wicked who hath created Paradise for the recompence of the righteous and Hell for the last punishment of crimes They believe that Mahomet was a very great Prophet whom God sent in the world to teach men the way of salvation and call themselves Musulmans that is to say recommended to God or saved They believe the Decalogue of Moses and are obliged to observe it they celebrate Friday as the Christians Sunday that day they assemble in Temples at noon to pray They are obliged to pray five times a day viz. in the morning at noon at the evening when the Sun setteth and an hour within night They fast the month or moon which they call Ramazan during this month they neither drink nor ear all the day until the Sun be set but in the night drink and eat according to their appetites flesh and fish except the flesh of swine and wine that is all times forbidden them after this fast they have the feast of great Bairan as the Christians Easter after Lent In this Bayran or Byram lasting 3 days they are very jolly and give Presents like our New years gifts especially the Grand Seignior gives and receives much They are great founders of Temples and Hospitals and are obliged to give to the poor the first day of the year the Tyth of what they have gained during the preceding year They believe that after being well washt saying some prayer appropriate to that Ceremony they have also the soul purified from all filthiness of sin which is the cause that they wash and bath often especially before they pray They have no Sacrament but Circumcision they cause their children to be circumcised at the age of seven or eight years and when they can pronounce these words La ilha ilha allha Mehemet rasoul allha that is There is
asked upon his death-bed occasioned by a violent Fever in the said yeare 1640 whom he would appoint to succeed him he disdainfully and angrily replied Will there be any more words when I am dead He was thought to have favoured the Christians for his mothers sake and therefore chose this expedition against the Persian His immature fate was much lamented by his Subjects for his justice and temperance and care of them but welcomed by the Janizaries who began to perceive his drift against them and who notwithstanding saluted his Brother Ibrahim with the Impetial dignity the year abovesaid Ibrahim immediately upon his Assumption renewed the League with the Emperor of Germany which had been concluded by Achmat in 1612. and had been thitherto punctually and inviolably observed but the Galleys of Malta meeting with his wealth coming from Cairo and Alexandria and carrying them and one of his dear Sultans with a son of his named Uzman both which thereafter turned Christians which was on board away for that Island put him into such a rage that without present restitution he vowd to attaque Christendome which immediately he commenced against the Venetians as abettors if not complices in the fact upon whose trade and Territories he might wreak his fury which would be spent in vain against that impregnable Isle which had blemished the prowesse and glory of his Ancestors and having rigged a Fleet and raised an Army he set upon the Isle of Candy by Sea and by Land upon Dalmatia resolved against any agreement or accommodation soever and with various fortune maintained the War till the Janizaries tumulting again deposed him and set up his son Mahomet the fourth a stripling and whom they might govern as they pleased He is supposed to have died in that fatal year 1648. the murderous Resolution to Princes but how is not certain For such is the knack of this Tyranny that the world cannot tel whether the Prince or his Slaves do dye the fairest Of the present Reign of Sultan Mahomet the Fourth ACcording to the usual custome and solemnity the Eldest son of the ceposed Sultan Ibrahim was by the Janizaries and their Leaders and the principal Basha's saluted Emperour and with great applause received by the people who were weary of his Fathers Tyranny His Name then was Aly Solyman but at his Coronation in â—656 he changed it into Mahomet partly for the greater reverence of his Name and partly for the greater fortune thereof and the favour of Prophesie that a Prince of that Name should be more victorious against the Christians then any of his Predecessors His Mother the Sultana a brave woman and who hath given very good Features both of mind and body to the young Emperour took upon her the Regency and tuition of her son and the administration of the Government where shee had busied her self in Abraims time and was none of the least motions of that change which lifted him out of the Throne for the advancement of her son the Heire of the Empire There had been frequent changes by death and disgrace of the Prime Visiers in the next preceding Reignes It is a Dignity far greater then our Lord Chancellour for he commands both in peace and Warre at home and abroad but of such short and uncertain possession especially of late that the Turks have a Proverb The greatest Persons and Officers in that government are but at best fair statues of Glass He that administred this place at the Emperours Assumption was an old States-man and a person of good success and conduct and of as good age and experience and who questionlesse laid those Noble principles and elements of glory and ambition in this young Monarch which the Christian world now sadly feels For from that disreputation and despicableness of the Turkish power by reason of those confusions and intestine troubles which for some years before had besotted and as was hoped had emasculated the Policie Prudence Valour and Courage of that Empire he at the first instant of his Government gave manifest signes of a Mercurial and Martial Disposition and with his own active Genius the example of Princes being the great Engine of worth soon buoyed up the Spirits of his people to their former pitch of fortitude and bravery of mind awakened and restored their lost discipline and to whet their new fourbished Scimitars resolved to employ them altogether against the Christians upon the irreconcilable quarrel of Religion the great Incentive to Heroical enterprises especially amongst the Turks where zeal alwayes fights half the Battle To this purpose he resolved to prosecute the War against the Venetians which his Father had begun and though at his first entrance upon it Fortune seemed to oppose his designs and severely to exercise his glorious and aspiring mind with a very great defeat given his Naval Forces by Sea the greatest ever given them since Lepanto-fight wherein he lost forty eight Gallies 6 Galiasses 12 Mahones and nine Ships and his Admiral Bassa slain in the fight in the Haven of Foggia and this success disabling his command at Sea he made no more of it then his noble Ancestor Selynus the second who beaten at Lepanto after his conquest of Cyprus said merrily Lepanto is but the shaving of my beard Cyprus is the losse of a limb Venetians victory over the Turks In the year 1654. the Venetians obtained another Victory over the Turks having fought them two days together in the Dardanelles the streight of the Hellespontick sea between Asia and Europe famous for the story of Leander and Hero where now the Turks have two Castles built in lieu of Sestos and Abydos made more impregnable very lately by some modern Fortification for better security against the Venetians The Grand Seignior himself advised the method of it and was present at the begining and finishing the work wherein he takes much satisfaction At this Naval encounter no lesse then 6000 Turks were slain and Amurath Bassa Captain Admiral of the Port was mortally wounded Turks fleet overthrown and twenty ships of War and Galleys taken besides as many sunk and spoiled This defeat so incensed the Grand Seignior that the Prime Vizier being obnoxious to his anger and displeasure for other matters some whereof were noysed to be of treasonable Consequence against his life was by a private Council ordered to be strangled and he accordingly was executed about which time the sparks of that Conflagration which at this present is mastering Hungary began to appear for a party of Turks attempted the surprisal of Vesperin a Garrison of the Emperors which annoyed the freedome of their correspondence but their design being discovered they were forced to retreat with the losse of 900 men and so the peace continued in a kind of doubtful and suspicious entertainment by both parties who made slight and mutual inroads into one anothers limits without any declaration or notice taking of a war which the Turkish Governours studied to dissemble The
way disliking the bargain and being next neighbour Recalled by the Grand Seignior out of covetousnesse and ambition came in with a great Army and assisted the Swede at the siege of Cracovia which at last was yielded and put into his hands The news hereof hastily alarmed the Turkish Court who resenting the growing greatness of the Swede and the ill neighbourhood they were like to have from him if once he could fix and settle himself in Poland the Grand Seignior commanded Ragotzi as his Tributary and Vassal for for many yeares those Princes like the other of Vallachia and Moldavia have received their investitâ—â—â— from the Turk to abandon his League wiâ—â— the Swede and to return home restoring the Polander the places he had taken Ragotzi not daring to refuse marched back again and upon his arrivall was met with a Chiaux commanding him to resign his Principality to his Cousin Radus for that he had presumed without the Grand Seigniors command or licence to invade the King of Poland and make war with a Prince in league and amity with him and withall to resign his Forts and places of strength To the first he seemingly yielded but the other he would by no means hearken to and thereupon making use of his Forces reassumes his former Title and prosecuted the Turk with open war And at the beginning with very good success though his confederate the Prince of Vallachia was routed and 8000 men slain as he was marching to his assistance defeating the Turkish Army and Bassa of Budo at Lippa 6000. men taken and killed and the victory followed thirty leagues where hearing of the advance of the prime Visier with 8000. he retired in haste and making opposition about Alba Julia to the whole Force of the Turk was there worsted a little before which he had vanquished his competitor Radus and after besieged and taken the Castle wherein he had thought to have secured himself and put him to death Before and after his overthrow he had importuned the Emperour of Germany by many â—â—stances at Vienna to undertake the Protection of his Countrey offering to give him caution of what Towns he should please but the Emperour delaying a timely interposition yet giving the Turk occasion of a quarrel by under-land assisting Ragotzi with some men Ragotzi died of his wound received at Alba Julia and with grief at Waradin Which being defended for a while after by Collonel Gaude a Scotchman was yielded upon termes to this prime Visier being the immediate earnest of those present conquests in Hungaria In the mean while Rodus the compe it or of Ragotzi being put to death by him as abovesaid The Transilvantan Troubles the prime Visier named another to the Principality of Transylvania at the end of the year 1659. a Nobleman by descent allied to the former Princes by name Michael Apaffi though vulgar errour call him Abaffi who at the appointment of the Grand Seignior was accepted by the States thereof when they perceived it was in vain to struggle for Ragotzi's Interest against the whole power of the Sultan without any assistance from the Emperour who in this declension of that Princes fortune abandoned the quarrel and left them to themselves nor would hearken to any overtures made to him for his protection upon whatever termes of resignation or Dominion and his Envoys publickly declared to the Turk as much who measuring his designes by those seares and jealousies which this Punctuall satisfaction signified was the more incited to a pursuance of those resolutions which had been taken up sometime before at the Port. The Emperor complies with the Tuâ—k And by this meanes Transylvania was quite lost and absolutely in the power of the Turk with some further advantages gained for his intended invasion of the adjacent provinces of Hungaria and Austria Leave we this Kingdome for a while which is to be the Dolefull and Tragical Conclusion of this Narrative and retrospect to the Grand Seigniors Home affairs which diverted him from an immediate prosecution of his successe in Europe for the Bassa of Aleppo where resides the greatest English Factory in 1659. broke out into a Rebellion and threatned a conjunctory with the Persian declaring for Reformation in Government and Religion the latter especially having for better pretence made some new fangled expositions of the Alchoran more to the humor of the preciser and rigid zealots of the Mahumetan Religion By vertue whereof and some former discontents which were not yet quite purged out of the Souldiery who were distributed and had their possessions in those parts under his command for the Grand Seigniour allows each Horse-man such a proportion of ground for which he is to be in a readiness to do him service he had amassed a very considerable Army severall inferiour Bashaws dependants and retainers to the former Prime Visier whose quarrel they espoused resorting to him from their respective Governments With this power he marched towards Constantinople and came on his way thither as far as Scutary within four miles of that City and thence sent in his demands which swelling to that daring presumption as to require a resignation of the Imperiall Title to a pretended Son of the late Emperour Morat an impostor of his own setting up such another as Perkin Warbeck to whom he gave all honour and observances becoming the state of a Sultan and in his right and Title encountered and overthrew two distinct Armies of the Grand Seignior that were in hast dispatcht to obstruct the increase of more adherents and favourers of his enterprise He continued in this posture like a cloud hovering over Constantinople big with some ruinous storm till this successefull Prime Visier having amassed his European Forces The expedition of Asia passed the Bosphorus into Asia with fifty thousand men more prepared to follow him being the choice of the Turkish power and with good speed advanced after the Rebel who knowing the courage both of the Leader as having been his Neighbour at Damasco and the Souldiers after a long consultation with his council of War resolved immediately in all humble and frankest manner to submit themselves to the Sultans mercy dismissing the common Souldiers to shift for themselves which being done so unexpectedly the Visier gave notice of it by an expresse with as much favour to their persons as the case deserved to the Grand Seignior who gave them all his pardon with some extraordinary respects for the Bassa of Aleppo but presently after when there was no danger of the Rebellion and all things were quieted thereabouts at the instance of some Enemies of his at Court but more truly by reason of State and the policy of the Government The Bassa of Aleppo strangled which never pardons that Crime he and thirty more were suddenly strangled their heads chopt off and set upon poles against the Emperors Seraglia at Constantinople This treacherous and cruel dealing after pardon given and such a Loyal Rendition of themselves