The whole and certein Discourse of the victorie that it hath plesed God to giue to the Christians against the Turkes .vij. Octob. ANNO. 1571.
THE diuine goodnesse and clemencie of the mercyful Lorde and God, hathe alwayes ben so pitifull and fauourable to suche as in their afflictions haue acknowledged him, that the remembrance thereof, dothe altogither make vs as it were perplexed and astonyed: for in all our actions and dooings wée haue tasted and felte his clemencie and maruellous mercies, euen at the very houre when wée haue had least hope thereof, as the wyse man doth shew vs by these words: Men shall bee tickeled vvith an horrible fear, and euen vvhen they haue least hope they shall maruel of their safetie. Wherof wée haue good experience, when that (besides the innumerable graces wée receyue dayly) he dothe make vs more and [Page]more to knowe his puissance by such effectes as to vs séemeth altogether impossible, whiche oughte so muche the more to make vs prompt and ready to magnifie his greatnesse, to prayse and exalt his holy name euerlastyngly. And therfore his maruellous woorkes ought not to bée suppressed or kepte in silence, but rather to bée published from nation to nation, that wée which depende vppon his goodnesse and mercie, maye render vnto him all honoure and prayse for euer. The newes that is come to our knowledge, of the miraculous victorie that it hath please [...] his diuine Maiestie, to giue vnto the Armies o [...] the Emperour, of the Catholyke king, and of the Seigniorie of the Ʋenetians, againste the maruellous and insupportable armie of the Turkes, for that cause is to be published to giue euery man aduertisement therof by the discourse that followeth.
By a Letter written from the Venetians bearing date the nynth day of October laste, it was aduertised that the Sunday the seuenth of the sayd moneth the armie generall of the Emperour, the [Page]Catholike Kyng and of the Seignorie of the Ʋenetians, were in Chesauian, within the portes of Argostoly: and the armie of the Turkes was within the gulphes of Velapante, looking when the Christians shoulde come oute that they myght giue them battaile, and fight with them. The Christians béeing but a few in numbre in respect of so great and insupportable an armie as the Turks was (the which séemed rather lyke a Forest than a nauie on the sea, being well nigh two hundred shippes and fiftie Foysts,) made it séeme dangerous to enter within the goulfe to fight with them: for they were not equall in force to them.
The noble Don Iean de Austriche, (brother to the Catholike Kyng, and Lieutenant generall of his armie) was aduertised, that Fiftie of his greate Galeys were vnfurnished there where one parts of his force was: whyche gaue hym greate occasion to haue the better wyll to fyghte with the reste: To come to whiche purpose, hée sent oute eyghte good Galeys to drawe oute the Turkes [Page]to fight: After the which [...]yght [...] the reste of our armie dyd follow in verye good order well furnised (with good hope by the helpe of GOD to come to good effecte.) They did discouer the Armie of the Turkes, who perceyuing the Christians dyd approche, came in great disorder to assayle them, trusting onely in their forces: But the Christians putting themselues in battayle in forme of a Cressent, did compasse as well as they coulde, the Armie of the Turkes, and they did it in suche sorte, (that by reason of the sayde disorder) after they hadde fought valyantly from eyght of the clock in the mornyng vntyll an houre after dynner, they béegan to obteyne victorie, whyche continued vntyll nyght: and if it had not bene for the darknesse of the pouder and shotte, they had wholly defeated the armie of the Turkes, of the whiche there escaped but onely xviij. Galeys. Whyche victorie was executed wyth so smal a number on our part, that it was little or nothyng in respecte of suche and so great a victorie.
Aboute moue was taken the Galey of the Bassa, (that was the Lieutenaunt generall of the Armie) whose head was carryed to Seigneur Don Iean de Anstriche, whiche after he had a good while helde the same in his handes, hée commaunded it to bée put vppon the ende of a Pyke, and to be sette vppon the for eparte of the Galley for victorie, and for a trymphe.
Of all the Armie of the Turkes, there was none sauid but the sayd .xviij. Galeys, whiche were folowed a greate whyle by thrée galeys of the Popes, four of the knyghtes of Malia, and sixe of the Ʋenetians, and they came so néere them, that if the darknesse of the nyght had not fauoured them with the helpe of their good Ores, they had not gone to carie the heauie newes of the ouerthrow of the rest of their armie.
There is taken by the Christians Cxxx. greate Turkishe galeys and fyftie Foystes, oute of whiche Galleys and Foystes, haue bene deliuered xiiij. thousand christians captiues with the Turkes.
[Page] In the sayde Galeys and foysts was founde great store of munitions of war, the moste parte whereof was deliuered to be sente to Malta.
There was also .xv. Galeys of the Turkes drowned.
And there were .xxv. galeys burnt.
And there were .xx. thousand Turks slayne wyth their Bassa, whiche was the generall of their armie.
Besydes fyue thousande prisoners.
The losse that the Christians had, was two Galleyes of the Popes whiche were drowned.
And one burned of the Knightes of Malta.
Fiue of the Ʋenetians were loste, of the which two were burnt and thrée drouned.
The generall of the armie of the Ʋenetians, was slaine in the saide Galleys that were lost, and .xx. Ʋenetian Gentlemen.
There is deade of the Christians as wel out of the said eight Galeys that were lost, as of them that were slayne in the [Page]other Galleys, aboute two thousande men, of the which there were foure Knightes of Malta, thrée Spaniardes, and one Italian.
The Venetians amongs all the rest did shewe themselues very valyante, and they were the first that with great furie did ioyne in combate agaynst the sayde Turkes.