THE Turquish nation after the opinion of diuers writers chiefly of these of [...]ate yeres for that they haue sene them rule in those partes where the citieof Troy once was, and hauynge regarde to their name, haue affirmed that thei are discended from Teu cxi, from whence the Troians bad their originall, the which is vtterly false, for in dede that natiō which at this present dwelleth in the lesser Asia vnder the rule of the house of Ottomann [...]: beinge of nature cruell and barba­rous, toke originall from the Scithianes, and as the philosopher Etico dothe declare, had their abidinge beyonde the montaines called Pyrithei, not far frō the Is [...]es Tarraconite: directlye towarde the Northwest sea.

And as Otho, brother to Federyckes father of Austriche being Emperour doth declare, that at the tyme when P [...] pine raigined in Fraunce, these people departinge from the confines of Caspie were aboute the yere of Christe 760. beinge encontred with the people Auari which in oure time are Hungarians, and fighting betwene them a cruell battayle, and great slaughter on bothe sydes done. The Turques not withstanding continuing their enter­prise, ouerran and spoyled the contreis of Poutho, and Capadocia with other prouinces to them adioyinge. And in the beginning they gathered them selues togither secret­lye and dwelled vpon montaynes and in stronge places, perillous to assayle, and maynteyned them selues and lyued of p [...]oie and spoyle, as occasion was offered them. After that when they grewe to some strength, and were prouyded of captaynes, and discipline, they began with open warres to molest and trouble y^• people of those coun­tries neare vnto them adioyning and to become lordes of their contreis, and these people not being able to stande against and to endure their force, and crueltie, were enforced [Page] forced to giue place: so that the Turques within shorte space possessed not only Pontho and Capadocia, but as­sailed the lesser Asia (which takinge his name of thē is at this daye called Turchia) in such sort, that in short time they became lordes, and maisters of Galatia, Bithinia, Pamphi [...]ia, Pisidia, of the one and other Frigia, of Cili­tia, and of Caria, enlarging the cōfines of their domini­on euen from the sea called Ionio, to the banckes of the sea Egeo, and then appointed to euery faction and con­trey, hys gouernor, and in this sorte gouerned for a long time, hauing among them nother kinge, ne any man en­dued with tytle of souereentie, other then of captaine, ac­cording to the saying of Nicolao Sagundino a man very well seen, bothe in the Greake and Latyne tonge, and also in the histories as wel ancient, as of later times, for that he had exercised hym selfe alonge tyme in them, and hauing ioyned to his redinge, experience, hauing trauay­led thorowe, & seen the greatest part of the inhabited earth whoe wrote to the pope pio, that aboute the yere of y^e christian helth 1330. There arose amonge the Turques one Ottomano, of a noble house and smale welthe, wyse, and of a noble minde, whoe by his perswasiones and toward­nesse, had gathered togither a greate numbre of valiante and lustie men, desirouse of alteration, he toke in hand y^• which he knewe to be generally acceptable vnto thē, whi­ch was to make warres against the christianes which confyned with his contreys, and throughe hys lyberal distri­buting of the proies and spoiles that he gate from y^• chri­stians, to his souldiors, his power was so encresed throwe the pleasantnesse of gaine and reputacion that his people had, that he (seing him selfe cheyfe of an armye whych de­sired to liue licensiously, and was apte to accompanye him in whatsoeuer enterprise he shoulde take in hand, determined to make him selfe prince of that companye, and began openly wyth warres to persecute those y^• wolde not there vnto agree in the which his enterprise, he was very well holpen by the discorde and diuision that was amongest the principall and cheife rulers of that nation, and he ayding him selfe with the same diuisiō, did continaully maintaine and norrishe the same, and gaue nowe ayde to the one par­tye [Page 2] and then to the other,Subtillitie of Ottomā no the firste prince of the turkes. vntyl that they were al, so con­sumed and impouerished that they were not able to resiste his force, when it was emploied against them. And in this sorte, he became a Tyran ouer his owne natyon, & made him selfe lord of the greatest part of their contreis namīg him selfe prince of the lesser Asya. This Ottomano at his death lefte to succede hym in hys kyngdome Orcano hys sonne,Oreano the second who folowing his fathers fote steppes did not only preserue the Empire which his father lefte him. But also enlarged it greatly, when Orcano died, Amorath hys el­deste sonne succeded him in his kingdome,Amorath the third. who trāsfering his courte to Bithinia, ordained y^e seate of hys kyngdome in Bursia, which standeth at the very fote of the rootes of the Mounte Olimpo. In the time of Amorathe, two of the Emperors sonnes of constantinople fel at stryfe aboute y^e possessyon of the Empire, it semed to the yonger sonne, y^• his brother did maruelously oppresse him, and althoughe his force was not sufficient to resyst hym, he woulde not yet giue place vnto him, but sent to Amorathe for ayde, of fering him a great sum of mony inrecompence, Amorathe agreed to his demande, and assembled his power, and with spede embarqued hys people and passed into Gretya, and with greate subtiltye dyd leade the warres at length, and when he sawe the two bretherne so weake and that they had consumed the treasure which their father left them, & by their cyuille warres had so spoiled their contrey y^• they were not able to maintayne them selues in there estate w^t there reuene we which was then lefte them,Amorathe the fyrste turke that inuaded Gretia. he in one in­stante emploied his force against them both, and in y^e firste assaulte he toke the citie of Gallipolli, a place very commodiouse for his state, for asmuche as it standeth in Propon­tide vpon the sea side not farre from the mouth of y^e straite of Helesponto. And desiring ernestly in his minde the Empire of Gretia for asmuch as he knewe their force not able to endure against him, wherupon he vsed the occasyon, & did continually spoile and impouerishe them, in such sorte as in shorte space he became lorde of the greatest parte of Romania,Ro [...]a [...]y [...] percel of Thratia. which is the principall parte of the prouince of Thracia, the which in ancient time had his confynes ve­ry large, in so much that it is said that on the one side they [Page] stretched oute towarde the east euen to the sea called Eu­sino, and Propontyde, and towardes the southe to the sea Eugenio, and the floode Strimone and the contrey of Ma­cedonia, and towardes the north to the riuer Danubio, & on the west it confined with the Mountaines of Peonia, & with panonia nowe called hungaria and with the Ryuer Sauo, in the which Thratia they will that there be com­prehendid the one and other Misya,The two cōtreis called Misia­nowe Seruya, and Bargarya named. at this day called Seruia, and Burgarya, the inhabytantes wherof doe call all these places lying a long the seacoaste toward the south inhabited by the Greeks euen to the verie straite of Eles­pontho, Romania, when Amorath died, he lefte behynde him two sonnes, Saliman, and Baiazith, Saliman dyed in shorte space after, then the successyon was wholly in Baiazith who toke in hande the goueraunce. And whē he had established his state in Asya,Bayazithe the 4 prince of the tur­kes made the second warres in Gretia. he sent a new power into Europa, and reuiued the warres began by his father, a­gainst the Greekes, in the which fortune so fauored hym that in shorte space he was possessid of all Romania, and lefte the Emperor of Gretia nothinge but Constan [...]nople and Pera the which was possessid then by the Genoueses, after this he passed on and made his warres euen in the very bowels of Gretia, with a course of maruelouse victorie no place resisting him, he occupied Thessalia, Phocide, the contre of Boetia, with the greatest part of the contrey of Attica, that onely the citie of Athenes was defendid, whi­ch being of suche force, both natural and artificiall that it was inexpugnable, wherfore he entred into Macedonia y^e which in time past had his confines greatly enlarged tho­rough the great force of y^e places of the same, & conteyned in it at that time y^e contreis of Peonia and Paphlagonia, and finding it vnfornished of such as moughte defended it he possessyd it, and passed on with his people and made a course through Bossina, and Seruia, leadinge awaye w^t him continually great proies both of men, and catell in most miserable calamitie, and thus he went on consuming and destroing the contreis,Baiazith besegithe. Constanti­nople. and then retorned into Roma­nia, and broughte his armie to constantinople, and shutte in them of the cytye and toke from them, all the contrey aboute them, in such sort y^• they were enforced to hold thē [Page 3] with in the gates of y^e citie, and coulde non withoute great danger go forth of it no way by land, & tormenting it con­tinually, had brought it to that passe that the Citizens being out of all hope to defended it, began alredie, to practise appointment with him. And there is no doute, that yf god by extraordinarie meanes, had not prouided for it, the citie of constantinopole y^e which in time before, many hundred yeres passed, had ben the hed, not onely of Gretia, but also, of the greatest part of the worlde, had at that tyme fallen into hands of the most cruell and Barbarouse nati­one of Turques, had not ben Tamerlano, a parthian borne who with a great power: entred y^e lesser Asia, and assailed it with such furie, that he cōstrened Baiazith to abandone Constantinople: and to passe with his armie in to Asya, for the defence therof. And hauing nowe occasion to speke of the actes of Tamerlano, and his people, I haue thought it,Digre [...] not inconuenient, to make some litle digressyon, and to declare from whence this puissant captaine had his origi­nal, and by what meanes he dyd attayne to the hygh and supreme degre of honor, in the which he then was, when Baiazith was chiefe prince, and king of the Tur­kes, thys Tamerlano was borne in Parthia, of base and simple parents, he was exerised in armes euen from his childehed, and did so profyte therin, that it was harde to saye which had greater place in him, eyther strength and lustines of his bodye or els his wisdome and other vertues of the minde, so that amonge the souldiors he was had in great reputatyon and honor, in such sort that a great multitude folowed him, and cheifely those, which were most experimented in the warres and thus in shorte time he became prince of a mightye armie, both of horse men, & fotemen, whō he had gayned to folow him, by his vertue, good dysposytion, and lyberalytye, by whose aide he fyrste delyuered hys contrey of Parthya from the bon­dage of the saracenes, and then became prince therof af­ter that wyth greate violence, he assailed the contreis neare vnto hym and in fewe yeares possessyd them: and broughte to his obedience, Scithia Asyatyca, Iberia, the Albaneses, the Persyanes, the Assyrianes, and Medes, a [...]d last of all he broughte vnder [Page] his yoke Mesopotamia and the greater Armenia, and then passed ouer the floode Euphrates aboute the yere of our Lord 1390. with a farre greater army then was that of Dario, or that which Xerse broughte into Grecia, for it is sayde that he had in his campe 400000.The atmie of Tamer lano. horsemen, & 600000. fote men, with whom he assayled the lesser Armi­a, vpon whose confines Baiazith the Turke, king of Asia encountred him with a mightie power both of horsmen & fote men, and trusting in the vertue and discipline of his people, whose labour he had a long tyme vsed w^t great felicitie, did not refuse to accepte the battayle notwith­standyng he knewe him selfe to be farre inferiour in number. Then these two mightie princes approching the one towardes the other so neare as they mighte discerne the one the others order,The batel betwene tamerlano & baiazith. omitted no time but ioyned in bat­tayle, in the which, for the greatest parte of the day there were flayn great numbers on both sydes, and thei fought wyth such assuraunce, nether parte geuynge place to the other, that it was harde to saye where the victorie should incline, tyll at the last the Turkes beyng werye, and not able to endure the force of the Parthians (who continually supplied their squadrones with freshe bandes) soughte to retyre them selues in order, tightynge continually in their retreicte, but the Prince beynge ware hereof, com­maunded certayne great troupes of horsemen to geue charge vpon them, who charged them wyth suche force that they disordered them, and then the Turkes began to flee, leauyng the victorie to theyr enemies, and Baia­zith fought valiantlye a longe tyme in person, tyll he had lost a great multitude of hys people: and also laste of all, his horse was stayne vnder hym and then was taken and presented to Tamerlano, who commaunded him to be encheined, and ledde him with him thorow out al Asia for a spectacle, and it is sayde that whylest he did dine and fuppe, he had him alwayes tyed vnder his table lyke a dogge, and so fedde him, and when he went to horse, he caused him to be brought and to sit him downe vpon his knees & elbowes. And thus vsed him in stede of a block to go to his horse on. And thus he helde him prisoner during his life in most miserable calamitie.

[Page 4] All those which at any time haue written of Tamerla­no,Disciplyne of Tamerlano. haue greatlye commended hym for the discipline and order which he obserued in the conducting of his armyes, for they declare that euery occupation had hys streate appoynted him in the campe, wherein he might vse his exercise euen in lyke order as it had bene in a famous citie, & there was in it greate abundaunce of all thynges for the commoditie of man, which proceded of hys seueritie and iustice, for he woulde not leaue vnpunished the ieast vio­lence that was committed: not so much as the takyng a­way of one handful of grasse agaynst y^e owners good wil whereupon it folowed that he had as great abundance of all necessaries in his campe, as if it had bene in great fai­res and markettes, brought thither voluntarilie from the countreys aboute him as he passed, his seueritie also was such that it helde hys Souldyours so wythin the ban­des of modestie, that there was neuer sene nor head any kynde of sedicion amonge them, and they saye fur­ther, which is greatlye to be merueyled at, that he neuer fought with man, but he had the victorye ouer hym, so that he neuer tasted of Fortunes bitternes. Thus when he had spoyled and conquered all Asia euen to the floode Nilo, & had taken by force Emirua, Antiochia, Sebastia, Tripoli, and Damasco, with a greate number of other ci­ties moe, and put the inhabitantes of them to the sworde caried away theyr spoyle, and consumed them into ashes: leauing them desert and plained to the grounde.

Then entred he into Egypte, where he gaue many ouer­throwes to the Soldanes people, and constrained them to flee beyonde Pelusyo and wolde haue folowed them hade not the scarcenes of victuales ben, for it was not possyble for him to prouide cariage for to transporte sufficientie of victual: for the norrishing of so populouse an armie as his was, throughe the sandie and deserte contreis, his corrage was suche, that he delighted cheifely in those enterpryses which semed most difficile to be acheued in the opinion of others,Damas [...]o. as it cam to passe in the taking of Damasco, where a numbre of the defendants conueyed them selues oute of the towne into the castle where in there owne opynyon & in the common opynyon of others, they were safe, consy­deryng [Page] the naturall force of the seate, and also y^e artificisal [...] force of the place, notwithstanding being desyrouse to a­uoide the miserie and trauaile of a sege and to saue their liues, they gaue out a token, signifiynge that they were desyrous to talke with him, and vpon condicion to yelde him the place, but he refused vtterly to heare of any ap­poyntment, although, his captaines woulde gladly haue persuaded him there vnto,Tameria­no deliteth in difficile enterpri­ses. but went and considered tho­rowly the seate and force of the place, and seyng the wal­les to be such that no ladder might attayne the heyght of them, he determn [...]ed in any wise to haue it by force, wherupon he caused forthwith neare vnto the same castel, another castell to be buylded of farre greater heyght then the first, from y^e height wherof he did so beate his enemies day and nyght without cease, that in the ende with the losse of a great number of his people, he toke it of force.

After this, hauyng intelligence that in the citie of Ca­phia, a garison towne of the Genoueses,Pollicie of Tamer­ [...]o. was great store of golde and siluer in the handes of the marchantes, he hauynge alreadye purpofed to take that towne by force, which standeth in Cheronesso Taurico, not far from the Bosphono and straite Timerico, and considerynge that the treasure (although he wanne the towne) mought ea­selye be buried vnder the grounde and so saued, he deter­mined to haue both the towne & treasure by this meane, he called to him the skynners of his countrey, such as had most riche furres, as Sables, Armines, Genettes, Martirones, and suche lyke, and gane them commaundement, for the more spedie dispatche of y^e matter, that they shulde not passe, for the sellyng of them at a lowe price, to the ende, that through the meanesse of the price, the marchantes mought more gredily by them, this matter beyng skilfully handlded was sone dispatched, and immedialy after that he denounced warres agaynst them, and forthwith, presented him selfe with his armie to the towne, and when he had enuironed the towne wyth his campe, he planted his batteries and continued them day and nyght without ceasing, in such sort, that in short space he posses­sed the towne, the marchantes, the furres, and the money which was an inestimable treasure. It is written also, [Page 5] that this was his ordre in beseeging of townes, y^e fyrst daye his owne lodgings were white, and if in that day, the inhabitants of the towne dyd yelde vnto him,The cus­tum of Tamerlano in the be­seeging of townes. they receuid no hurte nother in body nor goodes, the seconde daye his lodgings were red, which signifyed to them of the towne that yf then they yelded, that he wolde put to death all the masters of the families. And the thyrde day, was his last change, which was in to blacke Pauil­lions and tentes, and then refused he all appointments and when he had in this sorte taken any Citie or towne he put all that were in it to the sworde, not sparing any of whatsoeuer age or kinde they were, when he had thus done, then wolde he commaunde to sack the towne, and when the goodes were taken oute of it, then wolde he cause fyre to be set in the towne & so consume it to ashes & leue it deserte. And there is a bruite which cōtinueth euen to this daye in those partes, that on a tyme a cer­taine populouse citie defended them selues, tyll the third day, and then seing a great space of the walle laid flatte on the earth, and the enemie in battaile redie to gyue y^• assaulte they were discoraged, and thincking to pacifie y^• wrath of this cruel, proude, aud victoriouse enemie, by humblyng them selues, sent forth all the wemen and chyldren of the towne in white clothynge: wyth oliue branches in their hands, offeringe him the towne, cal­ling to him with lowde voice for mercy, whom whē Tamerlano sawe a farre of comming toward him,great crueltie of Ta­merlano. he gaue commaundement to certaine bands of his horsemen to charge vpon them and to put them all to the sworde, af­ter this, he toke the citie and sacqued it, and then burned it, it happened at that time by meanes of traffique of marchaundeze, certaine marchante, a Genouese borne to be greatly in fauor with Tamerlano, and being with him at that same present discoursing of sōdrie matters, asked him why he vsed so great crueltie towardes those people which he ouercame, but he torned to him with an exceding troublouse contenance: with eyes flaming like fyre, and said vnto him yf thou doste thincke that I am aman thou arte much deceuid, for I saye to the that I [...]amthe wrath of God, sent to plague, and punishe the [Page] worlde, and I commaunde the that yf thou woldest not receue due punnishement for thy auditiouse and folishe demaunde, that thou gette the hence, out of my sight, & that thou comme lesse in my presence, the pore marchāt being much feared with the words of the Tyran departed from him & was neuer sene after that by him, they that haue sen Tamerlano liuing,Tamerla­no lykned to Aniball. haue said that he re­sembled much both in face, and maners, Anibal of Carthage, acordinge to the opinion of diurse ancient wry­ters, and before all other offenses he shewed his seuere Iustice againste thefts, in punnishing thē most sharply w^tout any remission. And it is thought that he dyd it to that ende, that the feare of punnishement shoulde cause them to refraine, to y^e ende that he alone mought robbe and spoile acording to his owne desire the whole world and last of all, his delighte was wholly set to gouerne, in so much that he emploied him, selfe continually as in an exercise most vertuouse, to molest and trouble other princes with warres, by the which he had subdued ma­ny kings, and vtterly impouerished a greate numbre of tyranes, made deserte many, contreis, and conuerted in to ashes an infinite numbre of cities and townes, & then last of al, he retorned into his contrey with his army in credibly enriched with the spoyle of those natyons whō he had subdued, and also he vsed to take oute of euerye towne that yeldyed vnto him, certaine of the cheife hous­holdes with all their substances and riches, and to sende thē wholly in to Parthia. When he was retorned home he builded a newe Citie very bewtifull, and of a greate circuite, and placed their in all those housholds afore re­hersed, in so much, y^e the newe Cytie beinge inhabyted w^t these riche & noble men of diuerse nationes, in shorte tyme increased so in welth, that yt became the cheife ci­tie of all the Orient. And yf it had happened, that Ta­merlano had had with him some man of excellent lear­ning and wysedome, who mought w^t his writings haue celebrated the great enterprises that he dyd, their is no doute but that he mought, haue ben numbred amonge the cheife and princypall captaynes, eyther of the olde worlde orels of this present age, but god gyueth not all [Page 6] things to one man, & also it semed that his great cruel­tye which he vsed towarde those y^• he ouercame, dyd not deserue to haue his fame celebrated by writing, ne yet y^e it mought long remaine to his posteritie, when Ta­merlano died, he lefteto succide him in his Empire whiche he had thus gottē by y^e sworde,Diuine iustice. two sonnes, which after his death fel oute & maītained ciuil warres betwene them, & were the cause y^e the olde, and ancient parthicke fame clerely extinckte & brought to obliuion, and after ward by Tamerlano reuiued, coulde not continewe nor encrease.

But nowe, retorninge to our Historie where we left, after that the armie of Baiazith was defeicted & he taken by Tamerlano, his sonnes fled awaye before the furie of y^e victoriouse enemie, who had berafte them the whole empire of the lesse Asia, and when they came into Gretia: they happened into the hands of the Emperour of Constantinople,Calapin [...] the 5. king who preserued their liues, and helde them vnder good garde, and after the death of Tamer­ [...]ano, he licensid the eldest sonne Calapino, to passe into Asia, wheare when he was ariued he was forthe with, gratfullye receued of the people, and in short time reco­ueryd the Empire whiche once was his fathers & after that retorned into his state & gouernement in Gretia, & from thence went against y^e king of hungari, who went then for aide to Charles the vi. Kinge of Fraunce, who graunted him a greate numbre of men at armies vnder the conducte and guide of Iohn Counte of Niuerse, who afterwarde succyded his father in the gouernance and principalitie, of the Duchie of Borgonie, and of many other Captaines as it is some thing plainely declared alredye by vs, in the Frenche Historie, and in the life of the afore saide Charles the syxte also that when there were defeycted in hungarye at Mychopollye,Defeict at Micho­polli. eyghte hundred Frenche launces, the afore sayde Iohn with manye other noble men of Fraunce, was taken pry­soner, & for the summe of two hundred thousand ducates were set at lybertye by the afore said Calapino, thē died this same Calapino, & left Orca his sone, but Moises his [Page] brother succided him in his Kingdome,moises the 6. Kinge. who berafte Orca not only of his kingdome but also of his life, but he long enioyed not that kingdom so wickedly gotten, but died in shorte space after,Maho­meth the 7 kinge. & lefte his brother Mahometh to succede in his place, who afterwarde made warres vpon the people of Valachia, a stoute nation, dwelling neare the mouth of the ryuer Danubio, giuīg them ma­ny ouerthroes, and consuming their contrey with con­tinuall courses and spoiles, compelled them to search appointment and to giue trybute, after all this he emplo­ied his force against certaine noble men of the Turkishe nation, which dwelled in Asya, and he fell to agrement with some of them, and the greatest numbre of them he banished from their contreys and dominions, and toke them cleane from them. This Mahometh duryng hys raigne, handled the christians that were hys subiects very cruelly, and dyd plague them with sondrye tyranies, whē Mahometh died, he left his Kingdome, to Amorath his sonne who was then in Natolia vpon the fronters: [...]morathe the 8. King. with an armye by the commaundement of his father: for the garde therof who hearing of the death of hys fa­ther, came with all spede of Calcedone to passe y^e straite and so to entre into his dominions of Gretia, but the Emperor of Constantinople: dyd prohibite him the pas­sage for a long season with his nauie, and set Mustaffa the yongest sonne of Baiazith at libertie, and also gaue hym ayde to recouer hys fathers kyngdome, but when Mustaffa, and Amorath were once ioyned in battayll, Mustaffa with his power was sone defeicted, & Amorath with his armie remained there with the victorie vpon y^e place, and easyly possessid the dominions and kingdome of his father, after that he brought his armie into Gre­tia, and with continuall courses dyd so spoyle and im­pouerishe, those prouinces that yet rested in the handes of the christians, and lad his armie to the citie Thesalonica, which was then possessyd by the Venetyanes, by vertue of a graunt made vnto them by Theodoro, son to Emanuell, Emperor of Constantinople, and toke it by force and sacked it, and lefte it in maner deserte, and folowing on, the race of his victorie, entred in to Epirro [Page 7] which of men of this age is called Lartha, & frō thence into the contreis of the people called Etolli, contreis in ancient time of great power and nobilitie, and at thys daye are ioyned to the gouernance of Macedonia,Amorathe taketh Sckyauo­nia. & whē he had thus taken them, he annexed them to his crown. And shortly after he entred into Illiria, whiche at thys daye is called Schiauonia, in y^e which their is contained Dalmatya, Croacya, and Istria, with the people called Iburni, he ouer ran it with exceding great spoile and destruction therof, also he toke there certaine townes, and caried awaye from thence an inestimable proye of men and catel. And bycause among the Turkes it was law­ful for one mā to haue many wiues,Amorathe taketh to wife the daughter of the dis­potte of Seruia. Amorath although he had alredie a great nūber of wiues yet he ioyned him selfe in mariage with a daughter of George Dispotto of Seruia, but making smal acompte of y^e band of affinitie with in short space after, he entred into Seruia as an enemie with his armie, but George knowing his force not sufficient to resiste the power and furie of his sonne in lawe furnished with men & monition, the citie of Sin­deronia, and left in it one of his sonnes for the defence therof, and he, with his wife children and familie fled in to Hungarie, and caryed wyth hym a greate numbre of prestes,Seruia taken by Amorath [...] Amorath in a shorte time became lord of al Seruia, & then laste of all with his armie went to Sindero­nia, and toke it by force, and finding in it the sonne of y^e dispotto, he plucked out both his eies, & caried him prisoner with him, when George had thus loste his contrey he continued in hungarie many yeres in exile, tell on a time Iohn the vaiuoda, which then gouerned hungarie entred īto Saruia. This vaiuoda was acompted for his great Iudgement in warres, one of y^e most famouse captaines of Europe, and had giuen to diuers of the Tur­kes Sauigiachi, many ouerthroes, and recouerid out of the hands of the said Turke, a great parte of the contre of the afore named Dispotto, but he restored him not to all that which he had recoueryd,lyberalitye of Vauio­da. for some parte of it he gaue to his captaines, other he helde to him selfe, per­swading him selfe that he had great reason so to doe, cō ­sidering that it was he that had recoueryd it, and ther­fore [Page] thought it good to holde some part of it for him self and some for his frinds, and the rather for that he knew the dispotto, not worthye to be trusted, for so much as as he put no difference betwene the Christian relygyon, and the Mahometan, and for that hys contrey laye be­twene the hungarianes and y^e Turks, and wolde nowe enter in league with the one, and then with the other, and deceaue them both, but nowe retorning to speke of Amorath, a man truely of great power, & also of greate vnderstanding in warres, who when he had brought vnder fote those noble men of his nation, that helde anye parcell of his dominion, and had reduced to his obedy­ence, all the lesse Asia, with pontho and Capadotia, so that all those that dwellid in it were his excepte onely Caromano,Caroma­no prince of Cilicia. prince of Cilitia, & Asmabeco which gouerned in Armenia neare to the floode & uphrates, and the lord of Scandalaro which far beionde the citie of Seta­lia, doth possesse that part of Cilicia that doth face the Iste of Cipres, and although that Amorath had deter­mined in his minde y^e enterprise against y^e hungarianes yet he thought it good to make him selfe lord of y^e rest of Gretia,the, seat of Pelonesso or at y^e leaste to leaue them, his frynds, at hys backe, wherupon he entred into Peloponesso which at this daye is called morea, and from thence mar­ched on with his armies, to y^e straite (which beig) in bred­deth but fiue thousād pases doth deuide Peloponesso frō the rest of Gretia, in sorte, that if this distraite of y^e land were cut through, Peloponesso shold be & Isle, enufro­ned w^t y^• seas, Egeo, and Ionio) & there rased y^e walle of Esmillia y^e which in tim paste was made by the Gree­kes for a strengeth to their contre, & Cōstantainte y^e dis­potto who at that time possessed it seing him selfe not a­ble to defend it, dyd groe to an appointment with him, and agred to giue him a certaine tribute, and by that meanes made peace with him. When Amorathe had thus broughte to passe the affares of Peloponesso, and possessid the whole prouince of Attica and was agreed with the lord of the citie of Athenes which was aflorin tine by Birth, he assembled an armie of a hundred thousands of men, and so passed into hungarie, & being there [Page 8] coulde by no meanes get,Amorathe passethe with his armie into Hungarye sufficencie of corne ne victua­les, for such an armie, for so much, as y^e yere before there had fallē so much raine ī hungarie, y^e it had in maner vtterly distroied their corne, in so much that y^e inhabitāts therof, were enforced to leaue y^e cōtery in manye places therof & to seke for reliefe in other places, y^e which whē he considered, he cōmaūded to spoyle the contrey, as much as in thē was, & thē retorned home w^t his armie. This scarcety & wante of victual did at y^e time saue the kingdome of Hungarie, for by meanes of it, Amorath was cōstrained to retorne home w^t his armie, & to cōtēt thē selues w^t y^e simple spoile y^e they there found.the Cardi­nal Saint Agnolo sent into Almaigne Thē Eugenio y^e forth of y^e name Bushope of Rome, vnderstādig in what peril y^e cōtrey of Hūgari was, sent in to Almany Iuliano Cesearino his legate dalatere, Cardinall S. Agnolo, to perswad y^e Emperour and other princes of y^e almanigne nation to ayde the king of Hūgari, which Cesarino when he cam into Almagnie, did earnestly desire y^e Emperour to take vpon him y^e defence of y^e King­dom of Hungarie, against y^e enemies of y^e Christiā faith when he had thus done, he wente into Hungarie, and there by his auctoritie & effectuous persuasion, so mo­ued y^e people, y^e euery man toke his furniture & weapon & wolde not tarye, y^e aide y^e was promysed thē out of Al­maigne, but folowed Iohn Vaiuoda their captayne, & marched on into Gretia, vntill they came to the citie of Sophia, & hauinge often times occasiō to deale w^t the Turkes, had alwayes y^e victorie of thē Vaiuoda wanne so great estimatiō in this iourney, in y^e which he did not onely fully execute y^e office & dutie of an excellēt discret Captaine, but also of a valiaūt and hardie souldiour, so that it was growen to a Prouerbe amonge y^e Turkes, y^e whē y^e mothers woulde appease their chyldren from crying, or els w^t drawe them frō any fonde desyre y^e they had, they would say, here cōmeth Vaiuoda. After this all y^e Sangiachi gatherid thē selues together, w^t y^e Lieu tenaunt of Gretia, which in y^e Turkishe speche is called Belagarbei, & they vnited theyr powers & marched to­ward the christians, w^t a very puysaunt armye, bothe of horse men and foote men, and ioyned wyth theym [Page] in battaile,Battaile betwen vaiuoda and the belagarbei of gre­tia. but the Christians in numbre, were farre in feriour to the infidels, who fought for a longe time ve­rye valiantly with the hungarianes, but at the laste be­ing ouercomme, through the vertue, and discipline of y^e hungarianes torned their backes and flied, and in thys flight were flaine a great numbre of them. In this acte ofarmies, y^e hungarian Captaines did some what aug­ment the victorie, and wrote to frederick the Emperour declaring that they had defeicted the turkishe armie, and slaine thritye thousand of them vpon the place, and also taken of them a greate numbre, but it semeth to me ra­ther that to be true, that the Cardinall Sainte Agnolo wrote to the pope and the Emperour, which was, that the number of them y^• were slaine, was vpon the pointe of syre thousand, and that also, they had takē ix. cornets of the enemies, and thus attributing the glory to God: and then to Iohn the Vaiuoda, whose great vnderstanding, and magnanimitie, he doth celebrate with marue­louse praises, when the turkes were retorned home frō this defeicte,Brute in Turchie thei were more afraied them hurt, by meanes of a brute that ran among them, that the hungari­anes dyd not onely make preparation to inuade them, but the Almaignes and all the princes of Christendome also, wherupō they being in great doute and feare, sent to the hungarianes for peace, who well weing y^e power of y^e enemye, imputed the victorie as well to good happe as to their force, and were willing to auoide the danger of anye more enhaxarding their force, to attempte for­tune, whereupon with good wil accepted the conditiones offeryd vnto them, and in this sorte astablished a treues betwine them for ten yeres, conditionally y^e they shoulde restore againe to y^e Dispotto of Seruia, all such townes of his,Trewes betwene the hungers & the Turc­kes. as they then helde presently in their possessyon, when y^e agrement, was thus put in writing, them were they on both partes solempnely sworne, to obserue and fulfill all such articles as were notified with in the said treues, and thus on both sydes they ceassed from hosti, litie, disolued their armies, and eyther retorned to hys contrey. The Cardinall who had determyned to leuye a newe armie, and so to folowe the victorye, was verye [Page 9] muche displeased with the makyng of this trewes, and wrote his minde to the Pope in that behalfe,Note the cōmaundemēt of the Pope. who was very sorowfull when he harde of it, and beynge a man fully bent to chase the Infidels out of Europe, wrote a­gayne to hys Legate: that the trewes taken betwene the Hungarians and the Turkes, was of no value: for so much as his consent was not in it, and therefore charged him to commaunde Laodislao, Kynge of Polonia: who at that tyme possessed Hungarie, that he shoulde breake the trewes made with the enemie, and reuyue the warres, for so much as he and the rest were dispen­sed with as touchynge theyr othe, by the authoritie of the Apostolike seate, then the bishop sent forth hys Le­gates to the rest of the Christian princes desyring them to ayde the Kyng of Hungarie in this enterprise against the Turke for the recouerye of Gretia, but he founde none that was any [...]hynge moued with godly reale to­warde this enterprise, sauyng onely Philippe duke of Burgonye, who put to sea his nauie, and sent them to­ward the straite of Gallipollie to ioynge with the Gal­leys o [...] the Pope Eugenio, which he sent vnder the conduct of Camertingo his nephewe, to the ende that they shoulde spoyle and inuade the coaste of Asia, & to shutte vp the straite, that no ayde shoulde come out of Asia in­to Europe. When Laodislao had receyued this com­maundement of the great bishop, he thought it very fit for his purpose, for so muche as he knewe ryghte well that the nobilitie of Hungarie were not well conten­ted that he should gouerne and possesse their countrey, wherefore he thought it good to holde the people there­of continually occupyed in warres. And immediatlye without anye difficutie obeyed the popes commaunde­ment, sent for men into Polonia and Bohemia, with o­ther countreys neare about him, and leuyed his armye, made him readie with great celeritie, leading with him a great number of Hungararians and also in maner, all the nobilitie and Prelates of Hungarie, he had also in his companye the Cardinall of sainct Agnolo, who by the authoritie of the Apostolike seate had gathered to­gether a great number of crossed men, when Laodisiao [Page] was proclamed Captaine generall of the iorney (Iohn vainoda went with an armie,An other iorney a­gainst the Turcks. in the which it is written that there were xl. thousand horsemen besides fotemen) towards Valachia, where he had passage and victuall, & then passed ouer the plaines, and after that, ouer the ryuer Dauubio, and from thence marched on into the lo­wer Misia which at this present is called Burgaria,Mysya nowe cal­led Burgaria. in­tending to passe through y^e plaines into Romania with his armie, when Amorathe vnderstode the commyng of the Christians, and the great power that they were of, he trusted not greatly to the Greks, ne yet to y^e Turcks that were brought vp in Gretiae, but thought it good to prouide him an armie of the people of Asia, wherwith he was maruelously troubled, considering the difficultie in passing them into Gretia, for so muche as the nauye of the Christians laye all along the Coastes, waiting con­tinually to empeche him that he mought passe no armie oute of Asia to Europe, and thus tossing and tormen ting him selfe, serching what waye he mought deuise to passe them, being almost desperate and oute of hope, of any transportage for them, consyderyng the difficultye therof, it is saide that he was deliuered from this care by meanes of an offer that was made vnto him, by certaine masters of Shippes of Genoba, which went to him and offered hym, that yf he wolde contente them well, that they wolde passe him in to Europe what numbre of mē he wolde, and wolde giue him suertie therof, of the whi­ch offer he was exceding glade, and agred to giue them for euery man that they shold passe that serued on horse backe, a ducate of goolde whereupon the Genoueses de­parted and set saile, and sailed to the mouth of y^e straicte toward y^e great sea, which place, of them of olde worlds was called the Bosphoro Cilmerico, whyche lyeth be­twene Prop [...]ntide and the sea Eusino, aboue Constantinople eight legnes & a half, Asia is there deuided by an arme of the sea whiche is in breadeth halfe a myle and halfe a quarter of a myle, when Amorathe had brought his armie neare to Calcedoma: and that the Genoueses had receued them all aborde, and accordinge to the pro­mes, receued a hundred thousand ducates, for their pas­sage they passed the straite, and put them safe a land in [Page 10] Thratia, in this meane time y^e armie of the Christiāes was come to a place called Varna wythin foure daies iorney of Andrinople, where they sawe Amorathe with an armie of an incredible nūbre of mē marching toward them whereupon the princes and Captaines councelled, what was to be done,Note this opinion. y^e king of Polonia, & the Legate, were of opinion y^e it was not beste to tari him in y^• place but to retire them to some highe hill, or grounde of ad­uantage, wher thei mought encampe, & not be enforced to battaile.opinion of Vaiuoda. The Vaiuoda was of contrary opinion, and aledged y^e the maner of the Turks was, euer, to bruite them selues to be a greater numbre, then in dede they were to y^e ende to feare their enemies & to cause them to be in doute of them, but admitte saied he, y^e they were so many in nūbre as men say thei are, yet ought we not to giue any place, or to feare them, considering y^• they doe not so greatly excede vs in nūber, as our Hūgarians do surmouut thē in vertue, discipline, & force, & also y^e turks are more curiouse in decking thē selues & their horses, w^t braue apparell, riche iuels, costly saddles & trime bridels, then to arme thē selues & their horses w^t good & suer ar­mours & bardes, w^t their furnitures, & our Hungariās in cōtrary sort desiree to be wel moūted & armied, so, as their enimies shal hardly hurte them, & esteme not Brauery any thīg at al, more ouer it ought to be cōsidered, y^• if we shold nowe giue any place to y^e enemie, considering y^e great force of our army, being lad also by a King of Hūgary, & a legate Apostolique ī person, being accōpai­ned w^t such a nūber of noble mē, prelates & gentlemen, y^e it may wel be affirmed y^e al y^e nobility & force of y^e kīgdomes of Hūgarie, Polonia, & Bohemaia is ī this campe the which, here after maye be such a discorag to y^e Hun­gariās whē they alone shal haue ocasiō to deale w^t them y^e they shal not be of y^• nobility of mind once, to encoūtre them, or to loke them in y^e face, whē Vaiuoda w^t these, & such like saīgs, had exhorted thē to be of noble mīd & not to giue place, but there to abide y^e enemy, it was wholly agred to folow his opiniō, as of a mā most honorable & magname ī apparēce: of al those y^e there were in coūcel, wherupō they ceased theyr march, & renged themselues, [Page] in battaile. The nexte morning the infidels presented them selues, enbattailed to them, and whether it were, for that they were more in numbre then they were bruited to be, orels it happened: as often times it both, that to those that are affraied of euery shadow, smale things seme great, I Iudge not. But when vaiuoda had vewed the numbre,Vaiuoda perswaded the kinge not to ac­cepte the battaile. and order of the infidels, he was discoraged by meanes of the present peryl, and chaunged opinion, and began to perswade the king, not to accepte the bat­taile, but y^e he shuld do wel, to march away to some place of aduantage, vnto whom the king answered that his councel was giuen out of time, for so much as he sawe it to be more daūgerouse to turne their backs y^e enemy being so neare then to make good the place, and to accepte the battaile, for in giuing battaile, they had great reasō to hope for the victorie, consyderinge it hath bene often seen that the lesser armie hath defeicted the greater, and also that in giuing battaile, the vertue and discipline of men is of more valewe then the numbre, more ouer, he beleued that they wolde fighte with great assurance, for so much as they fought for the reale of the religyon, of the most highe Monarcque, God (in whose hands are al armies and kingdomes) who woulde ayde and fauour his faithfull, considerynge the iustnesse of their cause, and contrariwise he was assured, that the victorie by fleyght shoulde be geuen to the enemies, wythout losse of theyr bloode or well payinge for it. And when he had sharpely reproued Vaiuoda of the braue and manifique, words that he spake the day before, being ful of yre, commaunded all that were armed to folowe hym, and thus very boldly thrust forwarde towarde the enemie,Amorathe Amo­rath went vp to a litle hil, from whence he mought wel discerne, bothe the doings of the Christians, and of his people also, and there seyng the Christians marche to­ward him, already in battayle, he commaunded a squa­dron of.Battell betwine Lao­dislao and Amorathe xv. thousand horses to charge them, to begynne the battell. The Christians receyued the charge of the Turkes wyth greate assurance, and then gaue the charge vpō them, and thrust in among them and so vsed theyr handes that there was greate slaughter on bothe [Page 11] [...]artes, but farre greater on the parte of the infidelles, who not being able in the first encountre to endure the [...]orce of the Christianes retired them selues, and the [...]ungarianes charged them with such force that they enforced them to desorder them selues and to turne their backes and flye toward their campe, when Amorath be helde the shameful flighte & disorder of his people cleane contrarie to his expectation, he was so dismaid and ouerwhelmed with feare, that he torned his horse and began to flie,the bastias enforce Amorathe to staie. which whē his Bastias and captaines of the Gia [...]izzaries perceaued, they laid hand of the brydle of hys horse and staied him of force, and so marched towarde y^e enemies with him threating him to cut him in peces, yf that, he refused his place, and in this sorte enforced him to tarie, and y^e worthiest men of his armie came to him to encorage him, and then restored the fighte in the wic­ch they emploied them selues with great obstina [...]ie and force on both partes, by the space of certaine houres, the one part hauing nowe the better, and then the other, in suche sorte that it was hard to iudge where the victorye sholde light, for the slaughter was great on both sydes, but farre greater on the partie of the infidels, then of y^e Christians, for that they were nothinge so well armed as the christians were,souldier like hand­lyng. but in the ende they so encreased with newe squadrons of men emploing them in y^e place of the weried, and spoiled squadrons, the whiche relyfe the Christians wanted to froonte their enemies wyth, and beyng thus ernesly occupyed in the battayle for the space of many houres, the hungarianes wexed werie, & being ouercome with the ouer much trauaile that they had endured in this battaile, therforce began to faile thē wherupon, they retired them selfes, by litle, and litle, y^e whiche when Laodislao perceaued, he toke wyth hym a mightie squadrone of horse men of P [...]lonia: in whom he had great confidence and to encorage his people & disorder his enemies, then in maner victorious he caused his troupe to sture them, and passed on with his cariadge, and monition in very strong order to the hyll afore said where Amorathe stode with his garde, and assailed him with suche assurance and force, that Amorathe was dis­ordered, [Page] with his garde also, and being vtterly dismaie [...] determined yet once againe to flee, and throughe oute his whole armye there was nothinge but disorder an [...] confusyon, they were so stryken wyth feare that euery man determined by flighte to saue one. And it is not to be douted, that yf Iohn Vayouoda with his people had come on and folowed the king, and continued y^e charge which the kyng gaue vpon the enemies and so folowed the course of victorie, but that the Christianes had that daie ouerthroen Amorathe with all his power, and ta­ken from hym the Empyre of Gretia, but Vaiuoda as sone as he consydered the werynesse of hys people and sawe the enseignes of the Christianes begyn to declyne & giue place, serred him selfe, with a troupe of ten thou­sande hungers and Valacques his trustie souldiours, & with drewe him spedyly from the fighte, without aduertising y^e king any thing at al of his departure, y^e enemie yet making good y^e place, & not thorowlie disordered the victorie also yet being doubtefull, he sought to saue him selfe by flight, their are some that for his excuse do say y^• he being a man of great experence in the warres, sawe no meanes howe to saue the Christians from the slaugh ter, wherfore he thoughte it better to saue those fewe, then to suffer all to passe by the edge of the sworde the Pollonianes dyd euer after that: inpute this defeicte of the Christians:the excuse Vaiuoda. to the cowardize of Vaiuoda.

And he for hys excuse sayde, that hys councell was contempned and not folowed, Laodyslao beynge guided by euell happe, and beynge farre forwarde assaylynge, valyantly the carryages of the enemyes, in the whyche assaulte he hade hys horse slayne vn­der hym aud he hym selfe stryken to the grounde wyth manye woundes was there [...]layne, [...]aodislao s [...]aine. whose hed Amorathe commaunded to stryke of and to be set vp­on on the the poynte of a launce and caryed aboute all the campe, and then throughe all the prouynces of Gretya in token of the vyctorye, all the bandes of Polonia that ther were, were slayne vpon the place there scaped not one of them, the campe and lod­gynges were sacqued, and those that were wyth [Page 12] the caryages and munition were all cutte in pieces, the [...]oble men and Prelates of Hungarie that were wyth [...]he Kynge were all slayne in the battayle, and [...]ultan Cesarino the Cardinall fledde, and so escaped [...]he handes of the enemyes, and beynge as he thoughte [...]ute of daunger, stayinge at a lake to geue hys horse [...]ryncke,Cardinali S. Agno­lo slaine. there ouergate hym certayne Venturers Hungarians who knewe hym, thynkyng that he had [...]ad about hym a greate summe of treasure, where vp­ [...]on they layde handes on hym and slewe hym, spoy­ynge hym to hys verye shyrte, leauynge hym naked [...]pon the grounde, a foode For Byrdes and wylde Bea­ [...]tes, this was the ende of the Apostolike Legate, a man [...]n dede verye honorable and of great authoritye, ador­ [...]ed wyth greate learnynge of all sortes, and natural­ [...]ye verye eloquent, whyche gate hym great good wyll of the people, he had manye other goodlye gyftes of Nature, for he was of a goodlye stature well propor­ [...]ioned and faced, very pleasaunt and affable, courtese of peache, hys lyfe was cleane and full of good order, [...]nd, aboue all thinges he fauored religion, in suche sort [...]hat the was contente to yelde his lyfe for the mainte, [...]aunce of the Christian faithe, when Iohn Vaiuoda was escaped from the defeicte as we haue sayde before,Vaiuoda prisoner. [...]e came in to Seruia where the dispotto met him: re­ [...]eauing him very honorably, and the daye folowing, [...]e apointed to him garde, and in no wise wolde graunt [...]im libertie, onles he wolde cause to be deliuered vnto [...]im: all suche townes and castles as the saide Iohn Vainoda and his fryndes, then helde of hys, the Vene­ [...]ian Cardynall whyche was lyuetenante of the Nauys [...]t the sea, was also blamed for thys ouerthroe, and charged to be neglygent in the doyng of his duetie and [...]yd not that, that was to be done, in defendynge the [...]trayte and forbyddynge the passage of the armye [...]ute of Asya, in to Europe, and also for that, that when he knewe them to be passed: he dyd not [...]duertise the Christians therof, to y^e ende, they mought [...]he better haue prouided for them selues, & as touching [...]he number of those that were slayne. [Page] I can not certenlye saye, but y^t the slaughter & spoyle of the Turkes, did farre exceade that of the Christians, but cōsiderynge y^e inequalitie of the armies, the losse of the Christians (weyng their number) did farre excede that of the Turkes.

When Amorathe had thus obtained the victorie and rested wholly maister of the fielde, he had no great desire to folow the chase of his fliyng enemies, nor yet did glorie wyth great wordes as the maner of the Turkes is, ne yet sought in any kynde of sort to amplifie the victo­rie: nor shewed in his cōntenaunce anye kinde of ioye, and being demaunded by certayne of his familiers: the cause,Answer of Amorathe. that after so great a victorie, he shewed him selfe so melancolicke, he answered, I desyre not often to ob­tayne victorie in this sorte. After this, he raysed hys canipe and desolued it, and suche souldiours as he had lefte aliue, he sent agayne to the places from whenre they came, and he in person retourned to Andrinople, wher he accomplished sundrie vowes that he had made to God.A notable considera­tion of an heathen prince. And after thys, he called to mynde the great peryl and danger that he had bene in, and also the great cares that are incident to gouernement, in the whiche he concluded that no man mought call him selfe happy, for as much as it hath in it, more of the bitter, then of the swete, and iudging also by examples passed: the inconstantie of Fortune, who rarely accompanieth anye man fauourablie throughoute to the ende, and be­yng desirous to prouide for his securitie, and quietnes, called to hym all hys Bascias and chyefe gouernours and councellours, of his Empire, and by theyr consent appoynted in his stede, Mahometh his eldest sonne to be their prince and lord, and to be gouerned vntyll he came to lawfull age to gouerne, by Calibasso Bascia, who for his power and wisedome,Amorathe in priuate estate. was the chiefe counseller that the Turke had, and when he had disburdened him selfe of gouernement and was become priuate, he pas­sed ouer into Asia, accompanied w^t certen of his familier frendes,Maho­meth the 9. prince. and there lyued religiouslye geuynge him selfe to solitarine. Al hys sonnes, Mahometh only excepted, were by y^e aduyse of the Bascias put to death, to auoide [Page 13] all occasions of tumultes sturres and alteracions that mought happen,The tur­kishe cos­tume. as often times it doth among the Turkishe nation, with whom the children of priuate mē are more happie, then they of Emperours, the battayle of Varna, did so diminishe and consume the force, of bothe the Tukes and Hungerianes, that withoute any con­uenante of peace at all, they helde them of bothe sydes with in the frontiers of of their contreis for the space of many yeres after,victorie, dearly bought and neyther of them durste to enter the others contrey, ne yet to prouoke by anye maner of iniurie, the one the other to warres, thys quietnes was so much the more perfecte, for somuch that neither in Turchia: ne yet in Hungaria, was there any king of age, able to gouerne him selfe, but ether of them, were gouerned by other men, for among the Turkes dyd Callibasso gouerne, and among the Hungarianes dyd Iohn Vaiuoda, gouerne, both, men of great reputacyon and credite among their owne people, Calibasso had gouer­ned a long time vnder Amorathe, and being a man very graue and modeste hauing also greate experience, was Iudged of al men a very wise man, Vaiuoda being a mā of a percinge Iudgement,Opiniō of Vaiuoda. and valiannt in warres, was holden in the opinion of all men to be the more skylfull of both, it semid to him that he had loste great reputaci on by y^e ouerthrow receaued at Varna, which dyd much disquiet him wherfore he denised in hym selfe daye and night, howe to recouer his loste credite, and to be reuenged of the dishonour that he had receaued, he iugged the quiet being of the Turcks (who are ambitiouse and de­sire to enlarge their dominions) to procede only of want of gouernance and force, wherupon he thought to pre­uent them & to assaile them vnloked for, and althoughe he knewe well that they were able to leuye a great po­wer, yet he perswaded him selfe that they had no gouer­nor able to commaunde, and also he was not ignorante that a great armie inobedient, and wanting a discrete leadre, was lesse to be feared, then a wise and experimented Captaine with oute an armie, wherupon he deter­myned to make warres againe against the Turcks w^t all spede, and with grea deligence assembled his people [Page] of Hungaria and Bohemia, he entretained in paie also: diuerse regiments of Almaignes and other strangers fote men, and so marched on towarde the Turkes with his armie, thincking to entre their contre and to take some place of importance with in the contrey and so to passe one with his armie to Andrinople, before the enemie sholde vnderstand of his departure out of Hungarie which he was like to haue done,Treason of Dispot to. had not the fylthie treason of George dispotto ben, whoe as sone as he harde y^• Vaiuoda leuied bandes in Hungarye, he sent to Cali­basso Bascia, and to all the Sangiachii of Gretia, ma­king the numbre of the Christians far greater then in dede it was, reporting the matter to be more perillous then of it selfe it was, which whē they vnderstode: they were so amased, that they knewe not whither to torne them, for they were oute of al hope that Amorath wolde euer stand them in any stede, for so much as he was olde and had giuen ouer all charge and wholly giuen him to religion, wherfore he wolde no more deale in warres, and for that Mahometh was so yonge, they thoughte it not good to commytte so weightie a matter in to hys hands, as the leadyg of an armie against so puissant, & skylfull an enemye as Vaiuoda was, and they feared that if Calibasso shoulde leade their armye, he shoulde not haue due obedience, which is a thinge moste peril­lous in all armyes. Thus, when the councell had deba­ted sondrie opinions, they agred vpon none, but were in great confusion, consuming the time in discourses of none effect growing to no point at all, at the last by the aduise of Calibasso, here was their onely remedie, they agreed to call Amorath oute of Asia, and to enforce him to come, yf that with good wil: he wold not take in hand the enterprise for the defence of his sonnes state, beinge assured at that time that the Gianizzeries wolde fighte vnder rhe conducte of none but only of Amorathe, and also they thought it not conuenient to committe the fortune of the warres into the hands of anye man, Amo­only exceptedvnder,Ambition of Maho­meth. whose conducte they were alwaies accustomed to embrace victory, this councell of Calli­basso very much displaysed the yonge king Mahomethe [Page 14] whoe aboue all other thinges desyred to haue gouerned that iorney, to get him reputacien, and to giue them to vnderstand, that he was sufficient to gouerne of hym slfe, moreouer he suspected that yf Amorathe wc [...] called againe to gouerne, he moughte continewe in the same, for so muche as the myndes of men are mutable. When the ambasssadours were come into the presence of Amorathe, they perswaded him ernestly to the iour­ney, broughte hym wyth them to Andrinople, where with great diligence: he assembled his souldiours and furnished them of al kinde of necessaries. In this meane tyme, was Vaiuoda come on toward Sophia, and en­camped at a place called Basylia where it was declared vnto him that Amorath was not farre of with the Turkishe power,Besilia where the battayle was fou­ghte. whiche when he vnderstode (althoughe it were contrarye to his expertacion) caused hym to put on a noble mynde determyninge not to tarie there the comming of the enemye, but to march on towarde him and so to encountre with him, as sone as Vaiuoda had discouered him forthe with he put his men in battayle and marched on towarde him & with spede ioyned with him in battayle, their began a terrible fyght which contynued, y^• space of certaine houres with great obstinatie on both partes, that nether, gaue to the othe, one fote of grounde the battayle was so doublefull, that of ney­ther syde was there seene any aduantage,Note the place of the gene­ral of the armie. for againste that corner, or wingne of the battayle, wherein Vaiuo da was, the Turckes were not able to endure the force of the Hungarianes, and for a longe tyme gaue place gyuing ouer the victorye in to the handes of their ene­myes. And in contrary wise, wheare Amorath was in person, the Hungaianes were not able to make good the place, after this, Vaiuoda and Amorathe mette face to face, and drewe vnto them, all the whole weight of the battayle, in so much y^• the Christians were not a ble to endure y^• great force of y^• Turks, although y^• Hungarians did farre excide y^• Turks, in vertue & discipline of the wars yet not w^t standing, being ouer laid w^t nūbre and not with force, but being vtterly weried, were con­strayned to giue place, and Vaiuoda coulde nether with [Page] praier, nor threating, cause them to make hed but fled continually, wherupon he with drewe him, with a fewe of his trustie fryndes with him very skylfully from the vattaile and so saued hym selfe, there dyed in that bat­tayle many noble men cheifely of the Hungariane nation and some prelatz, y^•. fote men were in maner all slaine vpon the place, and on the Turckes part the losse was not lesse when he came to his reuewe, when Amorathe had thus (with the great effusion of the blood of his people) bought the victorie, he retorned home againe wyth his armie,Amorathe restoreth Mahomth againe to gouernement. and restored his sonne Mahometh againe to his place, and continuing in his firste purpose conueied him selfe to Bursia, and there liued priuatly euen to his death, in the which he committed to the faith of Calli­basso a yong sonne of his, of the age of syxe Monethes, which he begat of Spōderbei, a noble princes in Pende­racia, the childs name was Calapino, when he had thus done, he died, & was buried ī Bursia, in y^e prouince of Bithinia, which was then the seate of the kingdome of the house of Ottomanno, Calibasso being desirous to gratitifie the newe kinge deliuered into his hand the child of Amorathe,vnspeake able cruelti of Maho­methe. with the mother therof also, whereupon he commaunded the chylde to be strāgled and when it was done he restored the dead body to his mother, and com­maunded to celebrate his funerales with princelye ho­nour, in this sort dyd he consecrate the beginning of his raigne, w^t the death of his innoocent brother, not wyth­standing, somme are of opinion y^• Calidasso dyd chaunge the child and presented an other in his place, and that y^• frewe childe was brought vppe in Constantinople, and after ward sent to Venise, and that it was he, that was holden prisoner in the palace at Rome by Calixto y^• bi­shope, but we refarre the trouthe of this matter to the Iudgement of other, for we wyll affyrme nothinge in this behalfe, but men may wel thincke that somtime or it doth happen the sonne of a Barbor, or of a Surgion, of such like base condition by such subtil meanes to haue bene aduaunced to great honour, yea and some tyme to succid in the seate of kings, and of others, of excellent titles and gouernement

AS SONE AS AMORATHE WAS DED, Mahometh hys sonne caste from hym all kinde of subiection: and toke vpon him absolutely to gouerne the kingdome, and determining to reforme thinges that were oute of order, he made newe lawes, he al­ [...] corrected suche of their ancient constitutions as were [...]edeful to be corrected: with great diligence, he dyd mar [...]elouslye enriche his treasurie by augementing his re­ [...]enue with newe gabells & impositiones,The numbre of Gi­anizaries augmēted by Maho­meth. he did great­ [...]y increase the numbre of his Gianizzaries, and horse­ [...]en, he caused the acompte of his Bascias, and such like [...]s gouerned in his fathers time, to be perused, wherup [...]n he put certaine of them to death, and from manye of he reste he toke their goodes and liuinges, and hauing [...]n ambitiouse hed, coulde not be contented with that [...]mple dominion y^• his father lefte vnto him, but sought [...]o take in hand somme glorious enterprise, wherby he nought be thought, not onely to be equall with his an [...]estors: but farre to excede them, wherupon he fully de­ [...]ermined to take Constantinople by force,Discourse of Maha­meth. and to make [...]im selfe lorde therof, perswading him selfe y^• he coulde not lawfully be called Emperour of Gretia, vnto y^• time [...]hat he possessed that Citie, beinge the cheyfe citie and [...]eate of the same Empire, and more ouer by thesi me [...] ­ [...]es, he thought to make his fame gloriouse with ther [...]ations, yf that he, scarcely creapte ouer of his c [...]yld [...] [...]ede moughte ioyne to his Empire so mightye and fa­mous a citie, and so much the rather, for that it had ben [...]ttempted by certaine of his ancestours to their greate [...]harge: whoe neuer coulde obtaine it but departed euer withoute it, and thus he determined the enterprise ma­king fewe priuie vnto it but dissembled the matter, and wyth all spede possyble caused to buylde a Castle vpon the mouth of the striate of the great sea, v. miles aboue constantinople and fynyshed it with great expedityon [Page] and being finished, he appointed a captaine to it and f [...] nished it with men and all kinde of munition, when h [...] had thus done: without any other denoūcing of warre contrarye to the othe and effecte of the confederacye, h [...] presented his armie as an enemie, to Constantinople and when he had ouer ronne and proied the whole con [...] trey rounde aboute it, he encamped neare to the citi [...] and enuironed it with his armie, both by sea and land The Emperour and the princes of Gretia, had a suspition of Mahometh,Ambassa­dours sent by the princes of Gretia to the pope & other princes of Europe. and being affraied, considering tha [...] their force was not sufficient to encoūtre him, sent thei [...] ambassadours and Oratours to all the princes of Eu [...] rope, to the Emperour, and to the Bushope of Rome vsing with them al arte possible to induce them to giu [...] them aide, declaring to them the manifest peryll wher in they were, which was like to be the ruyne and loss [...] of that ancient and noble Empire, and laste of all, openned vnto them the miserye that they were lyke to en curre if they shoulde lighte in the handes of that most [...] cruell, Barharouse and bloude thirstye nation of the Turckes, which more thirste for Christian bloude the [...] for anye drincke that is in the worlde, thus were they inforced with plentiful streames of teres, to moue them to compassyon and to craue ayde at their hande but all their trauayle was in vaine, for they founde (that whic [...] I doe abhore to speake of) the eares of the christian princes so stopped and their eyes so blynded, yea they found [...] them not onely blynde and deafe, but they were rather to be Iudged out of their wittes, if y^• they coulde not dis [...] cerne, and consyder that yf the Turckes once moughte possesse the whole empire of Grecia, the ruyne of al Eu­rope in tyme, were lyke to folowe, with y^• vtter extirpation of the Christian religion, but I belyue that they were occupied rather in reuenging of particulare causes and about their priuate commodities by meanes where of they contempned their vniuersale welth and commo­ditie.

But nowe, to retorne to the declaration of our his­torye, In this meane tyme, Mahometh caused to leui [...] out of all partes of his dominions, an infinite number [Page 16] [...] men,The mar­uelouse segeand expugnation of Constā ­tinople. & toke with him to his campe an exceding great [...]rniture of artillierie and munition, and when he had [...]us beseged the citie of Constātinople rounde, he plan [...]d his batteries and emploied his wholeforce to take it [...]nd to the ende he woulde be suer of it, he commaunded [...]o make certaine mines, directly vnder certaine of the [...]ul warcks of y^• to ende, y^• his peoplemoughte [...]ghte the more aduantagiously: and the more easyly w^t [...]heir ladders surmounte the height of the walles, he cau [...]ed to make a very depe trenche roūde abaute y^• Towne [...]eare to the walles, with the earthe wherof, he made great bancke at the fote of the walle, vpon the height wherof they moughte easyly set their ladders and so en [...]er the Towne,A brydge­of a mer­uelous length. and on that syde towarde pera where [...]he sea beatethe vpon the Towne, he made a bridge by [...]reate arte, of twoe myles of lengthe, where vpon he [...]uylded certaine towres, whiche in heighte dyd farre ex [...]ede the walles of the citie, and placed on euery one of these, a number of men, to bete alonge the walles that no man mighte stand to the defence thereof, with these [...]errible and greate preparations, Mahomethe dyd for [...]a longe tyme batter and annoie them of the Towne, bothe daye and nighte with oute cease, yet for all that, they of y^• towne determyned rather to dye, then to yelde the towne to his mercy, whereupon they defended their citie with greate assurance, Mahometh then: consider­ [...]nge the great breache that he had made, and also the slaughter of the Citizens, was in good hope to wyn it by force, wherupon he commaunded a proclamation to be made by sounde of trompet throughoute all hys campe, that euery man the next day folowing (whiche was the fyue and twentyth of Aprill, in the yere of our helthe. 1452.) shoulde be in order redye to gyue the as­saulte, and the Towne beinge once taken, he gane francklye to his souldiours, all suche good des as they shoulde fynde wyth in it and be able to carye oute of it in thre dayes,Fasting of the Turc­kes. whiche procla­mation once published, so pleased euery man, that happie was he, y^• coulde be in the beste order furnished, there was not one of them but that he fasted all the [Page] whole day tyll night that they sawe the starres appeare in the heauenes, then euery man prepared hym to eate, and drinke, calling their frynds and kinsmen to them, and made great chere togither, and when the had thus in banquetting consumed a good pece of the night, they toke thir leue the one of the other, with embracing and kissing one an other, as thoughe thei shulde neuer haue seene againe. On the other syde, when they of the Citie vnderstode the proclamatiō that this mighty prnice had made and the great preparation also, y^• prests and other religiouse toke in hand the Images of the Crucifixe and our Ladye, and also the reliques of Saincts and went in solempne procession with all the inhabitants of the Ci­tie singing of himnes and songs with sheding of teares calling to god for aide, in this sort dyd they consume all that daye in fasting, praier, and visiting the holly places of the Citie vntyl night came, and then they made good chere, and that done, euery man wente to the place that he had in charge to defend, the walles of the Citie were in heighte and thicknes, comparable to the walls of any Citie, that then was in the worlde, but throughe their long contynuance,Great negligence of the Greks and neglygence of the Greekes for wante of reparation: their vauntemures were vtterlye decaied in many places, but the walle was very stronge and of sufficient force to be defended, wherupon the Grekes hauyng good hope in the force of theyr walles ap­pointed their people in companies for y^• defence of thē. Constantinople is in forme almoste treangle, wherof, the two partes that the sea beateth on, are guirded a­boute with walles sufficiently stronge to defend y^• force of the Armata, the reste of the Citie, toward the firme land, besyde his walle wherof we haue alredye spoken, is enuironned with a dyke, deye and large, when the thirde watch of the night was passed, the Turckes be­inge very gredye vpon the spoyle of the Citie, made them redye to the assaulte and woulde not tarye for the daye lighte but presented them selues to the walles of the towne and began to assayle it,The firste assaulte. from whence che ar­roes and stones flewe as thycke as hayle from the hei­ghte of the walles, the Turckes were muche anoyed by [Page 17] meanes of the darkenes for that they could not see how to defende them selues from the arrowes and stones, where with manye of them were slaine and hurt, when it was perfit day, Mahometh approched neare y^e towne with al his power,Great iud­gement of mahometh & commaunded when he should geue a signe, the towne to be assayled rounde, to the end that they of the towns should not be able to defende euerye where his force, he appointed to euerye colonell wyth his regiment a certaine space of the wall to assayle, for that they shuld fight apart, to the end the vertue of the assaylants, and their worthy actes mought be sene, & that thereby they moughte be the more enflamed tho­rough desyre of honour to committe them selues to all kinde of peryll. In like sorte was their order geuen to them of the Armata, with commaundement that in one instant euery man should assayle that place wherevnto he was appoynted, there were broughte also nere to the walles certaine towres of woode, which were set vpon high groundes of aduauntage, vpon the which he pla­ced many souldiours, to the end thei mought with their shot, bete a longe all the circuite of the walles, he had also with his artillery, taken away all the defenses, so that when they should come to defende the breache and walles, they must stande all open against his shotte. When Mahometh had done all these thynges, the to­ken of the assault was geuen, with the sound of trum­pettes, bornes, bagpipes, and drummes, that the ayre resounded of it, immediatly herevpon the assault began the Turkes couered thir heades with roundels & tar­ges, in such sort that it was like the rofe of an house o­uer their heads, & in this sort came to y^• walles, & set vp theyr ladders,The secōd assaulte. enforsyng themselues with great corage to clyme to the height of the walles, on the other syde, they of the towne endeuoured them selues to defende it and threwe downe vpon them greate stones, myghtye pieces of tymber, and annoyed them merueylouslye wyth the shotte of their Crosse bowes, Dartes, and suche lyke, throwen by the arme, they aboue vsed theyr Mykes so well, that they threwe the Turkes contynu­allye from theyr ladders downe, slewe and hurte a [Page] greate number of them, and handled them so hardlye that they enforsed them to scatter, and made them glad to abandone the assaute, wherevpon Mahometh drewe neare with his company, and encouraged them, calling by name nowe one and then another, especyally those that were moste valiaunte and worthye, comfortynge them to reuiue the assaute,The third assaulte. and in y^• end some he threa­tened wyth cruell wordes, and to other some he made great and large promises, and in this sorte wroughte with them, that he caused them to put on noble mindes and to begynne agayne the assaulte, with farre grea­ter furye then before, and euerye man soughte to gette vp the wall, one clymynge on the others shoulder and vp by theyr Pykes lyke Cattes, some other wont close together, couerynge theyr heades with theyr targes and roundels and they that were on the lowe steppes of the ladders, vare before them euen of force, those that were on the hyghest of the ladders, and manye layde holde of the Pikes and punchinge staues of theyr enemies as they thrust at them, and so with greate cou­rage gate vp walles, and when they were at the highest were stricken downe headlonge into the botome of the dyke, by them of the towne, and also they made suche spoyle of the enemies by throwynge downe vpon them, huge stones, artificiall fyres, burnynge Piche, with Dartes and Pikes of fire workes, that it was ve­ry strange to behold, yet not withstāding the emperour maynteyned theassaut with great discretion, and in the place of the weried and spoyled, he sente alwayes newe and freshe bandes, in suche sorte, that he gaue them of the citie no iote of tyme to repose, but styll augmented the fighte with newe men, so that they of the towne were merneylouslye consumed in a shorte space, but that,Iohn Iu­stinia [...]. that moste discouraged, was: that one Iohn Giustiniano, a Genouese borne, a Noble manne in hys countrey, who at the tyme of the seyge happened to bee in Constantinople, and behaued hymselfe so worthelye in the defence thereof, that they imputed the greatest parte of theyr defence to consist in hym, vn­tyll that at the laste, as he was valiauntlye fightinge [Page 18] vpon the walles with the enemies, through disgrace he was sore wounded, and as it is sayde seing him selfe to lose much bloude, woulde not discourage the multitude with callinge for a Surgion, but secrently w^t drewe him frō the assaute, of whose departure, when Cōstantine y^e Emperour vnderstode, he feared it wouldbe the losse of the citie, whervpon he went in person to him, & desired him not to leue y^• assaute, but Giustiniano would by no meanes graūt therunto, but required to haue a gate opē to y^e end he mought go to be dressed & then to returne a­gain to y^• citie, al y^e gates of y^• braies were shut betwene them and the towne, to the end that they which fought vpon the vttermost walles, shoulde determine there to obtayne the victorie, or elles to die in the place, for so muche as they beinge once abandoned, the losse of the towne muste nedes folowe, when the gate was opened Giustiniano went oute, through whose absence they of the towne were merueylously discouraged,the assault reuiued. and began verye coldlye to defende the assaulte, whiche when the Turkes Bascias and Colonels perceyued, they mar­ched on wyth theyr bandes and regimentes serred, and with greater furye then before: assayled the towne, and beganne to climbe the breche, whiche they had made with their batterie, some by their ladders, and some be­syde their ladders, by the spoyle of the walles, and be­ganne to waxe maisters of the vtter walles, and rep [...] ­sed the Grekishe souldiours, enforsynge them to flye in great disorder, and euerye man by fotemanshyppe soughte to saue one, and to get into the citie throughe the same gate, that was opened to Giustiniano.

When the Emperour sawe the shamefull flighte and great disorder of his people, he also fled after them, not regardyng his imperial maiestie,The death of Cōstantine the emperour▪ nor sekynge as it be­came so mightie a prince, rather honourably to die with his sworde in his hand, then to shew such want of magnanimitie. He cam on toward this same gate also, wher with the force & thrustinge of those which repaired thi­ther to get in, he was throwen downe to the earth, and in the preasse troden to deathe. And amonge so greate a number of Souldiours as then were within the Citie, [Page] there were found only twayn y^• vtterly despised seruile life,Two no­ble souldi­ers. and lyke worthye men honorablye died with their swordes in their handes fyghtynge to the vttermoste, y^e one of thē was Theophilo Paleologo, a Greke borne the other Iohn Stiauo, a Dalmatian, which men este med it to vile: in such sort to flie, and for a long time de­fended them selues and the citie from the hands of their most cruel enmies, sleīg a great number of them, tyl at the last beinge ouerlayed with the encrease of the num­ber, not discoraged, but weryed with ouercommyng of others, fel downe and gaue vp the ghost, among a number of bodies of dead infidelles, whiche they had slayne w^t their owne handes. And Giustiniano beyng gone to Pera, and from thence by sea to Scio, fell sicke eyther of his hurte, or els with thought, and in fewe dayes af­ter died, not enioying that great honour, whiche he had wonne,The death of Giusti­nian. and truely he had bene happye yf he had died vp on the walles of Constantinople. In the entre of the Turckes at the aforesayde gate, they cut in pieces .viii. or .ix. hundred souldiours Grekes, and Italians, when the Turckes were once maisters of the towne walles, they chased awaye the citezins that were come to the gate to defende the entrie, and with theyr arrowes and great stones from aboue, they made waye for their companions to enter. And when the Turckes were in thys sort entred the gate, and become lordes of the citie, and had slaine as many as thei found with weapon in theyr handes, then they employed themselues to spoyle and sacke the towne,Vnspeakeable wic­kednes. the number of the triumphantes was in maner infinite, thei had no desyrt but to robbe, spoile and to accomplishe and fulfyll theyr beastly and fyltye fleshely desyres, beyng much geuen to carnall voluptu­dusnes, they pardoned neyther kinde nor age, mixynge murder with theyr adulteries and fornications, they made the olde men slaues, and other men and women of more lustie yeres, and of base condition: they chay­ned together with great derison and scorne, and so draue them on, lyke flockes of shepe before them, & if it happe­ned that any faire maiden or faire yonge man came in their waye, by and by numbers of them woulde striue [Page 19] who shoulde first laye handes on them, and often times woulde grow into question for them, and the like wold they do when they happened vpon any bootie of greate value, as well sacred as prophane, for euery man would [...]aye handes on it, in so much that often times thei wold [...]one cut another in pieces for it. And this armie being of diuers nations and countreys, and also of sundrie natu [...]es and speches, did kepe such a sturre in Constantino­ple by the space of thre dayes (which was theyr time of [...]poile) that there was nothinge vnlawefull for them to do, although it were most detestable and wicked.

When they had spoyled the temple of S. Sophia, whi­ch was buylded by Iustinian the Emperour of Consti­ [...]ople, in the which they had a merueylous masse or trea [...]ure, both of siluer and golde, and precious vessel, & such like oruamentes, they filled it with all kind of fylthy­ [...]es, makynge it an habitation of whores, a stable for their horses, a place wherein no filthie exercise was left vnexercised, to the like vse they conuerted all the rest of the churches and sacred places of the citie, oute of the which they toke the bones and reliques of holye men & women, the which when thei had disgarnished of y^• gold siluer & stone, y^• was about thē, they threw into y^• strete and canell to be troden on, not onely of men, but also of dogges, swine, and other beasts, the crosses and Ima­ges of saincts were broken wyth greate hammers and such like instrumentes of yron, & thrownen into the dirt, and when they had with sundrie tormentes compelled the seuauntes of the citizens to reueale vnto them the hidden treasure of their maisters, it is sayde, that they gate, hidden vnder the grounde, a great summe both of golde and siluer and precious Iewels, whiche were by the vnwyse citezins hydden in the begynnynge of the warres, the whiche if they coulde haue bene contented to haue employed in the defence of the citie, peraduen­ture they had saued them selues bothe goodes and life,Wante of prouidēce the ruine of all countreis and states. and also to their countrey libertie and honour. But the olde Prouerbe was veryfyed in them, which saieth that couetous men haue no power ouer their golde, but are subiect to it, when the citie was thus spoyled of al that [Page] euer was in it: The thirde day they departed out of it, & brought all their prisoners into their campe. And Mahometh accordynge to the custome of the Turkes, dyd celebrate to his Bascias and Captaines, a very sumptuous feaste, and when they had eaten and dronken more then sufficient, he thoughte it good to honour his ban­ket with the sheding of Christian bloude, and commaunded to bryng before him all the chiefe and most noble prisoners of the citie that were on lyue,Vnspeakeable cruel­tie of Ma­hometh. and caused them al with vnspeakeable crueltie, to be cutte a sunder in the middest in his presence, amonge the which there was one that came before him called Rireluca, the chiefe go­uernour of the citie next to the Emperour, whose el­dest sonne he caused to be slaine, in the presence of hys father, and immediatly after hanged the father, whose other sonne, because he was yonge and fayre, he reser­ued to his noble and vertuous vsage. They had also ta­ken diuers marchauntes of Italie, Venetians, Geno­neses, and others, whome he put also to death, excepte they were able presently to raunsome themselues, and Isodoro the cardinal Rueteno,Aspres sil­uer money of the tur­kes. 50. a­mount to the value of a ducat. who was sent thither a­long time before, Legate frō y^• pope Nicholas, disguised himselfe in simple habite, and when the Turkes entred the towne, for fewe thousandes of Aspres, raunsomed himselfe. They that dwelled in Pera a garrison towne of the Genoueses, hearynge that Constantinople was loste, layed downe their weapons, and taried not the summonynge, but sent to Mahometh, and offered hym the towne, who receyued them, and shortlye after ra­sed the walles thereof, and where he had promised them sauegarde of their personnes lyues, and goodes, with all other their commodities, contrary to his promes, he toke out of the towne for his owne vertuous and cleanely vsage, a number of the women and boyes that there were, and also taxed the towne in a great summe of money the which he enforsed them presently to paye, not­withstanding the menaging of these weyghtie affaires he kept secret w^t in his breast the hatred that he had con­ceyued against Calibasso Bascia, for that he was y^e chief occasion that Amorath was called out of Asia to take in [Page 20] and the wars against the Hungarians & finally called [...]im to him, & caused to lay hands on him, and examined [...]im sundrie daies,Calibasso put to deth by the commaunde­ment of mahometh by sundrie & cruell torments, layinge [...]o his charge that he had reueled y^e secrets of those wars [...]o the emperour of Constantinople, and vpon this toke from him all that he had, which was treasure in maner [...]nfinite, & caused him most miserablie to be put to death. When that the losse of Constantinople, & the death of y^e [...]mperour was knowē in Morea, y^e Albaneses that dwel [...]ed in Peloponesso, rebelled against Thomas & Dime­ [...]rio, brethren to the late emperour of Constantinople, [...]hei wer a great number, & determined to chose to their prince, a noble man a Greke borne, who pretennted title [...]o it, & did so attempt it, that they entred into warres a­ [...]aut it, wherupon on both sides, thei addressed thēselues or aide to Mahometh, who when he harde the matter [...]horowly debated, Iudged y^e two brethren to haue the [...]ight, wherevpon he graunted them his frendshipas to [...]hose that had the right on their side, & sent in their aide [...]ertain bands of men, by whose good helpe, thei sone re [...]ressed the force of the Albaneses,Thomas paleologo tributarie to the Turcke. & enforsed thē to dwel [...]nder y^e rule & goueruance, of Thomas Paleologo there Dispotto, who agreed w^t Mahometh to paye him yerely [...]euentine M. ducates, & in this sort commended himself [...]nd his state to his protection, & for asmuche as y^e ryght was descended vnto him by the death of his brother the [...]mperour, he mought lawfully haue called himself em­ [...]erour of Gretia, in the which his aūcestors had cōmaū ­ [...]ed many yeres, but fearing to offend Mahometh he ab­ [...]tained from that title, & contented himselfe w^t the only [...]itle of the Dispotto of Morea. But shortly after when [...]e vnderstode that Calixto the thyrde, a Spaniarde, [...]ucceded Nycholas the fyfte, in the Romyshe seate, who forthe wyth sente hys Legates and Cardynalles, [...]o all the Prynces of Christendome, to perswade [...]heym to make warres agaynste the Turckes, for [...]he recouerye of Gretia. And also vnderstan­ [...]ynge, the greate preparatyon that was made in [...]talie for the Sea,Thomas paleologo reuolteth. and the leauiynge of the armye in Hungarye, denyed flattelye to paye anye Trybute vn­to [Page] Mahometh, and also ouer rashly refused his frendship and protection, being deceyued in his imagination, per­swadiuge himselfe that forthwith the Turkes shoulde haue bene chased out of Gretia, but after, when he sawe the bishoppes preparation toke none effect: he was en­forsed with great gyftes and paiment of the tribute for two yeres before hande at one paiment, to reconcile him selfe to Mahometh, and to renewe the league betwene them, wherevpon Mahometh dessemblynge for a tyme the iniurie that he had receyued at his hande, receyued him agayne into his fauour and protection, but within fewe yeres after, when he perceyued himselfe to be assured in his seate in Gretia, he called to mynde the fore­saide rebellion, and sente his armie into Peloponesso, and toke the walle of Esmilia, that was buylded vpon the straite called Isthmos, which shutteth vp that strait of lande, beynge fyue myles in breadeth stretchynge from the sea Ionio to the sea Egeo,Esmilia. of the which seas, all the rest of Morea which aunciently was called Pel [...] ponesso is enuironed. And when the Turks had wonne the walle, they entred into Morea, and toke the citie of Corintho, and made bothe the Dispotts his vassalles, the one being deuided from the other, and toke frō them their state and patrimonie. The prouince of Pelopones­so is the chiefe parte of Gretia for the commodiousnes thereof, and also for the great wealth and power of the nobilitie and commons that in the olde worlds inhabi­ted the same, that piece of grounde well considered, will declare it selfe to be the foundation of the Greke Em­pyre, for as muche as in it there are manye godlye goolfes, many large and great caues, and promontori­es, manye manifique and sumptuos cities, and they saye that the forme of the platte therof: is like vnto that of the leafe of a platane,Peloponesso in lēgth 175. miles in circuite, it is 5505. myles. the length and breadeth ther­of are almost equall, and from the one ende to the other it conteyneth a hundred, seuentie and fyue miles, and in circuite (accordyng to the opinion of Pollible) it con­teyneth fyue hundred myles, and Anthemidoro addeth vnto it fyftye miles, and and we haue declared it is enui­roned with two seas, sauynge that piece of lande called [Page 21] Isthmos, which confyneth vpon the seas afore sayd and containeth in lengthe v. miles, nere where vnto, is the noble and famous citie Corintho, and their is contay­ned in y^• same Peloponesso,Pelopone­so nowe called Morea. nowe called Morea, Achaia, Messenia, Licaonia nowe called Lacedemonia, Largolica, and Arcadia, which lieth in the middeste of them, but nowe retorning to the declaration of our historie beginning where we lefte, when Mahometh was becomme lorde of Constantinople, and beinge determined, there to appoint the seate of his Empire, the firste thing that he toke in hand, was to amend and repare the walles of the citie, and to make them defensyble, & also to repare the spoyled buyldings of the towne, and also to furnishe it with inhabitants for that it wanted a great number by meanes of y^• great slaughter that there had ben wher vpon he caused inhabitants to come oute of all partes, and gaue to them greate priuileges and liberties to vse what traffique, and also what religiō they wolde wher vpon within shorte space there came thither an infinite numbre of inhabitants, namely of Hebrues or Iues which were chased oute of Spaine, besyde thys he vsed the custume that the princes of the easte partes of the worlde doe vse, which is that when soeuer he toke anye Citie or Towne after that tyme, he woulde take oute of them the chise and most, noble housholdes and families, with al their treasure and substance, and send them to Constantinople, to inhabite there, he vsed the matter so that at y^e tyme of his death, he lefte it a Citie of great traffique: and also maruelously replenished with inhabitants as sone as he was become Emperour of Con­stantinople he determyned in him selfe, the warres a­gainst the hungarianes Iudging it a great assurance to his state of Europe, yf that he mought bring to passe, to subdue Hungarie and make it subiecte to him, which he greatly defired consideringe the propinquitie thereof, & also the valiantize of y^• people, he determined to prouide him of & aptaines of great Iudgement and of good soul diours and to assure him in his seate of Gretia, whervp on he deferred the enterprise for thre yeres, and began to make warres vpon the citie of Athenes which onelye [Page] rested oute of his handes, of all the prouince of Attica, which Citie althoughe it were then of no great cir­cuite, ne yet anye thing in comparysson so Populouse or riche, as it had ben in tyme before, yet notwithstan­ding, thei had builded a forte vpon the walles that were lefte of the ancient Temple of Minerua,Temple of Mynexua. whiche was thoughte inprennable, bnt the lorde therof which was a florentine borne, and of the noble house of Acciauolli, seing no waye howe to defende it,the lord of. Athenes a florentyne borne. for so much as he had attempted the princes of Italie in sondrie sorte for aide, but all was in vaine, wherupon he fel to composition w^t him and agreed to delyuer him the Towne, in exchaūg of certaine houses and yerly rentes that y^e Turcke hadAthenes renderid to Maho­meth. promised him for the maintenance of him felfe and his familie, and herupon yelded the Towne to the Turcke when the Turke had recompensed him, he toke frō him two of his sonnes and brought them vp in his Seraglio to serue him, of the which two, one proffited so well in the exercise of armes, and also in gouernance, that the Turcke had him in great estimation. And in Albania, the whiche is that part of Macedonia that lieth toward the weste, and stretche the oute frō Durazzo, to the anci­ent Citie Appolonia, the langage of the Albaneses is propre to them selues, and dothe differ from the speche of all those people that dwell aboute them, for neither the Greeke, ne yet the Schiauonese vnderstandeth it, and we are not certaine in what sorte, nor by what meanes, they fyrste arriued in those partes, ne yet of their ancient originall, althoghe it be sayde that this nation, with diuerse others, came oute of Scithia Asiatica, from that ancient Citie Albania not farre from Colchide,Albaneses discendyd from the Scythi­anes and so went on wandring to seeke newe habitacions and seates, and fynally occupied that parte of Macedonia whiche beareth their name, a­boute the tyme of the losse of Constantinople the prince of their contrey happened to dye, whose name was Camusa,Camusa. whoe beinge discended of christian parents: became so beastly, that of his owne acorde he lefte the christian faythe and embraced the folisheand beastly religion of Mahometh, but hauinge [Page 22] smalle affiance in it, euen as he had raishely forsaken Christe, so vnaduisedly refused he Mahomet he and re­torned to the religion of his ancestours, willing (al­thoughe he had no great affiance nether in the one nor other) rather to dye beringe the name of a Christian, then of a Mahometiste, vnto whome, George Scan­derbag succided in gouernaunce as lawfull heire, whoe was discended of a noble parentage in his contrey, and when he had haunted the warres along time he became an excellent and famous Captaine, and spent the reste of his lyfe in the defence of the Christian religion, when Mahomethe vnderstode the deathe of Camusa, he sent one of his Bascias with an armie to Valona, whiche standeth vpon the sea bancke, and althoughe it be but a litle Towne, it hathe a suer and a goodly hauen, from whence in to Italie the passage is but shorte and with­oute daunger, and manye yeres before that tyme, it was possessed and holden by Baiazithe, and when he died they threwe from them the Turquishe yoke, but Amorathe within shorte space after toke it againe, and from thence for the was it contynually holden by the in fydels, to the greate reproche and dishonour of the Christian princes, and to the greate terrour of all Italie, it is possessyd euen at this daye by the infidels, when this Bascia had broughte his people to valona, he as­sayled Scanderbeg, whoe althoughe he dyd alwaies worthilye defende him selfe and his people, and di­uers tymes with his power had encountred the Turc­kes, and departed from them alwayes with the vic­torie, yet notwithstandinge he sent for ayde to the kinge Alphonso of Aragone,Scander­beg to king Al­phonso of Naples. then kinge of Naples, and obtained of him dyuers bande of men at armes, well furnished in euery respecte, whiche passed in to Albania by the waye of Durazzo, not farre from the Cytye of Croia, and with the helpe of George Scanderbeg they defendyd that contre for alonge tyme from the Tyrannie of the infydels, when Calixto the Romishe, Byshoppe vnderstode the [Page] danger that Scanderbeg was in,Callirio the Bys­hope of Rome. Scanderbeg was in, weinge his power w^t the vnspekeable power of his enemye, he wolde not se him wāte but supplied him with a great some of money to entertaine his souldiours and with these aydes he de fendyd y^• contrey of Albania, very skylfully and valiantly. In this meane time their was a practize discouerid,A practiz [...] discouerid y^e whiche a Nephewe of his, his brothers sonne, whoe ha­uing intelligence with Mahometh, agreed with him vp oncertaine condityones, to sleye his vncle by treason, or els if he coulde by any meanes bring it to passe, to de­lyuer him on lyue in to Mahomethes handes, when this practeze was discouered by one of the menagers of this same, he laid handes on him, and so caused him to be ex­amined, in the which he confessyd the whole, wherup­on he thought it not conueniēt to shed his owne bloude, but banished him, sending hym with his processe to the king Alphonso, whoe commaunded to put him into the Donge on called Miglio, there to continewe during his naturall lyfe. And whileste Scanderbeg lyued, he defended Albania from the tirany of the infydels, fygh­ting onely for the zeale, he bare to the Christian religiō & caused his subiectes to perseuere in the faith of christe and his worde, notwithstanding the contynuall inuasi­ous, and courses that his enemies made vpon his cotre impouerishing his subiectes vtterly spoiling y^• laborers of the earthe, lainge waste a greate pece of his contrey, bringing it into vnspekeable miserie and calamitie, whē Mahometh vnderstode the death of Scanderbeg he sent forth with his armie in to Albania, and toke the citie of Croia with all the reste of the contrey except those pla­ces that the venetianes held, aboute that tyme after the taking of Constantinople, he dyd maruelously vexe the religion of Rhodes both by sea and land, but the greate master of the Hospitall of Iherusalm vnto whome the Isle dyd appertaine, with his souldiours, defended it cō ­tynnally euen to these our dayes, and whan Calixto the gre at Byshope was called vnto for ayde he put his Na­uie of Shippes & Galleys to y^• sea, & sent them to Rho­des, vnderthe conducte of y^• patriarcke of Aquileia, who being in those seas, had often to doe with the Turckes [Page 23] toke and drowned manye of their Galleys and fustes, drowned and slewe their people, and departed alwaye from them with the victorie, & when he had taken from the Turkes y^• Isle of Salaminā whiche in ancient tyme was called Lēno, and also that, that is called Tasso, w^t the Isle of Nēbro and certaine other litle Isles, nere vn to them, he went and spoyled all alonge the sea coastes from helesponto euen to the confynes of Egipte, to the great impouerissing of the inhabitants there of, holding them in contynuall doute and feare and it semed that if he mought haue contynued, he wolde with time haue greatly preuailed, but as sone as Calixto was deade he departed from thence with his Nauie, in to Italie, lea­uing Rhodes with all others places that y^• Christianes possessid in those partes, in great peryl. And in Acarnia which lieth in the myddeste betwene Epiro, and Boetia and is called at this daye the Duchie, and the Dispotto which then raigned in Acarnama and Epiro, whiche at this daye is called Arta, which begynning towarde the weste at the permontories of Acrocera, doe stretch oute toward the easte to the baie Ambrachio, whiche at thys daye is called y^• golfe of Arta, this Dispotto being mar­uelously vexed with Mahomethes souldiours, and being desyrous to purchase some forien amitie, by meanes of the king Alphonso he toke to wyfe a daughter of y^e lord Iohn Vnitimiglia, a Captaine of great fame that came into Italie with the king Alphonso of Aragone, to the winning of the kingdome of Naples, who passed the sea into Arta, hauing with him certaine bands of Italianes men at armes, and hauing often tymes to doe with the Turckes, gaue them many defeictes, and set his sonne in lawe free from the inuasiō and aunoiance of the Turkes enforcing them to retorne [...] Romania, & to holde them with in the confynes therof, but thys noble Cap­taine was not so sone departed oute of Acarnamia andDispott [...] of Acarnamia be­traied. gone home, but within shorte space after, the Dispotto was betraied by some of his owne people, and deliuered on lyue, in to the handes of Mahometh, with his contre also when George the Dispotto of Seruia harde of the great preparatiō that the Turkes made for the warres [Page] being in doute of his state, fled into Hungarie, and left [...] his cities and Townes well garded and furmished with souldiours and all kinde of munition, and when he was ther arriued to demaunde ayde: the king was not there whereupon he went to him where he was in Vienna in Austrice, where he founde also freer Iohn Caprestano of the order of Sainet frauncis, whoe being a man of good life, and an excellent preacher dyd at that time w^t great fruite preach the gospel to the Hungarianes, and being destrous to talke with the Dispotto, sent to him desirīg him that if it were not a trouble vnto him, that he wold vouchesafe to speake with him, wherunto the Dispotto agreed, and vpon a daye they mette, and by there Turc [...] men had great discourse of the Christian faithe and Ca­prestand dyd approue by great reason, the auctoritie of the Romishe churche, and the opinion of y^e same as tou­ching the Christian faith, in such sorte, that he constrai­ned the Dispotto (not hauing reason to answere for him selfe in that behalfe) to yelde, and woulde haue had him to refuse y^e errour, in the which he and his people were, and to haue embraced the religion and faith of the Ro­mishe church, vnto whome George, laying all reason a part answerid, I haue lyued these foure score & ten yeres in this faithe which was taught me by my forefathers,Answere of the Dispotto of Seruia. & imprinted in mine vnderstanding frō michildhed. And amonge my subiectes (althoughe I haue ben an in for­tunate man) I haue ben holden for a reasonable man, & woldest thou haue me nowe such a one, as they seing me chaunged mought thincke, that myne age hathe de­caied myne vnderstanding, in such sorte that I mought goe soocke againe, acording to the prouerbe wherfore I wyll loose my lyfe, rather then leue the faithe, wherin both I & my predecessours haue ben norished & brought vp, with which wordes he departed from Caprestano. And for that he coulde obtaine no aide at y^e kings hande whoe was much offended with him for his vntrouth, he toke his leue, (not satisfied acording to his expectacion) and retorned into Seruia, a manifest document to admonyshe men to take hed, howe thei vse double dealinge when George was comme home, he vnderstode that Michell [Page 24] Zilugo, (whose systre Vaiuoda had to wife) sholde [...]e gouernour of the Towne of Alba, which at this day [...]s called Belgrado, and was alredye with his brother Laodislao gone into his wagen to passe on his iourney, and as they passed on by the confynes of his centrey he [...]ent towarde them certaine bandes of armed men with commissyon to bringe them eyther on lyue, or ded, as [...]one as Michell sawe him selfe like to be assayled by the Seruianes, he lefte his wagen and toke his horse which was at hande lepte vpon him, and with his sworde in [...]is hand dyd cut his waie throughe the middest of them and so with flighte saued his lyfe, the Seruianes finding [...]aodislao in the wagen, slewe him,Laodisla [...] Zilugo slayne. Michel determining to reuenge y^e iniurie that was done him and the death of his brother also, appointed certaine to goe, and to vnderstande in what strength the Dispotto vsed to ryde when he passed from place to place with in his contrey, from whom he receaued aduertizement that George with in fewe dayes after wolde passe on vppon the syde of Danubio to visyte certaine fortes, and Townes of of force that he had standing vpō the same ryuer, wher­upon Michell, with certaine bandes of souldiours pas­sed on and marched in the nighte and ambusshed them selues vpon the waye that George muste passe, and as [...]one, as George came to the place where they laye in [...]mbushe, they shewed them selues, and with great fu­ [...]ie assayled him, and in the fighte he loste two of his fingeres, and Michell toke him prisouer vnto whome he paied a great summe of money for his rausome, and so retorned home to his house, and when he came there, he coulde by no meanes staunch the bledīg of his wounds which bled continually in such sorte that in short tyme­ [...]e died. And this was the ende of George the Dispotto of Seruia, a man exciding troublouse and full of trea­ [...]on, in whose place Lazaro his yongest sonne succided him, and depriued his elder brother, whose eyes were plucked oute by the commaundemente of Amo­cathe, as before is mencyoned, wyth in fewe monethes after, Lazaro died, vpon whose death theyr arose greate contencyon, whoe shoulde [Page] succid him in state,Of ciuill warres in Seruis. Georg he desired aide of Mahometh, the wife of Lazaro being wydow demaūded aide and obtained of the king of Hungarie, certaine bandes of both horse men and fote men to maintaine her in her state,Carafagio in Al­maigne. by the which meanes she contynued in it, at that tyme was Carafagio, the Cardinall Sainct Angelo, in Al­mayne, sent bi Calix to the Bishop of Rome to require them to aide the Hungarianes in that they had begone in the behalfe of the Dowgier, Carafagio at the request of the Hungarianes entred with his armie into Seruia and fynding the Turckes alredie possessyd of it, by mea­nes of the Seruians which of their owne acorde had yel ded them, vnto them wherupō he retorned backe againe and escaped hardly, notwithstanding with great difficultie he came safe to Buda, when all these thinges were done, it semid to Mahometh that he had well established his affares of Gretia, whereupon he prepared his armie and all kinde of munition thereunto belonging, deter­mining no lenger to defer the enterprise against y^• Hungarianes, for somuch as this occasion was, offerred him to be called in to Seruia by the Seruianes them selues wherupon he assembled his armie, in the whiche he had acording to the opinion of some wryters, a hundred and fyftie thousand able souldiours, but their are other that write (of whose opinion rather we are) that they were a hundred thousande furnished souldiours, and were fully perswaded to were the palme of that iorney, wherevp­on, he conueid his armie ouer the mountaines of Tra­cia, and so marched on, tyll he came to the ryuer Sauo, whervpon Iohn Carafagio Cardinall Sainct Angelo, gatherid togyther all the power that he coulde, promi­sing to as manye as wolde folowe him in that iorney, full remission of their synnes,Blasphemy of an empudent papiste. and by the Apostelique autoritie that he had he gaue to as many as shoulde be staine in that iorney eternall lyfe, and by these meanes and with the helpe of y^e preachinge of freere Caprestano he had assembled an armie offortie thousande men, of Almaynes, Bohemes and Hungarianes, all crossed mē not of the welthiest sorte or men of estate, but pore men of the common sorte, y^• which for the zeale of y^• christian [Page 25] faithe, were contented to offer them selues to the daun­ger of the deathe for the name of Christ Iesus, hopinge in this worlde to obtaine forgyuernes of their synnes, & in the worlde to comme, foye euerlasting, which matter is harde for preachers to perswade princes, and great rulers of the worlde vnto, for so much, as many of them (setting their hole felicitie vpon these transitorie vani­ties) haue no care for the lyfe to comme, which Christe hath promised to as manie as walke in his ordynances, for the great ones of the worlde for the moste parte will not hazard them selues to loose this life for that they cā not assure them selues of the lyfe to come, wherfore they doe, not only, not frame them selues to heare the worde of god, but forasmuch as in them is, they flee from it as from a thing mostedispleasante,Iohn Vaiuoda. and contrarye to their natures: like wise Iohn Vaiuoda had assembled an ar­mie of valiāte men, oute of Hungarie & Bohemia, both of horse men and fotemen, Mahometh was in such a tri­umphe by meanes of the good successe that he had had, that he thoughte there was no power in Europe: able to encountre him. And beinge puffed vp in this sorte with pride, with great furie presented his campe to the citie of Alba, which standeth vpon the mouthe of the ry­uer Sauo,Mah [...] ­meth be­fore Bel­grado, in campe. not farre from the Danubio, and at this daye is called Belgrado and at the lodging of his campe he gaue a great brauado and a notable charge vpon them of the towne, and when he sawe the towne well furni­shed with defendantes and his assaultes receaued with great assurance and that the Hungarianes durste, not only to defend their towne, but also to holde the feelde contynually in armes within the shotte of the Cannon whervpon he thought good to assure him selfe frō oute­ward insultes and to plante his batteries, wherefore he gaue order w^t all spede to fortifie his campe with greate dykes and stronge rampares, & also they of the towne applied them daye and nighte in reparing them selues, that in shorte space they were so fortifiede that notwith standing the greatest part of the walle, was by y^t Turc­kes batterie laid flatte on the earth, yet stode they vpon their newe fortificationes and ripares y^• they had made [Page] within the towne in farre greater assurance for the de­fence of the towne, then if the walles of the towne ha [...] contynued in their former state, and the Turckes being at handes with them contynually, both daye and night were entred the breaches and then the towne, & fought with them of the towne vpon grounde of equall aduan­tage with their newe fortificationes, and defenses, and coulde not enforce them to gyue vnto them one fote of y^• grounde which they had determined to defend such was their valewe in armes.Order of Maho­meth. When the Turckes had in this sorte batterid the towne for a longe tyme in vaine, Ma­hometh being kendled with great furie, and rage deter­mined to holde them occupied daye and night continually, and so to werye them. And when he had embattayled all his people, & deuided them into regementes or squa­drones, apointīg to euery squadrone for conducte therof a man of great Iudgement in marcyal affares, to the ende that they shoulde, one succide an other in y^• assaute with their battailones and so to kepe occupied continu­ally them of the towne, to the ende that they shoulde haue no tyme to fortifie them selues against them, and then they began on euery syde to assayle the Christians whoe also put them selues in battayle and appointed also certaine extraordinarie bandes to be emploied where necessitie shoulde require, and thus came on nobly and encountred their enemies, there was betwene them a longe fyghte, the assaulte was full of bloodshedde and crueltie, and also doubtefull, for some tyme the Turcks preuailed: as thoughe they wolde forthewith becomme lords of the towne, on the other syde the Christians suppliing the fyght often tymes with newe bandes and calling to mynde their wonted valiantize dyd so repulse y^• enemies that some time they enforced them clerely to abandone the walles, so that the victorie semed aparently to be theirs and in this sorte the battayle contynued so doubtefully y^• it was harde to saye where y^e victorye shoulde lighte, and by meanes of the great obstinatie on both partes the matter was lyke to continewe doubt full tyll the darcke nighte wherupon Mahometh deter­mined to proue whether his presēce mought anyething [Page 26] preuaile to encorage his souldiours or no, & imediatly came among them, thincking by his presence so to en­corage his souldiours that forthwith they shoulde in­force the Christians to abandone the walles, whervpon he came to that place where his garde of Gianizzaries dyd assayle, and as he approched some thinge neare was strycken with an aroe vnder the right pappe, whervpon he was taken and caried to this lodging, which so disco­raged his people,Great co [...] fusien a­monge the Turckes. that immediately they lefte y^• assaulte vpon the soodden, & abandoned their artillerie to their enemies in proie, and with spede conueid them selues to their lodginges, and the nigth folowing they leuied their campe with greate sylence and marched on with great spede tyl they came into Seruia, and from thence into Romania, when the Christians sawe the seege raised, and the enemie gone, they gaue god great thankes and were ioyfull and meruelouse glad. Then they en­deuored to cure their hurte men and to distribute the proye to euery man acording to his place, this great & rare victorie was attributed to there men in especiale, which is to Iohn Carafagio Legate Apostolique, in whose name the iorney was taken in hand. To Iohn Vaiuoda, and to freer Caprestano, which two were present in all these affares althoughe that Vaiuoda in all his letters that he wrote to the Emperour and to other princes and frendes of his, neuer made anie mencion of Caprestano, nor Caperestano in his letters which he wrote to the Byshoppe of Rome and also to the Gene­rall of his order and other prelates, made anye mencion of Vaiuoda, notwithstanding, either of them affyrmed in his letters that god throughe him, had gyuen to the Christianes that glorious victorie, wherin it was ap­parantly seene, that the nature of man being most gre­die and desirous of honor, wyll more easyly depart with kingdomes, contreys, riches and such like & to approue this, it was euidently seen in Caprostano, whoe in time before, coulde easyly contempne and dispize all wordly riches, set at naught all erthely pleasures vanquishe & ouercome the desires and motiones of the fleshe and yet coulde not depresse that desire of glorie which then was [Page] in him. Althoughe some man moughte saye vnto me, y^• Caprestano cared not for his owne glorie but for the glorye of god declaringe his incomprehensyble power by aiding the Christians and gyuing them victorie by the aduise and industrie of a symple, poore, and vn armed freer, to the whiche obiection I am content at this pre­sent to gyue place, when Mahomethe had receuid this great bastonade and was retorned home, it is said that he became more temperate, and modeste, and began to consider mannes astate, and to depresse his arrogance, and pride, and he neuer happened afterwarde to heare anye talke of the iorney of Belgrado, but it wolde put him in Cholere, and make him to shake y^• hed, notwithstanding that he coulde wel dissemble his cause. When Calixto was ded, there succided him in his seate Enea Picolhuomini a Sienese borne, whoe being desyrous to prouide for the defence of Christendome, wente in per­son to Mantoa, a citie in Lombardie, where he had ap­pointed a generall councell, and at the daye appointed their came manye princes, and the ambassadours of all the Christian potentates, and the matter being there examined and debated for the space of eighte monethes in what sort they should make warres for the recouerie of Gretta, and chasing of the enemies oute of Europe, and hauing there a great nūbre of Christian princes, which were verie colde in that behalfe, and dyd slenderly satis­fie the expectation of the pope, whervpon when it was decreed that y^e warres shoulde be taken in hand against the Turcke, he licensed the Councell, and departed to­warde Rome, determining to goe this iorney in person with his Nauie by the sea, on thother syde Mahomethe hauinge intelligence of the greate preparation that the Byshope of Rome made, determining to cut of all occa­syones that mought trouble his state in Gretia, and calhys enemyes thyther,Another armie in Morea. whervpon he sent hys armye a­gaine into Morea, & aboute the yere of our saluation a thousand foure hundred and thre score, and in a shorte space became lorde of the greatest parte of that contrey, and hauing alredie takē the Dispotto therof (dimetrio) and sent him prisoner to Constantinople, Thomas his [Page 27] elder brother being then prince of Acaia, was maruel­ously in doubte of him selfe, whervpon he toke with him oute of Acaia the hed of Saincte Andre the apostle and fled oute of his contrey into Italie with the afore sayde hed and manye other reliques of Sainctes, & came and presented bothe the reliques, and him selfe to the pope. Whoe receued the reliques, and caused them to be pla­ced with great solenpnitie, in the churche of Sainte Peter prince of the Apostles, in a certaine Chapell whiche he had buylded with great sumptuositie, & to Thomas prince of Achaia, he appointed such promisiō as mought honorably maintaine his state duringe his lyfe, in that same yere Mahometh went with his armie against the Emperour of Trebisonda and entred into Ponto with an exceding, great Nauie and beseged Trebisonda,The see [...]e of Trebi­sonda. both by sea and land, and the Emperour making no great defence nether of him selfe, ne yet of his citie, was taken, and brought on lyue to Mahometh, whoe sent him pri­soner to Constantinople, and became, not onely lord of Trebisonda but also of Sinopi & the reste of the townes and cities, that the Christians possessyd with in the contrey of Pontho, whē he had thus done, he returned with his Nauie into Gretia, the yere folowing, he put his Nauie againe to the sea, and sent it to assaile the Isle of Mitelleme in the olde worlde called Lesbo, which was pos­sessyd at that tyme by the lorde frauneys Gattalusio a Genouese borne. When he had brought his Nauie thi­ther, and landed his people in shorte tyme he toke al the fortes, and townes of the Isle, and then he brought his armie y^e to Citie of Mitilleme, wherin was the lorde of the Isle with all his power,Mitilen [...] besegyd & taken by Maho­meth. the Turckes beseged the towne bothe by sea and land, in suche sorte, that they of the towne coulde nether receaue into the towne, men ne yet victuales, then planted they theyr batteries, and in shorte space made an exceding greate breache, and yet they contynued it daye and night without gyuing anye tyme at all to the defendantes to repose them, and after manye assaultes gyuen, the defendantes were marue­lously consumed by death, and hurtes: whervpon they assayled it rounde with al their force, and in the ende entred [Page] (after longe fighte) the repares that the defendants had made, and first became masters of the walles, and then of the citie, they put al the men of the towne to the sworde excepte the lorde of the Isle whom they toke prisoner, they deflored all the Virgines of the towne, and forced all the women of the same, thei spoiled the towne of all y^e riches that therein was, and they lefte nothing nether sacred ne yet profane vndefiled and in this sorte they obtained an exceding riche spoyle, both of treasure and prisoners of all kindes, and ages, which they lad with Gatalusio their lorde, to Constantinople and solde them in their marcketes (by companies lyke herdes of swyne (for slaues, a piteouse spectacle to beholde, a cer­taine people of the Isle of Scio called Manoesy (vnto whome the Isle of Scio dyd apartaine)Manoesy Tributa. ries to the Turcke. in y^e right of their auncestours, whoe at their owne charges wanne it not­withstanding they dyd owe sertaine homage to the citie of Genoa of the which, they were citizenes, when they vnderstode of the losse of Mitilene fearing leste the victoriouse Nauie should be emploied against thē, thought it good to make the matter suer, whervpon, they sent an ambassade to Mahometh, and agreed to gyue him yerely ten thousand ducates in the name of tribute, and thus comitted them selues to his protection. When the Venetianes vnderstode of y^e taking of Morea, the losse of Mitilene and Trebisonda,Late wyse they began to be in doubte of their Isles and townes that they possessyd in Gretia, and sawe then their owne folie in that,Nota. that thei had not in the begynninge aided those princes and people, but suffred them to be denoured, one after an other, & Ma­hometh to possesse their states and contreis, whervpon, they thought it better to assaile, then to be assailed, and therfore preuented the enemye, being in good hope that the popes enterprise shoulde goe forewarde, and take good effect, by meanes wherof, Mahometh shoulde haue ynought to doe, to defende his owne dominions, and contreys,Warres betwene the veneti­anes & the Turckes. whervpon they put to the sea a greate Nauie of Galleys of diuers ordres of ores, and manye greate shippes in whom they bestowed agreate numbre, both of fotemen and horsemen Italians, and so sayled on to­warde [Page 28] the Archipelago or myddle sea, & when they had landed their people in Morea, the fyrst thinge that they toke in hande, was to make againe the walle of Esmi­lia and to make it as stronge as they coulde, after that they marched on with their armie to y^• citie of Corintho and besegid it bothe by sea and land, when Mahomethe was aduertized of the arriualle of the venetianes, and of the great daunger that Corintho was in, he put his Nauie to the sea and embarqued his armie, gyuinge them commission to haste with all celeritie toward Corintho as sone as the infidele armie was landed in Morea, they assailed forth with the walle of Esmilia,Esmylya. and laide their batteries to it, whervpon the Christianes not beinge a­ble to stande to the defence therof, gaue it ouer to the enemies and retired to their campe the which as sone as the Turckes Captaines espied, they forthe with cut throughe the walle, and entred, marching on with their armie towarde the enemie, who refused not y^e battayle but marched also towarde them and withoute delaie ioined with them in battaile,Battayle betwene the veneti­anes & the Turcke. which contynuinge for the space of certaine houres, was bothe terrible, & bloddie and in the ende the Christianes being werie, and not a­ble to endure the force of the Turckes (whoe contynually supplied y^• fighte with freshe and reposed squadrones in the place of the weried, and spoyled) began to retire toward the sea, thincking to saue them selues by fleing to their Nauie, and brake their order, and being folowed by the Turckes horsemen, were slaine, and taken in great numbre, and loste also their artillerie, munition and cariadge, and in this sort, was the sege of Corintho raised, and then with great triumphe retorned the in­fidels to Constantinople, leading with them the Chri­stian prisoners enchayned, & as sone as they were there arriued, they caused a great number of them with great crueltie to be cut in peces in the market place, the reste they lad with them, lyke flockes of shepe throughe the Townes of Asia, & solde them for slaues in euery place y^• they passed by. The Venetianes beinge greatly disco­raged throughe this defeicte and fearing that they had procured to them the Turcks indignation by y^• meanes [Page] of the soodden warres which they had made vpon him wherupon they addressed them forth with to the pope, [...] sent their Oratours to Rome, to desire and solicite th [...] pope with greate instance, to make warres vpon th [...] Turcke, and to haste the iorney into Asia, declaring v [...] to him that if he deferred the tyme, Mahometh shoulde haue good commoditie to take all the townes in Greti [...] that were in the possession of the Christians, and cheifely those that were vpon the sea coaste by meanes wher of they shoulde not be able to maintaine any Nauie vp on that coaste, hauinge no hauens nor goolfes at their commaundemente, the Byshoppe althoughe he knewe that to be true which they said being very sorie to con­sider the peryl wherin they were, dyd put them in good hope that he wolde acomplishe their request, althoughe in dede, he sawe no meanes howe to doe it, for that he coulde get no aide from beyonde the mountaines, for as much, as the case eas such, that after that the councell of Mantoa was licensyd, all Europe was fylled with diuision, and priuate innimities, and regarded not at al, the good determination of y^e generall enterprise against the infidels agreed vpō at Mantoa, for in Almanie there was warres betwene the Duke of Bauera,Europe fylled with warres. and the Saxons, and ether parte employed their frindes, and by that meane drewe to them the greatest parte of Al­manie. The Emperour pretending to succide in the roi­all seate of Hungarie, his Nephewe Laodislao kinge therof, wolde not endure that the king Mathias should possesse it, wherfore he emploied all his force against y^• Hungarianes. The Frenshe kinge beinge much offen­dyd with the pope for that he crowned, and admitted to the seate Royall of Pulia the kinge Ferdinando a bas­tarde sonne of the king Alsonso, not regrading at al the righte that the kinge Renato of Angio his cosen had to the afore saide kingdome, dyd not onelye refuse to send aide to this generall enterprise: but threatned the pope continually to send his armie into Pulia. The Inglishe men, whiche were neuer wonte to fayle in anye enter­prise agaist the enemies of the Christian faithe, being sore vexed with Ciuile warres, hauinge two kinges li­uing [Page 29] at once which soughte no meanes, but onely howe the one mought chase the other oute of the realme, the people beinge deuided, y^e one parte fauoring henry their auncient kinge, the whiche by Edward, Duke of yorke was chased oute of the Realme, the other sorte soughte [...]o maintaine the partie of kinge Edwarde vnto whom y^e Duke of Burgonie gaue aide, and Loise the Frenshe kinge aided the kinge henry, whose sonne with y^• counte of warwicke entred England, & gaue battaile to kinge Edward. In Spaine the citie of Burcelona in the con­ [...]rey of Catalonia reuolted against their prince, the king Iohn of Arragone kinge of Nauarre, and were ayded & maintained against him by the kinge of Castilia, on the other syde the Frenshe kinge gaue ayde to the kinge Iohn of Nauarre to recouer againe his righte who was encamped before the citie with his power, and for y^• that god wolde not that anye parte of Europe shoulde be at quiete, he sturred vp in Fraunce the Duke Iohn, sonne to the king Renato of Angio, who passed into y^• kinge­ [...]ome of Naples with a greate Nauie of Galleys & ship­pes, and while he was there, he so practized, that he diui [...]ed the whole force of Italie the one parte therof fauo­ [...]ing the house of Angio and the other parte the house of Aragone, so, that in those warres: all the nobilitie of y^• kingdome, as men oute of their wittes deuided them selues into sondrie factiones, not onely they of the kingdome, but of all the states of Itali [...]. The Venetianes, & Genoueses, with diuerse other princes fauored the par­ [...]ie of the Duke Iohn. The pope and the Duke of Myl­ [...]ane, discouered them selues in the fauour of y^• king Fer [...]ante, and sent him diuers bandes bothe of horsemen, & [...]otemē. The florentines, althoughe generally they were [...]nclyned to fauour the Frenshe partie by meanes of [...] league made betwene the house of Angio and them, and were bounde to the kinge Renato, yet notwithstanding being gouerned by the appetite of their rules, they were perswaded that it was not good for them to take parte in so gerat warres, and to enter into newe char­ges, but to stande as newtres, but in dede, they showed [...]hem selues fryndes to the house of Aragone, whervp­on [Page] forthwith: they cassed many of their bandes, with the lorde Simonetto, one of their chiefe conductours, and permitted them to serue the kinge ferrante, & thus secretly they ayded the partie of Arragone, wherupon, the pope beinge empeched by meanes of these emotions determined to defer the purposed enterprise against the Turcke vntyll suche tyme as the deuisiones and tumultes of Europe and chiefly those of Italie were appeased wherupon he departed from Siena & rteorned to Rome purposing to acquiet and redresse the temporall state of his church, which was maruelously disordered & shaken by meanes of the aforesaid diuisiō, he began at Viterbo which was then holden by one of the factions, & by his auctoritie called home againe those that for feare were fled, & reconciled them w^t their aduersaries & in this sort lefte them al in good peace vnder his protection & gouernance after this he sent his legates into y^e duchie & into the contrey of Marca and finding these prouinces infec­ted w^t the afore saide Maladye, one citie being in armes againste the other and diuerse citie beinge deuided in them selues, the one part of the Citie against the other some were of the Colonese factino & other of the Orsius and nowe had the one the better and then the other, tyl at the laste by the great prouidence and industrie of the legates, they were all pacified and lefte vnder the regi­ment and gouernaunce of the popes officers in perfecte tranquiletie and quietnes: after this when the pope be­helde y^• miserable state of his contrey & the great spoyle therof that had ben made throughe the Ciuile disorder and warres y^• had ben amonge them, by meanes wher­of they had consumed a great numbre of their people, & also were brought into extreme pouerty, it was a great griefe vnto him, and then gaue he order that they which gouerned shoulde by common consent restore againe to their firste degres and honours the orders of gentlemen and the twelue, and shoulde cal from exile certaine worthie citizens, and in this sorte he enlarged his regiment and state, and lefte it quiet and in peace tyll at the laste in the contre of Marca, their arose the lord Sigismonde Malisti, and gatherid an army and encountred with the [Page 30] popes Legate and gaue him a great ouerthroe by mea­nes wherof all the Contre of Marca was in armes and folowed this Sigismonde, wherupon the pope sent thi­ther his legate the Cardinall of Tiano apistolese borne with the Duke of Vrbine and the lorde Napoleone Orsino, which gaue to Sigismondo such an ouerthroe not farre from Sinigaglia, that they enforced him to leue y^• feelde and so repressed his furie y^• in a shorte tyme they toke from him Sinigaglia, Fano, and a good pece of the countie of Arrimino, and after diuerse encoūtres in the kingdome of Naples, the kings Ferrante remained vic­toriouse, and the Duke Iohn with his Angionme fac­tion was retorned into Fraunce, & when Ferrante was well established in his kingdome, and that the pope sawe him selfe deliuered of two great warres, and had established the temporal state of his church and brought it to perfecte quietnes, he then called againe to minde y^• enterprise of Asia, against the Turckes and being con­federate with the kinge of Hungarie, the Duke of Borgonie and with the state of Venise, they then consulted and determined in what sorte they woulde make these warres, the pope sent forthe his letters with his mes­sagers to al the princes of Christendome, exhorting and requiring thē to cōme & ayde him in this iorney against th [...] infidels, and appointed the tyme, that in the yere of our helthe a thousand foure hundred threscore and foure the xv. daye of Iune, all the armie shoulde be redie in y^• contre of Marca, not farre from Ancona, where they shoulde fynde the Nauie reddie to receaue, both y^• popes hollynes and them also who wolde in person goe, to so glorious an enterprise, and when the pope had thus de­termined, he passed on for the recouerie of his helthe to Siena, meaning the nexte spring folowing according to his custume to goe to the baines at Petriuolo: and whē he was there arriued, newes came to him that Philippe Duke of Borgonie (seing the great tumultes and emo­tiones that were in Fraunce betwene the king and the nobilitie) wolde prouide for y^• securitie of his state wherfore he wolde not deale at all in the enterprise againste the Turckes but emploied all his force vnder the con­ducte [Page] of his sonne Charles against Loys king of Fraūce whereupon he changed his purposed iorney to y^e baines, and retorned to Rome where he was maruelously trou­bled with the goute and also with the feuer wherupon he was enforced to contynewe there a longe tyme con­trarie to his determination which was the cause that he coulde not be at his daye appointed at Ancona: accor­ding to his proclamation that he had made of the iorney in the meane tyme their came to Rome seuerally ambassadours, both from Loys the frenshe king and also from Philippe Duke of Borgonie, excusing ether of them for so muche as beinge troubled with domesticale warres they coulde not at that tyme gyue anye aide toward the iorney, when the pope was some thing recouerid of his disease, he called the Cardinales to the Consystorie, & there discoursed of the heresies that then were in y^e kingdome of Bohemia, wherupon he graunted forthe his ci­tationes, and then with his Cardinales and other Cortigianes he departed from Rome and passed throughe y^• contre of Sabina into the Duchie, and from thence into the contre of Marca and beinge caried in a horse lytter (in consyderation of his weakenes) passed so on to An­cona and as he passed on y^• waye he mette with a great numbre of men [...]ich came oute of Almanie, Fraunce, and Spaine, of t [...]ir owne good willes, to goe that iourney against the infidels, of the whiche numbre the grea­test parte, and chiefely those that came oute of Almanie brought with them no prouision wherwith to susteine them in that iorney,The popes liberalitie. wherupon, he gaue them his bene diction, and absolued them clearely from al the offences that euer they committed, vntyll that present, and in this sorte licensid them to retorne into their coūtreys a­gaine, and being in Ancona he loked for y^e Nauie which was made redie in diuers places of Italie, and shoulde repare thither to vnite them selues and also he loked for the Duke of Venise with his armata to arriue there in this meane time the feuer dyd so growe and encreas vp on him, that the same daye that the Duke of venise landed in y^e hauen of Ancona accompanied with xii. galleys and a great numbre of gentlemen he yelded vp his soul [...] [Page 31] to god, which was the yere of our helth.Pio the second pope of that name died. 1464. and the [...]iiii of August, immediatly vpō his death y^• Cardinales retorned to Rome to electe a newe Byshoppe, and the Duke of Venise retorned againe to Venise with his ar­mata and in this sorte the Nauie was deuided and all the preparation that was made for the iorney into Asia, was but in vaine, and when the Duke was come home to Venise, the Seniours thoughte it not good to losse al that which they had bestoed in furnishing their Nauie and their armie where upon they made Nicholas de Canale, general of their Nauie and sent him with their Nauie to the sea, who sayled alonge the coaste of Gretia, & landed in Romania and sacqued the Citie of Euia and toke oute of it a great spoile and after that,Enia takē by the venetians. he entred in­to the golfe of Patrasso whiche is in Morea, and there landed, and beinge encountred with the Turckes that were there lefte for the garde of the conutrey, he flewe two thousande vpon the place, and gaue them a greate ouerthowe he toke the Castle of Vesticio fortified it and lefte in it a garnison of his people, there succided pio y^• seconde, Paulo the seconde, a venetian borne, who semed not to abandone the enterprise that his predecessor had determined against the infidels, wherupon he ioyned in league with the Venetianes against y^• Turckes which had made there courses into Almaignie and had taken a waye a great proye both of men and cattell, Mahometh determining alwayes to banishe the Christians oute of Gretia,Great pre­paration of Maho­meth. aboute the yere of our helthe. 1470. dyd put to the sea a Nauie of. 400. sayle where of they saye there were. 200. gaylles and fustes, and when he had embarcked a great number of horse men and fote men, he sent them vnder the gouernance and cōducte of Mahometh, Bassa to the seege of the citie of Calcide which standeth in the Isle that was anciently called Euboica and nowe is called Negroponte,Euboica anciently called Ne­groponte beseged by the Turc­k [...]s. as sone as the Bassa was arriued at the Isle, he landed his people and beseged the towne and planted his batteries, and when the had contynued it for a longe space, they had done in maner nothing, for they of the towne be haued them so well that whatso­euer breache was made in the day, they made it vp in y^• [Page] nighte, and rampared it in as great strengte as before, wherfore it semed to Mahomethe that his enterprise toke no greate effecte, and that his batteries dyd not greatly preuaile, he sent for a newe supplie of men and went thyther in person and when he behelde the greate breaches that his men had made he thoughte that they mought easily enter y^e towne: wherupō he embattailed all his armie, and appointed certaine Colonelles with their regimentes to the assaulte and appointed to euery of them the place that he with his regyment shoulde as­sayle, when he had thus done, he called al the captaines of his armie vnto him perswadinge them with goodly wordes to shewe them selues worthie of that good opi­nion that he had of them, and that they wolde approche the towne with purpose that dai to be victoriouse or els there to ende their liues, and also he gaue vnto them the whole spoyle of the towne, more ouer he promised to suche as shoulde firste enter the towne great rewardes, with these exhortaciones and promises, he dyd greatlye incorage his souldiours, wherupō he continued his bat­teries with great furie, for a space, with the noise wher of and with that of drommes, trompettes, and cornetts the aire, the earth, and the sea, dyd tremble, Mahometh gaue order that when the Colonelles of y^e first assauite had continued it for a certaine time,Maho­meth a noble Cap­taine. that then other C [...] lonelles with their regymentes shoulde take their place and so contynewe the assaulte, by the whiche meanes, he had alwayes freshe assaylantes, and thus contynued he the assaulte withoute intermission two dayes & two nightes, and suffred not them of the towne in any wise to repose, and althoughe that the Christians who were appointed to y^e garde of the towne defended it with rare vertue, and noble myndes, and vsed their fiers artificial shotte, great stones, and casting speares, wherwith they had flayne a great numbre of the infydels, and when the infydels had twyse chased them from the breache & had entred the towne, the Christians serred them selues and charged them and for with chased them fort he of the towne making great slaughter of the aforesaid enemies but in the ende, for asmuche as the greatest parte of the [Page 32] defendantes were staine and the reste being but fewe in numbre and greatly weried with the longe fyghte that they had endured, and being consumed in this sorte not being a sufficient number to defende the whole circuite of the towne,Souldi­ours of a­noble minde. certaine of them repared into the market place determininge there to dye honorably with theyr swordes in their hand, and such as were not of so noble a minde as they were, for soke the towne, among the whiche numbre, was the gouernour of the Citie with manye of the cheife officers and gentle men Venetians which fled into the forte or Citadell, wherupon y^e Turckes entred the Citie, and after a longe fyghte became lordes of the market place, and them of the Citie, and with inspeakable crueltie they put to death all the Ita­lianesVnspeak­able cruel­tie. that they coulde laie handes on, inpalinge them vpon longe stakes, of others they plucked the skyn ouer their eares, and some others thei cut a sonder in the middest in such sorte: that all y^e stretes of Negroponte were fylled with dede boddies and washed w^t christian bloude and after that they toke all the inhabitants of y^e towne as wel men as wemen that then were liuing, and made them slaues and when they had thus done, they began to sacke the towne both houses and Churches, in suche sorte as they lefte nothing in the towne, suche as were fled into the sorte made an appointement with him, it was agreed that they shoulde departe safely with their lyues and goodes whervpon they delyuered the Castle before that anye one pece was planted against it, in dede the Turcke helde not his promes with them, for in dede be put them all to y^e sworde. And in this sorte y^e famous Isle of Eboica aboute the middest of y^e monethe of Iune was takē by Mahometh and when Nicholas de Canale was retorned to Venise the Senate laid to his charge y^e Negr [...] ­ponte ta­kē by Mahometh. he had not done his duetie in that that he had not suc­coured Negroponte, whiche he moughte haue done if he had durs [...], as they sayde, wherupon they layde him in chaines and then condempned him to perpetuall exile, & created in his place their general Petro Moranigo, who departed oute of the golfe with a Nauie of lx. galleys & xx. greate shippes and sailed on towarde y^e Isle & spoiled [Page] and destroied all the sea coast of Gretia, and Asia. In those dayes the Genoueses fearinge leaste the Turcke shoulde bringe his armie to the Citie of Capha, whiche standeth beyonde the straite of Bosporo vpon the sea called Eusino which at this daye is called the greater sea,Pon [...]o Eusino. and seing no waie howe they mighte sende any succours thyther, for somuch as the Turcke had his Castles very well furnished which he had buylded vpon both the straites, and they thoughte it a matter impossyble to sende anye bandes thyther by lande, considering that the ior­ney was great and the passage perillous, throughe the contreys of so many barbarous nations, and beinge in this greate extremitie, there was a Constable which of­ferid for a certaine sume of money to goe into Caffa w^t his bande which was of the numebr of. 150. souldiours or there aboute, vnto whome they gaue such some as he demaunded, wherupon he toke his iourney and passed throughe y^e contrey of Friule in Italie, & after through the contrey of Hungarie, then throughe Polonia, from thence throughe Scithia, whiche at this daye is called Tartarie, and in this sorte conueid him selfe into Caffa while these thinges were doinge, Mahomethe had put Practize of Maho­meth. a great Nauie to the sea to passe into Candie where mē supposed he had alredie framed certaine practizes with the Candiottes that he should be receyued by them whē soeuer that he came, and vnderstandinge the Venetian armata to be alredie ariued there and that the chiefe conspiratours were taken and put to death, immediatly he chaunged purpose and directed his Nauie into the greater sea, and commaūded a great number of horsemen to passe into Valachia and to spoyle & destroye there what they coulde, as they were doinge of this, he beseged the Citie of Caffa both by sea and lande,Caffa be­seged. he planted his bat­teries, and began to tormente them ercidingly with his shotte, the Genoueses which there were, whoe were many in number & possessid great riches, bothe of marchan­dize and treasour, whoe being amased by this sodden assaulte, and seing them selues oute of al hope of succour, after that they had defendyd it nobly by the space of cer­taine dayes, thoughte it not good there to loose bothe [Page 32] lyfe and goodes, wherupon they practized an appointe­ment. And agreing vpon the same delyuered the towne vpon condition,Caffa yel­ded to Mahometh. to enioye al their goodes, which promis was but euell obserued, for somuche as they toke from thence manye of the principall families with that they had and sent them to Constantinople, and constrained them there to dwell and made the Citizens of Caffa his tributaries and forbadde them vpon paines of lyfe to departe from thence, or to send away from thence any of their substance or riches. And in this sorte the Citie of Caffa (standing vpō the sea called Eusino) which had ben of a longe tyme possessyd by the Genoueses, became subiecte to the tiranouse gouernance of the Turckes, when Mahomethe acordinge to his determination had clearely banished y^e Christians oute of Gretia, he leuied an armie of a hundred thousand men, and sent them in­to Albania to beseege the towne of Scutarie,Scutar [...] besegyd by Maho­meth. which standeth neare the riuer called Buiana (not farre from the ancient Citie Appollonia) which then was possessyd by the Venetianes and furnished with dyuers Constables and bandes of Italianes bothe fotemen and horsemen, when the infydels were comne before Scutarie, they enuironned the towne with their campe, and planted their batteries contynewing them daye and night with oute cease with maruelouse furie, and they of the towne dyd w^t no lesse corage defend them selues. And throughe the noble myndes and discipline, of the Christian Cap­taines, all the Turckes preparationes and attemptes were renderid vaine and of none effecte, they were en­forced to consume all that sommer in vaine before that towne, and when the Autoume drewe on, the Turckes throughe the sharpnes of the aire, and y^e pestilent winds which bette vpō them contynually throughe the mouth of the ryuer fell into diseases in such sorte, as they were enforced to abandone the seege and to with drawe themselues into those mountaines of Macedonia that were nearest to Scutarie, in intention to retorne thyther a­gaine as sone as the infection of the aire shoulde cease, and whileste they wintred there the lieutenante of the armie toke with him certaine of his chosen bandes and [Page] made warres vpon Iohn GernoiIohn Gernoi. (whiche possessyd dyuerse townes in the mountaines of Albania) he toke frō him the towne of Sabiaco, and when he had by force ta­ken the Citie of Diuastro and Lisso, he put to death all the men that were within them with sondrie torments and tiranouse deathes, he made the wemen and chyl­dren slaues which he there founde, and went in y^e spring folowing, againe to the sege of Scutarie, althoughe he were oute of hope to take it by force, yet he thoughte in time throughe famine to possesse it, whervpon he cn­nironned the towne with his campe in such sorte, y^e they coulde nether send forth to their fryndes anye aduertise ment, nor receaue from them anye in telligence or relife on the other side the Venetianes coulde neuer perswade the pope to abstaine from the warres which he had be­gone in Tuscane againste the Florentynes, & to vnite hys force with them and so to enuade the infidels, for so muche as they alone withoute the ayde of any other,Greate charges of the Vene­tianes. had borne the whole charge of the warres in Gretia by the space of. 25. yeres, being w^t the intollerable charges therof weried, for that they were enforced to holde con­tynually a greate Nauie vpon the Coaste of Gretia, for the defence of suche fortes and townes as they possessed there, and beside that they dyd contribute very largely to y^e pope for y^• manitenance of his warres in Tuscane against the Florentines, whervpon lyke wise men they Iudges, that yf the Florentine shoulde happen to be subdued, the enemie moughte also easyly take frō them all suche places as they possessyd in the maine lande of Italie, wherfore they thought it good to disbordē them selues of so greate a charge, and by meanes of certaine Greekes, practized an appointemente with Mahometh, and concluded a peace with him for manye yeres, vpon conditione that for his honours sake,Scutari gyuen to Maho­meth. they shoulde be contented to delyuer into his hands the towne of Scutarie and besydes that, that they shoulde paie vnto him in consideration of the charges that he had ben at acording to the entreatie had bytwene his and their commissioners two hundred thousand ducates within the space of two yeres then nexte ensuing, and in consideration of this, [Page 33] he gaue vnto them she libertie to haue in Constantino ple a Bailo,Bailo an ambas­sadour lidger that hathe po­wer of lyfe. to determine the differences that shoulde happen betwene y^• Venetianes there, when Mahometh had in this sorte concluded peace with the Venetianes: he deuided his armie, sending the one parte therof into Hungarie, which made a great course there, and the o­ther whiche was his Nauie he sent to lande in Pulia, where they raised a great proie both of men and catell, after that he made warres againste them of the Isle of Rhodes, & sent thyther one of his Basrias with a great power and when he had landed his people (which was y^e xxi. of Maie, in the yere of our helthe M.CCCC.lxxiiii) he proied and spoyled all the circuite of the Isle, whiche is a hundred and twentie myles,Rodes by Maho­hometh be segid. and when he had thus done, he presented his campe to the Citie of Rhodes, & assayled it bothe by sea and lande, planted his batteries and ceased them nether daye ne nighte, the great master of y^e order, wyth his kinghtes and souldiours and other Christianes that there were, defended the towne so nobly & repaired it with such industrie as it was a mar­uel, they salied forth daiely and scaramoshed with them the enemies vsed all spede possyble with their batterie contynning it withoute cease bothe daye and nighte, gyuinge them of the towne no tyme at all to repose, but helde them contynually occupied bothe daye and nighte with scaramoshes, alarmes, and false assaultes, notwith standing that, they of the towne repulsed them w^t great assurance, and slewe manye of them, and also they loste of thers some tyme, notwithstandinge their smale losse was more preiudiciall vnto them (forthat they had not meanes to be supplied with newe men) then the great numbre of the partie of the assailants which were slaine was to them of y^e campe, the numbre of them of y^• of towne consumed and decaied daylye, when the Mahometistes had in this sorte contynued their seege by the space of two monethes, it semed to the Captaines & Bascias y^• thei had made sufficient breache whervpon. thei thought them selues suer of the towne whenseuer they shoulde assayle it, and vpon this they made redie for the assulte all kinde of necessaries & determined to gyue y^• assaulte [Page] whervpon they deuided their people, and gaue order to their Coloneles, who shoulde begyn the assaulte, and whiche they were that shoulde from tyme to tyme sup­plie it, when this was done they put their peopel in or­der and approched the towne the.Rodes as­saulted the xx. of Iuly xx. daye of Iulye in y^• breake of the day with greate noyses and cries and they emploied their greatest force vpon that syde of y^e towne where the towre stode that was called Giudeca, whiche was so flatte betyn to the grounde that the spoyle and roobishe therof so fylled the dyke that men moughte ea syly clyme vp to y^e heighte of the breache, as sone as this was knowē, they that were withoute began y^e assaulte placed their shotte to beate their defenses and breaches to the ende they shoulde not be able to stande to the de­fence of their breaches, and immediatly entred the dike and as they were comming vp the breaches, they were encountred by them of the towne with great Valiantize whoe appeared in all places where nede was throwing oute vpon their enemies continually great stones peces of tymber castinge speres and with their shotte they dyd maruelously anoie them, they th rewe them downe contynually from the walles makinge excidinge greate flaughter of them notwithstandinge the Turckes con­tynued styll the assaulte and renewed it with freshe bandes from tyme to tyme, in suche sorte as the fighte con­tynued still withoute cease and was maintyned a great pece of y^e day with great assurance on bothe sides, but in the end y^e Turckes through their great number, and also throughe their meanes which they vsed, to supplie y^e fighte with freshe regimentes and bandes, preuayled murche and in the ende certaine thousandes of y^e Turcks serred them selues and charged with their hole force, vp on the Christians, which not beinge able to endure the force of their enemies, were constreyned to abandone the breaches, whervpon by lytle and lytle they retired them selues towarde the market, and the enemies en­tred the towne and folowed them on wel towarde that place Giudeca, and soddenly they stated (not beinge charged at all by the enemies) and shewed suche a token of fearefulnes that it semed they trembled with feare, the [Page 34] cause therof was not certainly knowen althoughe there were some founde, and chiefely certaine sonnes of one Gētile. de Bardi a Florentine, which affirmed that they sawe steppe forthe before them,Strange ad [...]enture a man on horsebacke armed at all peces with an vpper garment of whyte vpon his armour, whiche when the enemies sawe, they were abashed and durste not deale with him, the Chri­stians perceuing the cowardize of the enemies, called a­gaine to them noble myndes, and put them selues again in order and then charged the enemies, which fled from the Christians, abandoned the towne, leuing y^e victorie at that time to their enemies, and therfore that day they of the towne were preserued (contrarie to their owne expectation) beinge clerely oute of hope of their helthe & thervpon comforted them selues and all they that were in the towne bothe men wemen & children laide to their handes for the reparing of the breaches for the space of certaine dayes, tyll that they had made it somewhat de­fensyble the enemies on thother syde endeuoured them selues by all meanes possyble to supplie their bandes & to furnishe them with all kinde of necessaries for to as­sayle the towne againe. In this meane tyme the kinge FerranteThe chri­stian zeale of the king Ferrante. dispaiched from Naples two great shippes w^t commision to sayle towarde the coaste of Gretia and to succour the towne of Rhodes, which shippes being wel furnished with men, set sayle and sayled toward y^e coaste of Gretia, and the .xxx. of Iulye they arriued within the sighte of Rhodes, and holdinge on their course towarde the hauen mouthe the lesser of the two passed with fylled sayles, throughe y^e middest of y^e turckishe Nanie, which came and assayled him thincking to denie him y^e passage as he passed throughe their Nauie he slewe manie of the infideles and so arriued safely with his shyppe and peo­ple in the hauen of Rhodes, where he was receiued by thē of the towne with incredible ioye, Franzino pastore that commaunded the other shyppe seing the peryll that the other shyppe (that was arriued at y^e towne) had ben in, was discoraged & durste not folowe but made aboute from the Nauie of the enemies to the sea againe toward the middest of the chanel, the nexte morning being en­forced [Page] by his souldiours & mariners, he set sayle agayne hauing a prosperous wynde and made towarde the ha­uen, & soddenly the wynde fayled him, by meanes wher of he coulde make no sayle but laie styll in greate daun­ger of the enemie, who seinge the ship encaulmed, weid their ancres and made toward her with al their Nauie, determinig to burne her and loded a [...]alandre w^t pytche and towe meaning that whilest certaine of their galleis dyd assayle her, others shoulde set her on fire, whervpon they tawed the palandre after them at y^e sterme of some of their galleys, in their meane tyme the wynde arose & began to blowe a handsome gale, not withoute a mani­fest token of the fauour of God whervpon the Captaine commaunded to packe on all the sayles and directed his course full vpon the Nauie of the infidels and sayled on with greate furie passing throughe the middest of them arriued safely in the hauen, to the great content as wel of those of his shyppe, as of them of the towne, for the which good happe they of the [...] towne triumphed for the space of two dayes shewinge signes of great ioye in rin­ginge of belles making of bonefires shoring of artillerie and suche lyke, whervpon y^e Turckes began to dispaire of the takinge of the towne thincking that the two shippes had broughte farre greater number of men and mo­nition then in dede they dyd. Then began they to at­tempte the towne but slenderly and deuised rather howe to abandone the seege then otherwise, and finally con­ueyd their artillerie and monitions aborde their Nauie and abandoned there seege the xvii. of Auguste, & sayled towarde the straite of Gallipoli,Rhodes de lyuered from the seege of the ene­mies. and in this sorte was Rhodes delpuered frō the seege of the Turckes. In this mean time Mahometh sent Acomath one of his Bascias with a Nauie of an hundred sayles (beinge furnished w^t xv. thousand souldiours) towardes the Golfe and vpon the sodden he assayled the Isle called Saincte Maura, anciently called Eucadia, and toke it, and from thence he passed on towarde Cephalonia, and Hiacinto, [...] in shorte space became lorde of them bothe, and he determined to sayle backe againe by the Golfe and from thence into Pulia, in intention as diuers men thoughte but to land [Page 35] and spoyle the contrey, consideringe the greate riches y^• [...]here was bothe of men, treasure, and catell, and cheife [...]y for that he had intelligence that y^e contrey was lefte withoute garde of men of warre, and also that the king was where he coulde not annoie him, when the Nauie of the infideles was come within fighte of that pointe of [...]ande that the Italianes call Cauo de Ottranto,The head of Ottranto. they made towarde the lande and came into the hauen of Ot [...]ranto, and seinge them of the towne to make no resys­ [...]ance, but beinge afearde: showed moste shamefull Co­wardize, and shutte the gates of the Citie holding them [...]clues within the walles therof and durste not once to [...]okevpon him in the feelde, whervpō he landed his men [...]andhorses, and firste he proied all the contre aboute Ot [...]tranto and then spoyled it and broughte to his shyppes [...]an excyding great proie,Ottranto beseegyd. without any resystance at all, wherevpon he was the more bolde (presuminge vpon the Cowardize of them of the towne) and thoughte to attempte to take it, whervpon he fortified his campe to defend him from outwarde inuasion and enuironed the towne in suche sorte, that they of the towne coulde ne­ther receaue in, nor sende forthe anye thinge oute of it, whē this was done he planted his batteries and began to batter the walles and tormented them with his bat­teries daye and nighte, he arriued at Ottranto xxviii. of Iulye, in the yere of our helth M.CCCC.lxxix, and the xi. daye of Auguste nexte folowing he gaue an assanlte to the towne, and chased them of the towne from the breaches and toke the towne by force, & master frauncis Zurlo who was there, for the kinge being fled with the Arche byshoppe of the Citie into the Cathedrale church where vnto all the the chiefe of the citie were fled also for succour, was with the reste cut in peces. and all the reste of the people, with the wemen and children were sent into Gretia to be sold as slaues, when the king Fer rante vnderstode that the Turckes were arriued at Ottranto, he caused to arme all the shyppes and gallyes of the realme, with maruelouse celeritie, and sent also for his sonne the Duke of Calabria, into Toscane, who at that tyme had made peace with the Florentynes & was [Page] in Siena making great preparation for solemne Iustes and triumphes, to celebrate the feaste of our ladie not withoute greate suspition y^e he was procured by diuerse noughtie Citizenes of his faction, that daye to take the citie and to vsurpe it, when the Duke had receauid this commaundement from his father; he departed forthe w^t oute of Tuscane with all his armie, and marching on w^t great spede broughte them into Pulia and entertained also, as manye fotemen as he coulde gette and appoin­ted them to Captaines, he gathered togyther also, all the men at armes and horsemen of all sortes that were in the kingdome, and then marched on with his armie & encamped not farre frō Ottranto, the Nauie was made redie with maruelouse expedition by the great industris of the countie of Sarni, and was alredie departed from Naples towarde Pulta,The duke of Cala­bria before Ottranto the Duke of Calabria fortified his campe with stronge rampares & depe dikes, douting the furie of the enemie, and durste not to approche the towne so neare, as he moughte laie batterie vnto it, but laie some things farder of and presented him selfe dayly to the towne and they of the towne sorted forthe con­tynually and scaramoshed with him and often tymes repulsed them and made great slaughter of them. And one daie they attached a scaramoshe, and it was maintained in suche order from tyme to tyme with freshe bandes y^• the whole power of the campe was at it, and it grewe to a battaile & cōtinued by the space of certaine houres there was great slaughter, and it was foughte w^t great assurance on bothe sydes, in that battayle was slayne the countie Iulio de Aquaiua, one of the kinges chiefe conductours of his men at armes, the fotemen being discoraged fled, Loys de Capua beinge generall of them, with certaine of his companie (thincking to saue him selfe) fled to a certaine towre whiche was of some force not farre from Ottranto, the Turquyshe horsemen fo­lowed him, and when they came to the towre they deter myned to assayle it, and prepared pitche and towe and other necessaries to let fire vnto it, the afore saide Loys being destrous to lyue, yeldyd him with all his com­panie to the Turckes, and was caried prisoner into Ottranto, [Page 36] & after this there was daily scaramoch betwene them of y^e campe & y^e towne, but they of y^e campe had al­waies y^e worse, there was slaine before Ottranto Mat­theo de Capua, y^e counte Iulio de Pisa and diuers other Captaines & officers of y^e Italian armie, y^e king bycause he wolde make the iorney the more famous went w^t his courte to Barletta, he sent for aide to al y^e Christiā princes y^e king of Hungarie Mathia, sent him a Colonell w^t a regimēt of eight hūdred Hūgarian horsemē, y^e king of Portugale sent him manie Carauelles, well armed and furnished, there came also oute of Spaine, Arragone and Catalona, many gentlemen of their owne charges and good wil, to aide the kinge, & notw̄standing these aides y^e Turckes dismaied not at all, but assured them selues & fortisied their towne, & did not only defend it but went forth of y^e towne dayly & scaramoched w^t y^e Christians & slewe many of them & also brought of them to y^e towne, prisoners. And when they had thus in vaine consumed both y^e sōmer & y^e Autome winter approched & constrai­ned them to abandone their seege & to laye them selues in garnisonnes, in y^• townes nearest about eit, and in y^• same winter y^e Nauie of y^e Turcks spoiled al y^e coaste of Pulia euē to y^e veri moūte of S. Agnolo,Mounte. S. Agnolo & for that y^• Acomathe Bassa desired to speake w^t his lord Mahometh, before y^• cōming of y^• springe of y^• yere, he lefte in Ottran to for y^e defence therof eight thousand chosē souldiours, & furnished thē w^t al kinde of monitiō sufficiently for y^e space of xviii. monethes, & then passed on w^t his armata to Valona, & frō thence he passed by lande to Constantinople to y^• courte, & whē he had thorowlye discoursed w^t his lord, Mahometh determined to goe in persō into Natolia to ayde his sōne Batazith, against Caromano who had alredi giuē Baiazith a great ouerthrowe, & destroed the greatest part of his armie, his pleasure was that Acomathe shoulde goe w^t him y^• iorney entendinge to make quicke Dispatche of y^e same, & thē to retorne into Gretia & to haue good time to goe into Italie against the kinge Ferrante whē Mahometh had passed his armie īto Asia & was come nere to Scutaio he fel sike of a feruent feuer & w^tin fewdais died, & it was suspected y^• he was poisōed.

MAHOMETHE DIED THE LVI. YERE of his age in the xxvii. yere of his raigne, he lefte behinde him two sonnes the one named Gemma, y^e other Baiazithe. The Turckishe nation beinge deuided after y^e death of Mahomethe, the one parte, especially the nobilitie fauoring Sultan Gemma, and y^e Gianizaries the partie of Baiazithe, and therfore immediatly vpon the death of Mahomethe, the Gianizzaries marched wyth all spede to Constantinople, and for so­much as Baiazithe was at that tyme in Natolia, they toke a yonge sonne of his named Corcuthe, & when they had saluted him Emperour, they bare him aboute thorowe all the citie to shewe him to the people,Baiazithe the 10. king and caused them with loude voice to crie the name of Baiazithe who aboute the middest of Maye when he was retorned to Constantinople, caused him selfe to be saluted and confirmed Emperour, beinge assured throughe his manie­folde rewardes and liberalitie, of the fauour and ayde of y^e Bascias and Gianizzaries, and being in doubte of his brother Sultan Gemma, He began to se his souldiours verie wel furnished, and to prouide for his owne securi­tie, Gemma, departinge from the confynes of Soria, where he was lefte by his father to make warres vpon the Soldane, broughte his armie into the lesser Asia, & when he vnderstode howe y^e affaires had passed in Con­stantinople beinge oute of hope to enioye anye parte of gretia,The determynation of Gēma. he chaūged his purpose & determined to occupie y^• Empire of the lesse Asia, whervpon he conueyd hys ar­mie into Bithinia: to the Citie Bursia, which when he had fortyfied, he determyned to call togyther all the ru­lers of the people of, Asia and when he had consulted w^t them, to send for y^e reste of his bandes that were in Asia and to vnite them with his armie,Note this acte. Baiazithe gathered togyther all y^e olde bandes of Gretia, and assembled hys [Page 37] armie and passed them into Asia and sought his brother Gemma, and mette him vpon the plaine not farre from Bursia, the armies beinge renged, the battaile was presented, they ioyned, y^e fighte contynued for a longe time and after great slaughter on bothe sydes,Gemma defeicted. Baiazithe be­came master of the feelde, Gemma beinge broken, and abandoned of his people, fled, with certaine of his trustie fryndes with him to Rhodes, and the great maister of y^e religion (fearing leste by holding of him he mought purchase the innimitie of Baiazith and so prouoke him to warres) sent him wel garded with certaine shippes into Fraunce, from whence afterward by commaundement of Innocentio the viii. Byshoppe of Rome, he was sent to Rome, and beinge receauid by the Byshoppe, had his lodginges appointed in the heighte of the Palace, and was there for a longe tyme garded with great diligence the pope agreed with Baiazithe for a yerely pension of thirtie thousand ducates so to kepe hym garded duringe the lyfe naturall of Gemma.An offer of the king Ferrante. In this meane tyme the king Ferrante being in Italie receauid Aduertysement of the death of Mahomethe, and caused it to be declared to those of Ottranto, & offeryd them (that yf they wolde delyuer into his handes the Citie) he wolde sett them al safely into Gretia with all such goodes and treasure as they had there. The infideles wolde in no wyse agree to this demaunde forsomuche as they knewe not whether theyr lorde was deade or noe, or els for that they staied to se which of the two bretheren sholde be their lord, and whether he wolde send them succours or no, beinge as­sured that yf Acomathe were lyuing he wolde not abandone them, nor breake promes with them. The Duke of Calabria seinge their perseuerance in the promes to Acomathe, dyd with his campe approche y^e towne more neare then in the tyme of Mahomethe he durste doe,Ottran [...]o straytly besegyd by the Duke of Cala­bria. he began to entrenche toward the towne, and so from trenche to trenche, conueyed his people to y^e very bancke of the towne dyke, and then planted his batteries, and batterid it for certaine dayes & they determyned to giue an assaulte, whervpon he sawe his people furnished w^t all kinde of necessaries and then deuided them into bat­taylones, [Page] and gaue order for the beginninge and conty­nance of the assaulte, and then commaunded the trom­pettes drommes and cornetts, to sounde to the assaulte and thervpon began to assayle the breaches with great furie, and in shorte space became lorde of them, and whē they entred the towne they founde in it suche newe for­tifycation as they were oute of all hope of wynning of it whervpon they retyred from the assaulte with the losse of manye of their moste valyante men, after thys they attempted newe practizes and agreed with them of the towne, that they shoulde safely send their messagers in­to Gretia, to vnderstand whether Mahomethe were ly­uing or no, and howe the affares passed there, vpon this there was a trewes taken for a certaine tyme, the Cap­taines of Ottranto dispatched their messangers into Gretia, & when they came there they vnderstode y^e Acomathe was in Asia, and had taken parte with Gēma, and Baiazithe made redie with greate celeritie to goe against thē in person, where vpō they retorned to Ottranto and declared what they vnderstode of the affares of Gretia, whervpon the generall with the Captaines consulted, and forasmuche as they sawe the state of Turchie so de­uided leadinge and mayntaining Ciuile warres among them selues, and that Acomathe, in whom was al their truste had declared him selfe enemie to Baiazithe and was in Asia, and they being oute of hope of al succour entred againe into talke of appointement with y^• Duke of Calabria, and messagers both went and came on both sydes, and at the laste with much a doe they agreed that the towne shoulde be delyueryd into the Dukes hands, vpon condytion that the kyng shoulde safely set them in Gretia: with al the substance and artillerie that they presently possessyd there, and in this sorte the peace was made, and the performances of the promes confyrmed by othe and when the kinge and the Duke had thus promysed, the Turckes delyuered the towne and receauyd into it,Promise euel obser­ued. the Dukes souldiours and delyuered vnto them the gouernance of the towne, when this was done, con­trarie to all promes they helde all the chiefe of y^• Turc­kes prisoners, and put a great number of the souldiours [Page 38] into the galleys, and helde them of force all, sauing cer­taine of them beinge men of place, and circumspect, who wolde rather committe them selues to the faythe of the Hungarian Cononel, then to the Italianes, when Sultan Baiazithe had ouerthorowen his brother Gemma and put him to slyghte, and receauid obeisance of all the state and dominiones of his ancestrous in Asia the lesse, and had visited the contre of Pontho Capadotia and o­ther prouinces and gyuen order for the gouernaunce of them he cōtynued in Burfia for a certaine space: to giue audience to the gouernours of those prouinces of Asia, which were subiecte vnto him in those partes, where he bare him selfe so modestly and determyned his causes w^t such humanitie that in the ende he obtained great good wyll of the people, when he had thus done, be passyd the straite homeward and was receauid into Constantino­ple with great pompe, acording to the order of the triūp hantes of y^e olde worldes, he then gaue order, & altered, the recepte of his reuenewes and customes, withoute any sparcke of auarice or rapine, and when he had made a reuewe of hys Gianizzaries,Baiazithe encreasyth the nūber of bothe his fortmē & horsemē he dyd not onely encrēse the number of his fotemen, but also of his horsemen, and caused them to be wel paide, which was an occasion that they were wel furnished & in good order, for so much as they sawe their prince to haue a delight ni them & that he was very liberall vnto them. And then began they to be excellently wel mounted their horses richely furni­shed, them selues and their wiues sōptuously aparellyd, with clothe of golde, syluer, Iuelles and suche lyke, in sorte, that the countre was chaunged from rude & grose furniture, into somtuouse and magnifique ornamentes and deckings. And whē he had bestoed a time in visiting his prouinces of Gretia, and was come neare to Ep [...]rro whiche is that parte of Macedonia that is inhabited by the nation called Albaneses, from whō the contrei hath yet his name & is called Albania, amōg whō at the death of Sultā Mahometh, there arose certain leaders sediti­oussi & caused a great parte of y^e coūtrei to reuolte, whō by his presence he agreed, & y^e rest be toke b [...] force and so brought thē to his deuotiō, & before y^e he wolde departe [Page] oute of that contre,Ambassad frō Baia­zithe to Ferrante he sent to protest to the kinge Fer­rante of Naples, that yf he sent him not his artillerie & munitiō wholli, that was left in Ottranto at the deli­uerie therof, with his people and all suche substance and treasure of theirs as he then deteyned contrarie to his sworne promes, that then he wolde make warres vpon him and seke to redresse his owne cause, throughe the which message the king (beinge sore a ferde) embarcked all his artillerie, monition and men, with all such riches as they there had and caused them to be landed safely at Valona, after that he lad his armie into Romania, and cōtinued with his courte in Andrinople, began to make preparatiō for the warres against Caromano prince of the one parte of Cilicia,Caroma­no prince of Cilicia beinge desirous to reuenge the defeicte that he receauid of him a litle before the deathe of his father. This Caromano was the seconde prince of the Turckishe nation that then possessid anye dominion in Asia, and they say that when he neded, he was able to come to the feelde with xl. thousand armed horsemen, & his principall state wherin he did reside was in y^e for dest parte of the lesser Asia toward Soria, called Cilicia campestre in that part therof where the ancient and famous citie of Tarso standethe, which is builded vpon a plaine and is deuided throughe the middest by the ryuer Cidna and is not farre from the Baie Issico, whiche is at thys daye the golfe of Iaza, & he possessed also in the lesse Ar­menia, and Capadotia, those partes that confyne with y^e mounte Tauro, whē Baiazith had prepared al things mete for the iorney he put his Nauie to the sea, embar [...] ­ked all his souldiours,The voi­age of Baiazithe. both horsemen and fotemen, and passed then into Asia, & then marched throughe Bithi, nia bothe y^e contreis of Frigia, Dardania, Ionia, & M [...] ­sia, Caria, Licia Pamphilia, and finally with his people in ordre, he entred into Cilicia campestre, forasmuch as the contre of Cilicia hathe very large confines, it is by ancient writers deuided into two partes, of the whiche the lesse is called Trachea, and hathe his sea bancke, or shore, of no great largenes, it hath standinge vpon the plaine therof, neuer a great towne, for that the greatest parte of it is of the mounte Tauro, and is so barren, y^• [Page 39] it is not well inhabited the campestre begynning at y^e Citie of Tarso and at Magnopoli (a Citie in tyme paste of great power and fame) stretcheth oute to y^t baie Issico nowe called the golfe of Iaza, and towarde the northe it confineth with Capadotia vpon the syde of the mounte Tauro, when Baiazith was entred with his armie in­to y^e countre of Abraham Caromano, who had w^t great diligence fortified his townes, looking for his enemies and also he had furnished the straites of his contre, and to the ende he wolde not be enforced to fighte he encamped alwayes in places of strengthe and great securitie, and dwelled with his people as neare the enemye as he moughte. The Turckes being lordes of the feelde went and spoyled and proied all the contre: finalli when Baiazithe had consumed a great pece of the sommer & coulde by no meanes prouoke the enemie to battaile, he deter myned to besege some of his townes,Tarso be­segyd by Baiazithe whervpō he went to Tarso, and besegyd it rounde & planted his batterys and began to batter the walles, not ceasiing daye nor nighte in suche sorte that in shorte space, he had made so great breache, that he thoughte it sufficient wherevpon he made redye for the assaulte and put his menne in battaile, which thinge when they of the citie perceaued (refusinge to put them selues in daunger of the losse of both lyfe, and goodes) they practized appointement, and agreed to delyuer him the Citie vpon condition that he shoulde suffer them to enioye both lyfe and goodes, whē Baiazithe was come into the Citie, he vsed y^e Citizenes very gently, and wolde not suffer anye of his armye to enter into the towne but onely those that were appoin­ted to y^e garde bothe of his person and towne, and when the Automne was come on, the sharpnes of the wether was suche, that he coulde not well holde his people in y^e felde,Policie of Byiazithe whervpon he appointed them to lye in Garnisones in the townes there aboute, from whence he ouer ran & spoyled all the contrey and wolde not suffer the subiects of Caromano other to sowe and plowe the grounde, or­els to doe anye thinge in the feeldes that moughte be­for their commoditie, whervpon they that dwelled vp­on the plaine were in suche distresse, that of their owne [Page] acorde they reuolted from Caromano, for the greatest number, and became subiectes to Baiazithe, when the springe of the yere was cōme, Caromano (consideringe the inclination of his people and being in feare to be forsaken of his souldiours, or els to be delyuered by them into the hands of Baiazithe) obtaine of the Soldane of Egipte,Caroma­no ayded by the Soldain Caribeio. Caribeio (a man of much fame and worthines) a great sume of money and also certaine bandes of Arrabianes, he sent into all partes of his dominions for such ayde, as there was to be had, and ioyned them all with his armie, and made it of as great number as he coulde, and determyned to se howe fortune wolde fauour hym and rather to Hazard the battayle then to gyue place to his enemie and in tyme to be delyuered by his owne mē into the handes of his enemyes whervpon beinge furnished with all necessaries, he toke the feelde, and chose a place of great strengthe and apte for the seruice of horse men, when Baiazithe vnderstode that the enemey was come to the feelde and in campe, he sent to all his gar­nisones commaūdinge them to repare vnto hym wyth spede, & with them to bring their whole furniture, and when he had taken reuewe of them, he marched to the feelde and put his souldiours in battayle, and then marched towarde Caromano,The bat­tayle be­twene Baiazithe & Caroma­no. and when he came w^tin sighte of him he sent his vauntgarde toward his enemie some thinge spedyly, to begyn the battayle, and he in person dyd conducte the battayle and folowed the Vauntgarde, he also was folowed by the rierewarde, and all his bagagers, and when he came where the enemies were, they refused not the battayle, he came towarde them in good order and ioyned with them, and notwithstanding that the force of Baiazithes people was greate, and that a troupe of ten thousand horsemen of his went and serred them selues and with great furie assayled the enemies, perswading them selues, that in the first encoūtre they woulde disorder them, but the Ciliceanes recauid theyr charge with great assurance, in suche sorte, that there was not one of them that gaue one fote of grounde to his enemie. After this when they were entremelled, there began a very braue and blooddie fyghte, men fell [Page 41] downe dead and hurte, contynally on bothe sydes, and their places were alwaies supplied with freshe men, and in this sorte they contynued for the greatest parte of the daye with great assurance, nether partie gyuinge place to the other, so that it coulde not be Iudged on whiche parte, the virtorye shoulde lighte, for the battayle con­tynued doubtefull euen to the darcke night, Abraham Caromano shewed that daye, of what value he was, for in his order he shewed him selfe a Capten of great Iudge­ment, and afterward in his fyghte he shewed him selfe a valiante and stoute souldiour, and laste of all (by the prouidence of god his tyme beinge at hand) seinge his peo­ple to gyue place, beinge charged by a greate numbre of his enmies whose force they were not able to endnre, be thruste on spedilie towardes them with his garde, & a good number of other of his souldiours and gaue in vp on them in suche sorte, that he perced euen in to myd­dest of their squadrone, and beinge knowen by the ene­mies was by thē forth with enuironed, and charged on euery syde with suche furie, that they slewe his horse vnder hym, where vpon he was constrayned to fyghte on fote in the whiche he behaued him selfe so nobly: that w^t his owne hande he slewe dyuerse of those which assailed him, & in the ende throughe the great losse of his bloude which contynually fell from him: throughe his dyuerse and sondrie woondes whiche he had receauied in the bat­tayle (not beinge able to endure anye longer)The death of the no­ble prince Caroma­no. fell downe deade in the place, as sone as his people vnderstode of his death: they were so amazed and discouraged that imme­diatly they dysorderid them seules and lefte the fyghte scatteringe them selues all the the feelde ouer, hoped to make flighte their sauetie but being folowed by y^e Turckyshe horsmen the greatest number of them were slaine and a great parte of the rest were taken on lyue and de­lyuered to Baiazith,Ripe iudgement of Baiazithe. when he had in this sorte obtained so greate a victorie, he determyned forthewith to vse the same, whervpon, he began to occupie the reste of Cilicia campestre, and marching on ouer all the contrey, the ci­ties and fortellezes yeldyd vnto him enerie where as he came withoute makinge anye resystaunce, and hauing [Page] in shorte tyme broughte vnder his obeisance all that contrey that Caromano possessed in Cilicia, he deuised then with his Captaines what was beste to be done, fynally it semed beste in the opinion of euery mā, first (or he toke in hand to passe the mounte Tauro and so to goe on to conquere that which Caromano possyd in the lesse Ar­menia and Capadotia) to possesse the other Cilicia cal­led Thrachea to the ende to leue no enemie behinde thē y^e mought empeche them, whervpō he caused to moostre and paie his men and then gaue them a litle tyme to re­pose, that done, he vnited them and sent them towarde Setalia,Setalia. which is a Citie in that prouince then newlye inhabited, a citie of greate traffique & maruelously well inhabited by meanes of the decaie of the trade that was in Delo, whiche in tyme passed was a Citie of the grea­test traffique of all Asia, and chiefely for the great num­ber of slaues that then were there boughte, and solde, which were in nūber in maner infinite, wherof it grewe into prouerbe, marchantes make your voyage to Delo, and there vnshippe, for whatsoeuer is broughte thither is redie money, when the traffique of this Citie was decaied the whole traffique and trade of marchandize was put ouer into Setalia, and throughe the greate repaire of marchauntes it was become the cheife, and beste in, habited Citie of the lesse Asia, in so muche, that the sea coaste all there aboute losynge his olde name, is called the golfe of Setalia euen at this daye, vpon the whiche golfe, directly ouer againste the Isle of Cipres, standeth a noble Citie,Scanda­loro. and a popolouse called Scando­loro, the lorde wherof beinge a Turcke borne. and all wayes in doubte of them hath euer ben an enemie to y^e house of Ottomano, and also to Caromano, and confede rate with the greate maister of Rhodes and the King of Cipres, dyd preserue his state vntyll that daie standing as a newter betwene them both, but whē he sawe Baiazith come vpon him withe so populouse an armie vpon the sodden, Iudginge him selfe not of power to witstand his force, for all the power that he was able to make did not excede the number of xx. M. men on horsbacke wher vpon examining him selfe, he determyned to proue, ra­ther [Page 41] y^• clementie then force of so mightie a prince, & whē they had talked vpō certaine articles of agrement,Agrement betwene Baiazithe and the prince of Scandaloro. they concluded, that vpon condition, that Baiazithe shoulde gyue him certaine reuenewe in Natolia, he wolde dely­uer vnto him all his possessyon and dominion of the con­trey of Cilicia called Trachea, whervpon it came to passe that when Baiazithe was become lorde of bothe the contreys called Cilicia al y^t townes of the sea coaste from propontide or straicte of Gallipoli euen to the con­fines of Soria, were vnder his obeisance so that all was his euen from the one to the other, whē Baiazithe was in this sorte agreed with the prince of Scandaloro, and become prince of both the one and other Cilicia, and al­so of a great parte of the mounte Tauro, he contynued there vntyll that he had made y^e whole: one gouernaūce or prouince, and appointed vnto it for gouernour, one of his Bascias, leuing with him for garde therof, an ar­mie sufficient this done he determined to precide in hys enterprise, and to subdue the reste of the state & possessi­on of Caromano which was in Armenia the lesser, and in Capadotia, whervpon, he passed the mounte Tauro, and descended into the lesse Armenia and became lorde withoute any difficultie of all the countres, and townes that there had ben possessyd by Caromano, all the peo­ple came and yeldyd them selues to him of their owne a corde, when he had thus done he marched on by the syde of the mounte Tauro toward the northe and al the people and townes y^• restid of the Iurisdiction of Caroma­no came and renderid them selues wholly vnto him, and when he had thus in shorte tyme acheuid so great an enterprise he determined to leade home warde his armye, and entred into Licaonia, and in Iconio, and Tocato, be lefte his Astatique armye in garnison, vnder y^e charg and conducte of Mustaffa his Bascia, and then he entred into Galatia, and from thence into Bithinia the nea­rest waye to Bursia, and from thence went downe into the Golfe of Nicomedia, and there embarcked him selfe with the rest of his armie and sayled towarde Romania and there landed with al hys people sately, when he had this done, he toke the sea agayne, with his souldiours [Page] of Gretia and sayled on,Baiazithe retorned to Constanti­nople and landed in the hauen of Constantinople, where he was receauyd of all the people w^t exciding great ioye, and there toke his horse and rode a­boute al the Citie and thus with great pompe acording to their custume he went to lodge in hys palace called Seraglio, which standeth vpon that pointe, that is cal­led Cauodi santo Demetrio, beinge determined in the nexte springe folowing to goe againe into Cilicia with all his power, to make warres against y^• Soldane, chiefely for that he had ayded Caromano against him, contrarie to the order of a league betwene them, wherefore he was much offended with the Soldane,The voi­age of Baiazithe against Caromano. & departed from thence with his courte and went to Andrinople, and all that winter he was occupied in making preparation for that iorney, and gaue order to lenie oute of all his dominions of Europe newe bandes. The number of his artillerie which he caried with him, was great, and when y^e springe was cōme, in the begynninge of Apryll, he as­semblyd his armie, embarcked them and passed, them in to Asia. And when he had passed throughe Bithinia and Galatia, he broughte them into licaonia to Iconio, and ioyued them, with hys armye that he had lefte there w^t Mustaffa his Bascia at his departure from thence, whē he had this done, he entred againe into Cilicia toward the mounte Tauro and Armenia, and there receauid aduedtizement, that the Soldane, as sone as he herd of the death of Caromano, fearing lefte Baiazithe (being puf­fed vp in pride throughe the great victorie that he had obtained against Caromano in the reuenge of the ayde y^• the Soldane had sent him) shoulde attempte some great enterprise in Soria,Diadaro, a name of honour appertainīg alwaies: to the admi­ralles of Alexandrie. whervppon he sent all the Mama­lukes that were in his courte vnder the conducte of the great Diadaro to the confines of Cilicia, acompanied w^t a great numbre of Arrabianes, wherfore Baiazith was some what in doubte what was to doe (considering the great preparatiō of the enemy) althoughe he were acompained with an armie of well trayned souldiours, & had broughte wyth hym moe, then one hundred thousande souldiours on horsebacke besyde hys garde of Gianiza­ries, and other bandes of fotemen, yet notwithstanding [Page 43] fearing y^• vertue & discipline of the Mamalukes, whose name was feared throughe all Asia, for as much as they were counted a people inuincible in battayle wherfore he thought it good not raishly to trye his fortune in battayle, nor on the other syde, to showe any token of feare wherby he moughte encorage his enemye to deale with him, but admisedly put his armie in order and then mar­ched on towarde Tarso, the Mamalukes beinge aduer­tized of the Turckes comming towarde them thoughte it not good to tarie and suffer them to enter Soria, but marched toward them to mete them vpon the waye and when they were entred Cilicia, marchinge towarde the Turcks (of whom thei made smalle acōpte) approchinge neare vnto Tarso, as sone as they came within syghte of them, they put them selues in battayle and marched on towarde them, when Baiazith behelde y^e comminge of his enemies he also presented his people embattailed and as sone as the Mamalukes came anye thinge neare vnto them,Note this battayle betwene Baiazithe & the great Diadaro Admiral of Alexandri [...] Woute deferringe of tyme, the great Diadar [...] aduaunced him selfe with asquadrone of xv. thousande horsemen, when the battayles were ioyned, he gaue in vpon the Turckes with suche force, that not wythstan­dinge they receaued the charge (beinge well serred) and prepared with great assurance, & gaue to their enemies no place at all, yet for all that they had much to doe to preserue their order, that the Mamalukes had not broken it, & after this when they approched the one the others squadrones they were so ioyned that they coulde vse no long weapon but were driuen to vse there Scimitarres, and so continued they in so streyte order fighting with great assurance for a longe tyme, y^• no man coulde see of eyther syde, anye aduauntage, and Baiazithe al­thoughe there were farre greater slaughter of hys peo­ple then of the Mamalukes and Arrabianes, yet dyd he alwayes supplie his weried and spoyled, squadrones w^t newe and freshe bandes and hauinge farre greater number of souldiours then the Diadaro had, he continued the fyghte in this order from the myddaye, tyll after the go ing downe of the sone, whervpon the great Diadaro de­termined to vse all force possyble to the ende y^• the night [Page] shoulde not sonder them withoute victorie,The great diadaro an excellēt Captaine whervpon he chose oute of his, a nūber of souldiours in whom he had great truste and when they were some what reposed he renged them in battayle very closely & then ladde them in person and charged the Turckes againe with suche force that he thoughte veryly in that charge to disorder them, but notwithstandinge that the Turckes receaued the charge with great difficultie, yet they maintained their order styll and brake not, and althoughe that they in dyuerse places, makinge hed to the enemye they de­fendyd them selues but slenderly and were in maner re­die to breake, yet Baiazithe throughe his good order re­lyued them in suche sorte with his presence and his repo­sed garde of Gianizaries, that he encoraged his people,Good prouidēce of Baiazithe renued the fyghte and repulsed some what the Mama­lukes, and fearing that yf his people shoulde be charged againe by the Mamalukes, he sholde not be able to maintaine their order, whervpon he thoughte it good to pre­uent this mischeife, and with all his force to charge the enemie, and then retiring by litle and litle to abandone the fighte, thincking in this forte to gyue place and to a noid the losse of his whole armie, rather then to make good the place & to be charged by the enemye and so put to fighte, whervpon he retired his people (in that same order wherin they had foughte all the daye before) with their faces to warde the enemie, fightinge cōtynually in their retreyte in good order, althoughe notw^toute great losse, & in this forte broughte his people into his campe to their lodginges, which he lefte wel fortified with trenches and rampares, and also well garded with souldi­ours, whervnto, when the Mamalukes approched the nexte morninge folowing, and consyderid the fortifica­tion therof, the greate quantitie of the artillerie placed vpon the bulwarckes and rampares therof, and also the number of the garde there vnto appointed, they durste not to assayle their campe but retired them selues. And it semed to Diadaro that he had for that tyme well pro­uided both for the securitie of Soria, and also for his estimation, thincking it not good to entre into furder peril whervppon he retorned againe to Aleppo from whence [Page 43] he came, and when he had consumed the reste of the sommer in proinge and spoilinge the confines of the Turc­kes countrey and that Automne was comme vpon him he appointed his people to garnison vpon the confynes of Soria, and Baiazithe appointed his in the lyke sorte in the prouince of Cilicia, then Baiazithe practized an atonemēt with the Soldane and many Oratours were sent betwene them, from the one to the other,Digressiō whervn­to it was an easy matter to perswade the Soldane not­withstāding his victorious successe. This Soldane was the cheife in degree and acompted him selfe y^• firste prince of the Mahometane relygion, and takinge vpon him the name, and dignite of Soldane, he is sacred in his crea­tion with greate cerimonie, and besyde that, the eldeste of a noble house in Cairo, and it is sayd that anciently they were the princes, and helde the soueraintie therof & were named Caliphi, the Soldane is crowned with an Imperiall Crowne wherby he is acompted as y^• father of all the Mahometystes, they haue alwaies ben contented with their dominion of Soria, & Egipte, they haue not vsed in tyme passed, to make warres vpō any prince of their secte and relygion, vnles they had ben enforced, in y^e defence of their owne state, or els of some other Mahometyste prince, there confederate and frinde, in suche sorte, that holdinge that principalitie and kinde of go­uernement for y^e space of thre C. yeres and moe, they neuer enlarged their confynes, nor soughte to possesse the dominions of others, the which, there maner and order of gouernance dyd chiefely cause, for they prouided in y^• begynninge and made a lawe,Note. that none shoulde be Soldane, but be election, and that also he shoulde be of their communaltie, that is a slaue, not yet worthye to be ad­mitted into the order of the Mamalukes, with whome was the whole gouernance, and auctoritie to electe and chewse the Soldane, the children of the Soldane neuer succeded their father in gouernance, no more dyd they of y^• Mamalukes succede in the place of their fathers, nei­ther in warres, ne yet in anye publique prehemuinence, they dyd lyue pryuately as other Citizines dyd, and possessyd y^• propre goodes and enheritaunces of their fa­thers, [Page] which they lefte vnto them at their deathe, & vsed the same exercise and trade of lyfe that other of the countre dyd. But nowe to our historie, when Baiazithe by meanes of his ambasciadours, and Oratours, had paci­fied the Soldane, renued and cōfirmed y^• ancient league and confideracie y^• had ben of a longe tyme betwene the Soldanes, and his house, and established his gouerne­ment in Cilicia, he retorned to Bursia the nearest waye & then embarcked him selfe with his souldionrs of Eu­rope, and retorned into Gretia, and when he be came the­ther he ceased from al hostilitie, & gaue him selfe wholly to prouide for the quietnes of his people, and sent hys souldiours to garnisones, and gaue order for the administration of Iustice in all places. after this, he gaue him selfe wholly to the studie of the Alchorane,Alchoran a Boke wherin are contey­ned the cheife pointes of the Turcke his Reli­gion. & of naturall philosophie, in the whiche he had greate delighte, in so muche that he had alwayes aboute him, of all nationes mē excellently wel seen in phisycke, in whose companie he passyd the greatest parte of his time, and when he had in thys sorte spent manye yeres he was moued to take in hande newe enterprises, by occasion that was offery [...] to make him lorde of Corcira nowe called Corfu, being certifyed by certayne Greekes of the Isle who had prac­tized with them of the fortes and so broughte to passe y^• they wolde render the fortes vnto him at all tymes,Practize of Baia­zithe to be­tray Cor­fu. vp­on condition, that he shoulde consider them acordinge to their seruice, and offeryd them also to take the Citie and the rest of the Isle & to deliuer the whole into his hands this matter semed vnto him lykely, and possyble to be broughte to passe, and also that he coulde not make a conqueste more mete for the assurance of hys state, no­more apte to anoie the enemyes of his religion, imme­diatly he determyned in him selfe the order of the enter­prise & for that he wolde not that y^• Venetianes shoulde suspecte him, he began to make redie his Nauie, and to prepare his armie by land, & bruted that he wolde make warres vpon the people of Valachia, and Moncastro & when he had made redie al thinges both by sea and land the Venetian Nauie retorninge from Candie, whether it were by chaunce, or els y^• y^e generall therof had some [Page 45] kinde of intelligence of the practize, he came to Corsu, & acording to their custume, when he had seen the moniti on, & vewed the gardes of the fortes & townes, he toke awaye the olde souldiours and put newe in their places and toke with him certaine men that dwelled in Corsu and when he had spoyled al the sea coaste of the Golfe he retorned with his Nauie to Venise, which when Baia­zithe vnderstode he dissembled the matter as thoughe he had ment nothinge at all that waye, and wolde not dis­couer his practize by the sodden vnrigging of his Nauie and so to losse the greatest parte of the charges that he had ben at, whervpon he determyned to take in hand the enterprise which he had bruted and put his Nauie to the sea and sent them towarde the sea called mare magioro, and he in person with his armie,Baiazith in Vala­chia. went by land thorowe Burgaria towarde the prince of Valachia, who dwelled in the loer partes therof towarde the sea Eusino, he en­tred into his caūtre inuading and spoyling a great part therof, the prince therof, knowing him selfe not able to withstande the force of this mightie prince, determined to proue yf he mighte by anye meanes growe to an ap­pointment with him and so to saue hym selfe hauinge greate hope in the cortezic and goodnes of Baiazithe, wherof the fame was spred all the countrey ouer, and fylled so the myndes of men that all men had good hope of him, and sendinge his Oratours vnto him in very hū ble sorte to demaūde peace of him, y^e whiche when Baiazithe had herde, he graunted their request withoute dif­ficultie, vpon condition that he shoulde paie vnto hym yerely a certaine summe of money in the name of a tri­bute, whervpon he wolde receaue him into his protecti­on, when he had thus done, he passed the ryuer of Danubio and marched on vntyll he came within the syghte of Moncastro, where he had also syghte of his Nauie, Moncastro standeth vpon the sea bancke neare to the mouthe of the Ryuer Nester where he entrethe into the sea,The seat [...] of Man­castro. cal­led Maremagiore, the seate of it is naturally stronge, & the towne is also artificially stronge and of great emportance, by meanes of the commodities of the conntre, of the ryuer, and of the sea, and it is of greate reputation [Page] in all the countres aboute it, which it wone in the tyme of Sultane Mahometh, who went thyther w^t his campe and besegyd it, and when he had batterid it by the space of a moneth, he was enforced by meane of y^• great colde to leuie his campe, and to departe thence withoute it, when Baiazithe had spoyled and proied all the countre aboute it, and sawe that they of y^• towne came not forth to the feelde,Baiazithe besegeth Monca­stro in ve­ry good order. he caused his Nauie to approche neare to the towne and forthewith besegyd it bothe by sea and land, in suche sorte that they of the towne were nether able to send forthe, nor receaue into them any man, and when he sawe the inhabitantes therof determyned to defend it, he planted his batteries, and began to batter & make sondrie breaches, and when he had contynued his batterie by y^e space of many dayes, he had made so great breaches that it semyd vnto him that his men moughte enter the towne at their pleasure, wherfore when he had appoynted his Colonels howe they shoulde succede the one the other in the assaulte, y^• nexte morning folowing at the pointe of the daye they presented them selues in battayle before the towne.

Those of the towne were redie at the breaches, & had maruelously fortified againste the cannon, with stronge rampares and excedinge depe dykes, and defended them selues nobly, in suche sorte, that when the enemies pre­sented them selues to the breaches to enter the towne, straight way they were with them at the pushe of y^e p [...]ke and bestowed vpon them suche store of shotte, artifeciall fyres, casting speres, and great stones, that they enfor­ted them to leue the breaches, and they bare them selues so worthily in their defence, that they stewe and hurte an exceding great number of y^e enemyes, and repulsed them often times clene from the breaches but y^e enemies were alway supplyed wyth newe regymentes, and renewed styll the assaulte, and gaue them of the towne no tyme at all to repose, and they had of their people slayne, and hurte contynually, and had not meanes to be supplied w^t newe, wherby the defendantes began excidingly to de­caye and not to be able to answere all places, whervpon they receauyd greater hurte of y^• fewe whych they loste, [Page 41] then dyd the enemye of the great slaughter y^e was made of his, when Baiazithe had in this sorte contynued the assaulte the greatest parte of the daye, he commaunded to sounde the retreicte and broughte his people home to their lodgings, determyning the nexte morning so to deuide the regymentes of his armie, that he wolde apointe the Colonelles of the first assaulte so to be supplied from tyme to tyme with newe regymentes, that they of the towne shoulde reste, nether daye, nor nighte, and in this sorte, he ment to consume them, & to cut thorowe their newe workes which they had made against y^e Cannon, and so to enter the towne, and beinge in this determination he commaunded hys people to goe to reste: wylling them to be redie in battaile the next morning before the rysing of the sunne to assayle the towne againe, and ne­uer to leue the assaulte til thei had repulsed, the enimies and taken the towne of force, or els there to leaue their lyues, when they of the towne vnderstode the great preparation of the enemie for the assaulte, they dyscoraged not at al (not withstanding the great peryll y^• they were in, for that they wanted defendantes, consydering their people were maruelously spoiled and consumed, but laid to their handes as men of noble myndes, & repared those places that were nedefull & prepared them selues wyth suche force as they had to defende there towne to the vttermost. The daye folowing Baiazithe brought his people againe in order to the walles with great noyses and cries, and vndoubtedly they assured them selues of the victorie, they taried for nothinge but for the token of y^e assaulte, Baiazith being desyrous to saue both the peo­ple, and the towne,Great cortesy of Baiaziih. determined to praue if that he coulde (by making them to vnderstand the peryll wherin they were) cause them to yelde the towne vpon condityones, and to saue their liues, whervpō he fignified vnto them that he wolde talke with thē sending his messager vn­to them, gyuing them to vnderstand that be came in ful purpose, neuer to leue the assaulte, day nor night, vntyl he had taken the twone by force, and also, that yf they taried the assaulte he had gyuen the Towne in proie t [...] his souldiours, and wolde not spare age, nor kinde, but [Page] that he wolde put to the sworde all that euer he founde there, but yf they wolde yelde vnto him, he wolde gyue them both their lyues and goodes, and also it shoulde be in their choise whether they wolde contynue there styll or els departe the towne, when they of the towne had herde the offer of this noble prince, and had no meanes to saue their lyues, consydering that their people were so consumed that they had not number sufficient to furnishe the breaches that were made, wherfore they toke a tyme to answere, whervpon the cheife of the citie gatheryd togyther, and after certaine conference had, they determined to accepte the conditiones that were offerid vnto them, beinge in good hope throughe the good opi­nion that they had of Baiazithe to haue them faithful­ly obserued, whervpon they agreed, and sent their mes­sagers to him offering him the towne, which Baiazith willingly accepted, and obserued his promes with such faythe, that they were hurte nother in person nor anye one iote of their substance, then he licensyd all suche as wolde departe the towne, to depart, w^t all their goods and to conuei it whither thei leste, & no man vpon paine of his life to touche them, or theirs, whē he had this dōe he lefte the towne well garded and furnished with all kinde of mention and necessaries, and being assured y^e on that syde he coulde not be molested & hauing brought vnder his obedience al the coastes of the sea called Mare Pontico, he made it so safe, that no man coulde passe y^• waye but by his good wyll, for as muche as he possessyd all y^e hauenes and ryuers that enter into y^e same, when he had acheuid this enterprise he retorned home warde and broughte his armie into Romania, where he sent them to garnison and he with his courte tontynued in Andrinople, and calling to mynde againe the enterprise of Corsu,Batolo an ambassa­dour that cōtynueth in a place. coulde in no wyse immagine howe the Vene­tianes shoulde vnderstande of his practize, vnles it were by meanes of their Baiolo, or marchantes which dwel­led in Constantinople and Pera, wherfore he thoughte it not for his cōmoditie to kepeas it were in his bosome his naturall enemie, who moughte daylye vnderstande his practizes and gyue aduertisement therof, yet wolde [Page 47] he not seme to touche particulerly the Venetianes, leste that by meanes therof, he moughte discouer, what he had ment towarde Corfu, whervpon he made proclamation that no forien nation moughte after a certaine dayConsul is a secretari and deter­mynethe the differ [...] ces be­twene the marchāts that are al of one contrey. haue within anye of his dominions ether ambassadour or Consul, nor anye other that shoulde haue anye pub­lique auctoritie or Iurisdiction he laid to y^e Venetianes charge that they had dealed disceitfully with him, wherfore he staied them & toke from them all suche goodes as they there had, and thus were they there kepte manye yeres, and their goodes taken from them. Amonge whō the chiefe was Andre Gritti, whē the peace was in this sorte broken betwene the Turcke and the Venetianes, Baiazithe determyned to make warres vpon them, a­boute the yere of our helthe M.CCCC.lxxxxviii. & put his Nauie of Shippes, Galleys, fustes & other vesselles to the sea, and caused them to sayle towarde Peloponeso nowe called Morea, and he in person went thyther by land with his armie,Lepanto taken. Modon be segyd by Baiazithe and when he was entred into the Golfe of Patrasso, he encamped before Lepanto, anci­ently named Naupatto, and besegyd it bothe by sea and land, and in the ende obtained it vpon condition, then folowed he his enterprise & y^e nexte yere folowing he pas­syd with his Nauie to Modone and besegyd it rounde, & they of the towne beinge well furnished with all kinde of necessaries, defendyd them selues in such sorte y^e they made him to consume manie monethes in vayne, and beinge men of muche worthines were determyned to de­fend it to the vttermoste, but at the lengthe they began to haue great scarcitie of victuall, Antonio Grimmano, then Captaine of y^• Venetian Nauie, fraughted a great shippe with corne and sent it towarde Modone, & when he came within syghte of the towne hauing a ful winde and a good gale therof packed on all his sayles, and say led directly towarde the Turckyshe ficete, which laie in his course, directly betwene him and the towne, & came on with suche violence, that none of them durste to en­countre him but gaue him waye and in this sorte he passed throughe the middeste of the enemies into the hauen safely, the generall of Modone seinge the shyppe safely [Page] arriued within the hauen, commaunded all those of the towne to goe to the hauenes syde, to vnlode the corne, & to bringe it into the towne, when they of the towne had receaued this commaundement (being very desyrous of victuall) bothe inhabitantes,Great wante of vnderstandinge of the Mo­doneses. and souldiours ran to the hauen leuīg their towne vngarded, as thoughe their had no enemi neare them, of which great disorder Baiazithe beinge aduertized, cōmaunded his vantagarde to marche towarde the towne in all haste and he wyth the reste of his armie folowed, he assayled their ripares with great furie, and fyndynge them vnfurnished of defendants, entred them forthewyth and became maister of them and then they toke all the places that were of anye force w^t in the towne before y^e they y^e were at the shyppes were able to succour it, when the Turckes were in this sorte become lordes of Modone and had put their garde in the market place, and also vpon the bulwarkes of the towne then began they to seke all places of the towne, and to cut in peces whosoeuer they mette with armour or weapon, then fell they to the sacke of the towne and spoiled as wel the sacred, as prophane places, making men, wo men, and children flaues, and spoyled them in excedinge miserable sorte, so, that they lefte nothinge to be had, & their were suche number of them gone into y^e Citadell that they were not able to endure there, but practiled an appointement, and were enforced to render it hauing their lynes saued then they of the Iste of Corone, which standeth righte ouer against Modone, seing Modone posfessyd by the infidels, beinge desyrous to saue both their lyues and goodes, sent forthewith their messagers to Baiazithe, offering him bothe the Citie and the Isle vp on condition that he sholde take from them nother liues nor goodes which conditiones when Baiazithe had promised to obserue,Corone de lyuered vp to Baia­zithe. they delyuered him the towne, and receaued his officers and souldiours into it, Baiazithe determined to continue that winter in Morea & to make prouisyon for the fortyfyinge of Modone, and prouyded newe inhabitantes to dwell in it, and changed y^e name of it, naming it Tangari Verdi which in our tougne signifieth, gyuen by God, he appointed there a notable gar­nison [Page 43] of his souldiours and in the springe folowinge, he sent one of his Bascias towarde Valona, and assayled the Citie of Durazzo with xl. M. men and the walles therof beinge fallen into decaie, and the Citie slenderly furnished, was a meane wherby he sone became lord of it.Nota. And the Venetianes acordinge to their olde custume and order, laide the whole faulte of the losse of Modone in Antonio Grymano Capitaine of their armata, for y^• he had not with his Nauie succoured it, whervpon they sent for him to Venise, cōmaundinge him to be brought in yronnes: prisoner, and banished him into the Isle of Proconesso, from whence afterwarde he bracke, & came to Rome, they appointed in his place Captaine general of their armata, Marchio Treuesano, and seing that of them selues they were not able to endure the charges of so great warres, they sent to the king Lois of Fraūce for aide, who sent them oute of prouince & Genoa, seuen shyppes well armed and furnished, and fyftene galleys with a great quantitie of artillerie, & also certaine thou sandes of fote men, the greatest parte Guascones, vnder the conducte of the lorde of Grauistence, who departed from Genoa and sayled towarde y^e Archipelago (whiche deuideth y^e lesse Asia from Gretia) to ioyne with y^e Venetian armata and when he came to Scio, he depated from thence to Mitilene, entred the hauē and landed his people, & immediatli proied & spoiled al y^e Isle & finalli came and encamped before the towne which was the cheife of the Isle,Mitilene besegyd by the frenshe and assayled it with greate furie, & the first daye that they came before it they planted their batteryes and batterid in suche sorte that they so feared y^e Turcks of the towne with their sodden assaulte, y^e notwithstan­ding there was within it a granison of greate fame, of men of great experience, yet they were so affraied that they sent their postes by sea and lande, to Baiazithe to declare vnto him the great preparation and force of the Christianes, and the furie of their batteries, protesting vnto him: that yf they were not spedylye reliued they shoulde not be able longe to defend it, when the arryual of y^e Nauie of Fraunce was commonly knowen in Constantinople y^e force of y^• nation beinge then augmented [Page] and increase so at that tyme, dyd put suche feare into the whole Citie, and to all the reste of Romania, that y^e Mahometistes beinge oute of all hope to contynue ani lon­ger in Gretia, immagined howe to prouide shyppes and other vesselles where with to flee into Asia, rather then to put them selues in order to succour Mitileno, wher vp on Baiazithe beinge excidingly moued with the confu­sion that he sawe amonge his people, makinge none ac­compte of his astate guyrded his gowne to him, & came downto y^e hauēnes syde where his people were, sō meem­barcked, and others redie to enbarcke, and entretyd hys people that they wolde embarcke & passe on to succour Mitileno, and whiles the courte contynued in this sorte makinge no prouisyon at all in effecte for their defence, their is no doubte that yf the Venetianes had gone on with their Nauie & vnited them w^t the Nauie of Fraūce and encreased y^e power of the Christans (cheifely of fote men, wherof the frenshe had great wante) but whē they had taken Mitileno and some other one place in Gretia they shoulde haue broughte the Turckes to that passe, that they paraduenture of them selues wolde haue fled into Asia, and haue for saken Gretia, but the Venetianes, whether that it were for that they were all redyentred into practize of a peace with Baiazithe which afterwarde they concluded by y^e meanes of Andre Gritti) and wolde no furder procure his indignation, or els that the good successe of the frenshe dyd not lyke them wher­vpon they in dede procided slowly in all their affares, & cheifely, in furnishinge the frenshe Nauie with victuall and men, wherof they stode in great nede and prolonged so their comming to vnite them selue [...] with the frenshe that when they had contynued there for a certaine space and made so great breaches y^e yf they had had men suffi­cient to hane gyuen the assaulte they moughte easylye haue taken the towne, but when they sawe the tarying of the Venetianes and the smale haste that they made, the Captaine of the frenshe, beinge in great distresse of victual by meanes wherof he coulde no lenger continue there, and beinge also muche offendyd with there stack­nes, doubted that they went aboute te betraie him and [Page 49] his people, and had them in great suspition, where vpon he embarcked his people and artillerie, disolued the sege and set sayle, passed the Golfe and then alonge by Scicilia and retorned with his Nauie to Genea, and then be in person toke the poste and went into Fraunce, when Baiazithe considerede the great peryll wherin he had ben determining no more to incure the like, chiefely for that he was of nature gyuen to be quiet and not ambitious nor desirouse to enlarge the confines of his dominions whervpon he determyned to attempte the Venetianes for peace, and delyuered Andre a Gritti vpō suerties for his retorne, & then embarcked him & sent him to Venise to entreate the peace, when Gritti was cōme to Venise and founde the Senate, the Duke, and all the commons of the Citie, well inclined to peace, after that he had had great conference with the Senate, he receaued auctorye and commission from them to conclude the peace, wher­vpon he retorned to Constantinople and concluded the peace vpon suche conditiones as at this daye are obser­ued betwene them, and Baiazithe when he had in thys sorte ceased hys hostilitie, he lad his lyfe in great quiet­nesse and spent the greatest parte of his time, his courte being in Andrinople, at a certaine house of his not farre from the Citie, a place of great pleasure, where he buylded for his commoditie maruelouse sumptuous & good­ly lodginges, and in this sorte he passed a great pece of his tyme in great quietnes, and beinge come to the age of .lx. yeres, and hauinge gouerned in the Empire .xxx. yeres, to the great content of all his subiectes, he began lyke a wyse man to consyder that he was olde, and not helthefull of bodye, and that he was lyke euery daye to be surprinsed by dethe and to be taken awaye, wherfore he was desirous to prouide for, and establyshe his succession for the quietnes of his subiectes and to take awaye all occasyon of tumultes that moughte happen by hys deathe, consyderinge that he had three sonnes of lawful yeres, whome he had apointed in thre sondrye partes of Asia to gouerne vpon his confynes, & euery of them had vnder his charge a great armie, wherfore for onely re­medie, and maintenance of vnitie in his Empire, to the [Page] ende that throughe the discorde of his sonnes it shoulde not be deuided and consumed with Cyuyll warres, for so muche as there was not a better remedie for to auoyd suche disorder then to folowe the example of Amorathe his graud father, whiche was to giue ouer the gouer­naunce, and to prouide in his lyfe tyme for the establishement of his successyon, and to appointe who shoulde succede him and to gyue ouer into his handes al power and rule, and to put him in possessyon of the Empire which shoulde be an occasyon of great quietnes, for so much as be (being olde and syckly and not able to endure so great laboure and trauayle) thoughte that the people shoulde be better gouerned by a yonger man and the other bre­therin shoulde be oute of hope to attayne to the Empire whiche shoulde be all redie possessyd, by meanes wher­of, they shoulde be enforced to obey, yf that they wolde not receaue furder incommoditie, and he beinge entred into a priuate lyfe shoulde be more in quiet, and shoulde prouide better for his helthe, & when he had in this sorte discoursed in him selfe, be then immagined whyche of them he were best to appointe to succede him in the Empire, whervpon he thoughte it not mete to take frō anye that that was his righte, wherfore he determyned that Acomathe his eldeste sonne shoulde succede in his place and meaning by the discoueringe of his purpose to gyue him greater reputacion, he brake it chiefely to the prin­cipall Captaines and leaders of his Gianizzaries, and horsemen, whervpon he dispatched awaye one of his seruantes to sygnifie vnto him that the shoulde leue his confynes well garded and repare into Gretia to his father when Acomathe had receaued this commaūdement frō his father, and being all redie certified frō his seruantes whiche late at the porte, of the cause of this message, he forthewyth, toke hys iorney acompayned wyth a greate number of gentle mē and courtiers, & so passed throughe Licaonia Galatia & Bithinia and then passed the straite and landed in Gretia, and there vnderstode that Baia­zithe was with his courte in Andrinople, wherevpon the rode thyther, & when he came to his father, he receaued him very ioyfully and arose oute of his chaire embraced [Page 50] him kyssynge hys fore hede in token of the great loue y^e he bare him, and lodged him in his owne lodginges pre­senting him with manye riche, & honourable presentes and besyde that they dyd contynually acompanie togy­ther by the space of certaine dayes (whiche was not his ordinarie) and had betwene them great and secrete dys­courses, and fynally when they had agreed vpon y^e time and order that he shoulde obserue when he shoulde cōme to receaue the gouernement,The porte is a passag betwene Europe & Asia not much vn­lyke the escluse of oye. be licensyd hym and sent him againe to his charge when Selim the other sōne of Baiazithe, was aduertized by his seruantes that he had at the porte of the comminge of Acomathe to the courte and of y^e great entertainement that his father gaue him and also howe that his father determyned to make him Emperour in his lyfe tyme, and to resigne his place vnto him, Selim hauing a troublouse head and being very ambitiouse, coulde in no wise be content that Acomathe shoulde commaunde him, wherfore he sought to preuent as muche as in him was, that suche successyon shoulde take no place, whervpon he determined to comme to the porte in person and departed from Trebisonda where he had his abydinge, withoute askinge his father license, or gyuinge him any thinge to vnderstand therof, beinge a­companied with sixe hundred horse men Tartarres and Pontoises & passed on all the sea coaste of Eusino and passed on throughe the countre of Valachia, and Bur­garia, and so came directly to Andrinople, and when he came to his father he founde him greatly altred, & was rebuked of him, for that, that he contrarye to the Con­stitution and order of the Empire, was departed from his charge withoute his license, Selim was not amased for that he sawe his father offēded with him, but allegid in his defence manye thinges, and declared that in hys comming at that present, he folowed the example of his brother Acomathe, desyringe (for that his father was olde) to see him before he shoulde dye and to receaue hys blessyng) Baiazithe beinge some what moued with the wordes of his sonne, was cōtented to suffer him to kisse his fete, and then he toke him vp and kyssed him in the forehede, and embraced him, & gaue him certaine giftes, [Page] and then licensid him and gaue him in charge to retorne to his gouernance with all spede, but Selim deferred his departure by all meanes possyble, and thoughte by beinge conuersant with the Gianizzaries and his horse men, and vsinge amonge them great liberalitie and ac­tiuitie, by these meanes, to assure him selfe of them, makinge it to seme vnto them that he delighted in nothing so muche as in the exercise of weapones, and rydinge of horses, and his whole discourses were of warres, horses and weapones, he was in gyuinge, excedinge liberail, & dyd contynually purchase frendshippe amonge them. This taryinge of his dyd greatly displease Baiazithe, wherfore he sent vnto hym that he shoulde forthewith departe, and gette him to his charge, but he euer allegid one excuse, or other, and in that sorte as much as in him was deferred his departure, in so muche that his father beinge excedingly wrothe with him, sent to declare vn­to him, that yf he dyd not forthe with departe the courte he wolde so gyue order that he shoulde departe to hys paine, whervpon he toke hys leue and departed with al hys trayne, and rode on with his people toward Seruia iiii. or v. dayes iorney, and there staied at a place called Scazacara, and the place was very commodious & mete for his purpose, beinge from Andrinople iiii. dayes ior­ney, and from Phillipoli ii. dayes iorney, and it stode vp on a certaine passage that whosoeuer came oute of Eu­rope to goe to the porte, he muste comme that waye and lodge there, when Selim had lodged his people, and fortifyed his lodginges with thicke and mighty rampares and depe dykes, he caused to brute that he wolde tarye there for a space & assemble his power, and then to goe into Samandria against the Hungarians, when he had in this sorte fortifyed his lodginges, he staied as manye as came that waye, and chiefely all suche as came oute of Gretia, dalmatia, Bossina, Seruia, and Burgaria, and caried to the porte, y^e rentes, customes, and gabelles that the Turcke receaued oute of those contres, & with suche sūmes of money he entertayned as manye horse­men, and fotemen, as he coulde gette beinge well furnished and exercised in armes, & giuing great entertaine­ment [Page 51] his fame spred so thorowe oute the contrey that al the beste souldiours therof came vnto him, in such sorte that within a shorte space, he had vnder his ledinge a mightye armie bothe of horsemen and fotemen, able to encountre anye prince, when Baiazithe vnderstode or thys he was muche offendyd and althoughe be coulde when it pleased him, flater them, yet for all that, it was a grefe to him to vse hys force against his sonne, and to fowle his handes in his owne bloude, and acordinge to his great cortesie and humanitie, soughte by al meanes possyble to remoue his sonne from his lewde, and auda­cious enterprise, but all was in vaine, for Selim wolde not harcken to anye thinge that was spoken, but contynually encreased his power,Baiazithe departeth from An­drinople. whervpon Baiazithe iudginge Andrinople not to be a mete place for hys purpose, thoughte it good to goe to suche a place where he wolde not be enforced to fyghte but y^t he wolde be at his choise whervpō he departed from Andrinople with hys course and all his power both of horsemen and fotemen, & toke the waye towarde Constantinople, thickinge that be­inge there he moughte vse the matter as he lysted when Selim vnderstode of the departure of his father, he dif­serrid not the tyme but marched forthe with all his po­wer, leuinge his cariage and bagage behinde him in his campe, and with great spede marched towarde Andrinople to ouergette his father, and he passed on with suche spede that he ouergate the rere garde of his fathers ar­mie within l. miles of Cōstantinople, and finding them in battayle, withoute sendinge of heralde, trompett, or anye other messager deferred no tyme, but charged them and began to ioyne in battaile, and to laie hands aboute him, when Baiazithe behelde the furie of his sonne executed cuted vpon his people as yf they had ben his naturall enemyes, yet coulde he not be contented to vse his force against him: but sent vnto him to perswade him to leue of his folyshe and audationes enterprise and to retorne againe to his charge, but all was in vaine that he dyd for Selim was alwayes the foromoste, and gaue in vpon them as yf they had ben his verye enemyes, but in the ende when Baiazithe sawe that he coulde by no meanes [Page] appease him but y^e still he perseuered in his beastly rage against him, he layd a parte all respectes, and also his fa therly loue, & called to him his Baftias, & y^e Captaines and garde of his Gian izzaries, and commaunded them to vse all their force possyble against Selim, as against their mortall enemye, for so muche as he sawe in him so great beastlines as to vse against him, suche barbarique crueltie and rage, which enforced, him to beliue that his mother had deceaued him, and breaking her faith towardes him had conceuid him by sōme adulterie, whē y^e Bas cias and Captaines herde these wordes of their lorde, they were maruelously enflamed with Ire and Iuste in­dignation against Selim, and toke their weapones and The bat [...]tayle betwene Baiazithe & Selim. with suche furie charged his people that they (not being able to endure their force) were in one instante disor­dered, scaterid, and put to flyghte, and beinge once bro­ken, euery man soughte to saue him selfe by flyghte, but beinge folowed by the horsemen of Baiazithe, the grea­test number of them were flaine vpon the feelde, and Se lim with a fewe of his trustie fryndes with him escaped throughe y^e spede of their horses, they stayed in no place but fled contynually daye and nyghte, till they were passed Varna in Burgaria, and then they went into cer­taine mountaines that were of great heighte & tedious to clyme, and there continued for a time. And Baiazithe beinge full of sorowe, not knowinge in what sorte he were beste to vse his sonne, contynued on his iorney to Constantinople, and when he came thyther and sawe y^e ambition, and audacitie of his sonne it caused him to cō tinue more firmely in his purpose, to prouide for his successyon in his life time, and to establishe one in his place and determining not to prolonge the doing therof, sent to signifye to Acomathe to make him redye with all con uement spede, and to come to the porte to receaue the go uernance, in the whiche meane tyme Corcuthe beinge his thirde sōne whiche contynued in Magnesia to desend all those prouinces against the Soldane, when he vn derstode of the rebellion of Selim againste his father, whose determynation and commaundement, he was well content in euery respecte to obey, and was not moued [Page 52] at all with the commynge of Acomathe, but after­warde suspecting y^e ambition and crueltie of Selim, disguised him selfe and with one onely galley, departed frō Magnesia, and conueyd him selfe to Constantinople, & when he came in his fathers presence, after that he had done his due reuerence vnto him desyred him that in the estabishement of Acomathe in the Empire, he wolde pro uide also for his securitie puttinge him in remembrance howe that in his absence, beinge a litle childe he was by the Gianizzaries placed in the Imperiall seate, and of y^e promes that he made vnto them in his behalfe as tou­chinge the successyon, Baiazithe beinge excedingly wel pleased with the good wordes of his sonne, dyd meruel­ously embrace him, and wylled hym to be of good chere, and gaue him a greate masse of treasure and appointed foure galleys of his to attende vpon him home, and in this sorte sent him to his charge well satisfied and con­tented, and as sone as Acomathe had receaued commaū demēt from his father, he began to make great preparation for his iorney, and vsed not in a matter of such im­portance, suche celeritie as he moughte haue done, but thoughte that he shoulde comme in good tyme whenso­euer that he came, he made redye all suche thinges as he wolde carie with him, and then rode one ordinarie ior­neys towarde Europe, when Baiazithe vnderstode of his comminge (meaninge to receaue him honorably) he made great preparation in Constantinople, and put to the sea manye galleys, and Palandres, rychely furni­shed and trymmed, to send into Turckie to transporte his sonne, who being comme downe into Bithina was comme to Scutarie, a place that standeth vpon the sea bancke nere vnto the aucient citie Calcedonia, dercetly ouer against Cōstātinople, y^• which when Baiazithe vn derstode, he commaunded his garde of Gianizzaries and dyuers of his Sanzachi to embarcke with their com­paines and to goe to receaue Acomathe, but the Captaines of the Gianizzaries not beinge wyllinge to ac­cepte Acomathe for their lorde, for that he semed vnto them in his comminge and contynnance at the porte, not to be a man mete for so greate a charge, & besydes y^• [Page] beinge a fatte man, they thoughte him not actiue on borsbacke nor soche an one as wolde seke to enlarge his Empire, and exercyse hym selfe in warres, but rather woldegyue hym selfe to hys ease and to pleasures, and make smale acompte of his men of warre, and cheifely bycause they knewe him to be of nature, scarse, and not liberall, and contrartlye Selim to be of nature ambiti­ouse, not delighting so muche in anye thinge as in the exercise of weapones, and rydinge of horses, & also they knewe him to be very liberal and bounteouse, wherfore they Iudged it to be more for their commoditie to haue him to be Emperour then Acomathe, and they were the more moued with it, bycause they sawe thinges stande in suche tormes as they dyd at that present, wher with they nothinge pleased, whervpon they determyned to resyste it, and soddenly rebelled & made a great tumulte in the Citie, and toke their weapones and ran in euery torner of the Citie and began to sacke the house of the Sadi,Sadi is an officer that deter­mineth differences, as dettes and suche like monei matters. and of two of the cheife Bascias, and there went with them a great nuber of horsemen, they went downe to the sea and entred into the Galleys and Palanders, spoyled them of all their riches and ornementes, toke a­waye their sayles and helmes, bycause they shoulde not be able to sayle, and in this greate sturre & trouble their number alwaye increased, they went on to the place y^• is called Saincte dimetrio and came to the gate and called, requiringe to haue Selim sent for, & that he mought comme and kisse his fathers fete, Baiazithe vsed al mea nes possyble to diswade the Gianizzaries from this vp­rore, and in the ende offered them an infinite summe of money, yf they wolde agree and consent that Acomathe shoulde be coroned, and seinge that he coulde by no mea nes appease them: but that the more that he entreted them, the more insolente they were, and began to threa ten him with proude, and beastly wordes, whervpon Baiazithe was enforced of necessitie to gyue ouer, and to graunt their requeste, yet for al that, dyd he not leaue of, but soughte by all meanes possyble howe to alter thē and to bringe them to his deuotion, but he kepte hym selfe alwayes oute of their handes, when the Agar and [Page 53] others of great place, had receaued this graunte of their lorde they dispatched one fleing, toward Selim, to wyll him to comme his waye with all spede, he receaued not so sone this message, but he came his way with al spede and vpon the waye, he mette with a thousande horses which were sent vnto him for his garde, by the Gianiz­zaries, with whom when he was entred into companie they went vpon y^• spurre to the Citie, where there came to encountre and receaue him, not onelye the Gianiz­zaries, but also the greatest number of the Spachi, and other ordres of horsemen, with a great multitude of the people, and when they had broughte him into the Citie they saluted him Emperour, to the vniuersall contentation, and satissying of the people, and when he had riden aboute all the Citie, they placed him in the Imperiall seate, and coroned him with all kinde of Imperiall ceremonies, and fynally they swore openly to be obedient & faithefull vnto him, and in this sorte Selim, withoute any resystance toke vpon him the state and gouernance of the Imperiall Citie,Subtilitie of Selim and then sent to his father wll­linge him not to dismaie for anye thinge for he was not comme to vse anye force against him, but beinge called by hys souldiours and by the people he thoughte it not semely to deny so generall a consent, and therfoore he signifyed vnto him that he wolde not take him onelye for his father, but also for his lorde, desiringe him not to deny y^e vniuersall requeste of his people, but to confirme and approue what they had done, and that he moughte with his fauour and good wyll gouerne, promising that he wolde alwayes be an obedient childe towardes hym Baiazithe seinge the offers of his sonne, and that there was no meanes to altere that that was done, and that yf he sholde not willingly cōsent there vnto, he mought sone be enforced to doe it, whervpon he graunted his request and especially, for that he was perswaded in hys owne opinion, that this greate and sodden chaunge of mennes myndes, was the very worke of god, & to bring to passe to reuele in time: secretes which then were hid den, and beinge moued in this respecte, contented hym selfe, wolde no lenger resyste, but sent into the Citye [Page] one of his Bascias to salute Selim Emperour, and to promes obedience in his name, the nexte morowe folowinge he went in person into the Citie, and came to hys sonne and fallinge prostrate on the grounde kyssed hys fete who arose and lyfted him vp, and kyssed him in the forehed, and therwas great token of frinoshippe shewed on bothe partes and then they wyth drewe them into a place seperate from the reste, where when they had had great conference togither, Baiazithe required Selim to graunte him that he mought lyue discharged of al cares priuately, and that he moughte with certaine of his fa­miliers departe and leade his lyfe at y^e Dinaotico, which is a certaine house of pleasance neare vnto Andrinople wherein y^• time of his gouernance he vsed muche to lie, and had buylded there sumptouse and costly lodginges, Selim answered him very franckly that he shoulde not onelye haue that house, but also any other house that he wolde, whervpon Baiazithe caused to make prouisyon of all such thinges as he wolde carie with him and then went againe to visite his sonne, and toke his leue of him, & then went with his companie toward Andrinople, and in hi iorney he fell syke, ei­ther of thought, or els of poyson, acording to the opinion of manye, and died in the yere of the Christian [...]elthe 1512

WHEN ACOMATHE VNDERSTODE of the comming of his brother Selim to Constantinople, & in what sorte thinges had passed there, he thoughte not hym selfe suer at Scutaro, whervpon he departed from thence to Bursia, and when he vnderstode of the deathe of his father, he departed from thence with his armie that he had in Natolia, towarde Capadotia, and when he came thyther, he went nere to the mounte Tauro, into that parte that Caromano had possessed, and fortifyed hym selfe at the fote of mounts Tauro, with great rampares, depe Dykes & artillerye & the place of it selfe beinge stronge he had made it in­prenable and had furnished it plentifully with victualls and all other kynde of necessaries in suche sorte that he moughte or a longe tyme lye safely there, whervpon, for asmuche as he sawe him selfe suerly encamped, & that Selim coulde not enforce him to battayle onles he lyste he determyned not to goe forthe of his campe for any occasyon that shoulde be offered him, but to lye styll there and to se what tyme wolde doe, perswadinge him selfe that god wolde not permitte amongeste men, suche an one longe to enioye an astate wone so wickedly, on the other syde when Selim had possessed his fathers trea­sure, whiche was thought to be innumerable, he distri­buted a great parte therof to the Gianizzaries, and to y^e reste of his men of warre towarde whome he vsed great liberalitie, and gaue them excedinge largely, after that he began to reforme theordynances of his predecessours as touching his men of warre, and gaue them to vnder stande that their great brauerie was to no purpose for it behoued good souldiours to prouide to couer them selues, and their horses with good and suer armour that beinge suerly armed they moughte hazarde them selues into greater peryll and fyghte the more valantly, and not encorage the enemye to enforce them selues to all [Page] peryll, for the gaine of the golde, Iuelles, and syluer, y^e they dyd weare vpon them. After this he established his countrey of Gretia, and then passed the straite with his armie into Bithinia, and then into licaonia and Capa­dotia meaninge firste to take awaye that impediment, his brother Acomathe, and broughte his armie and en­camped not far from his brothers campe, the nexte day he lefte his campe, and with his people toke the feelde, and put them in battayle, redie to fyghte. But for all this Acomathe wolde not once sturre nor suffer one of his souldiours to goe forthe of his campe, when Selim had consumed there a great time in vaine and coulde by no maner of Iniurie procure him to the battayle, al­thoughe he had vsed all meanes possyble that moughte prouoque him their vnto, and in the ende seinge that he coulde by no meanes cause him to accepte the battayle, and that it was not possyble to enforce him to it, he was sorte that he had loste so muche tyme, and determyned to deferre the enterprise to an other tyme, wherfore he raised his campe and toke the way towarde the sea and from thence into Magnesia to deale w^t his brother Cor­cuthe who contynued in Magnesia, and beinge a man of uo trauayle nor vnderstandinge of the warres, nor had in the tyme of his father, nor afterwarde taken in hand anye great enterprise, and mistrusting nothinge, was taken vnprouided withoute garde,Symplicitie of Cor­cuthe. but Selim determy­ninge to dispatche all those of his bloude, and to raigne withoute suspition rode on with such spede that he was entred the confines of Magnesia, or that Corcuthe had intelligence therof, or of his comminge at all, whervp­on Corcuthe seinge him to come with so great furie and hauinge no preparation wherwith he moughte encounter him, he determyned to se yf y^e he moughte by flighte saue his lyfe wherfore he disguised him selfe, and with certaine y^e he moste trusted he departed secretly oute of the towne, and toke the waye towarde & hodes, & when he came to the passage he founde it, with all y^e sea coaste occupied with the galleys and fustes of Selim, and whē he sawe no meanes howe to gette oute of the countre, he determyned to hide him in certaine woedes there at [Page 55] hand, and when he had contynued there in caues for a certaine tyme and lyued of wylde hony, and rootes, Se­lim promised openly to gyue great rewarde, to whomso euer wold giue him knowledge where he was, or els de lyuer him into his hands, in the ende he was discouered by certayne men of the countre who aduertysed Selim of him whervpon he sent to take him,The death of Cor­cuthe. and as they were bringinge of him towarde the towne, he was vpon the waye by the commaundement of Selim, put to deathe when Selim was in this sorte possessid of Magnesia and of all the prouinces of y^e lesser Asia which lye alonge the sea coaste euē to Soria, and had established the goueren ment therof, he broughte his armie to Bursia, and when he was entred into Cilicia in great triumphe, he deter­myned to get into his hands certaine yonge men, sōnes of two of his brethren that were dead, which Baiazithe there grandfather had in his lyfe sent thyther to be nori shed and broughte vp, whervpon, he ordayned to cele­brate a maruelouse sumptuouse feaste to his Captaines acording to the Turckishe maner, and to dyuerse other inhabitantes there, amonge whom he caused to conuite his Nephewes, and when the feaste was endyd he licen sed all men sauinge his Nephewes,Barbar­que crueltie. with whom he de­clared that he wolde speake, and caused them to be put into sondrie chambres, and then by his Mymstres caused them most cruelly to be strangled, in suche sorte that of the plentyfull yssue that Baiazithe lefte behinde him their rested none leuinge but onelye a sonne of his, and his brother Acomathe, with two sonnes of his, whose deathe he dyd contynually bothe daye and nighte frame when he had appointed the gouernement of Bursia, he went to Niconedia and from thence to the Golfe and finding his Nauie there, embarcked him selfe with his people and passed alonge the coaste of Propontide, sailinge directly to Constantinople, and landinge at the steres there he toke his horse and rode throughe all the Citie and then lyghted at his palace at Sainct Dimetrio his ponte, and beinge there, discoursed maruelously in him selfe of the order howe to ouerthrowe his brother Aco­mathe, and knowinge, that yf he wolde contynue in his [Page] campe, it was so stronge as it was not possible to plucke him oute of hit, wherfore he determined to se if he could by anye meanes betraie him,Selim practisethe to betraye his brother Acomathe whervpon he entred into practize with the Agar of the Gianizzaries and two of his cheife Bascias, & brought to passe that they shoulde enter into practizo secretly with Acomathe, and declare vnto him that they were not contented with the gouer­nance of Selim, wherfore they wolde take parte wyth him, and helpe him to recouer his state and promised to helpe him by all meanes possyble, and sent to him secret ly by certaine of their trustie fryndes, that consideringe the vnspeakeable crueltie that Selim had vsed, both to­ward his father, Corcuthe, and his Nephewes, they dyd deteste and abhore him, and by meanes of his great in­solence and tiranie that he vsed in his gouernance they were suer nether of their goodes, ne yet of their lyues, & that they dyd repent that auer they created him Empe­rour, and also yf he wolde comme and take their parte, they wolde cut him in peces and delyuer them selues of his moste intollerable seruitude and therfore whenso­euer that they shoulde vnderstande that he wolde cōme forewarde with his armie to Bursia, that immediatly thervpon they wolde ether cut him in peces, or els re­belle openly against him, and leue him, and comme and ioyne their powers with him and whē they had in this sorte accepted him for their lorde, they wolde then acompanie him to Constantinople to place him in the Imperiall seate, & they exhorted him therfore, not to lose, suche an occasion, for as sone as they shoulde vnderstand that he was entred into Bithinia, all the Gianizzaries and horsemen wolde for the with rebelle, and stey Selim, and comme to him and accepte him for their lord, when Acomathe had receaued this message, he doubted in the begynninge, of their faithe, suspectinge them to be but intisinges to cause him to leue his strengthe, & to betray him, wherfore he gaue smale eare, & weid it not at all, but they contynuinge styll in sendinge their messages, dyd so vrge, and importue him, requirynge of him no­thinge, but to comme to the feelde with his armie, and shewed him the order howe they wolde bringe it it passe [Page 56] wythoute anye peryll, and in the ende perswaded him to accepte their offer, and yet he suspected the matter euen as it came to passe, and determyned to goe no further then to Bursia, whervpon he promised them to comme meaning not to depart from Bursia vntyl that he herde that the Gianizzaries, and horsemen, had taken their armes, and reuolted openly against Selim in Constan­tinople, & to this intent he departed from his lodginges and marched with his armie directly towarde Bursia, Selim on the other side had contynual spyalle vpon Acomathe, and was from tyme aduertized of his procedings as sone as he had in telligence that he was marchinge and drewe neare the confynes of Bithinia, he ordained to make redie his people secretly, and passed them in the nighte with great sylence into Turchie, and rode on w^t all spede the nearest waye towarde Bursia, and when he came vpon the plaine of Bursia, he mette with Aco­mathe and his armie not far from the towne, and assayled hym with greate furye, charginge him in suche sorte,Battayle betwene Selim & Acomathe that hys force was suche, that the soul diours of Acomathe not beinge able to endure them, were in the fyrste encounter dysordred, and put to flyghte, and beynge folowed by the horsemen of Selim the greateste parte of them were taken and slayne, and Acomathe, hauynge hys horse stayne vuder hym, and lyinge vpon hym on the grounde coulde not shyfte hym selfe from hym, and beynge enuironned wyth a greate number of enemyes was taken, he desyred to be broughte to the presence of hys brother, and as he was on hys waye goynge towarde him, there mette hym, certayne that were sent from Selim, whyche stayed hym, and stran­gled hym moste miserably, Acomathe broughte to the feelde wyth hym two sonnes, Amorathe, and Aladino, whyche in the rencountre that they had wyth Selim, as sone as they sawe theyr people begin to recule, in y^e begining of the battaile, conueid thē selues away, & wolde not come in hys handes, but toke sondrie [Page] wayes, the one of them fled into Persia to the Sophie, who entertained him honorably and gaue him great prouision, and a wyfe, thinckinge to ayde him against Selim, but in the ende he became so insolente, that he was in tollerable, wherfore he put him to deathe, the other toke his waie alonge the sea coaste and passed into Sorta and came to Cairo, and Selim after this great victorie had against his brother hauinge taken awaye all occasi ones of Cyuyll warres retorned into Gretia, & hauing determyned in his mynde a iorney against the Sophie and coulde not endure that he shoulde enioye a number of townes in the lesser Armenia, whiche were wonte to be gouerned by the princes of the Turckishe nation, and besyde that, that he shoulde enlarge his dominiones euē to the confines of Turchie, doubting muche the fait he of those people, for so muche, that the greatest number of them were infected with the superstition or heresie, y^• the Sophie is, beinge deuided from the reste of the Mahometistes into a peculier secte, also he wolde not that the subieces of the Sophie shoulde trauaile into his countre nor traffique anye more with his people, and when he had arested all the sylkes, and goodes, of y^e marchantes that were subiectes to the Sophie, whiche dwelledin Bursta & were called aggiammi, he sent them to dwell in Constātinople. And Iudginge the enterprise against the Sophie to be of greate importance,Preparation of Se­lem. consydering hys great force and power, he thoughte to take the matter in hande by great aduisement, and to make greate preparation and to goe strongely, wherfore be determyned by al meanes possyble to augement the number of his Giantz zaries, whervpon he sent into Turchie for all his slaues that he had there, that were sufficient to vse weapones, and caused them to be enrolled amonge the reste of his Gianizzaries,Note here the great Iugement of Selim. and appointed them to ordinarie masters to showe them howe to vse their weapones and know­inge that his enemie was nothinge so well furnished w^t artillerie as he was, he determined to alter the artillerie that his father lefte, and to make it, into suche peces as moughte more easyly be caried and lyke vnto y^e whiche the Christianes vse at this daye, wherfore he caused to [Page 57] breake all the greate Bombardes, and to make them in to halfe cannonnes, falcouetes and passe volantes, and caused to make a great number of cariages for them and prouided for a great ūmber of Cannonters to vse them, oute of Almaigne, Hungarie, and Fraunce, and gaue them greate entertainement, he prouided also for other maisters of artillerie as makers of pouder, of shotte, of fyre woorcks and suche lyke, besydes that Iudging har­quebuziers on horsbacke very mete to encoūter hys ene mies, for so muche as they had sene no suche in tyme be­fore by meanes wherof, they sholde be a great terrour to the enemie, cheifely to those of the easte partes, whose horses not beings acustumed to heare the lyke noyses, as sone as they shoulde heare the cracke and thondre of the harquebuzrie they wolde be so affraied, that they wolde ronne awaye and disorder all, maugre those that rode them, and therfore he prouided a great number of them and chose them yonge men and caused them to be daily erercised in the vse therof and made perfytte, he proui­ded them of horses and appointed to euery newe bande a certaine number of olde souldiours, suche as had ben well trayned to gouerne and leade them, vnto whom he gaue greate entertainement, by meanes wher of there came vnto him, oute of all partes of christendome, in suche sorte as in a sorte tyme he had moe then a thou­sand on horsebacke, besyde a greate number that he had on fote then he determyned also to amend and encrease his Nauie, and caused to make in al places vpon the sea syde (where he vsed to haue any Naute) arseuales to the ende, that in tyme of peace his shippes moughte lye co­ [...]ered wherin time before they were wonte to lye alway at the rode and so within a fewe yeres to rotte and con­ [...]ume, and whē he had made these preparationes he then [...]etet mined to prouide howe to maintaine al these thigs and with all diligence encreased his reuenue, and railed newe impositions vpon all kynde of marchandizes in [...]anye places whiche they call Comechi, he also cut of, [...]ll superflouse charges, suche, as appertained onelye to [...]ompe and brauerie and when he had in this sorte re­ [...]ormed his state, and augmented his bandes, bothe of [Page] fotemen, and horsemen, when he sawe tyme conuement he went to the feelde with his armie, and wolde no len gar defer the tyme, but caused to passe his armie oute of Gretia, into Asia and ioyned them with his souldiours of Asia, he had then in his campe moe then a hundred & fytie thousand horsemen, besyde his Gianizzaries, and a great number of fotemen, then he caused them all to marche on towarde Persia, and passed on throughe Ca­padotia, and Licaonia, into Armenia the lesse, and whē he had broughte it vnder his obedience, he determyned (or that he wolde passe the ryuer Euphrates) to make suer all the passages of the mounte Tauro, to the ende that y^e passage of his victualles shoulde be free without empechement, and therfore sent his ambasciadours to the prince of Adola) who possessed manye places in the mountaine, to require him to ioyne with him in league who answeryd that he wolde be enemye to nother of them nor wolde deale in there differences, betwene the Sophie, and him, but wolde stande frinde to them both, and wolde gyue to ether of them free passage thorowe his countrey, and also suche victual as he had, which conditiones at that tyme Selim was contented to accepte, bicause that he coulde obtaine none other, and to auoide the losse of tyme dyd not meane as then to take the coū tre of force for so muche as the prince possessed in y^e moū taines, manye places of greate force, both naturall, and artificiall and excedingly well furnished both with men and monition, and also was able to bringe to the feelde of his owne subiectes armed, thirtie thousande men on horsebacke whervpon when the conditiones were arti­fied, and othe gyuen on bothe sydes for the performance of the same, he marched with his armie to the floode Euphrates, then fastenned he his botes frō the one bancke to the other of the same, and layd his brydge vpon them and passed ouer, his armie, and when he was entred in­to his enemyes countre, he began to spoyle and proie it when then Sophie was aduertized of the aryuall of the Turckes armie he deferred no tyme but toke hys horse and marched with his armie toward the ryuer Euphrates to encountre Selim, and mete with him in the myd­deste [Page 58] of the plaine one this syde of y^e Citie Tauris foure dayes lorney,The bat­tayle be­twene the Sophie & Selim. and withoute any delate, put their people in order and then came on with great furie, and ioyned in battayle, the fyghte was terrible and bloudie, it con­tynued longe in good order, withoute anye aduaūtage seen of other syde, but at the laste the Persians serring them selues and comminge on hauynge their horses of more force, and better armed then the Turckes horses were, began to preuaile, whiche when Selim perceued he caused his squadrone to open, and to suffer the Per­sianes to passe al most into the myddest of the squadrone and when they came there, he caused vpon the sodden to discharge certaine peres of artillerie whiche he had pla­ced in y^e myddest of his squadrone, which made so great anoyse that the aire dyd ringe, and the earthe dyd shake with it, and hauing stayne in the discharge of that volee an excedinge great number of men & horses, it so feared the rest of the horses whiche were not vsed to thon­dringe and noyse of artillerie, that they ran awaie, and scattered all ouer the feelde, and they y^e rode them were not able to gouerne them, when the Turckes horsemen sawe their enemies flee in that sorte, they folowed them with all spede possyble, and when they ouergate them, they slewe and toke an infinite number of them, y^e roste fled euery man his waye, and suffred there enemyes to enioye the victorie, and at the fyrst discharge of the artil lerie the Sophie, with a great number of his nobilitie, with drewe them selues,Selim, of great iudgment. seinge their people in so great disorder, Selim determyninge to vse the victorie, lod­ged his armie that nighte, where the Persianes lodged the nighte before, and gaue al the spoyle of their campe to his souldiours. The next morning as sone as it was day, he toke his horse and rode towarde the citie Tauris and when he was comme neare vnto it, the Citizens being discoraged throughe the ouerthrowe of their prince and seinge no man to apeare vpon the feelde in their defence, wolde not by defendinge them selues hazaro both their lyues and goodes, determyned amonge them to yelde the citie, whervpon they sent forthe certaine of their Citizens to talke with Selim, and in the ende a­greed [Page] to delyuer hym the Citie, sauinge their lyues and goodes, when this was agreed, they receaued him into the towne and his people also, and there is no doubte, but yf that Selim had had prouision in Tauris for the sustenance of his armie,Tauris yelded to Selim. but that he shoulde easyly haue possessed the kingedome of Persia, and banished the So­phie the countre, but he had sone consumed all the coun­tre and prouisyon that there was, and on the other syde the princo of Adule, as sone as he vnderstode that y^e So­phie had his armye vpon the feelde, Iudginge that he sholde haue the better, brake his promes with him, and toke the feelde with his armye & occupied al the straites and passages, by the which men must passe, oute of the Turckes dominions into Persia, and toke from all the victuallers that came,Great er­tremitie. their victualles, & warned them, that from thence forthe they shoulde no more cōme there whereof it folowed, that hauing consumed the victualles whiche they founde there, and hauing no releefe oute of their countre, they were brought into great penurie, & intollerable famine, in such sorte, as they were enforced to stey their horses, and eate them, aud also to eare both rootes and herbbes that were vnholesome for man to eate, by meanes wherof: they were not onelye vnable to folowe the victorie against y^e Persians, but also to stand vpon their feete, throughe the which incommoditie Se­lim beinge excedingly afflicted, and seing his people daily to consume, with the great losse of horses also that he had, and seing no way howe to remedie this mischefe, being of necessitye constrayned, he determyned to put of this enterprse and to retorne into his countre meaning (that when he had assured him selfe of the passages, and made better prouisyon) to retorne thyther againe y^e yere folowinge and to renewe the warres, and when he had taken oute of Tauris a great number of the cheife Citizens, with their whole families and substanes, and also all suche as coulde make armour, he sent them to Con­stātinople and departed with his armye oute of Tauris and passed the ryuer Euphrates, and detormyning some what to recreate his afflicted armie he assayled y^e towne of Mascuall and toke it of force & gaue it in proie to his [Page 59] souldiours, and in this sorte contynuinge his voyage by smale and easye iorneys, for that manye of his horses were so feble that they coulde scaresely goe he broughte his armie into Licaonia, and sent them to garnisones into y^e countre aboute Iconio, at this day called Cogni, so spoyled that they showed them selues not onelye, not victoriouse, but rather defeicted ouerthrowen, & spoyled when Selim had in this sorte placed his people in garninifones, he then soughte howe to supplie and furnishe them againe whervpon he made a reuewe of his armys and sent into Gretia all those that had endured and suf­fred most miserie, to reliue them selues, and caused newe and freshe men to be sent in their places, and the Sophie beinge vpon the consynes of Persia, and hauinge intel­ligence of the departure of Selim from Tauris, was so discouraged, that he durste not deale with him, by mea­nes of the ouerthrowe which he had receaueo, and also the feare that he had of the artillerie,Nota. and cheifely for y^e that he had loste y^e greatest nūber of his olde souldiours he durste not attempte anye further, Selim determined to be reuenged of the wronge, that the prince of Adula had done him and also to assure him selfe of the passages wherefore he sent Sinan Bassa with a great number of horsemen and fotemen to spoyle his countre,Battayle betwene the prince of Adula & Synan Bassa. & as sone as he came into his countre, the prince encountred with him and after longe fyghte was taken by him and al his people ouerthrowen, whervpon he possessed all the state that he had in the mountaines and sent him prisoner to Selim, who caused to stryke of his head and to sett it on the pointe of a launce, and then sent it to be showed in euery place throughe oute his countrey in token of vic­torie, he then beinge whollye occupied in makinge his prouisyon of men bothe on horsebacke and fote, of mo­ney and other monition which he ment to vse in his en­terprise that he determyned to take in hand the springe nerte folowing, callinge oute of Asia and Europe, all such of his subiectes as had ben wel trained in y^e warres and had determyned to winter at Iconio, for y^e he wolde be at hand to take in hande againe the enterprise in the springe folowing, the Gianizzaries beinge determined [Page] to goe home into Gretia, went vnto him and when they sawe that they coulde not perswade hym to passe into Gretia for that winter,Muting of the Gianiz­zaries. they began to threaten him, and declared vnto him, that yf he wolde not goe with them, they wolde them selues goe, and when they came there they wolde swere obedience to his sōne, with the which wordes, Selim was marueiously troubled, and began to suspecte, and the nighte folowing disguised him selfe and with certaine of his familiers with him, toke the poste, and ran daye and nighte vntyll he came to Scuta ro, and passed y^e straite and discouered him selfe to none, vntyl he came within his Seraglio: where he continued three dayes and wolde gyue audience to noe man and in the ende beinge enforced by Pernio Bascia and y^e Cadi to declare the cause of his great melancholie, answered that he was no more an Emperour, for so muche as the Gianizzaries wolde haue enforced him, whervpon they desyred him to be of good chere, and declared vnto hym that he shoulde haue good meanes to punished them and to be reuenged vpon them for their rebellion, and when they vnderstode of him, the cheife auctours of this disorder, they wrote to all the bandes of the Gianizzaries in generall, and gaue them to vnderstande the whole matter, and the auctours of the disorder also, whervpō they so sturred them vp, that soddenly they toke their wea­pones, and then laide hande of those whiche began this matter, and broughte them in cheynes to Constantino­ple, and presented them before the gates of the Serra­glio, and with lowd voice asked pardone, puttinge the whole defaute in their leaders, and delyuered them all in cheynes, requiringe him to put them to deathe, in ex­ample, to those that shoulde come after them, Selim ac­cepted their exceuse and pardoned them, and put to death all the chiefe of the sedition, which seueritie wroughte so great terrour, that Solimano his sonne, fcaring leste his father shoulde haue him in any sospition by meanes of the wordes of the Gianizzaries, went to kysse his fa­thers fete, being moruelously affraied, and excused hys innocentie, when Selim had lefte his frontiers of Eu­rope well garded, and had prouided hoth men, and mo­ney [Page 60] for his iorney, he retorned againe to Icomo to hys garnisones. In this meane time the Sophie sent his ant bassodours to y^e Soldan for aide, declaring vnto him the great peryll wherin he was, & praied him that he wolde haue regarde to their comon welthe, and send his armie to vnite with him. The Soldane was maruelousty mo­ued by the perswationes of the Persianes,greate fore syghte of the Sol­dane. and vnder­standinge the great confusion and disorder into y^e which the Sophie was broughte, with all his countre of Per­sia, & fearinge leste that he, beinge thus affraied shoulde seke suche peace at the handes of Selim as he moughte obtaine, and that when the Turckes had broughte the Sophie vnder fote, they shoulde employe their whole force against Soria, whervpon he gaue them to vnder­stande that he wolde in no wyse fayle them but wolde for their welthe hazarde, bothe his person and al that he had els, and that they shoudle wyll their prince to be of good cheare, and as sone as the springe shoulde comme on he wolde in person, with all his power of Mama­lukes and other souldiours that he coulde make, descend into Soria, to vnite his force with his, to the ende, that when they had had vnited their forces, they mought prenente the enemye and goe to seeke him and make the warres at his owne dore, and for that y^e Soldane wolde detract no time he began immediatly to leuie his bands and gather his armye, and to make redie for y^e enterprise on the other side when Selim retorned to his garnisions he began to supplie his bandes with freshe souldiours, and to see them thorowlie furnished with money and al other necessaries, and as sone as the springe of the yere tame he assembled his armye, and put to the feelde mar­thing towarde the mounte Taurs: to passe into Arme­nia and as he approched neare the mountayne, he had aduertizement that the Soldan was departed from Cai ro with all his ordinarie bandes, and a great number of Arabianes, and came downe into Soria to ayde the So­phie, and to vnite his force with him, wherupon he cau­sed to state the marche, and then called to councell hys Bascias and other Captaines, declaringe vnto them y^e comminge of the Soldane into Soria, and when they [Page] had thorowlye discoursed of the matter what was to be done therin, they allowed the opinion of Selim, whiche was to preueut the enemyes,Rype iudgment of Selim. and not to suffer them to vnite their forces, but to goe and encountre the one of them, Iudginge it more easye to ouerthrowe one, then bothe their powers beinge once vnited, and discoursing in him selfe which of them it were better fyrst to assayls he thoughte the enterprise againste the Soldane mostemete, and easyer then it of Persia against the Sophie, for that the Soldane beinge an olde man, and not tray­ned in the warres, was more weake, and for that his armye had ben a longe tyme at reste, and had dealed wyth no enemye of great experience in warres, but that their name was feared in all y^• easte, for y^e actes which thye & their predecessours had done in time past, & being in this sort persuaded, he determined the enterprise against the Soldane, & marched w^t his armie a long by the fote of the mounte Tauro holdinge the waye of the righte hand & so passed into Cilicia: where he vnderstode that the Sol­dane had entertained in his paie a great number of Ar­rabianes, and that he was entred into Soria wyth, xv. thousand Mamalukes comming towarde Aleppo, wher vpon he made the greater haste and went towardes him and when he came neare to Aleppo he vnderstode that y^e Soldane was encamped vpon the ryuer of Singa tenmyles from that place, whervpon, he put hys people in battayle, and marched on toward the enemie with great furie, and when he came within syghte of them, he foude that the Soldane began to disiodge and to take y^e feelde puttinge his people in order in the myddest of the feelde declaring him selfe redie to the battaile,The bat­tayle be­twene Selim & the Soldane. whervpon withoute delaie they ioyned in battayle, and there began a very braue, and bloudie fyghte, and it contynued a greate pece of the daye withoute anye aduantage of eyther side but at the laste a certayne number of the Mamalukes marched on so closely in order that they were as stronge as a mightie walle, and charged the Turckes with such force, that they not beyng able to endure the force and power of the Mamalukes and their horses, were enfor­ced to disorder and breake their ranckes and by meanes [Page 61] therof: gaue them waye to enter their squadrone, & when they were comme to the Gianizzaries, they disordered them also, and passed on vntyll they came to their enseig nes where the Turcke was in person, and he seinge his people thus in disorder, and that there was no meanes to holde them togyther and to kepe them in order, he cō maunded his maister Cannoniers to discharge all their artillerie at one Instante vpon them, the noyse of the artillerie was suche, that the horses of the Mamalukes coulde not endure it, but retorned backe and ran awaye scattering all ouer the feelde in dispite of those that rode them, and thus by flighte, lefte vnto their enemyes that victorie, which they had all redie in their handes, they had not loste of their people before the discharge of that volee of shotte, scarcely one thousand. The souldiours of Scilin, seinge the flyghte of their enemyes began to encorage them selues, and folowed them, making great flaughter of them. The Soldane behaued him selfe that daye lyke a worthie man, and dyd not omitte any thing that appertained to a worthy Captaine, and had sondrie tymes that daye, supplied with great discression where nede was, and where his people were in disorder and began to flee, whervpon he was enforced to vse both sayre wordes, pro messes and threatinges & by these meanes had dyuerse tymes that day staied them from roning a­waye and putting them in order agayne soughte to re­newe the fyghte, but he founde them so amased & stonied by meanes of the noyse of the artillerie, to the whiche they were not acustomed, that they (lainge a syde all re­uereuce) dyd not once hercken to any worde y^e he speake but contynued styll their flyghte, and disorder, and when the Soldane sawe that he was lefte of his souldiours, and alone vpon the feelde, he wolde not comme on lyue into the handes of his enemyes wherfore he folowinge after his people, soughte to saue him selfe by flighte but being ercedingly hote and faintie in his armour, for so much as he had taken vpon him y^e day great trauaile, and had continued the hole day on horsebacke, withoute receauing meate or dryncke, in the ende beinge vtterly weried, and with the force of the presse of those y^e came [Page] after him, who being so affraied that they flede continually in a confused sorte, hauing no regarde to their due­tye, but euery man made shyste for one, & amonge them he was ouerthrowen both horse and man, and beings once downe, being an aged man, & his armour of great weyghte,The death of Camp­sone Cai­ro Sol­dane of Babilone. he coulde no more ryse, and hauinge loste hys force & sensses, gaue vp his spirite amonges their horses fete, and this was the end of Campsone Cairo Soldane of Babilone, a noble personage, and of greate vertue, who founde the kingdome of Egipte, and Soria, so consumed and spoyled, by cyuyll dissention, and warres, y^• in shorte tyme their were staine amonge them selues in these esmotiones, foure Soldanes, when this man had accepted the gouernance, he so reformed it, by his great wysdome and Iustice, encreasyng it both with reputation, and obedience, in such sorte, that he brought it to an exceding great quietnes and tranquilitie, so that for y^• space of .xvi. yeres, wherein he had gouerned, they had not onely, not experimented what the warres were, but also not herde them once named amonge them: in all y^• kingdome of Egipte, and Soria. After this when the nighte came, the enemyes fled faste towarde Aleppo, & lefte the feelde, and also their campe withoute defence, in proie to the enemies, but Selim mistrusting y^e fynesse of the Mamalukes, wolde not that nyghte enter into their campe, but encampted where the battayle was soughte,Selim an excelent Captaine. and helde a great pece of his armye all y^• nyght in battayle, and when it was day he sent certaine vante corriers to vewe the campe of the enemyes, who fyn­ding it withoute defendantes, gaue suche aduertizemēt whervpon Selim marched with his armye and entred y^• campe, and founde the lodginges of the Soldane full of riches and gaue it in proie to his souldiours, and when he vnderstode that Gazzele, with the rest of y^e Soldanes Captaines, were departed from Aleppo in the fourthe watche, and gone to Dammasco, he marched on to Aleppo, and when he came thyther, Caserbeio, whiche was gouernour there for the Soldane, withoute making any resystance at all, went forth to hym and yelded hym the towne, and being maruelously embraced and honoured [Page 62] by Selim, confyrmed the opinion of many, which was y^e he had alwaye ben a traitour to the Soldane, and had in telligence with Selim, and also that he had aduertized him of the comming of the Soldane into Soria, and ex­horted him to leue the enterprise of Persta, and to take in hand that of Soria against the Soldane, when Selim was entred into Aleppo, he graunted y^e Citizens many liberties, and being greatly oppressyd by the impositi­ones and taxes which the Soldane laid vpon them, he meaning to gratifie them, and to preserue the great traffique, and encourage the marchantes that there were & others also to comme thyther with their marchandize, he released dyuerse of the impositiones, and also dimini­shed a parte of the custumes of the marchandize, & when he had contynued there certaine dayes, he receaued ad­uertizement, that all the Mamalukes that were lefte li­uing at the ouerthrowe of Aleppo, with Gazzele which was y^e cheife Captaine amonge them then (considering that the lorde of Damasco was slayne in the battayle) were determyned to goe and to create a newe Soldane whervpon they departed from Soria and rode towarde Cairo, Selim departed from Aleppo and marched on to warde Damasco, and when he was comme before the Citie with hys armye, they of the Citie thought it not good by resystance, to put bothe them selues and y^• they had in peryll, whervpon they sent forth to Selim Ora­tours, and graunted him the Citie, vpon condittion to enioye: bothe their lyues and goodes, when Selim had accepted their offer, he entred into the Citie beinge ac­compained onely with his garde, leuinge all the rest of his armye withoute in campe, bycause the Citie shoulde not by molested, nor greued, nor the straunge marchan­tes that there were oute of all partes of the worlde, the Cities of Soria, which stande vpon the sea coaste folo­wed the example of Aleppo and Damasco, and the principall of them were, Tripolli, Sindonia, Baruti, and Tolemarde, which yeldyd, and receaued dyuerse bandes of the Soldiers of Selim into them, Selim determyni­ing to establishe the gouernement of Soria, called a coū cell in Damasco, and thyther came messagers oute of al [Page] the cities and townes of the prouince, and he sate in the myddest of the market place, with dyuerse graue and discrete councellours aboute him whiche he vsed alwaye when he gaue audience openly, and there he herds, and determyned many controuersies, and when he had ap­pointed gouernours and officers to euery towne and ci­tie, and had abolished dyuerse of the custumes of the an­cient Soldanes as vniuste, and intollerable to the peo­ple, he dyd moderate them with newe lawes, and when he had contynued in Damasco a longe tyme aboute the reforming of the countre, and had well reposed his ar­mye, he then determyned in him selfe to make warres a gainst Egipte, for so muche as he vnderstode that al the Mamalukes that were dispersed abrode into al the coū ­tres, were comme to Cairo to create a newe Soldane, & beinge once togyther, they chose Tomombeio the great Diadaro,Tomom­beio elec­ted Sol­dane a man of great reputation and credite, and of great experience, and excellent, in the discipline of the warres, Selim being vpon the pointe of his departure, sent before him to make suer the waye Sinan Bassa, & gaue him in commissyon to passe on to the Citie Gaza, and there to tarie hym, and he in person departed from Damasco with the reste of his armie and folowed, and beinge desyrous to visyte that most famous temple of Ike rusalem, toke with him his garde of Gianizzaries and a certaine number of his horsemen and entred into Iudea and passed on to Iherusalem, and when he had visyted y^e temple, and other holly places of the Citie, he retorned agayne to his armye the nexte waye. And Sinan Bassa with his companie which was .xv. thousand horsemen hauinge ouerthrowen the Arabianes and repulsed their inuasyones whiche often tymes they had attempted a­gainst him, and had made the passage free with much a doe, and was comme on to Gaza, which stode neare vn­to the sea vpō the confynes of Egipte in y^e place, where men enter into the sandie deserte passinge from Iudea to Eairo, and when he came before the Citie with his armye, they of the Citie willinge to auoide the sacke & spoyle therof, gaue place to tyme, and yelded y^e Citie vnto him, where he contynued, and taried for commissyon [Page 63] from his lorde to directe him in those affaires. As sone as Tomombeio had receaued the gouernement, he determyned forth with to supplie the bandes of Mamalukes which were maruelously spoyled and consumed, wher­fore he caused to enrolie all their slaues y^e were of law­ful yeres and apte to vse armes, he prouided armour and weapō for them and also horses, also he had entertained in his paie a great number of Arabianes, and loste no tyme, but contynually prouided artillerie and Moniti­on, with all other necessaries, and beinge aduertized by those of Gaza (whiche dyd very well affecte the Mama­lukes) of the comminge of Sinan Bassa, and in what sorte he lodged there. The Soldane at their request de. termyned to send a power to encountre him, hauinge great hope in the good wyll of the Citizens, whervpon he dispatched Gazele,Sinan Bassa a discrecie & worthye Captaine and sent him with syre thousande horses, and a greate number of Arabianes, and as sone as Sinan Bassa was aduertized of his comming, by his bandes that he had alwaie vpon the feelde, not trusting them of the Citie, he determyned to goe against hym & to encountre him, and when he had rydden xv. myles, he staied at a village where he mought well lodge, for that that in the vilage their was a fountaine very plen tuouse of pure watter, whervpō he commaūded to lodge there, and began to appointe the quartiers, and before that they had done the alarme was gyuen, and he was aduertized by the scoultes of his vantgarde, y^• they sawe afarre of a great duste,souldiour lyke aduertizement. wherfore they Iudged the ene­my to be there cōming toward them, Sinan Bassa had scarcely tyme to put his people in order, before that Gazele was cōme with his, & began to assayle his vantgard and after that they had foughte a certaine space, Gazele seinge his peopble ouerlaide, with uumber, and a rtil­lerie, and that they began to recule, and seing y^• they of Gaza apeared not in his fauour (in hope of whose ayde he had taken in hand the battayle) with his sworde in his hand dyd make his waye thorowe his enemyes, & so retorned to Cairo with the losse of his cariage, and a great number of his souldiours, and when Selim was departed from Iherusalem he came to his armye, and [Page] broughte them to Gaza, where he founde Sinan Bassa retorned with great victorie, and had put to deathe ma­ny of y^e Citizens which had procured y^e Soldane to send his people thyther, when Selim had reposed his soul­diours for a tyme in Gaza, he determyned to marche on towarde Cairo, and wolde not gyue the newe Soldane time to furnishe him selfe of newe bands and to put him selfe in good order, wherfore he made great prouision of hogges hedes to carie watter with him, and sent Sinan Bassa before him with his bandes of Europe, and he folowed him alway within one dayes iorney w^t his whole armye,macharea a place where the precious bal [...]e dothe growe. aud in this sorte passed on throughe the deserte, and came neare to Cairo within fewe myles, a lytle frō a villadge named Macharea, where the Soldane had a garden, where that most precious licour called Balsme dyd growe, which is a certaine goome, that distillethe throughe certaine clestes made in the barcke of y^e trees in the tyme of the gathering therof, by the gardeners, which cut them with exceding fyne knynes made of yuorie, Tommobeio determyned to tarie the enemye in y^• village, whervpon he entrenched it very stongly wyth great rampares, and depe Dykes, and had bent al his artillerie vpon the waye where the Turcks shoulde cōme and as sone as he herde of the comminge of the Turc­kishe armye he departed from Cairo with, twelue thou sand Mamalukes, and a great number of Arrabianes, & other souldiours on horsebacke, and on fote, and came & lodged in his lodginge that was fortified for him of purpose, where, whē he had put his people in order he taried the comming of the enemye, and as sone as Selim vn­derstode of the Soldanes order, he refused the waye that the Soldane had bent all his artillerie vpon, and wolde not assayle hys enemye vpon the frounte of his battaile but determyned to assayle him on the flancke where he was not so well prouided, whervpō he disvanded agreat nūber of shotte & sent them to assayle the trenches of y^• Soldane, & immediatly the Soldane marched forthe w^t his people in order, and there began betwene them a notable fyghte, and a furious, and hauing fought from the fourthe houre of the daye, to the sunne goinge downe [Page 64] in very doubtfull sorte, euen to the darcke nighte, Tommabeio caused to sounde the retreicte,The bat­tayle be­twene Se­lim & the Soldane. and lefte the vil­lage and marched to Cairo and the Turckes as victori­ouse entred into the Soldanes lodginges and their lod­ged that nighte, there were slaine of y^e partie of y^e Mamalukes the great Diadaro, strycken with a falconete and of the Turckes partie Sinan Bassa,Two worthye captaines slayne- and when the Soldane was retorned with his armys, he lodged them be­twene the Citie, and the ryuer Nilo, and determyned to supplie his armye with newe bandes and to defend him selfe, and therfore sent for all the Mamalukes y^t were appointed to the garde of other contreys, and commaunded them to repaire to Cairo with all spede, he toke oute of the Monition house of the Castle, all the furniture of armour, and weapon, that there was and distributed it to the children of the Mamalukes and to twelue thousand slaues which they toke vp in that Citie, besydes that he sent into Iudea and Arabia, his Captaines to leuie and enrolle all suche horsemen and fotemen as they shoulde fynde, that were trained, and experimented in y^e warres and for that he wolde as muche as in him was saue his people from the force of the artillerie, he determyned w^t all his power to assayle his enemye in the darckest of y^e nighte, for that he was assured that in the nyghte they coulde not well vse their artillerie withoute the slaugh­ter of their owne people as well as of their enemyes, & discouering his opinion to certaine of the cheife of y^e Mamalukes, he prouided to put it in executiō, but he coulde not vse the matter so secretly, but y^t amonge those fewe with whom he had debated the cause, their were some traitours whiche dyd aduertize Selim therof who cau­sed to make greate fyres withoute his campe rounde a­boute it, whiche made all the partes aboute the campe to be as well seen as in the myddeste of the daye, and in this sorte prouided that he moughte well vse hys artil­lerie, and then put hys armye in battayle lookinge for his enemyes, Tommobeio in the nyght▪ approched neare to the Turckes campe, and when he sawe all these fires he was then assured that hys enterprise was discouered yet wolde be not so retorne, but assayled his trenches [Page] in suche sorte that he entred them and synding them very well furnished be retorned agayne to his lodging frō whence he came, and after that (beinge enforced by the Mamalukes) he was constrained to lodge within the citie, and to defende it, and for that he wolde prouide in e­uery respecte, he caused with all spede to fortifye it and when he had made stronge the principall places therof,Prouidēce of Selim. he put stronge garde into them, Selim as sone as he herde that the Soldane with his armie was lodged w^t in the towne, he marched with his armye into the towne, which he moughte easyly doe, for that the citie was not enuironed with walle, nor rampare, beinge within the Citie with his armye, he foughte three dayes continually, with the enemye, and when he had slayne a great nū ber of them he became lorde of the greatest parte of the Citie, and the Mamalukes seinge their force daily to de caie, and that they were no longar able to contynue in the Citie, went from thence to the ryuer Nilo and toke the boates that they founde there, and passed all their armie with the Soldane ouer the ryuer into the Region Segesta, which is a parte of Affrica that liethe towarde Cirene, and Tomombeio for that he wolde not gyue o­uer the matter, sent for those Mamalukes that were appointed to grade the Citie of Alexandria, and for y^• there came dayly into his campe, Arabianes, Affricanes, and other Mores, of y^e prouices there abouts, he began to be agayne in good hope to defende his owne, whylest the matters of Cairo passed in this sorte Gazzele whome y^e Soldane had sent into Thebaiade, to leuie as manye bandes of both horsemen and fotemen as he coulde, was cōme neare to Cairo and had brought with him a gerat number of Arrabianes with their Captaines also, and when he vnderstode of the losse of Cairo, and that hys lorde was fied beyonde the ryuer Nilo, and beinge oute of all hope of the preseruation of his countre vnder the gouernement of the Soldane, seinge it paste all remedie determined to obserue time and to pronide for his safety by yelding him selfe to the victour, and when he had in this sorte debated the matter with the Captaines of the Arrabianes, which he had brought with him, & had per [Page 65] swaded them in that behalfe, he came to the gate of Se­lim and required to be broughte to his presence,Gazzele rendered him to Selim- & when he came before him, he fell prostrate to the grounde and ryssed his fete sainge, for so muche as he had done for y^• preseruation of the Mamalukes state and of his lorde, all that was possyble for him to doe, and neuer brake his fait he, so longe as there was any token of hope lefte for the preseruation of this same, and nowe seinge his high nes possessyd of the Citie, and placed in the Imperiall seate, and his lorde to be fled and to haue lefte his king­dome, wherfore he had determyned with him selfe no lenger to respste, but trusting in his clemencie, and goodnes was cōme wholly to committe him selfe into his hands w^t oute any maner of condition at all, but to be well contentyd with all that, that shoulde please his highnes to deteremyne of him, Selim receuid him very corteously, and willed him to be of good comforte and to assure him selfe not to wante place with him mete for a man of his worthines, he caused him to be writen amonge y^e reste of his chiefe Captaines, & appointed vnto him an ho­norable, prouisionin lyke sorte he caused y^e Captaines & chiefe officiers of the Arrabianes to be broughte vnto him, and gaue them very good wordes, and entertained them in his ordinarie. After this he vnderstode of a cer­taine man of Segesta (which was comme to seke him) of manye of the purposes of Tomombe is, and howe he was contynually solycited by certaine Mores the prin­cipall, and chiefe of Cairo, in suche sorte as he was fully determyned to retorne thyther agayne, when Selim vnderstode of these preparationes, he thought good to pre uent it, whervpon he determined to passe the ryuer Nilo and to seke him, and to the ende that he moughte the more spedyly passe his armye, and artillerie, he proui­ded a great number of botes and fastened them to bothe the shores, and then laide his bridge made of bordes and called into the Castle suche Citizens as he suspected, and [...]caused them to be safely kepte, when Tomombe is vnder [...]tode that Selim was makinge redie to passe the Nilo with his armye fearinge the inconstancie of the people and seing no way howe by flyghte he mought prolonge [Page] the warres, determyned to proue what fortune wolde doe, once more in battayle, wherfore he thought it good to assayle the bridge,the bridge assayled. and to se yf that he coulde (synding his enemyes occupied in their passage ouer) take them vnprouided and so to onerthrowe them, whervpon he vsed greats celeritie departing from Segesta in the laste watche of the nighte and rode with foure thousand Ma­malukes, and foure thousande Mores and Arrabianes, and came to the brydge before that the Turckes had vnderstanding of his departure, and fynding onely y^• soul­diours of Asta passed, w^t their Captatne Mastaffa Bascia he forth with, charged them with suche force, y^• the Turckes, not beinge able to endure their vertue, were disor­dred and began to flee, in suche sorte that Mustaffa not beinge able to kepe them in order, they were exceding­ly spoyled & stayne, when Selim vnderstode of the peryll that his people were in, he hasted to the brydge in per­son, and sent ouer with such spede as he coulde, aide frō tyme to tyme vnto them, and in shorte space he had put ouer so many that he was Maister of bothe endes of the brydge and when he had assured the brydge he went in person with certaine bandes with him thether where y^• Soldane was syghting, and soddenly charged hym, in sorts, that he enforced him to retire, whervpon the Sol dane beinge oute of hope of the victorie, determyned w^t those fewe that he had lefte, by flyghte to seke to saue him selfe and when they had rydden thre dayes contynually, they came to a certaine village called Secusa, and Selim determyninge to folowe hym wheresoeuer he shoulde goe,Iudgemēt of Selim. dyd send after him Mustaffa Caterbeio, and Gazzelle with a great number of lighte horsemen which when they drewe neare to the place where he was, and had flayne vpon the waye as they came a great number of his men, and had gyuen commaundement that al the men of that countre shoulde folowe them wheresoeuer they went vpon great Penaltie, & also appointed great rewarde to whosouer shoulde delyuer him ether deade, or liuinge, when the Soldane had loste the greatest nū ­ber of hys men, and fearinge the persecution of the men of the countre seing none other meane to saue him selfe [Page 66] chaunged his garnementes, and departed secretly, and dyd hyde him in a marese there by, and couered him selfe wyth reed and suche lyke as dyd growe thervpon, but the countre men beinge very gredie of the rewarde that was promysed, went and serched al secrete places, wher in he moughte be hidden, whervpon certaine of them went into the marese and serched very diligently, and in the ende foūde him hidden in the water vp to y^e throte and then toke hym, with dyuerse of his cheife and principall councellours, & presentyd him bounde to Mustaffa and the reste of the Captaines, who forthewith sent him an towarde Cairo in miserable sorte, and presented him to Selim, who wolde not speake vnto him but deliuered him to hys mynistres and caused him to be examined w^t sondrie tormentes to make hym to confesse where the treasoure of Campsone the Soldane was, and whē they had done all that they were able to doe, they coulde not onely, not cause him to manifest it, but also coulde not with all their tormentes cause him to speake one worde the constancie of his mynde was suche,Constanci of Tomō beio. the nerte mor­ning folowinge he caused him to be lad openly therowe the Citie, to the gate called Basuela and hanged him by the necke,A lamen­table ende of the va­liante and noble To­mombeio. & then put a chaine of Iron aboute his necke and caused him continually to hange ouer the gate. The cause whie Selim dyd this cruelly, and shamefully put Tomombeio to deathe, was for that, that after he was gone into y^e Region of Segesta (acording to the opinion of dyuerse) Selim sendinge hys Oratours to him, to re­quire him to be content and to giue ouer and to cōmitte him selfe to the faith of Selim, who promised him great place, and dignities, the Mamalukes contrarie to all reason, and order of men, wolde not suffer them to comme in his presence, but cut them in peces, whē Tomombeio was dead, he caused to put to deathe all the Mamalukes and souldiours that he had in the prisonnes, and lefte none on lyue y^e were able once to holde vp head agaynst him, when the inhabitantes of Alexandria vnderstode what was done at Cairo, they b [...]gan to rebell and made an vprore, toke their weaponnes and cried the name of Selim throughe oute the Citie they toke vpon the sod­den [Page] the fortes of the Citie and the Fareglion also,Fareglion the chiefe forte in Alexādria. and toke prisoners all the Mamalukes and officers, that the Soldane had there, Selim determined to possesse al such countres and Regiones, bothe he on this side, and beyonde the ryuer Nilo: as were wonte to obey the Soldanes of Cairo,Cairo with al the prouinces therevnto belonging possessed by Selim wherfore he sent manye of his Captaines wyth their companies to take possessyon: who syndinge none that made resystance, caused them al to swere obedience and trouthe to Selim, and in shorte space broughte all to his deuotion, moreouer dyuerse kynges of Affrica which were confederate alwayes with the Soldanes, & dyd paie vnto them certaine tribute, when they had vu­derstandinge of the successe of Selim, sent their ambas­sadours to renewe the confederacie, in suche sorte that both on this side and beyonde the Nilo, there rested not in Egipte one hauen euē to the confines of Iudea, oute of the obedience of Selim Emperour of Turckie, sauing onely the Arrabianes, cheifely those that dwelled in Affrica, suche as from the begynninge had their confines vpon the ryuer Euphratos (& at this present haue them stretched oute to the verye Dceane) & after that hauing fylled al Affrica and Egipte,Digressyō with their multitudes, contynually erercised in warres vpon the people that con­fyned with them, but rather after the maner of thefte, and stelthe, with makinge of courses, and praies, then to vnite them selues in campe, & soto comme and fyghte as men of warre in battayle, they haue no certaine dwelling places, but lyke to Scythianes do inhabite & dwell vpon their waggens in great compaines and numbres which are their Cities & townes, euery Citie or towne hathe his propre Captaine appointed vnto hym, they doe not marrie, or otherwise ioigne in fryndshyppe with anye other nation, they este me them selues the most no­ble, and ancient nation of the worlde, as a people that neuer was mingled with any other nation but haue continued their nobility, and antiquitie vncoroupted from the beginninge of the worlde, they are maruelousty wise and proue excellent in any kynde of discipline or erercise that they take in hande, they vse towarde straungers y^• comme into their countrey greate courtesie and liberali­tie, [Page 67] and in dede yf they dyd agree amonge them selues, they were able to subdue all the countreys aboute them but maintainig amonge them certaine ancient inimities lefte vnto them by their predecessours they are contynually accupied with cyuyllwarres and dissentiones the onercontynually spoylinge the other, but retorninge nowe to our historie, when Selim had receaued the obe­dience and faythe, of the whole Empire of the Soldane he ment to see Alexandria before that he wolde departe oute of Egipte, whervpon he embarcked, and sayled downe the ryuer, and in fewe dayes arriued at Alexan­dria, and when he had seen and vewed his Nauie which was newlye arriued there from Constantinople, he ap­pointed them what to doe, and when he had furnished the Farreglion and the reste of the fortes, with bands of hys souldiours and monition, he then established the gouernement of the Citie, and when he had put to deathe all the Mamalukes that were there in prison he retor­ned againe to Cairo, and toke oute of it fyue hundred housholdes, of the most noble and principall of the Citie with all their children and substance, and sent them to Alexandria to hys Nauie who conueied them with all their riches and treasoure to Constantinople, he sent thyther also in dyuerse passagers, hyred shyppes, a great number of the children, and wyues of the Mamalukes and when he had thus appointed his departure he lefts in Cairo a great garde of Turckes and appointed Carerbeio to be his lieutenante in all Egipte, ho, which at the death of Camsone the Soldane, was gouernour in Aleppo, this ellection dyd very much displease Iunio Bassa who succeded in y^• place of bellagarbei of Gretia, Sinan Bassa, who was y^• cheife, & in greatest fauor w^t the Em­perour who had promised him y^• place, he coulde not en­dure to se Carerbeio a newe man to be preferred before him, & not being able to dissēble his wrath, began to go­uerue y^• that was cōmitted to his charge ouerthwartli, & troublonsly,The paie of the souldiours [...] chiefly such as mought seme ī any respecte to touch Carerbeto wherof whē Selim was aduertized he called to mindother displeasures also, & began tohate hī excedīgli wherof afterward proceded his death as shal be declared hereafter y^• souldiours w^t were leste at Cairo [Page] required their lorde that they moughte haue their paye augmented, who cōmaunded Iunso Bassa to see it done and to cause the treasorer that he lefte there to doe acor­ding to his order, when the Emperour was departed frō Cairo Iunio semyd not to remember it, and gaue no order at all in that behalfe, wherfore it folowed, that whē Selim was gone from Cairo into Iudea, and that the paie came, the souldiours had not their entertainement encreasyd, whervpon they began to Mutyne and rebett against Carerbeio, and he excused him selfe, and caused them to send with all spede after the Emperour and to complaine vnto him or their wronge, they sounde hym neare vnto Iberusalem, declaring howe that at y^e tyme of their paie they receaued nothinge but their ordinarie and that the Treasurer declared that he had no commission to augment their paie, they declared vnto him also, that to lyue there was very chargeable and that their ordinarie was not able to maintaine them there, whervpon Selim was excedinglye wrothe for that that hys order which he lefte, was not put in execution, and ad­ding to this dyuerse other complaintes which he had receaued from Cairo, of the behauiour of Iunio, cheifely touchinge the families that were sent to Constantino­ple, wherupon he cōmaunded him to comme to him, and as sone as he came to him he commaunded him forthe w^t to be hanged, and when he had established the gouerne­ment of Palestina, he wente into Soria, and appointed Gazzelle to be gouernour of Damascs,Note this great voyage, to leade an armye so farre by lande. one of the Cap­taines of Campsone, he appointed also a gouernour to Aleppo, and to al the reste of the townes of the prouince leuinge them all well furnished with all kynde of monition, and men. And determyninge to prouide for the de­fence of Soria against y^• Sophie, he lefte Mustaffa Bas­ria in Cilicia, at the fote of the Mounte Tauro with xl. M. horsemen, and when he had this done he determyned to goe home into Gretia, and coasted all alonge the sea syde of the lesser Asia and so passed into Bithinia to the Citie of Bursia, and from thence passed on to y^e Golfe and fyndinge his Nauie redie there he embarcked hys souldiours of Europe and then sayled on to Constanti­nople, [Page 68] and when he was there arriued he sent his peo­ple to garnison, and consumed al that winter in visiting the townes of Gretia, and late in Castoria, a long tyme and toke great pleasure in chasinge, when the spaynge of the yere came, he went from thence into Remania, & gaue order to make redie his Naute, and caused them to take oute of the Arsenale, all his Galleys, fustes, and Palandres, willinge them to be broughte into Propon­tide, and in shorte space he had betwene Gallipolli, and Constantinople, vpon the sea, moe then two hundred Galleys besyde his other shyppes with all their tacle, & furniture, and hauinge alredie sent to the foreste manye carpentres, he caused to cut a great quantitie of tymber which caused manie men to thīke y^• he made this proui­sion to emploie it vpon the Isle of Rhodes, notwithstanding that then, and afterwarde, there were diuerse that thoughte it not made for Rhodes, but to be emploied a­gainst Italie, and in the ende when euery thinge was redie he commaūded them to roe downe to the mouthe of the straite and there to ryde, and euery man thought y^• within fewe dayes they shoulde haue ben paied, & com­maunded to set sayle and to doe somme great enterprise vpon the sodden: which fewe vnderstode, after this their came commaundement soddenly, that forthewith they shoulde discharge and vnrigge the Nauie, and license y^• maryners to goe home to their dwellinge places, after this the cause of this greate preparation, and the sood­den disoluinge therof, coulde neuer be vnderstande, yet somme men thinke that a sycknes that then was cōme vpon Selim was the cause therof. When he had vnrig­ged his Nauie, he departed from thence to Andrinople, and seminge to take some pleasure in the chase, he laie in litle villages aboute it and consumed the reste of the sommer there, with y^• Automne also, and the winter fo­lowinge after this, there appeared in the raines of hys backe, an incancred appostume, which dyd so eate hys fleshe y^e a man moughte haue put into the sore his whole hande and they dyd cut awaye y^• fleshe rounde aboute it which was so deade that he felte it not. And I wyll not here omitte a notable matter, which was declared vnto [Page] me in Florence of him (by a Persian of y^e Mahometane religiō) hauing for my turciman a citizen of ours named Iohu Cerini, & it is this, that on a tyme as his disease dyd growe and encrease vpon him, restinge his head vpon the thinge of Perino one of his Bascias, he sayd vnto him Perino I doe consume, & muste dye within shorte space withoute all remedie, vpon the which wordes the Bascia toke occasion to talke furder w^t him, & sayd vnto him my lorde, yf thou knowest y^• thou must dye, whye doeste not thou gyue order for the disposinge of those goodes which at thy commaundement were arrested & taken from the marchants called Aggiammi in Bursia which are subiect to the Sophie thyne enemie, the goods are worthe at y^• leaste, certaine hundredes, of thousands of golde ducates, and yf thou shouldest nowe dye & not gyue order in that behalfe they shoulde be conueyd, and stollen awaye, were it not better that thou shoulde be­stowe them vpon sōme hospitale,A notable answere of Selin be­inge a he­thē prince. whervnto Selim an­swered, woldest thou that I shoulde honor my selfe with the goodes of other men & to bestowe them in vertuose worckes in the remembrance, and commendation of me I wyl neuer doe it, whervpon Perino replied, sayinge, what woldest thou then that there shoulde be done with them? He answered, that they be delyuered to them frō whom they were taken, and also he called to his remembrance, y^• there were thre thousād ducates of a Floren­tyne sonne to one Thomaso de Aiolfo, he commaunded also that they shoulde be delyuered vnto him, Whervp­on after that, the money, marchandize and sylkes that were arrested in Bursta, were delyuered to the owners and he that reported this was one of them, and had re­ceaued a great quantitie againe and had brought of the same salkes to Florence two fardells, & this is spoken to confounde manye of our Christian princes, amonge whom in the lyke case, it is a very harde matter to fynde one, that shal haue such remorse of conscience, but nowe to our historie when Selim was in this sorte consumed with his disease, in the ende of the monethe of Septem her, the vere of the Christian helthe. 1520. hauinge in righte yeres which was the time of his raigne, brought [Page 99] to passe so manye maruelouse enterprises,the raigne of Selim, the deathe of Selim▪ he ended his lyfe, in whose place succeded Solimanno his onely sōne a yonge man of great worthines in whome their was great hope for the great modestie that was in him, he was of the age of. xxviii yeres, and beinge in Natolia, y^• newes were brought him fleing of the deathe of his fa­ther, wherfore in the begynninge he was in doubte of them, fearing leste it had ben fayned by the commaundement of his father wherfore he wolde not sturre at all oute of Natolia tyll suche tyme as Perino Bassa came into Natolia to him, who dyd not onely assertaine him of it, but also constreyned him to passe ouer into Gretia to Constantinople, where, as sone as he was arryued, he was receaued and coronned withoute any cōtradicti on at all, and accepted Emperour with the vntuersall ioye and contentacion of his subiectes, and in this sorte he accepted the gouernement, vsing in all his determy­nations y^• councell of Perino Bassa, whom he honored as thoughe he had ben his natural father, in this meane tyme whē the death of Selim was published in Egipte and Soria it dyd greatly moue the people of those coun­tres, and Gazelle beinge pricked with ambition per­swaded him selfe that he moughte recouer both Egipte,Gazele reuolte. he. and Sorta and erecte againe y^• of state the Mamalukes, acording to y^• ancient order therof vnder the Soldanes whervppon he caused the Citie of Damasco firste to re­belle, and possessyd it, callinge him selfe openly lord ther of, and vtterly caste from him all obedience towardes y^e house of Ottomanno, which brute when it was sprede abrode throwe the prouince, caused all the Mamalukes that were lefte, which were hidden in Asia, and Affrica, to comme vnto him, and then according to their anient custume they created him Soldane, who made all pre­paration possyble to defende his state, and gathered to­gyther a great number of Arrabians, and of the coun­ [...]res neare aboute him, and sent his ambassadours to Cairo to desyre, Carerbeio to ioyne with him & to helpe to restore the Mamalukes state to his ancient libertie, offering him to gyue him what parte of the domynion y^• he wolde, yea, to resigne vnto him his place and to make [Page] him Soldane, when Carerbeio had gyuen publique au­dience to his ambassadours, & vnderstode their demaūde withoute gyuing them anye answer, caused his Mini­sters to cut them in peces, & hauing also proued Aleppo and dyuerse other Cities of Soria, he founde none that wolde ioyne with him in this enterprise, whervpon he determyned to defend him selfe as well as be moughte and leuied in all countreys, suche bandes as he coulde get to serue him, when the newes of the rebellion of Da masco was comme into Gretia Solimanno commaun­ded forthwith the Bellagarbei of Cillicia which was appointed for the garde of the lesser Asia with .xl. M. horsemen, to goe thyther who entred into Soria, acompained with the lieutenantes of Aleppo, and of the rest, of the cities of that prouince and came before Damasco with his armie in battayle, he was not so sone comme before the Citie, but Gazzelle hauing determyned for onely remedie to hazarde the battayle, and wolde rather dye ho­norable w^t his sworde in his hande, then to be delyuered by some practize: lyuinge into his enemyes hands, whervpon he marched forthe of the Citie with his armie and put his people in battayle, and then marched on with a noble mynde to encountre his enemye, who marched also towarde him,The bat­tayle be­twene the Belagar­bei of Cilicia, and Gazzelle. and withoute delaie ioyned in battaile and foughte for a longe tyme with greate assurance on bothe partes, the vertue and discipliue of Gazzelle, and of those fewe Mamalukes that were with him was such that notwithstanding they were excedingly ouerlaid w^t nūber yet for y^• space of certaine houres they so endured the force of their enemyes that they were nothing at al disordered nor gaue to their enemyes one fote of place in the end: hauinge slayne a great number of their ene­myes and manie of them beinge flayne also, and the rest in maner all hurte, beinge ouercomme with very wery nes, and not able to vse their weapones, & Gazzelle fyn­dynge hym selfe enuironed by the Turckes, foughte valiantly against them tyll at the laste he fell downe deade from his horse amonge them,Gazzelle diethe ho­norablie. the Mamalukes beinge in the ende disordered, and seynge no way by flighte howe to saue them selues determyned to dye lyke worthy men [Page 100] with their weapones in their hande,The noble ende of the Mama­lukes. and so foughte to y^• vttermoste, in suche sorte, that very fewe were taken lyuing by the enemyes. As sone as Mustaffa Bassa had obtained this victorie, he came forthwith w^t his armie be fore the Citie, the Citizens made no resystance but o­penned the gates and receaued the Bassa with such people as he wolde with him, into the towne, who entred acompanied with fewe, for that he wolde not haue the Citie spoyled nor y^e marchantes which were: there oute of all partes of the worlde to exersyse their traffique, he pardoned the Citizens and confirmed their liberties and freedomes which Selim had giuen vnto them he lodged his armye withoute the Citie, and in this sorte dispatched the rest of the Mama­lukes. And established Soria, and all y^e prouinces of Egipte in perfecte peace, which were wont to obey vnto Se­lim, leuinge them vnder y^e reule of Solimanno Ottomanno their lorde.