¶ A true Report of the taking of the great town and Castle of Polotzko, by the King of Polonia.  
With the manner of the Assaults, Batteries, Vndermininges, Skirmishes and Fyreworkes, that were there used, from the 11. of August to the .30 of the same Month. 1579.   

¶ A true Report of the taking of the Town and Castle of Polotzko, by the King of Polonia, the 30. of August 1579.  
THe last of june the King of Polonia being at a Town called Wild, broke up his Siege and came to Suerum, to muster there: in which place, his Majesty called together his Lords and Captains and men of war, to know after what order they should provide for the safeguard and defence of their Country, and how for to keep the enemy, which was the Moscove fur from them, and there his Majesty agreed to besiege the City of Polotzko, because that Town lieth in the border of the great Dukedom of Litto, and principally of the Town of Villo, and there lieth no Fortress between that and the Wild, and if he had not taken the way to the same City, he should have given his enemy way to have entered into the Dukedom of Litto, and also to the Wild: and therefore his Majesty found it needful to look to, because he took this war in hand, not only to recover that same Town to the Crown of Poland again, as it hath been in times past: but to withstand the enimiy, & to keep him back. In his Country, the winter is very hard, with very great rains, snows, fogs and continual trostes: and therefore very perilous to make war, in which the king of Poland hath found very daingerous in passing from the Wild to the said City of Polotzko, by reason of the clammy ground, with the great thaws and cains, and deep rivers, with the great trouble of his carriage, of his great ordinance, powder, shot, munition, and all other kind of artillery, with the loss of his horses and other beasts for want of sustenance travailing those barrame wilderness and heigh mountains: yet nothing could discourage this mighty prince from taking of this enterprise in hand, although many of his Noble men and wise Captains did show what peril it were for him to pass with so great an Army, and telling of him the strength of the Town and the Castle with all other inconueniaunces: yet could he not be persuaded from his opinion, but rather the more encouraged, gathered his people together: and hoping that if he could take that Town, it would be a great discouragement to his enemies and a great encouragement to his own Soldiers: because this City is the strongest and greatest in all his Dominions. And his Majesty did sand out of Suero, the honourable Nicolaum Radzinil, chief Governor of the Town called the Wild, with a certain number of Horsemen & Footmen with a certain number of Hungarians: with the Honourable Casper Bekize to the City of Polotzko, to stop the high ways, that there might come no succour from the Prince of Muscove. And for all that he took great pains for to be suddenly there: yet the ways was so fowl, and the passages so crooked, that it was long or ever that they could come there. And because that the King of Polon had sent defiance to the Muscovo King: he doubting of the besiege of them of Polotzko, sent ●…yde to them of Polotzko, which came two days before the Honourable Nicolave came there: but he coming thither did so stop the passages, that he could sand no more succours thither. And immediately after the King of Polon with his whole camp ordinance, bag and baggage, with great pains, having fowl ways, with the continual rain that fell and the fowl wether, was constrained to make very small journeys: and in the mean time his forward took three Castles, called, Cosianua, Crasne and Situo, in their journey, which they quickly spoiled and burnt. And the 11. of August, his Majesty with all his power came near to the Tower of Polozko, and pitched his Camp not far from the Walls of the Town: and then his Majesty caused his Camp in three places to be entrenched against the Town. And as the Town being very strongly fenced with very strong Bulwarks and other Fortresses, and being very well provided of all manner powder shot and other Engines, and putting great confidence in the Castle which stood without the Town: issued out of the Town, and forced the king of Po●on to withdraw himself from that part of the Town where the Subber●●s were, in which place the Castle stood: but in the end the Polanes had the victory, and chaeed the Moscoes into the Town & the Castle, & set the Subbarbes a fire. And in short time wholly destroyed it. And after this they did daily under mind the ground, till they came under the chief gate of the Castle: but the almighty God at this time showed his mighty power, for many days, without ceasing, we had great rains: so that all labour and diligence of the Soldier was hindered: yet for the desire that they had to overcome their enemies nothing could discourage them: but daily they did their endeavour against the town and Castle. And those within the Town and the castle, although their enemy with out was fierce and daily did shoot at them with great ordinance, and never c●ased day nor night shooting and throwing of wild fire into the Town, and although their houses were covered with straw and reed, and such things apt to take fire: yet they nothing dismayed, did daily defend themselves with making provision with raw Hides and other things fit for that purpose, for to withstand the violence of the fire: and very valiantly defended both the Town and Castle, and as fast as any was strooken down, an other would step over him, and fight stoutly in his room: whereby it is seen that the Moscoves are very valiant in keeping of a Hold: yet at the length GOD of his mercy showed us a fair day. For the 29. of August, our people with great diligence, and no small peril, waded through the river, carrying wild fire in one hand, and their weapon in the other, and manfully run up the Hill, and made an assault to the breces of the Castle, & set them on fire, and so with the shooting of the ordinance on the one side, & the casting of the fire on the other, the enemy was forced to forsake the Bulwark, and to retire, which gave our Soldiers such courage, that they did follow the enemy thorough the fire, and thought to win the Castle: but they did fail of their purpose, because the force of the fire was great, and the force of the enemy greater, they were forced to retire with the loss of 27. of their men, and very many wounded: And of our enemies were slain 200. The very same day the enemy did make a sign as though he would have yielded, but they meant nothing less: For they had provided new Bulwarks, and blinded our men with the flames of fire: therefore the kings Majesty was fully bend to show the uttermost that he could do, because the enemy should have no time to fortify him. And therefore the next day being the 30. day of August, he caused all his army, aswell Horsemen as footmen, to make an assault to the Town: and caused certain Horsemen and Footmen to make an assault to an other part of the Town, where they had undermined the Wall, and throw down a great piece of it, and set fire one part of the Castle: and the place where they were the day before they recovered, where they found the Musco digging and defending of himself: but the Polon drove him back, and had him wholly in his power: and so the king of Polon being moved with pity, loathing to shed any christian blood did give pardon to all them that he found in the Castle, and them that would serve, he took into service, which was a great number, because they would save their goods, & they that would, he gave them safe conduct to go into Moscovi, and those that would not yield were these: the honourable Basilius juanowitz, Telateuski Nicolenski Demetrius Michalowitz Schitbathi, Oholeuski, Matthe Inanowitz: Rzowki. Iwan Hrechoriowitz, Susin, Petrus Inanowitz: Wolenski Lutzian, Tretiakow, Kakouse: which were all Captains and Officers in the town and castle, and therefore the king took them forcibly prisoners, and guarded the Town and Castle with his own Soldiers. The number of the Moscoves that defended the Castle, were 6000. which most part was slain and found dead in dyches, and of them in the Town, there was no certain number known, because a great number fled. And also there was found within ice town and Castle such store of ordinance, with powder, shot, and lead, and all other kind of artillery, that there was thought there was not the like Town nor Castle in Christendom.  
And therefore his Majesty seeing that GOD hath given him such victory over his enemies, more than he deserved or looked for, gave commandment through all his Realm, to give God praise and thanks.  
FINIS.   

¶ Imprinted. 1579.