TRUE COPIES OF THE INSOLENT, CRUEL, BARBAROUS, and blasphemous Letter lately written by the Great Turk, for denouncing of War against the King of POLAND: AND Of the Magnanimous, and most Christian Answer made by the said King thereunto.  
With a short Preface, declaring the unjust Cause on which this Turkish Tyrant, and faithless enemy of Christendom, now layeth hold to invade it.  
Published in Print by Authority, the 11. of june. 1621.  
LONDON, Printed for William Lee: and are to be sold at his shop in Fleerstreet, at the sign of the Golden Buck, near Sergeant's june. 1621.   

THE PREFACE.  
ABout the Year, 1608. jeremy, Prince of Moldavia dying, left 3. Sons, Constantine, Alexander, and Bougdan, the eldest of which being but 8. years old, the Government, during his Minority, was by the deceased Father committed to his Uncle Simeon, who dying within three or four years after, Constantine the eldest son, according to his right, and supported by the Council of his mother, undertook the government. At which time there lived at Constantinople, one Tomsho or Stephen, who falsely pretending to be son unto Aron, who had been Prince of Moldavia before jeremy, had by money and other sinister practices, framed to his ends, Mehemet Bassha, Lieutenant to the grand Visier (which is the highest Officer under the Turk) and by falsely suggesting that Constantine refused to pay the yearly tribute of forty thousand Chequines to the great Turk, obtained from him an Army of 20000. men under the conduct of a Turkish General, to expel Prince Constantine, and establish himself in the government. And notwithstanding Constantine endeavoured to give all due satisfaction to this Turkish General, and made evident the fraud and falsehood of Tomsho, yet he being also corrupted by Tomsho's bribes and great promises, would admit no reason. Whereupon Prince Constantine making head to defend himself and Country, was in a Battle overcome, taken prisoner, and after, seeking to escape, drowned in the River Niestre. Tomsho, after this victory, being thrust into the Governnment, & endeavouring to keep by tyranny, what he had gotten by injustice and usurpation, the Nobility attempted by arms to free themselves and their Country from his unspeakable cruelties, but with success unworthy their virtue; for, by an overthrow, both his malice, and the Country's misery increased. In which disaster, the greatest part of them fly into Poland, the refuge of the unfortunate Princess with her remaining children, and the Tribunal from which their country was in justice to expect a Governor: the Polonians having by ancient Articles, and capitulations between the Turk and them, to the end their Kingdom might not be prejudiced by that neighbour Province, which though Christian, was yet tributary to the Turk, reserved to themselves the right and interest to name a vaivode, or Prince over that Country. And to this purpose the King of Poland sent an Ambassador to Constantinople, whom the Great Turk, contrary, to the Law of Nations, Turkishly answered by detaining him prisoner, and ever since hath threatened that most Noble, and Christian Kingdom, with utter subversion, having (as it is probably conceived) to that end drawn all his forces out of Asia, and made a greater levy in Europe, then hath been known in that Empire, consisting (by report) of four hundred thousand men; an Army sufficient to satisfy the most covetous, or religious Christian Soldier with riches, or glory.   

THE GREAT TURKS LETTER.  
Sultan Achmat 
 MOST puissant, and highest Emperor of the Turks, King above all Kings that dwell upon the Earth, a King that dwelleth on the earthly Paradise, an anointed Prince, and Son of Mahomet, Prior of the earthly Paradise, and keeper of the Grave of thy God, Lord of the Tree of Life, and of the River Flisky, Conqueror of the Macedonians, the seed of Great Alexander, Prince of the Kingdoms of Tartary, Mesopotamia, Media, and of the Martial Georgians, Anatolia, Bythinia, Asia, Armenia, Servia, Thracia, Morea, Valachia, Moldavia, and of all warlike Hungary, Sovereign Lord and Commander of all Greece, Persia, both the Arabia's, the most Noble Kingdom of Egypt, Tremisen, and African Empire, of Trabezond, and the most glorious Constantinople, Lord of all the white and black Sea, and of the holy Cities Mecha, and Medina, shining with divine glory, Commander of all things that are to be commanded, and the strongest and mightiest Champion of the wide world, a warrior appointed by Heaven in the edge of the sword, a great persecuter of his enemies, and of all their evil vices, a most perfect jewel of the blessed Tree, the chiefest keeper of the Crucified God, a Prince and Lord in whom the Mahometans trust, and a great persecuter of of all Christians; To Sigismond King of Poland,  
if thou dost desire Our welfare, and art Friend to us and Our Officer Lieutenant General of all our forces which we will send, Our Greeting. But thou hast long since broken Our friendship, and yet art neither ready nor fit to wage War, or fight battle against us. But thou hast some secret advice and intelligence with other confederate petty Kings, and their Counsellors, to deliver thee out of Our hands, and our Vicegerents power, wherein thou hast done unadvisedly, and indiscreetly. If therefore thou thus persevere to oppose thyself against us, then fear, for thy death, and the death of all thy people is determined. We tell thee, We will overcome thee, from the rising of the Sun, to the going down thereof, and we will show Our Majesty in our own person and sight, unto the uttermost parts of the earth; Our very thoughts shall be a terror unto thee, showing that We will perform all that which We have herein denounced. And We will make known unto thee the powerfulness of our Dominions. And thou, O King, which puttest thy trust in strong Forts & Castles, shalt have experience of Our resistless might. I will root thee out altogether, and thou shalt behold this with thine own eyes. Wherefore expect now no more friendship at my hands; put not thy hope in the strength of thy walls, with thy own forces and people. I will ruinated thee without any resistance. I will destroy thy Cracovia, in sign of triumph, I will leave there my bloody sword, that every one shall take notice thereof, and my belief shall be spread throughout all thy Dominions, and I will utterly root out the very remembrance of thy Crucified God. Let thy God be angry, I care not; He may thou help thee. Thy anointed (the Priests) I will surely put to the plague; Wolves and wild Beasts shall suck the breasts of thy Women; thou shalt leave and forsake thy Religion which thou now hast; that which remaineth of all things, shall be consumed with fire. Herewith rest thou satisfied; I do not tell thee now what I will do; or mean to do with thee; understand if thou wilt, or canst.  
Given at Our most High Port of Constantinople most strongly guarded, etc.   

THE KING OF POLAND HIS ANSWER.  
SIGISMOND the third, by the grace of God King of Poland, Great Duke of Lithuania, Russia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Livonia, etc. and Hereditary King of the Suecians, Goths, and Vandals, one of the most humble servants of the True God, and of his Son JESUS CHRIST Crucified, to Achmat chief Prince of Turks, & Infidels, soul's health.  
We have received thy Letter, full fraught with threats, and swollen with impieties against the Majesty of the most High God, whereunto we had not vouchsafed answer, but that we were persuaded, our silence would have been a means of causing thee to flatter thyself so much the more, else had We neglected thee like an Arch-enemy of God, as thou art. We have therefore thought fit in some sort to regard the Salvation of thy soul, giving thee to know, that thou art no other than a mere man, in thy person more weak than many of thy followers; which should cause thee to remember, that if it had not pleased God to engrave in the front of such as rule, a kind of awful Majesty, whereby their subjects are kept in obedience; the good by reward, the evil and perverse by rigorous Laws, and both the one and the other by Authority; it were impossible they should continue eminent above others. Thou then, who in thyself art but as other men, must know, that there is a Supreme Power of more might than thine, which doth uphold thy estate, causing thee to be respected by thy followers. This power proceeds from God most Good, most Just, most Mighty, who presrueth it so long as Princes humble themselves before him; but if they suffer themselves to be transported with presumption, and pride, he easily abateth, and corrects their fury. I will offer no other example to thy consideration, then that of Bajazet the first, one of thy Predecessors, who thinking to scale Heaven with his Army (which in the judgement of Man was unresistable, but in God's sight most contemptible) lived to see himself vanquished, taken, and imprisoned, cooped up in an iron cage, (wherein he was in triumph drawn after the victorious Conqueror, serving him for no better than a footstool) and having no other food, than such as was cast him (like a Dog) from his Table.  
Think then with thyself, that he that was so great, so puissant, and so terrible, may haply by right of Succession have left unto thee (as being descended from him) the like, or worse fortune, if thou shalt dare to continue thy blasphemies against GOD, and his Beloved Son jesus Christ Crucified. Thou dost mistake in thinking to lay an aspersion upon us, by reproaching unto us the Cross. For We account it Our chiefest honour, and glory; by virtue whereof, as the Emperor Constantine quelled his enemies, We hope, and assured ourselves to be defended against thy Fury. Thy proud, and thundering words dismay us not, our courage is more Masculine and generous, then so to be outbraved. For know, that we regard not thy threats, but with just scorn tread upon thy pride, and laugh at thy idle terrors, and in stead of thanking thee for advertising us before thy coming, We bid thee come when thou wilt, thou shalt be received contrary to thy expectation. We have steep Mountains, and impregnable Rocks that shall bar thee from entering into our Lands. Thou shalt find our Cities, and Castles well furnished with Munition, our Canon's mouths breathing furious fires, our courages invincible, our blades eager and sharp, our bodies, as our minds, prepared to sustain the violence of all seasons, our hearts promising nothing but victory. And to dazzle thine eyes, the glorious Standard of the blessed Cross shall go before us; but above all, the Crucified Son of the most High God shall cause his Angels to conduct us, and give us the victory; He it is shall be our Leader, under whose protection we will not fear to brave thee at thy Gates. Thy miscreant troops shall be trodden underfoot, and their bellies trampled on, and by a happy victory (if thou chance to escape our conquering Arm) thou shalt find thyself pursued unto the most secret Dens of thy abominable Seralio; thou shalt see thy Mosques laid level with the ground, thy Muphty, and other the execrable Priests of thy perfidious Mahomet made Galleyslaves; all those traitorous run-a-gates whom thou dost harbour, shalt thou see put to exquisite torments; of all which be most assured. And then shall be set free all those poor and miserable Christians, who now lie groaning under the burden of thy Tyrannous yoke, whose woeful cries being mounted to Heaven, have justly excited the vengeance of God upon thee, who hath permitted thee to rise to this height of pride, that thy ruin & destruction may be the more exemplar unto after-ages. To conclude, thou shalt see the service of God reestablished in Greece and Asia, which thou dost now unjustly usurp. But if it happen thee to end thy miserable life in Battle, (which we hope God will grant) be confident, that all the foresaid vengeance shall ensue upon thy death; And whiles thy wretched Soul lies broiling in the quenchless flames of Hell, we will lift up our cheerful voices, and, for the victory obtained over thee and thine, sing praises unto our God: to whom be all glory for ever.  
Know then, O Infidel, that we fear thee not at all, and if thou be'st not wilfully bend to run headlong unto thy own destruction, be advised; content, and contain thyself within those bounds thou dost at this present usurp, and if thou hast any belief at all that thy thrice reverenced Prophet Mahomet could tell a truth, or foretell future events, then call to mind, that of those thousand years which he prescribed for the continuing of thy Sect, there remain not above six or seven years. This then is the time that the yet unsheathed Sword of the Christians affords for thy amendment, that thou mightest come to the knowledge of the alone True GOD, to worship him in his Son JESUS CHRIST, whereunto we once more exhort thee, omitting all other salutation, and commendation.  
Given at our Castle of Posnwich, etc. SIGISMOND.   

Published june 11. 1621.