THE ESTATE OF CHRISTIANS, living under the subjection of the Turk.  
And also the wars between the Christians and the Turk, beginning 1592. and continuing till the end of 1593.   printer's or publisher's device 
LONDON Printed by JOHN WOLF. 1595.   

The estate of Christians, living under the subjection of the great Turk.  
divers Countries and Nations are in subjection of the Turk, and among the rest, all Greece, save a very little part of it, which is under the signory of Venice: insomuch that there be many thousands of Christians subject to Turkish tyranny. Whereof even the best and greatest are oppressed with great toules and taxes, and pestered with infinite extortions and payments yearly. All the male children of Christians are written up at the day of their birth, and coming to ten or twelve years of their age, are presented to the Turks officers, who take all such as they find well made, and like to prove fit men for service in war, from their parents, and convey them to the Turks, to be brought up in warlike exercises, and to become Turks, and enemies to God, and their own fathers and mothers, and kinsfolk, standing the Turk in more stead than his own natural people. And for each one of them that the Turks officers leave at home, not thinking them fit for their turns, must be paid yearly as good as eight shillings English, by their parents, how poor so ever they be, for they must find it or smart for it. If any christian chance in anger or hastiness, (as who is so patiented as not to be moved being so stinged) having received wrong, do strike a Turk, he is sure to be so punished, that if he do live after, he liveth to lament his life, & to wish death. When the Turks officers come to any Christians house when they go in progress, and make their visitations, there must be great store of cheer, and much cost provided to welcome them withal, or they will be but ill come to the christians that they come unto. If any Christian relieve, or give any succour, aid or assistance to another Christian fugitive, he is taken prisoner, & besides the loss of all his goods and possessions, kept in extreme misery, and most barbarously handled till he pay for his ransom as much as they shall appoint. Neither will the Turks oftentimes be brought to release them for any ransom, but after a thousand martyrdoms wrought upon them, they put them to death. Their punishments are diverse, some Christians are tied hand & foot, and laid on the ground, with a stone almost of insupportable weight on their backs. Others are put in galleys, where they be galled in deed and used most doggedly. Others they tie hand & foot and lay them on their backs, and let a long rag of cypress or fine linen dipped in pickle or salt water, sink by little and little into their throats, till it reach down to their stomachs, and then they pluck it out again, and so put the poor Christians to unspeakable pain and torment, When the Turks have taken any City or fort of the Christians, or have overcome any great army, they lead all them that they put not most cruelly to the sword, into most lamentable captivity, tormenting them in the foresaid manner, and inflicting a thousand worse martyrdoms upon them, which I will omit, they requiring a longer discourse: & I will rather pray unto Almighty God to have mercy upon us, and to defend all good people from the like afflictions. And howbeit that it pleaseth his divine majesty to punish our wickedness with such temporal torments, yet that of his gracious mercifulness he would not suffer so many poor innocent children, being carried away by force to me their father's offences by losing their souls: with which cost many christians besides are dangerously menaced, being partly mislead by the vanity of Turkish pomp and pride enticing them, and partly oppressed with poverty and misery, constraining them to forsake the true fountain of life, to drink of the puddle of infidelity and paganism, therefore to abide everlasting thirst. Wherefore we are bounden to pray unto Almighty God, to turn away so much harm from his people, & not only to keep them perpetually in the way of the truth, that are already brought unto it, but also so to lighten the hearts and understanding of the blinded, that seeing the light of the Gospel, they may embrace it, and know that without the clear Sunshine of the same all light is but darkness.   

A prayer unto GOD for the peace of Christendom, to defend and preserve it from Turkish invasion, to the destruction & overthrow of all Infidels.  
O God Almighty and most mercicifull Father, whose power and greatness is known unto all men, and whose glory shineth most brightly over the whole face of the earth, as the beams of the Sun from the East to the West, cast down the eyes of thy sovereign mercy on us poor wretched sinners, & howbeit we have by our manifold wickednesses deserved not only temporal punishment, but also everlasting damnation, yet we beseech thee o Lord, not to regard our innumerable offences, as in number, so also exceeding in greatness and heinousness, but to bestow on us thy most gracious and merciful pardon, considering that our only mediator and thy only beloved son jesus Christ hath redeemed us with his most precious blood, & made satisfaction by that most acceptable sacrifice for all our sins & offences. Grant us therefore thy peace O Lord, and pour down from heaven on Christian Princes and the rulers of thy people, thy grace to embrace concord and unity, that they being by thee inspired with wisdom and heavenly counsels, may so govern the people and maintain their callings, that all may be surely defended from Turks, Infidels, and other enemies of thy faith and most holy truth. Suffer not O Lord, the profaneness of thy sacred Gospel to enlarge their proud dominion and tyrannical Empire, with the possessions and territories of thy people. Let not Pagans, and such as seek to violate and to overthrow thy heavenly constitutions and ordinances, to bedew the earth with Christian blood, for the establishing of Idolatry, Superstition, and Atheism. Permit them not most merciful Father, to triumph over thy servants, whom they lead into captivity, allot to the very worst manner of bondmanship and slavery, and oppress with most barbarous and ineffable cruelty. O Lord, endue our Kings and rulers with true feeling and understanding, to consider and perpend how dangerously we are menaced and threatened by those that being worse than the worst of badness, esteem of thy servants as of dogs, and how like we are to become the subjects of their wrath and fury, if by thy gracious mercifulness order be not taken to cross their designs and to destroy their purposes. Give unto our Captains and men of Arms true valour and courage to contemn and scorn the force, strength, & pride of their presumptuous enemies, and to omit no opportunity of revenge which may be taken on them, for their insulting & perfidious bravery, their malicious rancour and cankered spite. Well do we know O Lord, that our own pride, ambition, hatred, civil discord, and what not? doth cry up unto heaven for just punishment and abundance of wrath, and worlds of vengeance to fall upon us for our detestable wickedness. But yet (o God) whose mercy is greater than the sea is deep, or heaven high, or the world wide, as being in deed infinite, if not for our sake, yet for thine own glories sake pardon us, and take from our shoulders the heavy burden of thine anger and indignation, we not being able to conceive the unmeasurable greatness of the punishment which our sin deserveth, much less to bear it. For thy honours sake, and most glorious deserts of thy son our Lord, and the worlds true son jesus Christ, deface the enemies of his Gospel, eclipse their vaunting, overthrow their proud ostentations of worldly pomp and royalty. Let them know that thou art the God of heaven and earth, and art pleased with nothing but with the true worship of thy only begotten son jesus Christ, that all pomp, pride and glory without him, is baseness and vain folly, yea, wretchedness and misery. Defend thy Church (o Lord) and let thy people most victoriously triumph over thy enemy, plant thy truth in all parts of the world, that thy mercy & glory may overshade the earth, and all the inhabitants thereof sing praise & honour unto thy name among all nations and countries from age to age world without end. Amen.   
FINIS.  

THE WARS BETWEEN THE Christians and the Turk.   printer's or publisher's device 
LONDON Printed by JOHN WOLF. 1595.   

THE WARS BETWEEN THE Christians and the Turk.  
THe year 1592., Hazan, Bassa of Bossena, being General of the Turks, going out of Bossena into Croatia, suddenly besieged, & within a while took the town and Castle of Wihitz, the which had now 150. years been a strong and sure defence for the Christians in that Country against the Turks, who after the taking thereof, in few days built a blockhouse and a bridge a little way of, upon the river Calapis: which being done, they burned and spoiled all the Country over between Calapis and Saws. This sudden assault of the Turk, stroke great fear into the minds of the Austrians and Germans. But Thomas Erdeud the Ban of Sclavonia, that he might defend his own Country Thuropoly from these invasions, mustering his own forces, and getting certain aid of the Austrians, and other his neighbours, encamped himself right over against the fort of Patirnia, which (as erst I said) the Turks had lately builded with the bridge. There he expected further supply of men and munition, from the kingdoms of Sclavonia and Croatia. Which things Hazan Bassa being certified of, by a trechour, a familiar of the Ban aforesaid, retired by the nearest way, and suddenly assaulted the christians, who as yet knew not well what the number & furniture of the enemies were. He came on the rearward with a huge power, & the horse men being put to flight, he slaughtered the infantry, and chief the Austrians, and so became master of their ordinance.  
Then marched he forward without impeachment through all Thuropoly, and along the most populous banks of Calapis and Saws, where he gave unto death, and unto bondage worse than death about four thousand men. He thought also to have been master of the castle of Sissek, situate at the concurrent of the two rivers Calapis and Saws, because it was a fit place for passage into Austria, Carinthia, and Carniota, a thing which had sometimes afore been attempted, but then he was nobly repulsed by the rare worth of Nicholas Miccatius the governor, and the singular valour of the garrison soldiers, so that after a few idle assaults, he was forced to give it over.  
In Summer this present year 1593. Aazan Bassa, with certain of the Sangiacbeges, whereof he hath nine under his command, returning to the besiege of Sissek, first razing Treschina, a castle of the Bishop of Zagabria, came before it about the beginning of june, & having made many breaches by continual battery night & day, there was now no hope of safety for the beleaguered, unless God beyond all thought, had succoured them. For although Caesar's troops, which were now mustered of the Austrians, and the borderers thereabouts, were much fewer than the Turks, yet the Ban of Sclavonia, and Auers Pergius, and Rupertus Ekenberger, & divers other nobles, amongst whom was Melchior Reder, Baron of Silesia, a man famous both for learning and martial affairs, having the leading of them.  
When they beheld and saw the Christians besieged, and brought to such distress, with heroic worth, and resolute courage, bringing first their army into Sissec, they sallied out on the Turks, who had made a bridge over Calapis, and pitched their Tents both on this and that side of the River: they put them to flight that were on this side of the river, & making themselves masters of a part of the bridge, they cut it down, so that this part of the Turks army could not retire to the other, they still perished, and drive the retiring Turks even to the river, who rather committed themselves to the mercy of the water, than to the mercy of the victors. The other that were on the other side of the water, quite amazed by this slaughter of their fellows, committed their safety to their feet. There were drowned in the river, Hazan Bassa aforesaid, with his brother, and Sinam Beg or precedent of Clista, the son of Amurathes the Turks sister, and Memy Beg or precedent of Hertzegovin, which was the chief City of high Bossina, sometime a Dukedom, as Bagnia Luca, the seat of Bassa, was the Metropolis of the kingdom of base Bossina.  
Amurath the Turk was so grieved with this overthrow, wherein his sister's son, and the Bassa of Bossinas' self, with many other valiant men, were either slain or drowned in Calapis, that partly through the woeful lamentations of his sister, who at his feet desired revenge of her slain son, and partly by the persuasion of Sinam, Bassa, and partly for the disdain and grief of the aforesaid overthrow, he presently denounced open war upon Rodolph the Emperor, and made Mahumet, Bassa of Thames war, Deputy of Bossena & Croatia, with authority to prosecute the war, and caused the Deputy of Greece to aid him with an army, and commanded the Bassa of Buda and the rest, to put garrisons in the castles of the frontries', and to be at the command of Sinam Basshau of Vesirian, whom he sent as his lieutenant general into Hungary.  
Now the Christians after the Turks overthrow at Sisek, taking respite for two months, began at last, though too late, to besiege the castle Petrinia, near to Hrastowiz upon Calapis, which the Turks had fortified the year before: for hearing by a Turk a spy (who came voluntary unto them, and so at his pleasure went a way) that the Deputy of Greece marched thither, though the Turks in the Castle besieged were in great distress, wanting powder, & consulting to come to a parley of surrendering the hold, they raised their siege and departed. When this fame of the Turkish war, renewed and proclaimed in Constantinople and Buda, was bruited in Germany, the yearly pension which had not been paid rwo years together, was without delay, the first day of August, carried from Vienna to Gamorrha. But presently news came that Sinan Basshau the General, marched into Hungary near to Buda, & that the forces of the deputy of Greece which were already come into Croatia, had not only raised the siege at Petrinia, but had also won Sisck, and had cruelly massacred and put to death all the garrison soldiers, among whom were some Germans, and had thrown their carcases into the river Calapis, and that afterwards passing over Saws, even to Sagabria, spoiling & burning as they went, they had taken about five thousand men, whom they made their miserable bond slaves, & that the siege of Sagabria was expected every hour. Therefore they thought it best to take some other course to withdraw the enemy, and to undertake a better courage of warlike defence. Therefore there went post to prague Frances Nadastus, the noble Duke of Hungary, & Deputy of jaurin, Ferdinard Earl of Hardec, and diverse others of Austria, Carniola, Carinthia, and other places, who did aggravate the greatness of the danger by reason of the Turks, & complained that unless they had present aids, they should of necessity be constrained to yield unto them. The Emperor therefore gave commandment to muster the Bohemians, Siluesians, Moracians, Austrians, and other of his hereditary princes, for service on horseback and on foot, and to augment the garrisons in the limitanie holds, and sent Ambassadors to the electors of the Empire, for the holding of a parliament at Ravenspurg, for the uniting of the forces of the Empire, to withhold the Turkish cruelty from Germany, and from other parts of Christendom. He hired also great forces of horse and foot men against the next spring, because Basshaw Sinam having taken Wespria and Palatta, threatened that he would without fail march into Vienna.  
Ferdinand Samaria, and George Andrew of Hofkirchen were governors of Westpriu, and had a garrison of twelve thousand soldiers. Sinam Bassa laid siege to it the two and twentieth of September: he made three sconces upon the high ways to Raba and Palatta, in the night he cast his trenches, and raised twelve barricadoes on them, and began to batter the wall with the Canon, and slew the master of the ordinance of Westpriu with a shot. They did little that day, and therefore the next day they entrenched themselves nearer to the wall, and from six several places so thundered upon them, that almost no man could stand in safety either on the walls or in the fortresses. Then after certain assaults to scale the wall, they were at last repulsed with a large hail of the muskeeteers. The next morning had no sooner given light to the fourth day of the siege, but the Turks fiercely renewed the battery, & having scaled the walls, they began there to advance their colours, but our soldiers put them to the foil. Being so defeated, they threw balls of wild fire on the gate, and on the wooden houses adjoining, and razed the walls near to the gate, even unto the ground: and giving fresh onsets against the gate and the castle, and other places, they so discouraged the governor and the soldiers, that being now desperate to defend the town any longer, because there appeared no hope of succour from the governors of Raba and Pappa: the night following they secretly issued out of the city, & sought to save themselves by flight: but the Turks perceiving it, pursued them as they fled: many of them they slew, and took Ferdinand Samaria the governor himself, and some other prisoners.  
There escaped to Pappa in safety about forty Germans, and four and fifty Hungarians. On Saint michael's even the Turks besieged Palatta, where two Hungarians that ran away to them, are recorded to have told them whence the castle might best be battered. But whereas the Bashau having sent letters into the castle, wherein he persuaded the garrison soldiers which were four hundred to yield the Castle unto him, sith it should be a bootless matter to make resistance, & promised them life and safe conduit if they would departt having voluntarily surrendered it, they had in deed safe conduit for one mil●, but afterwards at a sign given, they were almost all murdered, so that of all, only four & twenty escaped.  
The things which followed had better success. For when intelligence was given by the captives and the spies which Basshau Sinam by reason of the winter now approaching, had disposed his arms to their winteringes, and that himself revoked by Amurath, was gone post to Constantinople, because the Persians and the Georgians had certain new complots in hand, Ferdinand Earl of Hardec, General of the army of base Hungary, joining to his, the Armies of Peter Husan governor of Pappa, and of Nadastus' Earl of Serin, and of Palfius, and other Captains, marched towards Albie-royall, having some hope to get the suburbs thereof, and the house of the governor of the City, and the domains. He therefore sent Husar Peter to the further side of the City, with commandment that at midnight he should assault the suburbs, at what time he himself would give a sign, that he also made an assault on the other side, that so they might more easily overcome them, whom they did assail in the suburbs, their minds and forces being so distracted, and Husar took and burnt one of the suburbs, but the Turks defending the City, our men thought best, being destitute both of victual & munition, to forsake it: and when as they had scarce retired two miles, the next day word was brought, that the Turks in great troops followed them, and were determined to set upon them as they fled. Thereupon our men stay, pause upon the point, marshal the battle, and beard the enemy to his teeth, fight valiantly, and God striking amazement into the enemy's heart, they turn the janissaries into flight, and obtain a noble victory the four and twentieth of October, according to the old style. The Aga or Captain of the janissaries being taken prisoner, reported that the Bassa of Buda dissuaded them from fight, but that at last he was constrained to go out to fight by the importunity and threats of the soldiers. It is thought that he having received three wounds with musket shot, died afterwards at Buda. There were in this skirmish besides the Basshau of Buda, the Sanzach or governor of Albie-roiall, of Strigon, of Pestis, of Fiukirks, of Moach, of Fillek, of Newstair, of Zeschen, of Copau, of Zolnock, of Zegedin, etc. But I cannot tell whether any of them were killed or no. Ferdinand Earl of Hardec after this victory achieved, returned to Raba in jaurin.  
In high Hungary, Fredrick Baron of Tieffenbach, by force won from the Turks the castle of Zabacca, which they had fortified, where resting only one day, he brought his army before Tillek a famous castle and town, the seat of the Turks Deputy, and two miles from the place aforesaid. There on the twelfth of November he put to flight the Turkish army, which was raised of the Country's adjacent, and came thither to raise the siege. The next day they raised their rampires against the town, and began to batter it, but the Turks themselves burned that, and abandoning the base sconce, the garrison soldiers about eight hundred betook themselves to the guard of the high castle alone, but at last with condition of their lives, they yielded it by composition. The fame of this surrender, caused the Turks which held the castles of Diun and Hamaske near thereto, to forsake their holds, and unassalted to fly away. Then was the army brought before the town and castle of Zetchen another hold of the Sangiachag, and won it with certain of her castles adjoining, of Holloc, Samos, and Plavesteine: which the garrisons willingly forsaking left, to defend themselves against the approaching enemy. Towards the end of the month, Nogard (so they commonly call it) and Sangiacaf, a famous town became ours, and certain Turks of Albie-roiall bringing a new Deputy into the castle of Palatte newly surprised, were in December by Huzar Peter valiantly put to the worse. But sith the time of the year was so unfit, & the continual rain made the ways so deep, that their ordinance could not conveniently be haled from place to place, and that the army could not endure to lie encamped any longer, they were on both sides enforced to go to their wintering places. In the mean time Sinam the Bassa of Vesirium was earnestly expected at Buda, but he being gone to Constantinople, the deputy of Greece is recorded to have come to Buda at last with a certain power not of greatest importance.   
FINIS.