¶ Orations, of Arsanes against Philip the treacherous king of macedon: of the ambassadors of Venice against the Prince that under crafty league with scanderbag, laid snares for christendom: and of scanderbag praying aid of Christian Princes against periurous murderyng mohammed and against the old false Christian Duke Mahumetes confederate. With a notable example of Gods vengeance upon a faithless king, queen, and her children.  
¶ Imprinted at London, by John day.   

GReat is the pleasure of reading histories. So natural is to man the delight & desire of knowledge. And as in all other affections wherewith we are lead by instinct of nature, the wise or unwise appliance therof by the rule of reason and learning or by the unruly sway of will and fancy, do make the same tend either to vices or virtues, to hurt or to profit, & with the clothing of use & circumstance they take upon them the show and name of good or bad: so in desirous hearing or reading the acts of men and monuments of times, the employeng and directing of knowledge thereby gotten, in wise or vain form, to good or evil ends, maketh the difference of time well or ill bestowed, of profit or disprofite, and of deserving praise or dispraise. He that readeth histories of far distant contreyes or far passed ages, with an idle vain lust to hear news, or to tell tales, or as it were to spend out time, or to do as those that know no other use of reading but after surfet to win sleep, hath lost both his leisure and his labour, & hath spent them both like a drane that flieth about the fields gazing upon flowers but gathering no hony of them, and after the fair day fond wasted is fain to be sustained by the labours of other, himself a fruitless burden to the common weal. But he that following the right rule of wisdom, gathereth profit of every lawful pleasure, taketh not onely the beauteous sight of the variety fairness proportion form and order of those ornaments of the earth the her●es, leaves, flowers and fruits that garnish the fields and gardens, but also useth to his comfort and health the sweetness of their savour, and worketh out of them to the benefit of his own life & of the common weal the sweet tasting, the pleasant smelling, the wholesome feeding & healing honey. By that he is himself sustained, his neighbours relieved, his posterity preserved, & by common conference the whole society maintained, with obedience to their own natural king the minister of iustice and enemy of idleness. Such a reader of histories digesteth every matter into his right place and to his right purpose, & thereof he layeth up the store of wisdom for himself, and counsel for other, and is made able to show the true difference of a man from a beast, in that he is not carried by sense alone to that which either present sight doth offer him, or present hunger or other need enforce him, but of his own experience remembreth, or by hearing of other or reading of books he learneth the state of times past, the doings of men, their counsels, their governance, and lastly their successses. By beholding of those, as in a glass, he discerneth and iudgeth rightly of things present, and foreséeth wisely of things to come. Toward the furniture of a man thus disposed, histories not onely many but in sundry wise haue been written, and of that diversity in form of writing names haue ben given to such works & treatises. Some haue set forth brief notes by yeares and dayes called Annales, diaries and iournales, expressing shortly what things haue happened in those yeres or dayes, with onely noting the persons times places & facts. Some for their own remembrance or advertising their friends haue kept commentaries or memorialles, wherein they haue dealt largelier or breflier as their disposition to labour or their leisure haue served thē. Some haue written treatises or discourses vpon some special facts, by way of gathering other things to the conformity of that which they treat of, and applieng both it and the other to some end of persuasion, as some present occasion of their cause or time hath required. Some coming to that work furnished with understanding and learning haue written such books as we call just and perfect histories, either of all times and places, or of all places for some time, or of some place throughout all times, or of some singular country, common weal, place, or person, or of some special war, enterprise, governance, or matter. Those as their purpose hath led them, haue not onely with faithfulness set out what hath been done, but with great art and wisdom haue laid open the secret intents, counsels, meanings, & grounds of doings conceived by those whoes acts are there expressed. They haue described the contreyes, the persons, the state, the form of rule, the laws, the affairs and managing therof, the order of war and peace, the quiet calmness of some times, the troublesomeness of other seasons, either by war or sedition, the raising of the one or other or appeasing of both, by the ambition or violence of some wits or the discretion and policy of other, the negligence in some, the wantonness in some, the foul vices in some, the folly in some, the want of counsel and assistance in some, the variety of successses, and vpon what occasions, and what effects haue followed upon sundry causes, as safeties, destructions, rising falling, good bap or misery, either by pleasing or offending God, by taking fit auantages or neglecting good seasons and occasions, by foreseyng in time or hedelesly drawing of mischeues, by forsaking friends and neighbours in necessity or by timely and friendly assistance thereby both bindyng kindness & gathering assurance, by caring for no warnynges or listening to good understanding ere it be to late, by hanging vpon Gods miracles onely or serving him with due travail and policy, by trusting to human wisdom and borrowing vpon the will of God or subiectyng all devises to the rule of Gods pleasure, by doing not enough, by trusting to much, by equal or vnegal distribution of right, by cunning dissemblyng or plain true dealing and by infinite other means dispositions and appliances of times persons matters doings and chances in this mortal life. Such writers haue beside this also some time for encouragyng to soldiers, some time for appeasing troubles, sometime for counsel either for matter of iustice or of policy, or for deliberation to provide for atteyning of benefits or eschuyng of thieves to come, or for other wise purposes, set forth Orations in the names of those persons whom they make to speak them, whereof are plenty to be found in the greek authors thucydides, Xenophon and other, and the latins Caesar, sallust, livy, and the rest. And in the same they seem as in their whole history to haue served the use of posterity, in true declaration of the facts to lay a ground for the judgment of the wise reader, least by misreporting of the matter, the understanding of the considerer should be seduced in pronouncing vpon the success. And again in the large explication of speech and Oration, both the use of eloquence in common weal should appear, and the maner of applyeng of histories in consultation should be laid abroad for an example to the wise readers of histories, not onely howe to furnish their own knowledge, but also howe profitably to deliver the same to the information warning or aduise of other. Such histories be glasses of experience, scholehouses of wisdom, very prophecies of times and chances, gouernesses to virtue, terrible threateners and warners to flee 'vice and folly. In such histories written to such ends, I do not think that all the Orations were so spoken by the parties as they were penned by the reporters, but that such writers serving truth in the facts, haue in the maner of speeches served wisdom and teaching, and & not so much  told what in what form was said in deed, as( all true circumstances of facts considered) what such a person might haue fitly spoken, the author respectyng therein both what such a man might with good serving his purpose then say, and what in his saying the readers in time to come were also to be taught & might well learn. This kind of exercise is both pleasant & profitable. And for some example thereof, it hath seemed to tend to good purpose to publish in our tongue these Orations following, wherein is contained matter & president of good admonition, & a mean of great efficacy to awaken Christians, & a substantial teaching to trust in God and to fear shrinkyng from the defence of his cause and Church. The arguments are severally set before the Orations. The first, of Arsanes the Persian, is made after the matter of the history as it is reported in Iustines Epitome of the history written by Trogus Pompeius. Wherein as justine hath shortly knit up what Trogus had set out at large, so here is largely dilated what justine had abriged, the truth of the fact and decorum or convenient agreement of the persons and circumstances alway justly observed. The second containing two Orations, one of the Ueneciā ambassador, the other of the Archbishop of Durasso, are faithfully translated out of Marinus Barletius. The last, of scanderbag to Christian Princes, is made as the first is, as we thought he might then aptly haue said, & as he so saying, should both haue agreed with his cause and person & with our case & learning. All is warranted by the history in effect, though not in form of every syllable or sentence. As where it is said by Barletius that mohammed being a Prince Principes Rasciae contra fidem datam perfide obtruncauit, did against his faith given periurously slaughter the Princes of Rascia, we take it free for detestation of falsehood & warning to posterity, to set out at large any most periurous manner of murdering of noblemen against faith given, having alway regard that it be such as might be truly reported of mohammed. And where he saith that mohammed so did against faith given, he can not mean any other but saith given by mohammed. And mohammed being a Prince, that faith can be no other but faith royal and the word of a Prince, the breach whereof is for the rareness, and for the mighty ability to do hurt, justly most odious, and of necessity in wise policy most strongly to be resisted and repressed with most terrible example, or elles the fall of that estate or destruction of mankind to bee shortly looked for.  
If this shall do good, either in teaching how to apply, or warning what to feat, or advising how to do, the labour is well bestowed. If other captious constrctions be gathered, their fault is it, and their blame be it, for whom it was never provided. Let such cauillous expounders & wresters leave it to truer men to red it, to wiser men to judge vpon it, & to honester men to take profit of it. Who so will draw histories of times past further than he ought, in racking an other mans mind he hath ouerstretched his own conscience. Who so truly touched in like faults will think himself to be charged, chargeth himself. Who so finding truth & aduise for his safety will not thereto apply it, or espieng matter for his instruction will take no fruit of it, shall perish nevertheless miserable but a great deal more worthily. Finally good reader take this rule, that God made al things for his glory, God foreséeth and disposeth the very fall of a sparrow. Therfore all acts of men & all successses are to be referred to his honor. Him let us serve and trust vpon, him let us thank and to him let us pray for our most gracious sovereign, that she may long reign, & ouerlyue Gods enemies and hers, and specially those which envy her state, and would her place to be occupied by themselves or any other that hate the word and flock of God: and that it will please God( if it be his will) to stablish our sovereign ladies throne in long peace, and either by his own mighty hand, or by his work in her hart for doing of iustice, to destroy the rod of foreign and Popish tyranny that he in danger of succéedyng shaketh over his church, that no enemy of Christ nor child of Antichrist may live to bring the thraldom of Mariane cruelty, 
Sylla. Mar. Car.  nor Caracallaes royal perjury, nor any of such faithless kinds or razes to oppress the poor realm of England: and that no Prince fearing God ever trust the untrusty, specially those whoes Antichristian Popish doctrine pronounceth open allowrance of breach of faith to Christians whom they call heretics, and whoes Mahumetane facts proclaim what is to be looked for at their hands, and whereto their counsels are directed, which God confound.   

¶ The Argument of the Oration of Arsanes the Persian.  
THe Phocoeans, Lacedemonians and Atheniens, being driven thereto by the outrageous dealings of the thebans, spoyled the Temple of the idol Apollo. whereupon the whole realm of Greece was divided into two several factions: of the which the thebans and their allies termed themselves the holy league, and Phocoeans, Lacedemonians, Athenians and their partakers were termed the confederates against the league. The thebans mistrustyng their own state, commit themselves and their case to the tuition of the king, whose name was Philip of the house of macedon. Philip having erst laid a platform and already practised certain secret attempts for the conqueryng of the kingdom of Persia, and now thinking this to be a fit occasion, as well to reuendge the displeasure that he bare to certain noble houses, as also to dispatch all lets and incomberances at home, that he might the freelyer go forward with his intended enterprise, taketh vpon him the defence and maintenance of the holy league, whereby he gate himself great alliances and friendship at the first. nevertheless keepyng neither promises, fidelity, nor oath, he violateth all right and law of God and man, murtheryng and spoiling as well such as he had taken into his protection as those that had submitted themselves to him upon assurance of safety, by reason whereof the confederates draw themselves to arms again. wherefore Arsanes the Lieutenant of the lesser Asia for the king of Persia, having perfect intelligence of all Philips attempts and privy practices, and foreseyng the imminent peril that was like to in sew to the kingdom of Persia, advertiseth the king therof, and after leave given unto him, propoundeth his aduise in counsel as followeth.  
MY lords upon whose vigilant foresight & provident care dependeth the welfare of this most happy and prosperous state of Persia, it is not unknown unto your wisedoms, that the preservation and maintenance of royal states and empires, consist not only in largeness of populous Countries, in abundance of treasure, in howgenesse of hostes, in faithfulness of friends, allies and subiectes, in valeauntnesse of soldiers, in knowledge and courage of expext Captaines, in politic, speedy, & stout execution of things concluded in strength of towns & fortifications, nor in the store of armor, victual, & artillery( howbeit that without these things no empire can continue) but also and chiefly in foreseing & preventing of mischiefs that are likely or possible too ensue, and in accepting and following of opportunities when they be proffered. The cunning pilot perceiveth the pirries a far of, & striketh his main sheet before the storm come, and when he findeth the wether favourable, he clappeth on all his sails, and taketh the full benefit of the present gale. This hath been the policy of our famous predecessors, and specially of our péerlesse princes Cyrus & Darius the founders of this most renowned empire: and this must be the policy of all such as mind to keep that which they themselves haue gotten, or which hath ben left them by the purchase of others. And doubtless, not without good cause hath it always been counted a greater matter too keep, than too get: for too win is the benefit of fortune, but to keep is the only power of wisdom. we need not to seek out old examples for proof hereof, let us but cast our eye over the narrow seas into Europe, and look upon our next neighbours the Grecians. The matter is yet fresh in our eyes, & their wound is yet raw and not grown too a scar. The one side( as we see) having gotten the vpper hand of their aduersaries, and set themselves in good surety as they thought, were suddenly, through too much credulity and trust of the parties whom they had most cause to beware of, put too the sword after peace & faithful promis of safety given in the word of a prince, and now lately again put to new spoil and utter subversion for want of eschewing their former oversight. Which lamentable example leadeth me as it were by the hand to the matter that we haue presently to treat of, and is the very ground therof. For when I behold the thickening of the air in those quarters, and the gathering together of the clouds in the coasts of Europe, considering how small a gale of wind may bring them hither, and the disposition of those climates too power out their storms vpon the fields of Asia, I can none otherwise conjecture, but there is some great tempest a brewyng towards us, which doubtless will light upon us, if some contrary wind do not either disperse it abroad, or hold it back among themselves at home. The house of macedon creeping forward by little and little( as all of us know) hath in continuance of time gotten into their possession the most part of the ancient Grecia, in so much that at this day it beareth the chief renown in the hither part of Europe, and is become terrible or at leastwise too be mistrusted of all his neighbours. And surely none haue more cause, if not too fear the greeks, yet to beware of them, than we haue. For in the time of our aunceters we haue oftentimes greatly annoyed them both at home and abroad: we haue slain their people, won their holds, sacked and burned their cities, taken their kings, possessed their countries, and bereft them of their dominions both by sea and land. They haue done the like with us in all things, saving for taking of our kings, & dispossessing us of our empire. By means whereof, there is grown as it were a natural hatred between the two realms of Persia and Grece. And although there haue been diverse leagues and alyances by marriage made between us: yet notwithstanding forasmuch as no particular salve can remedy a common sore, the mischief is rather covered than cured. old hatred thirsteth always new reuenge, and the rooted rancour that is once thoroughly settled between countries do●th so  shed itself into the veins of all posterity, as it may sometimes be dissembled for advantage or for want of ability, but never forgotten. For it is like the smoldring fire of mount chimera, which boiling long time with great buskling in the bowels of the earth, doth at length burst out with violent rage to the hurt of the fields whereinto it casteth itself. again, whereas in the present division of Gréece, wherein philip of macedon now king of Gréece taketh vpon him as protector of the thebans, and defender of the holy league( for so doth he term himself and all those that take his part against the houses of Lacedaemon, Athens, & Phocis & other noble men that spoyled the temple of their Idol Apollo): the confederates haue ben relieved by our souereignes subiectes( though not by his graces commandment or consent) & the fugitive & banished people are for pity & humanities sake received and cherished in this realm: we may assure ourselves that king Philip being both a subtle, ambitious, & cruel Prince, doth hoard up these things in his hart, as fyerbrondes to kindle his intent of reuenge, whensoever opportunity shall serve. For things done between states and nations, are commonly construed, not according to the intent of the doers, but as he listeth to take them which seeketh matter of quarrel. Let us then look into him, and into his present doings, and consider whereto they tend. First he is a greek born, that is to say, a deadly & unreconcilable enemy to the realm of Persia by nature. Secondly he is of the house of macedon, which hath always maligned the Persians for claiming the crown of Gréece, whereto they entitle themselves by style, while he holdeth the thing in possession. Thirdly he is of a proud & ambitious mind, desirous to aspire, insatiably eagre of reuenge, and thirsty of blood beyond all measure or belief, and an exceeding deep dissembler. add hereunto that there want no solicitors to prick him forward, by flattering him with the success of his late exploits achieved by most shameful and odious treachery, now coloured with the name of princely policy. Besides this the state of Persia wanteth no hartburning against it. The Gods immortal haue given us long prosperity, and peace hath greatly increased our wealth: our good fortune is an eyesore, yea rather a hartsore to him: envy shooteth always at high marks: and covetousness can be staunched with no small things. To the compassing of his desire he wanteth no power: for the realm of Gréece which was divided in old time, is now wholly under his dominion: the countries of Thrace and Thessaly which sometime were belonging to the empire of Persia, are now recoucred to the crown of Gréece: and we haue foregone all our towns which we had on that side of the Sea. Finally, what shall we think of this that ensueth? He himself is in person in the field, with so huge a power, as the like hath not ben raised heretofore but to annoy some mighty potentate. He hath sent a great navy of ships and galleys to the sea, he hath established peace with his neighbors, he hath alyed himself with our utter enemies, he hath made tecrete challenges to the empire of Persia, he hath sent privy spies into the bowels of Asia, he hath indirectly solicited our souereines subiectes & alyes against him, he hath murdered our well-willers, he hath succoured our offenders, he daily wageth foreign soldiers, he leuyeth still great masses of money, he is ever sending of Capteines and men of war into Cappadocia, &( which is the finest cloak of all his devices) he professeth himself the defender and maynteyner of the thebans and their holy league. Whereto serveth all this furniture? who be the aduersaries of this holy league? Is it the house of Phocis? The Lord therof is shamefully slain, and his children are able too work no reuenge. Is it the king of Lacedoemon & the prince of Athens? They are become his vassals. Is it the town of Byzance and the other few towns of Gréece that hold with the lords of the confederacie against the theban holy league? Alas what are they too so mighty a prince? they cannot hold out long if they haue not help. Both the confederates and these towns would fain submit themselves to him and serve him, if they might be sure but only of their lives, and too escape the imminent destruction with safety of their ancient liberty. Seing thē that the greeks being either in league or at peace with all their neighbours round about them haue not as now any known enemy but Philip himself, & that of those he is not in any fear but well knoweth that they will be quiet if he assail them not: it is manifest that in taking vpon him the defence of the theban league, and so quarreling with the confederates, he both reviveth the old grudge and welnéere foreworne hatred between the realms of Persia and Gréece, and also covertly pricketh, not only at all such as resisted the thebans, or haue had alliance and confederacie with their aduersaries, but also at all such as by any means haue succoured or relieved them, by saving them from his unmerciful and faithless hands. Of whom because wee bee the chief, therfore he beareth the more malice against vs. For the nature of Tyranny is, not only too oppress, to spoil, and too murder innocents, but also to hate all such as are not of the same disposition. And surely where soever cankered hatred, desire of dominion, ability too give the attempt, and sufficient recompense of cost and travell do meet, it is not too be supposed but that opportunity shalbe sought. No doubt therfore, but that what soever countenance Philip make, and under what pretences soever he shrowded himself, his very intent and drift is to give a push for the kingdom of Persia. Let none of us beguile himself: let us not imagine that the stale alyances and late leagues between our prince & the house of macedon, are able too extinguish the old enmity and new kindled displeasure of the two realms of Persland and Gréece: least our eyes be so dazzled with the fond ouerlikyng of present peace, as the mischief light upon our heads, before we perceive it coming towards vs. What account so ever we on our part make of leagues,( as certesse wee haue from ancient time had always a singular religion and conscience in observing them, and so would I wish wee should do still, for there cannot be to much honour and reverence given to faithful alyances and true meaning leagues) surely he sheweth himself to make none account at all, nor to pass further of them than to serve his own turn. Hath he not twice within these twelve yeares plighted his faith before the Gods immortal, and made faithful promis afore men, that the confederates against the thebans should with free forgetting of all former quarrels enjoy life, liberty and goods, as if there had never been any jar betwixt them? How well he holdeth his covenant, our hartes lament to see, and all men that haue any piece of common humanity in them abhor to hear. For( as it is well known) he set not upon them like a valiant champion in the field, for he durst not do that: neither did he charge them with any crime to execute them by way of iustice like an upright judge, for they had done no fault: but as a butcher that gathereth sheep into a pinfolde to the slaughter, or as a wolf that falls vpon a flock when they be folded: and as a fowler that allureth birds into his nets with baits and pyping: so did he foade his noble men into security with vain promises and dissembling looks, and cruelly murdered them without mercy, when they thought themselves in most surety, yea and he spared not the gray-headed, he pytied not the sillie infants, he reverenced not the chased matrons, he had no regard of the young Damsels: but as it were in contempt of Gods & men, and to the utter derogation of princely majesty, he embrued his wicked hands with the slaughter of his most faithful and trusty subiectes, onely because they were too good and virtuous for so unnatural a Monster to reign over. moreover, triumphing in his outrageous cruelty, he laid the dead bodies of noblemen, gentlemen, inferior sort, men and women( a horrible, vnkyndly, and beastly spectacle) wounded, mangled, defiled, bemyred, and naked, upon a heap before his palace, like a quarry of Déere at a general hunting, for all the world to gaze upon.  
Now then, may we hope that he will be a faithful leaguefellowe towards us, who hath been so faithless & cruel towards his own? May we think he will stand in fear of us, who despiseth the Gods immortal? or may we believe that the hungry lion will lie still when he seeth a fit pray before his face? I could the easlyer be induced to that opinion, if he had not of late( for all the league that is betwixt us) sent captains and men of war privily into Cappadocia, to annoy the frountyres of this kingdom. Now then, seeing that there is no trust in him with whom we haue to deal: seeing that he séketh privy practices to annoy: seeing he woundeth our common weal indirectly through the sides of our neighbours: shall we sit a fléepe till the fowlar haue cast his net over us? shal our league serve him to cut our throats, and shall it not serve us to defend our lives? Unwise are they that end their matters with had I wist, specially in matters of state: It is too late to shut the stable door when the steed is stolen. Let us prevent the mischief in his prime before it grow too far and become uncurable. He is no good physician which trusteth so much either to his cunning or to his good fortune, that when he séth a canker breeding in the body, destroyeth it not at the first, but letteth it run till it haue taken roote, to win himself the more praise by healing it afterward. There cometh more harm to kingdoms by too much sufferance, than by too much warenesse. This sore is already waxed proud, it swelleth, it is grown to a head, and daily it will fester more and more, and if it be not looked to betimes, it will( I fear become incurable. There is none other lykelyhoode but that early or late we must haue war with the greeks. Whether to our own behoof or to theirs, there stands the case. The choice is yet in our own hand: either to purchase peace & maintain quietness to ourselves and to all our posterity, or to make our enemies lords over vs. Phillip is now at variance( as we see) with his own countrymen: he is worthily behated of them for his disingenuity cruelty, and trustless infidelity: all kings detest him as the disparagement of their state: all his neighbours loath him as a misshapen wretch against nature: and the Gods are angry with him for violating their sacred majesties. If we send a power into his country, he shall not be able to resist us: for the fresh remembrance of his horrible doings shall dismay him, the falling away of his own people shall discourage him, the revolting of his Cities and fortresses shal weaken him, and the vengeaance of the Gods shall hunt him from place to place till it haue consumed him. His subiectes being weary of his intolerable yoke, pray night and day to the Gods for deliverance, and wait for some good Prince to take them into his tuition. And who shal be so welcome to them as our king, in whose dominions they haue had safe refuge from the sword of their homebred enemy, and whose clemency they know to be far passing all expectation? again diuers of the Regions having tasted of the sweetness of our Persian liberty in the time that we had souereintie over them, & finding our government to be lighter thē a feather in comparison of their present bondage, do long to be under our jurisdiction again, the rather for the continual felicity which they perceive us Persians to live in. Thus are all things ready to make with us, & to make against him, & we may confounded him with his own weapons. For how can he look for trustiness at their hands, whose trust he hath so often disappointed by treason? But if it seem not good to work this way, for infringing the league that is not yet openly broken, as I will not greatly urge that point, though it would be most for our profit: yet may we play the Cretanes with Cretanes( as their own proverb saith, and as we commonly say): Let us set the Hares head against the Gooses giblet: He works wiles with us: Let us work wisely with him. And now while the big is proffered let us hold open the poke. No league can or ought to bar Princes from succouring the oppressed, or from aiding such as willingly yield themselves into their protection, and specially from doing those things which being left undone there is left no likely possibility of safety to those Princes that should haue taken better heed in time. Those sort of men whom he now pursueth with fire and sword, are our dear friends, and we haue hitherto maintained them. Their case is common to us, and so is taken to be by their Prince. If they smart, let not us look to laugh: If they decay, let not us look to stand: If they be overthrown, then haue at us, our staff stands next the door. When perils are common, they would be repulsed with common power, because they breed common mischief. I like not to haue that fire spread over into Asia for want of fuel to feed upon at home. We are not unacquainted with the nature of the greeks, we haue had too long experience of them. give them leave to contend with us out of their own country, and we shall never bridle them. But let us hold them play at home by succouring the oppressed part: and then shall we be sure to keep them always at so low an ebb, as they shall not be able to annoy us, and we shall continually be arbytrers of peace and war at our pleasure, to the benefit of both the countries. The like occasion was offered and taken in the time of our great grandfathers by the valeant Artaxerxes surnamed the long hand. The two noble houses of Lacedoemon & Athens fell at debate & mortal war, wherein the house of Athens being overmatched and brought utterly under foot, sought refuge and succour at our kings hand: & he relieved the Athenians both with men & money abundantly, where through it insewed that he both diuersed the war that was intended and already begun by the king of Lacedoemon against the realm of Persia, and also in the end had all Greece in such wise at his commandment, as he made peace at his own pleasure. In which deed of his this is worthy to bee remembered to his perpetual famed, that as he overslipped not any opportunity which might make for the safety of his own state, so he oppressed not the country with any bondage, but left it in such peaceable liberty, as we haue had the less annoyance & better neighbourhode of those ever since unto this day. My counsel therfore is, that wee should lay our purses together, that we should join hands with the confederates, that we should spare no cost nor eschew any pains for the suppressyng and quenchyng of this common fire. necessity enforceth us to this war, except we will seek our own destruction, and betray our trusty friends to their and our common truthless foe. And therwith all it is just, & honourable, yea and also easy. We shall stand in the defence of faithful and loyal folk against a kind of people in whom there is neither faith, nor troth, nor regard of common humanity, so passing malicious and spytefull, as they can find in their hartes too endure any misery, rather than to suffer their aduersaries too live in rest,( their aduersaries are all good and godly men, yea and even the Gods themselves) and are of far more furious and bloudthirstie nature, than the hungerstaruen tiger of Armenie, or the shée bear that is robbed of her, whelps. we shall stand in defence of innocents, against a most cruel and merciless Tyrant, against a deceitful and double dealing for, against at trothlesse truce breaker and false for swearing kaytif, against a captious spy neither trusting nor trusty, against one that weyeth friendship by profit and not by faithfulness, a betrayer of his own subiectes, and a hater of honour and honesty, an enemy of virtue, a stain and canker worm of princely majesty, a very helhound and monster of nature, fraught with all wickedness & worse than wickedness itself. The intelligence of these things cometh not by vncertein report from a far, neither is it gathered by guessing conjectures: he is héere at hand and hard under our noses, wee behold his doings with our eyes, and wee may in maner feel and grope them with our fingars ends. They can not bee denied, the whole world seeth them, and wisdom willeth us to impugn them. It is the common case of all princes and all people, to set hand to the suppressing of ancients, if they will bee counted just and righteous. For if faithfulness bee taken away, if troth shall serve too work treachery, if the word of a prince bee but wind, if will may go for law: what shall become of the world? Must not common weals needs decay? Must not mankind needs come to confusion? For if the head which is the life and stay of the body, betray the members, must not the members also needs betray one another, & so the whole body and head go all together to utter wreck and destruction? The renowned Darius the son of Histaspis, the repayrer of the drowpyng empire of Persia, thought it not enough to minister iustice to his own subiectes, but also( to his everlasting glory) made war vpon Polycrates the Tyrant of Samos( who in those dayes was infamous for cruelty and outrageous doings though not comparable to our feendly Philip) and taking him alive hung him the same day in the place where he had committed his cruelties: a notable example of Iustice for all just princes to follow. Also the Greekes themselves do boast of certain princes of theirs as of Theseus, Hercules, and Agamemnon, & commend them with immortal praises for taking away and for executing of wicked ancients. Let us not be ashamed nor hold scorn to follow the Counsel and example of our enemies where it may do us good. Whither we be minded to provide for our fafetie by inuadyng the tyrant or else by aiding the confederates, or both, the way is easy for us and the Gods haue set us open a broad gate. For on our enemies behalf, it appeareth sufficiently already by the former process of this whole discourse, that although he haue great numbers of people, yet hath he few hartes, and consequently little strength: the best of his Capteines are in arms against him, the wisest of his counsellors wote not which way to turn them. For they know that the haynouser that mens offences are, and the greater that their contempt is against the Gods, the sorer is the wrath of the Gods against them: and the sorer that the Gods are displeased, the less power haue men against the Gods.  
Philip and his complices shall bring with them into the field a stingyng remorse at the remembrance of their former wickedness, and the ghosts of them whom they haue traitorously murdered shal flyng the fear of vengeance continually in their faces, so as they shall find no means to shift them from the hell of their guilty consciences within, nor lurkinghole to hide them from the terror of the heavenly wrath from above, nor way to scape from the sword of Iustice pursuyng them by the hand of man. Finally which way soever they turn them, heaven and earth, themselves & theirs shalbe against them. But unto us on the contrary side all things are favourable. Our souerein is singularly beloved for excellent clemency & other princely virtues, not only of our souereines own subiectes, but also of all foreign nations. The Gods do tender him as their dear friend and child, as by many their miraculous preservations hath appeared. He is rich of treasure, strong in men, provident in care, wise in government, guarded, with faithful hartes and sage counsel, at peace with his neighbours, in rest at home, so well stored which armor, vittell, munition, artillery, as none of his predecessors hath ben the like, so as there resteth nothing but resolute constancy in noble & necessary actions. The king of Cappadocia is very young, & they that haue the government of him are our friends. The former competitors of that country are in our own custody, and the faction of the Armenian rebellion is extinquished. The Capteines of the confederates are either with us here to use as fit instruments for our purpose, or practising already in the enemies land to annoy him: & besides the poor exiles that are escaped hither, we haue more trusty friends and more good hartes in our enemies own Court, than our enemy himself hath.  
Thus haue the Gods offered all opportunities into our hands, & in a maner put victory in our mouths: there wanteth nothing but expedition on our behalf. It is a true proverb, that a man may bring a horse to the water, but he can not make him drink. Let us not be as horses & mules that must be spurred and whipped forward by the rider. Let us strike while the iron is hot, the tide tarrieth no man, and the nature of occasion is to steal away vnwares, not without leaving of a continual hartsore, yea and sometimes of an incurable wound behind her, specially in matters of state. If we suffer this gate to be shut up, behold what a number of inconveniences are like to ensue of it. First our present well-willers which by our aiding of them might haue ben made our continual friends, shalbe abandoned to the spoil, & therfore justly cry out against us as betrayers of them into their deadly enemies hands, a fit mean to provoke the indignation of the Gods against vs. Hereupon it will follow that other nations will trust less to our friendship, & ware weary of our alliance, so as if we stand in need of succour at their hands( as who stands upon so sure ground that he may not slide, or who is so strong and mighty as he may not haue need, yea even of his inferior?) we shal make them either to forsake us utterly and to be against us, or to aid us so faintly and scantly, as it shall turn finally to our benefit, because we so scantly aided them. herewithal it will come to pass, that the whole company of the confederates,( who being now offended with the present wrongs, and with the oppression of their ancient & glorious liberty, could well find in their hartes to shake of the yoke of tyranny, if they had a sure staff to stand by) hereafter being subdued by force, or persuaded vpon good assurance of safety, shall willingly consent with philip to seek the assuagement of their present griefs, in the revengement of their old harms and late renewed vnkindnesse. The Athenians shall call to mind again the battle of Marathon and the destruction of their country & city by Xerxes and Mardonius. The thebans, Plateans, and Phoceans will bethink them of the burning of their Cities by the Persians, and of the misery whereby some of them were fain to seek new soil to dwell in. The Lacedemonians and Achaeans, will look back to the maim of their own state, and to the restitution of Athenes by the puissant Artaxerxes. The Macedonians, Thracians, and Thessalians will disdain at the former subiection of their countries to the crown of Persia. Finally, all the greeks will renew the remembrance of the displeasures that we haue done them in old time, and therewithal long to be revenged of us for leaving them so lately in the briars. Thus shal we bring the whole house( the whole mischief I mean) upon our own heads. For may we think that philip( whose ungracious fingars itche to be doing with us already) will hold himself within the bounds of Grecia, when he shall haue neither inward nor outward enemy to keep him play on that side of the sea? May we hope that the long continued hatred of Gréece will then die, when it shall be of most babilitie and find fittest opportunity of aduendgement? Shall we believe that so many thousand men of war that haue been enured to the spoil, noseled in blood, & always envious of our state, will then forbear the sweet soil of Asia, when they shall perceive themselves in best possibility to obtain it to their profit and honor? believe it who list, I can not, for I see to many things in our state wherewith to 'allure an aspiryng mind, & the kingdom of Persia is a sufficient reward for a conqueror. And therfore when soever Philip hath pacified his own realm, so as he may leave no backefrendes behind him: then will he surely poure out the tempest of his wrath vpon our land, like as the great river of Nilus being suddenly increased with the melted snow from the hills of Aethyope, breaketh out of his banks, and overfloweth the whole land of egypt. For it is not the subduing of the confederates nor the wynnyng of Bizance and the other towns of Thrace, that can satisfy so unsatiable a cormorant. Great fowls look after great prays. It is the kingdom of Persia, believe me it is the kingdom of Persia, that philip ameth at, and which he will one day give a push for if he can. And in what case shal we be then? We shal be fain( which the Gods forbid) if the war be drawn hither and not diverted, to behold the burning of our villages, the sacking of our cities, the spoiling of our countries, the slaughters of our gentlemen, the slavery of our commons, the rauishyng of our maidens and matrons, the destruction of our dearest things, and a thousand other displeasures and vilanies, which shall enforce men to say( though all to late) would God the counsel of Arianes had ben followed. And if we happen to overcome in the field, the war being in our own country, then fare well our good dayes. We haue no holds nor fortresses of strength to flee unto till we may recover a new power. Our neighbours whom our vnfrendly dealing shall haue alienated from us, will peradventure receive us for humanities sake, but not relieve us that we may recover. So shall we be left desolate of friends, and either come into most miserable bondage with our country, or at least wise live in sorrowful exile which is little better. moreover, our own subiectes and cities in such case being appalled with the misfortune of the time, shall either for fear or for hope of favour, revolt to the enemy, according as it commonly falleth out, that look which way fortune swayeth, that way do the multitude incline, as the reed that is beaten vpon with a vehement wind. And I pray the Gods that in so great & populous a country as this is, there may not be found any that will prefer the filthy lucre of a little gold before honest love of their country. But admit we overcome him in battle in our own country: will he cease his enterprise for the loss of two or three fields? will he come so slenderly accompanied, as to be driven away for one or two discomfitures? will he assail us but onely in some one place at once? Do ye think that our old enviers the Cappadocians shall not be solicited against us? Yes, and all others that may by any means annoy vs. We shal haue our hands full, and to full. And although that at length we overcome them all and drive them quiter away( as if it should come to that point I pray the Gods we might, and I hope we should) yet would they leave some print of their being here behind them. There was never yet any great wound so thoroughly healed, but there remained some scar of it a good while after.  
Thus your worships haue heard mine advice concerning the broils in Gréece, and concerning our present state, which I doubt not but your wisdoms will so provide for, as it may continue long time in honour and safety. Onely this I repeat for a conclusion, that in such weighty cases, delay breedeth danger, and it is not good to be careless when our next neighbours house is on fire. It is far better to be envied than to be pytied. I would not haue our realm to rue afterclappes. I had lever opportunity should be taken, than wished it had been taken. I haue said.   

PHilip king of macedon having ben made Protector of the thebans holy league, pursued the benefit of that occasion, till he had so yoked all Grecia that he left them unable to recover their ancient estate and liberty. Toward the atcheuing of which his subtle enterprise, he was not a little holpen by the flattering and saleable tongues of sundry corrupted orators and traytors, preferring their own ambitions and gains before their due zeal & love to their contreyes. The honest and eloquent Demosthenes that gave warning and disclosed the subtle purposes of King Philip, was not regarded. The Grecians themselves gave aid and service to their own destruction. And while the one joining against the other, under distracted opinions of honor to their false gods and idols, and with deceived greediness to reuenge old displeasures and quarrels, and with some vain hope of some small increases by part of the spoil, they raged in civil and mutual warres, neglecting all advises and warnings, rejecting all true means of firm peace, and( that worst was) having by many breaches of promise and by untrue dealing, left no possibility of credite whereupon any assured reconcilement might be established, both fond and wretchedly put their own necks in the halter of servitude, together with the poor Phocoeans and the other confederates, who were enforced for lack of power in themselves, or aid from other, to yield to the crafty and cruel victors fraud and outrage.  
In the mean time, the king of Persia not regarding the advises to the effect abovesaid, neither remembering both the old & also late quarrels that Philip did bear in hart against him, nor fearing the Macedons ouergrowing in strength, sate negligent with his wanton court at home, while Philip by augmentation of victories armed his will with power, to proceed with the plot that he had long before laid for invading of Asia.  
Afterward Philip himself the untrue and unjust prince, through high indignation conceived against him for not doing of iustice, and for maintaining villainy of life unpunished in one of his capitaines and ministers of his cruelties, was in his greatest security and glory, most worthily in him that suffered it, though traitorously in him that did it, suddenly and openly slain, even in the presence of those whom he most highly trusted, in the midst between his son & his son in law, and not without suspicion of their good liking, and specially of his next heir and successor, to an eternal document that a traitorous tyrant can haue none to trust unto, and hath ever those most untrusty whose service he hath used to unfaithful and unmerciful doings.  
But although Philip himself was so prevented by slaughter, yet his next heir pursued the enterprise. Alexander the great being heir to the same Philip, now free from fear and accombraunce of Grecia at home, set vpon the kingdom of Persia, the king whereof had now by not aiding of Grecia pulled the whole weight of the war and of all the Macedonians fresh and proud violence vpon himself and his own empire in Asia, where he might haue diverted it to haue been spent to Alexanders greater hardness, and his own good assurance in Europe. Which because he did not in time, his land was destroyed, his wife and children taken, his crown lost, himself slain, all Persia brought to ruin and slavery. An everlasting lesson to Princes to keep peril far of if they may, to succour their distressed neighbors, to beware of those that haue given examples of infidelity and of deep reachyng dissimulation, and to take heed to themselves betimes.   

GEorge Castriot, son of John Castriot, was afterward for his valiantness surnamed scanderbag, which in our tongue signifieth Alexander the Lord, or Alexander the Great: not much varieng from the like sound of our own language. For in some part of this realm, Alexander is called by corrupt contraction Saunder. And Beg among the Turkes signifieth great, and a Lord or a great man, as in the office of Bellerbeg: and with us big is also great. This scanderbag breaking from the Turkes service, recovered his fathers dominion in Epirus otherwise called albany, which country is it of which sometime Pirrhus was, and of which are those Albanois that we haue seen in this realm, of whom some did serve king henry the viij. at the war in France, when Boleine was conquered. having so in short time with incredible industry won again his inheritance, he was for his excellent prowess by common consent of all the lords of Epirus chosen their chief Prince & sovereign. He flourished about the year of our Lord. 1543. and a good sort of yeres both before and after. He long continued war with the great Turkes, Amurathes the father and mohammed the son. He slay diverse of the great Bassaes and capitaines of the turk, with infinite multitudes of their people. He twice expelled Amurathes out of Epirus, and at the later time enforced that great tyrant to die for sorrow, because he could not win Croia, but was fain to leave it with dishonour. He drove out mohammed also with shane, not only at both the said journeys when he came with his father, but also when himself invaded Epirus, at all which three voyages the Turkes army when it was least was above C. thousand men. He continued the war above xl. yeres. He prepared to haue joined his forces with the king of hungary and noble John Huniades. But having the passage denied and stopped by George the traitorous despot of Mysia otherwise called Rascia, through whose country his way did lie of necessity into hungary, he could not come in time, but that in mean season the Christians joining battle before his coming to them received the great & lamentable overthrow at Varna, but with so bloody a victory to the turk himself that the turk was enforced to sit quiet a good while after, with most plain proof of great likelihood of avoiding that great calamity if Scanderbegs power might also haue been present to their assistance. The life and doings of this noble Prince scanderbag are set out in latin by Marinus Barletius of Scodra, out of whom followeth here translated into English the discourse of a subtle practise of Mahomet the turk intending mischef against christendom: how he fearing the force of scanderbag to interrupt his other attempts if he should join with other Christian Princes, first by crafty means promises and persuasions of good and peaceable meanynges not onely to scanderbag, but to all other Princes the professors of Christian faith, he obtained to make peace and league with scanderbag. And the same once obtained he did in dede surcesse to make open war vpon Epyrus, but fetched a further compass about, he assailed Scanderbegs neighbours and those whom scanderbag in time past had defended, and from whom scanderbag also in time of need was to look for society and succour, & by whom( if they were subdued) scanderbag was without all doubt to be most perislously accombred and endangered. Thus peace was gotten with this fraud, that howsoever scanderbag did not expressly capitulate for other Christians, yet because the turk made the cause of his seeking that peace to be his werrinesse of war with Christians and his desire to live in quiet with them, and that Christians were the instruments to procure it, scanderbag could not be persuaded but that not himself onely but also his Christian neighbours by whom he received and was to receive aid in all necessities should enjoy the fruit of the same peace, whom otherwise no doubt he would never haue betrayed and left destitute, both for the common faiths sake, & for necessary policy, knowing in what likelihood he stood to need them an other time, who either subdued must in time to come environ him as enemies, or vpon articles of peace be likewise tied from relieving him, or departing on even hand or victors recompense him with the like unkindness. So was the peace like Cydippes apple, a snare in form to an entrapped mind, conceiuyng the peace intended far more generally and largely than it was by the letter expressed, or by the tyrant pursued. For while by that peace scanderbag deceived, was made a looker on of his neighbours harms and his own dangers, while he held himself against the meaning of the league to be tied by the syllables of the league, from serving Christ and defending his Church and people, the turk made war upon those dominions of the Venetians that bordered next vpon scanderbag, & by which scanderbag was to be enclosed in peril, and forclosed from succour. And the turk carried with a forewynde in that course against the territories of the venetians in Epyrus and Dalmatia, and hardly containing his malicious courage against scanderbag till sit opportunity, did still now & then by aduise of old Duke George the despot, pinch Scanderbegs friends, sow him quarrels at home, & so divert his mind to other necessities, and specially prepared matter to occupy him vpon other borderers & neighbours. And the Turkes subiectes carried with incklinges of their masters affection, had made a road into the utter part of Scanderbegs dominions, and ministered secret aid to his enemies, whereof scanderbag complained. The turk finding his purposes not yet ripe to be broached, and seeing that because he had yet won no land from the venetians whereby he might beset scanderbag as he intended, he dissembled for the time, and gave scanderbag fair words, with laying all the blame from himself vpon his subiectes, saying that it was done without his knowledge, and by certain about him without his assent. The case standing thus, while scanderbag saw the peril, & in doubtful amaze between construction of words & apparance of meaning, wythdrewe his power from doing any thing to the eschuyng of the common peril, the venetians sent their ambassadors to treat with him to take part in the war with the rest of christendom, whom he meant in the league to haue partakers with him of the fruits of the peace. According to which true meaning, being not hid, but the evident semblance to the whole world on both partes at the time of the making of the same league, so many ways so apparent, as it needed no expressing in letters, nor can now be counted a devised cavil, the league ought in truth( said they) to haue on both sides been kept, and so to bee expounded: beside occasions of breach on the Turkes part well known to scanderbag.  
The maner of dealing herein, as it was done in deed, and the orations of the Venetian ambassadors, and of the archbishop of Durazzo, whom for his great credit with scanderbag, they had entreated to join with them to persuade him, do here truly follow in English as Barletius hath written the same in latin.   

king Mahumetes ambassador, who had been with scanderbag in forty dayes afore to treat for peace, returned to him again with his Princes letters for the confirmyng and stablishyng therof according to Scanderbeges own mind and demands. Upon the receipt of which letters scanderbag calling his Capteines and officers about him, red them openly unto them. Who gave their consent together to stablish peace with Ottoman, avouching the same to be both honourable to scanderbag, and also very behoffull & profitable for his realm. wherefore a league was made between scanderbag and the turk, and peace every where proclaimed through both their kingdoms to the reioycement of all their subiectes. And the same league was kept faithfully on either part for a certain time. But afterward the truce-breaking Turkes, in whom there is never any trustiness, gave occasion of a breach of the peace. For they first invaded the marches of scanderbag, and drove away a great booty with them. Of the which deed scanderbag complained to mohammed by letters & messengers: who answered that he was not privy to it, and in excuse seemed to be very sore displeased with the matter, that his men of war had done it without his commandment or consent: & therfore he made him restitution of many things again. About the same time the Turkes wasted the borders of the Uenetians in Morea. whereupon, the Uenetians, who were Scanderberges confederates and very dear friends, sent unto him their ambassador Gabriel of Trinisa, exhorting and intreatyng him to make war upon mohammed, which thing he might justly do for somuch as the turk had already broken the league and violated his faith. This Gabriel coming before scanderbag, spake thus in the presence of him and of his lords.  
RIght high and mighty prince, our coming unto you is not,( after the maner almost of all such as come of Ambassade,) to exalt you with praises, nor to advance the worthiness of your country, the antiquity of your progeny, and the excellency of your noble doings with deserved commendacions: for neither do I think that any man, were he never so eloquent, could easily do that: neither doth the state of the present time seem to suffer the same to be done with comeliness. But our coming is rather to exhort and persuade you, and moreover to entreat you, to cast and bend the sight of your mind( which is always wont to espy a far of, and to look & pierce through things to come that lie yet in covert) vpon the peril that hangeth over christendom, and vpon the mischief that already beginneth to bud & burst out, & is like to overspread all Europe within a while, if it be not met withall betimes. For you may be well assured & out of all doubt, most noble prince, that whereas the treacherous and wily Tyrant could pretend no natural intercourse of love between the Turkes & albans, his making of peace with you is nothing else but utter falsehood & dissimulation, that when he had first subdued the residue of the Christen kings and Princes that are your neighbours,( for he saw himself to be held at the staues end, yea & overmatched by your majesties pvissance) he might advance his power & dominion further, & turn his warres vpon us also: We see already that after this barbarous Prince had once made peace with you, and saw himself safe and quiet from war and annoyance at your hand, by and by he turned his force against the Rascians and Triballes, & put them to wreck. That done he conquered the Sclauons & overthrew the Thracians, and deposing the greeks from their Empire, won the kingdom of Trebizond increasing still his strength, and advancing his dominion further and further. And now breaking the covenant of peace, and violatyng all right, he wageth war against vs. He hath forrayed both your country & ours far and wide. Behold Prince scanderbag, how well the barbarous turk keepeth promise with you. He hath réered war, he is entered into arms, he provoketh you already to battle, and uttereth his meaning and outrage without coverture. Are these things to be quietly put up? should you yet still held your peace? must you yet still trust the turk? must you yet still trust to his courtesy, while he maketh havoc of christendom and utterly destroyeth us, whereas vnluckye war were better than so dishonourable a peace? think you that the infidel hath so soon forgotten the shameful death whereunto you drove his father to his great dishonour? match herewithal the slaughters & calamities of his armies Capteines and lieutenants which you haue put him to. The savage and cruel mohammed thinketh of all these things, he mindeth them continually, he setteth them day and night afore his eyes, and he desireth and longeth to be revenged. But alas most noble prince, he worketh wiles, believe me he worketh wiles, he useth the slight of his aunceters, he practiseth daily how to wind about you and to catch you by his deceits and policies. hitherto he hath flattered you to cease from war and to lay away weapon, that he might go through with his own warres, and oppress & cast down the rest of the Christen kings and Princes that are about you, of whom he saw none able to withstand his force but onely you. And now after he hath subdued all the others unto him, and all things are fallen out as he desired, he turneth unto you. He bendeth his battailes at you, to make clean riddance of you and all your subiectes and kingdom, and then to swallow up us, and to satisfy his own barbarous rage. Therfore most gracious prince, what should you linger any longer? The matter is come to that point, that you must haue mohammed ●either your enemy or your Lord. Let us also enter into arms against him, let us encounter force with force, let us join battle with him. He provoketh us to war, let us give him his hands full of it. Let us burn and spoil his country as meet is we should, and let us not suffer ourselves to be entrapped by his wiliness & policies. For the false forsworn kaytif intendeth and practiseth nothing but to oppress us one by one, till the state of christendom( which God forbid) being bereft of counsel & comfort, may be yielded into his hand without any stroke strikyng, and the common liberty of all men be past recovery for ever: whereas if he see us knit ourselves together, he will be afraid of our force, and shun our power: or if he will needs venture upon us, it may be his chance to go away vanquished. But if he find us separated, he shal easily overwhelm vs. So ouermightie is he alone at this day. Therfore let us not suffer this plague, this infection, this sore to be in Europe, which doubtless will overspread and fester the whole country if it be not prevented before hand. For you know well enough the wiles of the Ottomannes, you are well acquainted with their crafts and policies, whereby they shift out all their matter, and bring all their greatest exploits to pass. What man is able O most victorious prince, to reckon up the wicked & heinous doyinges of this most cruel tyrant, who in that point far surmounteth all his aunceters, as the person that cannot be satisfied with the daily slaughter of his own subiectes and completest friends, and also longeth to employ all his force against our state of venice, which( as your majesty knoweth) hath always been a buttresse and bulwark of the Christen faith, to the intent that when he had once shaken, broken, and overthrown that, he might also strike down not onely the albans, but also the other nations of christendom, & trample them under feet. But this is not the onely thing that the cruel & outrageous tyrant intendeth, though it be very great & unable to be abidden among men: But also to destroy the right faith and to forbid men the way of everlasting salvation. For he is in a wrong box who soever he is that believeth that mohammed desireth not rather to wast & vnpeople the countries of the Christians, than to tread down the true faith, and to roote it utterly out of mens hartes. What then? Good God what may we Christians hope for at this beasts hand, sith that both in belief and all kind & trade of life we be utterly disagréeyng and strangers from him? Therfore O invincible prince scanderbag, the champion & soldier of Christ, make speed, make hast, away with delays, dispatch the imminent thieves and perils from thyself & from thy neck. Take heed to thyself, take heed to thy state and kingdom while you mayest( for now thou mayest if thou wilt) before the thieves & perils cast thee down and overwhelm thee. For if they once light upon thee( which God forfend) thou wilt wish and shalt not be able. Therfore to my séemyng it is far better for you and more for your ease, to provide before hand, than to seek remedy and redress after the receipt of the wound when the stroke hath hit you. provide therefore, provide, most excellent Prince, out of hand, that the outrage, rancour, pestilentnesse, and venom of Mahomet may not infect, defile, and mar thee, who doubtless seeketh, prepareth, and practiseth nothing but to toll you to trusting of him, & then cruelly to lead you to death and destruction, as who is and always hath been an vndermyner of christendom and sheader of Christen blood, and a deadly hater of the Christen and right believing faith, which he studieth and indeuoreth night and day to defile, cut of, and utterly destroy by all the means he can. To the maintenance and defence whereof, against the rage & cruelty of this wood and butcherly tyrant, Christ( whose champion and soldier your invincible majesty is termed) together with the state of venice, who take you for their Prince, doth call & entreat you. gold, silver, men of war, and whatsoever else is needful for such exploits, we promise & proffer unto you abundantly. Wherefore most glorious Prince, gird up thyself out of hand, bring thy Souldiers into the field, set thy battels in order, draw thy sword, put thy spear into the rest, and géeue charge vpon the Turkes, the vtterest enemies of the true faith, whom thou hast always easily overcome, and whom likewise to overcome, there is a fatal and heavenly power given thee by God from above. For surely if we prevent him not sooner, he will out of doubt infect and mar all. For you know already the wiles of the turkish kings, you know their crafts and policies whereby they shift out all their matters, & bring their greatest exploits to pass. And again, O most victorious Prince, who is able to rehearse the wicked and heinous facts of this most cruel tyrant, wherein he surmounteth all his aunceters, as one that can never be satisfied with the slaughter of his trusty subiects and near kinsfolk. Therefore to conclude, what may we Christians who are straingers to him in belief, and differ from him in all trade of life; good Lord, what may we hope for at the hand of this beast.   

WHen he had made an end of speaking, scanderbag, not that he wist not what opinion to be of, but because he was wont to do nothing without the aduise of his men of war, called his captains and officers together, and debated a long time at large with them whether he should consent to the venetians and make war vpon the Turk, or no. All which were of opinion, in any wise not to make war against him, because he refused to make open war with scanderbag, and had restored the most part of the booty which his souldiers had( as he avouched) taken out of Scanderbegs territory, rather of wantonness, and through a certain looseness of souldyerly liberty, than otherwise. By reason whereof the ambassador of venice receiving this answer, and understanding their mindes, departed from scanderbag in great heaviness for missing of his purpose, and in his way went to paul angel archbishop of Durass●▪( whom he knew to be a man of very great credit, & that there was nothing so great and hard, which he was not able to win them to when he listed) to try if the●strehbysh. would take vpon him to deal with scanderbag & his officers, to enter into arms against the turk, and to make war upon him, for he hoped undoubtedly that scanderbag and his men of war would easily be won to the venetians request. The archbishop being a very great favourer of venetians, did in honour of their Senate go immediately unto scanderbag. This Archbishop was an alban, born of the house of Driuast, the son of Andrew angel aforesaid. He was a man endued with great wit, singular eloquence, and excellent learning, both in divinity and humanity, very well seen both in greek and Latin, notable for the gravity of his life and conversation, and exceeding earnest in the Christen religion. And scanderbag had him in singular reverence for his modesty, and for the excellency and great uprightness of his life: and all the albans & Epyrots gave ear to him and honoured him as an Oracle. immediately vpon his coming to scanderbag, all the captaines and Souldiers were called together, whom he indeuered to persuade to take war in hand against Mahomet, by such an oration as this following.  
THe divine Plato, most victorious prince, affirmeth that common weals, kingdoms and Empires be then happy and thoroughly blessed, when they chance to be governed by the best and wisest men. Which thing we see in the open light at this time to be come to pass among us albans, who are governed by you alone a most sage and gracious Prince and most invincible captain. And therefore, not without good cause, all the kings and Princes near about and borderyng upon you, haue for your valeantnesse and singular activity chosen you alone for their captain and general, as a man sent unto them from heaven, to defend their realms and kingdoms from the Turkish outrage & barbarous cruelty, who haue always hitherto been singularly and honourably defended by your power and wisdom, and by the valeantnesse of your Capteines and men of war. Which thing mohammed that subtle and crafty vndermyner and fierce persecuter of the Christen religion perceiving, and longing to satisfy his unspeakable hatred conceived against the Christians, hath brought to pass by his Turkish trains and wiliness, that you fel to composition with him by making a league, to the end that you might cease your warres, and he be no more troubled by your power, which he was sore afraid of, for the dispatch whereof he easily granted what soever articles of peace liked you best. But alas most noble Prince, who seeth not that the barbarous tyrant hath wrought all these things with you by barbarous treachery, and that his making of peace is but a policy, that he might first dispatch the other kings and Princes that are your neighbours, and then turn again vpon you as he hath done already? For where are the Princes of Rascia? where are the kings of Sclauonie? where is the kingdom of Trebizond which supplied Constantinople, become? Now, even now a late he hath turned against you, and breaking his league and faith, hath wasted your country far and wide. He troubleth and vexeth your league fellowes with continual rodes. For who( O noble Prince) is able to utter this most outrageous tyrants unmeasurable spite against you? think you that he will leave the death of his father Amurathe, the sorrowful slaughter of his hostes, the sleayng of his Capteines, and the killing of his generals unrevenged? Do you trust the words & promises of this beast? do you admit his excuses? will he keep touch with you? will he keep faith, which he never had, nor never kept with any man unto this day? Good God, who is able to rehearse the wicked doings of this most cruel Tyrant? nevertheless I think it against reason to wrap them up in silence, for somuch as it is a certain honest pleasure to inveigh against a sinful and wicked person, and to hale forth the workers of mischief into the light, and to call them by their names, to the intent that other men may abstain from vice and lewdness for fear of shane. Therfore like as virtue is not to be left without praise, so is not vice to be left without dispraise. For like fruit is received both of praising the good and of dispraising the evil. And therfore it is good right and reason that all naughty and wicked men should be ill spoken of. But so much the more is this Tyrant mohammed to be ill spoken of, because he excelleth & passeth other men in naughtiness, whose life, manners and doings I will run over as shortly as I can, to the end they may be the better known unto you, & that you may shun them. mohammed was born of very base and unhappy stock and of very mean parentes, 
Mahume● their Prophet.  in that nation which being the worst of all barbarous nations is always wont to fleet from place to place. For whereas the Scythians about Maeotis are the barbarousest of all barbarous people, he is reported to haue been born in the basest and dishonorablest place among them. For Scythia was his country, and the village of Otmanach was his birthplace, from whence the house or family of the Otmannes taketh his original, which glory to bee counted slaves. So is there nothing more shameful and vile than his auncetrie. His father Amurathe therefore, for whom it was not lawful to reign by reason of his auncetrie, for somuch as he was of the house of Otman, which was born to bondage and always given to slavery, invaded the kingdom of Asia and other realms by craft and wickedness, and increased and enlarged them all, & so far advanced his state which proceeded from a beggarly and lewd beginning, that as now he is unable to wéeld his own greatness. And to the intent I may also come to his conditions: this mohammed is of great strength both of body and mind, howbeit of an evil and lewd disposition, an enemy of mankind, a common foe to all men, a sheader of blood, a workemaister of mischief, a wellspryng of all vices, a furtherer of death, a father of all naughtiness, & an insatiable mansleaer. Who being issued of such aunceters, and retaining still his barbarous and unmeasurable cruelty, hath evermore continued still one man in his crabbednes all his life long. From his youth up his pleasure hath been in warres; slaughters, rauishmentes and debates, and in the same hath he spent his young yeares. Of courage he is hardy, wily, variable, a fine coater of any maner thing, a coueter of other mens goods, a burner in his own lusts, & a desirer of things immoderate, incredible, and unmeasurable. First therfore there grew in him a desire of gain and afterward of dominion more than can be expressed. His mind was stained with evil tatches. Neither was he clear from wicked lusts: but was a filthy adulterer and a deviser of vices which even nature itself abhorreth. This is the same mohammed which for desire to reign murdered his own brother. The princes of Rascia▪ and the king of Bosna he slay by treachery, and their kinsfolk he partly carried away into bondage and captivity, & partly put out their eyes, or maimed them in some part of their bodies. What shall I say of others, upon whom he tried all kinds of torments, in somuch as it should seem he would wreak his téene upon himself if he wanted others wherein to do it, so cruel is that nature of his, and his ouerboyling anger can never be satisfied. For his hart being unclean to Godward, and spyteful towards men, doth always imagine mischief, esteeming friendship or enmity not by desert but by profit, nowhere keeping measure, no where keeping modesty, committing shameful and cruel things both against friends and subiectes, spoiling Churches both openly and privily, vnhalowyng holy things, defilyng all things, snatchyng all things, plucking all thing to him, confoundyng shane and chastity, and heaven & earth together. Hath he not subdued, slain, and caught prisoners almost all against his leagues? And therfore what novelty is it, most noble Prince, if a truce-breakyng turk keep no promise with you, seeing he is stained with all kind of vices, & holdeth still the said wickedness and treachery by inheritance from his aunceters? wherefore believe not the tyrant, neither trust you to his words and promises: but withdrawying from all friendship with him, think the peace to be broken which he himself hath first cut a sunder & dissolved, & foreslow not to pursue him with war for favour towards him. provide, provide quickly for yourself and for your realm, that the turk surpryse not you and yours by treason and subtlety. The wily For imagineth nothing else, the lewd cankered carl practiseth nothing but how he may overcome and oppress the faith of Christ, for the which, you( as you know) haue determined to labour and travell continually, and also sworn the same, yea and I remember well that you haue oftentimes said, that you were born & begotten for the defence & maintenance therof. wherefore then( by your patience) haue you laid weapon away? Why suffer you the faith to be oppressed by a tyrant, while your soldiers minds become lazy by idleness? Haue you abandoned the common welfare? haue you renounced the warres? haue you chosen to live onely to yourself? think you there shal ensue small peril to yourself by so doing? Shall a valiant and ancient captain in battle sit still with his arms folded one within an other? Alas for shane, shall men see the courage of a prince which was sometime lively and lusty, become now lazy and vanish away through idleness? But your friend Mahomet loytereth not, he becometh not drowsy with idleness, but he watcheth, he laboureth, he bestirreth himself, to dishonour the Gospel of Christ, to sink Peters ship, and to rend and tear Christes coat, following the footsteps of his aunceters and the traditions of his false prophet, who charged his people to persecute christianity with all egernesse, as a hateful and unholy thing, and to  shed the guiltless blood of the Christians without pity. By reason whereof this tyrant hath always persecuted the Christen faith most sharply above others: against whom, if you who are the inuinciblest of all Princes, do not out of hand arm yourself, raise your power, and make war upon him, undoubtedly all men will deem you to be fearful, cowardly, and given over to slothfulness. know you not that all the Christen kings and Princes together with our most holy Pope pus the chief bishop of the world are conspired together against this tyrant, whom they are fully determined( by Gods help) to pursue to the uttermost, till they haue driven him quiter and clean out of Europe? A pardon is already gone out from the Pope, and published through all christendom, wherein all Christen kings and Princes are willed to take arms with the Pope against the king of turkey, and behighted forgiveness of their sins for so doing. In consideration whereof your friends the venetians with their Duke and whole Senate, & their armies, as well by sea as by land, together with our chief Bishop, do ●an and cry vpon you to this against Mahomet, and make you their Prince, captain, and lieutenant general of all the whole host of christendom. And as soon as the Pope shalbe passed the seas and entered into Durasso, he is determined to proclaim you king of albans and Epirots, as the worthiest person to whom the chief charge of this war should be committed. Therfore most happy Prince scanderbag, what dost thou? Why makest thou delay? either thou must forget war & battle for ever, and receive the yoke, or else thou must neither in valyantnesse nor in painfulness give place to this party with whom thou must haue to do for the souereintie and dominion of all. pluck up thy courage and strength, call together thy captaines and coronelles, assemble thy people and subiectes on all sides, entreat the kings and Princes that are confederate with thee, set thy battles and bands in array, follow the company of the faithful, & the congregation of all the Christians, obey the high B●shop, and get pardon for thine own si●nes and the sins of all thine army. behold, the venetians haue sent me to tell thee these things, and to persuade and exhort thee to match thy power with their power, thy ensinges with their ensinges, and thy battles with their battles. For as you know, the Uenecian Princes are right Christian, bountiful, and very puissant both by sea and land, and they promise and proffer unto you abundance of gold and silver. wherefore Lord scanderbag, play the 
* That is to say Lord Alexander.  scanderbag in deed, thou glory of Princes, give thou the first onset vpon the barbarous infidels with thy power, invade thou his marches, strike thou thine enemy in fear & terror, which hath provoked thee first by breaking the league and violatyng his promise and peace. For all laws cry out, and all dueties permit that no promise should be kept with him that keepeth none himself. Therfore go boldly, I say, go boldly before the Christen army, assail thou the enemy first, proclaim general war against the infidel, and make way before hand, against the high bishop come. For lo, the Pope pus, lo, thy venetians, lo the Frenchmen, spaniards, Flemminges, Hungarians, Bohemians, Polonians, and all christendom follow thee & assist thee. By reason whereof it is not possible that the infidel should be able to withstand so many kings and Princes, & so many hostes and armies, and therefore he must be fain to take himself strait ways to flight and to get him quite and clean out of Europe. The Turkes pride shall not avail him, neither shall his wonted wil●ss, treasons and policies help him. But by the way I must put in mind, & you yourself must wisely forecast it, that the guileful turk foreseeing all these things, will by and by sand messengers and ambassadors to you, to 'allure you to lay aside weapon, and to keep the peace with him, which he hath broken with you. But regard not his mischievous nature, shut and stop up your ears against his inticementes. You know the mans disposition already, ye find well enough what he is, and you are as well acquainted with the wiles of the house of Ottoman as any man is who soever is best acquainted.   

mohammed the ambitious subtle and cruel Prince, continuing his purpose to increase his wicked sect & to enlarge his dominions, seeing himself unable to atcheue that purpose so long as Christian princes were united in minds and forces against him, resorteth to his accustomend advantage. He practiseth to bind some Christians whoes strength he most feared, with band of league & peace, which he judged they would sincerely observe, himself alway reteynyng a periurous mind to break faith when it should be for his profit so to do. So had he done in his peace with scanderbag whereof in the former Orations is made mention. For seeing, that while scanderbag was his open enemy in war and employed his daily strength upon him, he could do nothing to the venetians, he durst not attempt any new enterprise in hungary, & his ally the false Christian Duke of Mysia could not rest in quiet, much less in ability to annoy christendom at his pleasure, but that scanderbag was ever redy with his aid to stand between him and the venetians, to assist the Hungarians, to make way through Mysia with fire and sword, and at every need to defend the Church of God: mohammed first practised to oppress him by strength and treason, and by accomberyng Scanderbeges own country, one while with invasions, an other while with war of his neighbours, an other while with seditions and conspiracies of his own friends and Capitaines and nobility against him. under promise of a high marriage, endowed with hopes of crowns, and great wealth, and the possessing of Scanderbegs own land and inheritance, the turk alured Amesa the greatest Duke under scanderbag in Epyrus, and Scanderbegs own kinsman, and whom scanderbag with great love and indulgence had suffered, yea and advanced to rise to the greatest credite in that land among all estates and specially the commons of that realm, both by authority and offices to him committed, and by his kindred to the prince himself and alliances to the most of the nobility of the land, which estimation Duke Amesa had himself also highly augmented by great virtues that otherwise were in him, specially such as were aptest to win affections of the multitude. This Duke Amesa was so by this traitorous Prince mohammed seduced. He promised him the marriage of his own nere kinswoman after the dispatchyng of Amesaes own wife, he promised him foreign aid & force of men to strengthen his rebellion against scanderbag, apointyng him both number and time & place where they should arrive, with sufficient furniture of all means & provisions to attain his wicked purpose, and he promised him the succession and crown of albany to him and his heires for ever, which yet God wote the tyrant never truly intended, but fully determined, if by this mean scanderbag could haue been made away, to haue shortly after easily dispatched poor Duke Amesa and quickly joined whole albany as a province to his own Empire. And not onely he so misguided Duke Amesa, but also by means of Duke Amesaes favor credit and alliance, and by great corruptions and promises from himself, he found the way to draw unto the same party and faction sundry other of Scanderbeges nobility, and specially his trusty counsellor Moses. But almighty God, who had oft before, as by miracle and of his own immediate grace, preserved his noble champion & true seruant scanderbag, did▪ now also assist the good prince and principal instrument of succoryng the church and deffendyng Christes gospel, in this great danger of hostility and treason packed together against the safety of this godly and honourable sovereign. Duke Amesa prevailed not, but was taken, imprisoned, and after dyed: Moses upon repentance returned to grace: mohammed lost his great preparation, and like a horrible stench left behind him at the end of the enterprise, an odious and loathsome disclosing of a treacherous mind against the safety of true Christian princes, and an eternal vnappeasable hatred against Christes gospel and Religion.  
This attempt failing, he practised a new devise. He feigneth himself werry of warres with Christians, he taketh vpon him to be grieved with the wast of his people and with his great losses in so continual enemities and destructions, he protesteth a desire of quiet and at length to give happy rest to christendom & to himself, and therfore he writeth fair glozing letters to scanderbag: he sendeth scanderbag goodly presentes, Turkye horses, bows, carpets, silks and many gay things: he maketh much of Scanderbeges messengers: he setteth those in his court whom scanderbag best loved to be instruments to draw Scanderbeges ministers to commend the peace: he maketh most friendly shows of favor to the faction of Scanderbeges friends in the tyrants own realm, court and family: he half yieldeth the zealous show of his own heresy, to beguile scanderbag with such hypocrisy: he practiseth to make some of Scanderbeges nobility to set out in large speech the discommodities and hazards of the war, the wasting of treasure, the loss of men, the hindrance of the lands by withdrawing traffic and intercourse between their subiectes, with great amplifieng the benefits of long desired peace and such other devises. By these and such like fetches at length he somewhat softened his invincible zeal, and a little blyndfolded his clear pearcyng judgment. And so this great tyrant mohammed by little and little diuertyng Scanderbeges eyes from Mahumetes periurous falsehood, and from considering how the ancients Bassaes and Bishops did justify infidelity and breach of faith against Christians, at length a peace was made between mohammed and scanderbag, scanderbag alway judging the same peace not to be taken for himself onely but also for his Christen neighbours. Which he was induced to believe by these reasons, for that mohammed pretended the cause of his seeking that peace to be his werrinesse of warring with Christians, and for that other Christians, specially those that lived under the tyrants empire, were the chief means and instruments of practising the league, assuryng scanderbag and his ambassadors & ministers that the same should not onely be to the great benefit of scanderbag, but also to the perfect surety of those Christians that laboured the peace, and to a notable mean of reuenge and overthrow against the old false Christian Duke of Mysia that had been the sour of all the former troubles and thieves. So restend the comprehension and express provision for other Christians in onely undoubted confidence. And while scanderbag never suspected so foul a treachery as mohammed intended, the other Christian princes, and specially those that were most subject to Mahumetes power, although the peace was most chiefly pretended for their surety, yet by reason that Mahumetes dissembled shows of good will toward them made forgetfulness or apparance of no need to comprise them, or by some sinister practise, were left out of the capitulation and articles.  
Then the peace was not onely solemnly accorded, but also ratified & confirmed, by oaths, by ambassadors, by solemn testifications and gratulations, and by all the exquisite means that might be to bring scanderbag in confidence of the infidel Mahumetes fidelity. But immediately vpon this conclusion of peace, mohammed having scanderbag fast tied from stirring, & finding that( which he chiefly coveted in the whole peace) that there was no special article expressed for the other Christians for whoes sake and for whoes safety and by whoes means the peace was chiefly intended and procured, first maketh war vpon the venetians: not in Cyprus nor candy nor other places, wherein he might do as great hurt to the venetians with less peril to scanderbag, but he piketh out those places and territories of theirs that lie hard upon scanderbag, he besiegeth, Scodra, and maketh war vpon the venetians dominions in the self Epirus and Dalmatia. He pretendeth aiding of his ally the Duke of Mysia and so piketh querell to hungary, and by the way under colour against the Hungarians he fortifieth Mysia against scanderbag. By these devises this plate hath he laid. If he win Scodra and other pieces and territories of the venetians in Epyrus, thē hath he scanderbag enclosed with mighty fortifications on that part. If he oppress the Hungarians and win from them the frontier towns, then hath he also so much near strength on the other side▪ In fortifieng Mysia he hath also a third mean to assail scanderbag. And in all these cases he hath a sure distractyng of all aid from scanderbag in his necessity by hemming him thus round about And though it should happen that he could in none of these places win ground and so hedge him in, yet was he sure so to werry the venetians, Hungarians, and other neighbours, that when he should begin war with scanderbag they should be so entangled with articles of a new league, or tyered with discommodities of old war, and partly so irritated with Scanderbeges withdrawing his assistance from them at this time, that in his need they should either not be able to do him good, or willingly shrink from him as he doth now from them, and should pretend themselves likewise to be bound by league as he for himself now allegeth. And one further reach therein also hath the tyrant, though he win nothing against the other Christians, yet under colour of his warres in so nere partes to scanderbag to haue a great power alway in readiness unsuspected, with full purpose to poure it suddenly upon scanderbag if he spy him vpon trust of peace negligent and open to advantage. For this cause he maketh his siege against the venetians both by land & sea, and maketh semblance that after the war ended with the venetians he is to use his navy for an other enterprise a far of, onely to this purpose by sea and land to set suddenly upon scanderbag so sone as the perjured tyrant might find either scanderbag hedelesse, or Scanderbegs friends and Christian neighbours either wrapped & withdrawn with the like peace of werryed with former warres. But as God would all this subtlety was prevented. For by the persuasion of Triuisa the Venecian ambassador and Angelo the archbishop of Durazzo, as is above said, and by a notable good occasion ministered by mohammed himself, by a road made into Scanderbegs country by the Duke of Mysiaes men Mahumetes confederate during the peace, and by sundry inclinges and practices of mohammed to vndermyne Scanderbeges safety, scanderbag was persuaded to enter into the defence of his Christian neighbours and to account the true meaning of the peace to extend to them all, as himself at the making of the league did understand it and expect the success of it, and as mohammed himself did bear semblance and feed the said expectation. So were all the subtle devises of the faithless tyrant for that time thwarted and wisely met withall. Whereupon mohammed grew to accord with the venetians and Hungarians, and raised his siege of Scodra, & withdrew his army by sea from that place. And in that peace with the venetians he likewise left scanderbag vncomprehended. And notwithstanding other pretences to use his strength against the barbarous Mamaluches in Egypt, to which kingdom he was trained with some hope of their crown and Empire, the same force that he had used by sea and land against Scodra and against the venetians he did not dissolve, but wholly employed it against scanderbag. In this distress cometh scanderbag to his old friend Alphonse of Arragon, the king of hungary, the Princes of germany, the fathers of Venice, and other Christian kings and states, to crave their aids in defence of the Church of Christ, and speaketh to such effect, as followeth.   

IT is not unknown unto you most puissant and Christian kings, Princes, lords and fathers, how we haue these many yeares, in continual war against the most mighty Tyrant the professed enemy of our faith and liberty, and against his confederate falsely bearing the most holy name of a Christian Prince, sustained the defence of our own right and preservation & of a few noble princes and faithful Christians in territory nere adjoining to us, and in bond of most Christian and noble society most nearly conjoined with vs. It is also evident that the mightynesse of our aduersaries, and the sclendernesse of our powers in comparison of theirs, we being in all things saving in the goodness of our cause & in assurance of faith the onely foundation of invincible courage far inferior unto them, haue after so many spoils of our country, so many battles foughten so many princes slain, so many sieges suffered brought us to great vnlikelynesse of long continuance, specially when they aboundyng in multitude, although each of the bloudes of us and our valeaunt friends & subiectes should be sold with the lives of many on the other part, must needs yet by and little at length consume vs. Hereby it may seem to some that our speech and most earnest suit unto you at this time is but our own cause enforced by our own necessity. In part we must needs confess that so it is, & we do account it our greatest comfort that our God vouchsaueth in such noble place and honourable degree of most dangerous and therfore also most glorious & hye service to employ vs. Yet must I admonish you to call to mind, and most principally inform you to consider, and most entirely beseech you & therewith also most seriously aduise you to remember, & not onely to hold in memory, but also to exercise in continual cogitation, that the case is also sundry ways your own, and so far as you exceed me & my confederates the poor Princes and nobility of Epirus, in wealth, largeness of dominion, ability of resistance, numbers of your own royal and magnifical persons, & multitudes of your subiectes, and your and their posterities, so much is it, though not more nearly yet more highly yours than ours, so much is your charge weightier, your burden of duty heavier, you peril of loss dishonour and damnation greater and greuouser, and in respect of subject matter, of persons and of time and posterity though it come not sooner at you yet it extendeth both deeper & further to you. What is it to lose Epirus in comparison of the rest of christendom? But toward the loss of the rest of christendom, how great a matter is it to lose Epirus? What great loss can be of us a few poor gentlemen that keep but a corner of land, in respect of ourselves, when we shall gain by death in the querell of Christ? but how great loss shalbe to you so many so great Princes that possess the body of the Christian world, to lose your lives at length if not by war yet by ordinary necessity, and therwith to lose your souls for destituting the cause of Christ, and the lives & souls of infinite your subiectes and friends, in leaving or rather making open the entrance into the fold of Christ, for the enemy of Christen faith & religion to make havoc of Christes flock and people, which you might haue holpen? hear me and my confederates therefore I beseech you, as you being men endowed with kindly nature of man would hear natural men oppressed & nedyng your aid: hear us as you being noble Princes would hear Princes & noblemen in utter danger of their lives possessions and liberties: hear us as ye being Christians would hear Christians and the champions of christianity in greatest peril and extremity, fighting for our common faith and freedom and crauyng your succours: hear us as ye yourselves would hear men speaking to yourselves, for yourselves, of the greatest matters, most nearly touching you, & most deeply importyng you, in haviour, in honor, & in safety, for the present season, for the time shortly at hand, and for everlasting continaunce. And in hearing of us, put on I beseech you, humanity to pity us, wisdom to look to yourselves, zeal to serve God, necessary courage for the present, honourable and dutiful care for posterity, an heroical desire to attain immortal glory, and a dreadful diligence to escape eternal punishment and infamy. And above all things while you live imagine yourselves dying, & when you haue heard us imagine your conscience at your dying hour vpbraydyng you with not doing that which we desire ye to do.  
Let now you own deep impressions of the cause upon our admonition avail to move you, and in my words I pray you remember that how soever you haue been used at home to delicate and tickling speeches exquisitely framed to please you, by those that either for their deep reverence being your subiectes, or for their profit seeking gain by your favourable audience, fear nothing so much as with any scratch of plain truth to offend your ears accustomend to more dainty usage, you will be pleased not to look for that of me, but be contented in a new necessity to awake to a new form of hearing. bear with me I beseech you that haue not been brought up in schools to gather my aduancement by words, but haue spent my life in arms to defend christendom by deeds. And being myself( though by Gods ordinance that hath placed me in the frontiers of his church to bear the first brunt of the enemy, a poor one and nedyng succour,) yet a prince of sovereign authority in mine own dominions as you are, I presume that such things as I shall speak, which at your subiectes hands were not so meet to be said, yet at my mouth, one of us freely admonishyng an other, and in this hye necessity, you will patiently hear me and in a rude vessel receive the wholesome fruit of counsel for provision for all our safeties.  
The great enemy of the Christian religion hath as ye know by the sins of the people and discord of Princes exceedingly prevailed, and daily groweth more and more against us, and of all that ungodly race never was there any more perilous to christendom than he that now reigneth. For though Amurathes his father were terrible and in long course of victories had established an opinion of invincible felicity, yet anguish and disdain that he attained not to feed his cruel hart with sight of our destruction in Epirus, against whom he had intended most horrible cruelty, hath by Gods most gracious provision taken him away in most happy season, and joined him to his progenitors the persecutors of the Gospel of Christ, and so disappointed him of his most tyrannous purpose, which he not onely had in hart conceived, but threatened to see it with those eyes which God both shortly after & most happily closed. This present ancients brother by Gods grace also lived not to execute the cruelties that were to be looked for of such an ungracious stock, of so outrageous a father, and so faithless a mother, and so perilously matched, but by the treason of those that ought in nature and duty most to haue preserved him, or rather by the mighty and bountyfull hand of God, was cut of in good season for Gods Church and people, so as what soever christendom might haue feared, yet it felt not that by him, which at this mans hands both hath been found and is daily to be looked for. Now after the deliverance of the world by Gods benefit from his father & brother, this monster of perjury and cruelty hath succeeded, in whom is to peril and dread of christendom such confluence of damgerous likelihodes & horrible effects as never were seen th● like in any afore. Descended of a father whoes very childhood was nothing but delight in mischief, whoes youth was nothing but outrage unchastity violence & continual disorder, whoes mans state and age was nothing but sowyng of war vpon war, daily delight in blood, coveting to enlarge his dominion, desire of subduing & destroyeng, under colour of protection and succour, and whoes end blessedly sent by the hand of God was the rather hastened in his own freatyng mind with seeing his cruel intents not satisfied, and so he departed as it were more pined and starved with want of tragical food to glut his cruel appetite and thirst of slaughter & blood, than any poor famished wretch languisheth for lack of meate and drink to sustain his feeble nature. He is born of a mother Cathagusina worthy to match with that husband, and likely to bring forth this child, the daughter of a runagate infidel, whoes very nation, whoes city and place of birth, whoes race and kindred, are despisers of God, scorners of Christ, blasphemously comptyng his most divine and meritorious works for a fable, and setting heaven and the bliss thereof behind worldly wealth and glory. His mother I say Cathagusina, beside this inheritable & natural habit of godless impiety hath ever been a deep dissembler, a crafty snarer, a cruel executer of mischiefs, in so much as it may be truly said, that the engendryng of this Prince of the seed of that father and that mother is, as well said of the roman tyrant, Lutum sanguine maceratum day tempered with blood, a compound mixture of bloody cruelty and subtle pliant falsehood to infect to poison and to destroy the world. His very physiognomy, not onely in favour, which God hath given him unchangeable to note him to the world, but also in his maner of look gate and gesture, which he hath by use framed to the conformity of his mischievous disposition, do portend and threaten treason and murder, a glumme silent clokyng of treachery, an earthly downward look fléeyng the conscience of heaven and tending to the ground and to hellward.  
All these wicked signs, and dangerous inclinations, haue ever been fed cherished and increased with the company of most false wicked and bloody fellowes of his sports actions devises & counsels. The principal fathers of his false faith, vpon whom as a door vpon henges, hangeth the vpholdyng of their heresy, do guide and misguide both him and his. They lay the crocodiles eggs that he hatcheth. They govern lead & toss, him as if they had some part in his fatherhode, and as if they accounted that he it is by whom their damnable feet shalbe enlarged. That abominable falsehood and blasphemous heresy is it, with zeal whereof they colour all his untruths & tyranny: with it they shadow his ambitious intents to enlarge his dominion, and enterchaungeably with ambitious hopes to increase his conquests they augment his zeal to their error. With the principles of that heresy they assoil him from keeping of faith, they teach him to make no account of treason & perjury, they make all leagues and promises to serve their turn, to bee dissoluble at their wills, both under pretence of omnipotent power that their great mohammed and themselves haue to discharge him, and of the former continuing league to their blasphemous idol, to which they hold that all later leagues are to give place when it shalbe profitable to break them.  
For execution of these terrible conceits, and for serving his pestilent humour, whom useth he, whom loveth he, whom esteemeth he, but the misbegotten race, the offspring of old murderers, and the hopeful youth to hazard any mischief or villainy, without regard of God, of faith, of chastity, or kindly pity, or of any natural affection or godly virtue, such I say as are taught to fear no God, to shun no sin, to haue shane of no filthiness, to haue care of no faithfulness, to haue reverence of no worthiness, to haue mercy of no ruthfulnesse, & to haue onely confidence in the feigned almightiness of their great priests that persuade them that all horrible acts against Christians are meritorious services to their false Prophet and Antichristian mohammed? Thus descended, thus begotten, thus shapen, thus brought up, thus inclined, thus guided, thus taught, thus accompanied, thus served by other, thus delighted himself, what can we hope? nay what ought we not to fear at his hand?  
Now of these great likelyhodes, of these godly blossoms, what fruits hath he shewed, since he hath after death or rather murder of his brother inherited his fathers open vices and crown, & added thereto his mothers secret craft & unfaithfulness to make up a perfect tyrant? Behold every way if his attempts haue not ben wonderful, his successses prosperous, & his boldness thereby gathered intolerable. The particulars whereof being known enough, and to loathsome to remember, I will but show you his late doings even now in hand to your peril. Since his great intelligence & conspiracy with that old wretched prince the despot of Mysia, what mischiefs hath he wrought to christendom, what falsehood hath he not attempted what cruelty hath he spared? The noble princes and gentlemen of Rascia, subject to his power, he 〈◇〉 constant in Christian faith, and not to be drawn to shrinks from their conscience, and perceived it impossible to wrest them to be wicked & vnthankeful ministers of his treacheries and traitorous violences intended by him against the Christian kings and states their good and virtuous neighbours in whom they had found comfort and in whom there remained hope of loving and lawful assistance at their need. This tyrant therfore continuing a long foredeuised plot of subduing christianity and of advancing his dominion monarchy and heresy, by growing still vpon his neighbours, and specially bending himself for this time against poor albany & wealthy hungary, out of the one of which he hath lately been happily shaken, and the other he and his ancestors haue long gaped for, and now espying the said Rascian lords his subiectes to be no small impediments to those his vile & dangerous attempts against their chief friends and to whom they were in common faith & had been in benefits so highly bound & such as were then in peace also with the tyrant himself, he used the counsel of the old ungracious Duke George despot of Seruia, an old trained traitor to Christian faith, one that had long been practised in supplanting true Religion, an extreme & merciless tyrant, furnished with experience of the ancient serpent and vnderminer of the old liberty of the highest Christian state, an assured slave to great Antichrist, close in counsel, speedy in pursuing, resolute in execution, lacking nothing in dede of an excellent captain but faith truth moderation of cruelty and an honest cause. With this old cankered Duke instructed with all the virtues that the devill hath to minister, this young mohammed and his complices consultyng how to reach his ambitious intent, to destroy & captive those Christian Princes his neighbours and their kingdoms that were so great eyesores unto him and so much hindered his course of conquest & of ouerthrowyng the religion of Christ, haue entred into this devise, first to murder the said lords of Rascia. By open war he could not do it, for thereof he had made large experience. God had so defended them against his sundry attempts, God had so moved the hartes and virtuous courages of the good princes their neighbours( against whom the tyrant for that cause yet holdeth deep emprinted a revengeful hatred to be poured out when power and opportunity shall serve him, how soever he now dissembleth) God I say so stirred these good Princes with care of Gods honor and their duty to his Church, that their assistances how soever they were slender and neither open nor to the full, haue been so blessed that he could never by just strength & sincere war confound them. By public iustice and lawful proceeding he could not touch them, such ever hath been their upright loyalty, as himself with his own testimony hath been enforced to confirm. wherefore now no mean restend, but treason and perjury, to prostitute and defile the most reverend & sacred faith of a prince, and for the highest treason and tyranny that ever hath been heard of, to call to aid the highest and holiest means of credite, the word and oath of a king, his counsel, and officers, that to his superlative title may be added all superlative falsehood infamy and dishonour, that now the faith royal of that nation may in common understanding signify nothing but treachery and breach of oath and of universal fidelity. This course was liked among them. Under peasable pretences and the sweetest baits of faithful amity, the poor lords of Rascia were trained within the net of his power. There were they fed with joys of security. They saw the ancients face framed to sweetness of countenance, almost beyond that which nature could permit to so portentous a visage shapen to mischief. They considered the Christian princes nere bordering vpon them to bee in league and amity with this mohammed. They saw the peace between him & his Christian neighbours sworn before them, whereof themselves had been the instruments. They saw it commodious for mohammed to keep faith and sound peace. They saw him in some necessity and lack by his former warres in Trebizond, in hungary, at at the siege of Croia, & elsewhere. They saw his people wasted, and great need of quiet. They heard his many repentaunces of former troubles. They saw his pretence of joys for present amity. They heard it daily by his attestations to their friends. They saw themselves admitted to his daily pastimes. They saw him delighted in their companies, exercising his sports with pleasure among them. They saw themselves received to secret counsels and conference with him. They saw him conferre with them about his great enterprises and namely about conquest of parcel of the Empire of Trebesonde. Them he feigned himself principally to trust therein, and chiefly to repose himself vpon their force & fidelity. They saw their backbiters frowned at. Their familiar access unto him and great favour with him femed to be envied at. They saw all ceremonies of his own heresy made to stoupe & give place to their encouragement. They felt themselves liberally rewarded. A thousand other exquisite means to abuse them did train them to assurance of his love & constancy. In the midst of all this security grounded all vpon naked simplicity truth & confidence on their part, and vpon treachery dissimulation & perjury on his behalf, be slaughtered them all, and among the rest, how he used the poor king of Bosna it is to odious to tell. Without order, without iudgement, without law or lawful cause, noblemen, gentlemen, old, young, men, women, children, all that ever were subject to the reach of cruelty though not subject to any possibility of offending, were butcherly murdered, as if he had conceived a purpose in his hart not onely to glut his tyranny with the blood of those whom he thought impediments to his unjust purposes, but also not to leave in the world a witness of his falsehood, but such as were guilty with him and partakers of his outrage, nor to suffer any to remain whoes sight hereafter might represent to his guilty hart the memory of their fathers, husbands, mothers, or friends so unjustly, unnaturally, & vnmanly slain. And yet to haue the double advantage of both devises, see the crafty wretch what he hath invented. To be sure both ways, that on the one side this extreme cruelty should fray all persons from standing against his wicked purposes hereafter, and as it were to shake his sword and halters over all your heads & in example to hold the charged pistol to your bosoms, and yet on the other side that this horrible perjury & murdering of persons yielded after his faith royal, after his promise and his oath assured unto them, and after his long cloaked and continued course of dissimulation, should not utterly fray all men from ever trusting him again, and thirdly to make the name of Christians odious, and also fearing least so foul treason should throw him into sudden war with to many of his neighbours at ones for whom he was not yet fully redy, and specially douting least those with whom he is in league should of so open falsehood gather open warning to stand vpon their gard, and an apparent proof that in their leagues also he intendeth to keep no faith with them, but watcheth opportunities against them, and therefore that it behoveth them to look to his doings, to construe them by this example, to remember that their cause of his malice to them and to those that he hath murdered is all one, and to provide for him, and to succour the remnantes of silly Christians which he yet hunteth about the world: for these reasons to bléere other Christian Princes eyes till he lay his net over them, he published forsooth that the poor lords of Rascia had conspired against his life and crown. But O ye mighty Princes, wey the untruth hereof, and when it is weighed, let it wey with you for an vndouted argument what is intended against you, and how much it behoveth you to look to yourselves betimes. Let it avail to put you in mind if ever the like manner of league or alliance hath been fought by him to be made with any of you, & compare by this example what is like that you should haue suffered if it had proceeded, & how much you are to thank God that you haue escaped, and for your escape how much you owe to God and to his Church and to your countries and to your own preservations, to succour the afflicted, & provide for yourselves, and your charge. Let his cruelty make you careful: let his falsehood make you hedefull: let the disclosing of his untruths make you skilful, that ye may pity us, look to yourself, and beware of him when ye understand him. He saith forsooth that all this great slaughter which he calleth execution was but to prevent treason on their partes against him. Note the likelyhodes and see the manifest falshodes. The lords of Rascia which when they stood against him in field and had him their open enemy, yet ever sought his grace & to live in peace under him, and never attempted treachery against him, now having him( as seemed) their good Lord, their liberal and bountiful sovereign & friend, would they enterprise any thing to his destruction? They that by onely sincerity of conscience and good dealing had won the hartes of such as were not their subiectes, and thereby gathered strength for their defence, would they now with treason lose that favour gotten & so stand without all hope of power for their preservation? They that knew the great mischiefs that they before had suffered by the disgrace & under the name of so great a prince, to haue proceceded from lewd traitorous counsel of such as now mohammed himself pretended to bereue of their tapistry and conferred with the lords of Rascia for atcheuing it, would they practise his destruction while he was now joining with them to be revenged vpon their greatest enemy? would they haue done it at this time? would they not( if any such intent were) haue stayed till first this reuenge had been accomplished, & so to haue had their hatred satisfied against their principal foe, and also mohammed the weaker by lack of his assistance, that they might then better haue performed this traitorous purpose if ever they had conceived any such? Would they, if any such purpose had ben in their hartes, haue been the means for peace and league between mohammed and you noble Christian kings & princes, and so not onely to set mohammed in more security to be bold vpon them, but also by reason of such leagues to take from themselves your accustomend succours, and their own safest refuge? Would they haue chosen that place at Andrinople the Turkes chief seat, wherein the Christian faith is hated, where the tyrant and their enemies were hyeliest honoured, where the inhabitants detested their persons and religion and haue ever been the parteners and the chief encouragers of Mahumetes treasons, whom mohammed himself could hardly hold from assayeng violence till his bloody counsels where ripe & ready, where I say their aduersaries power was great and not resistable? Would they haue made their match so madly, against so many, against Mahumetes whole populous cruel city of Andrinople, against his great train of Princes then assembled, against his guards of Ianizares, against all likelihode of preuaylyng or of escapyng if they had prevailed, themselves being so few in number, unarmed, and unprovided? would they haue brought their wives & daughters to the place? Would none of them all in that slaughter finding God disapointyng their treason & turning it on their own heads, haue confessed it for very remorse of conscience? would not torture haue wrong it out of them, but that after torment & at death, they all still denied it? would not promise of life to those that dying without confessing( if it were true) were hastening to eternal death, haue alured them to save themselves without care of shaming or offending those whom they now saw past all habilitie to help them or reuenge it upon them? How happeneth that the contradictions of things spoken written and published by himself do excuse them & accuse him? How chanceth that the slaughters at the same time in all places where Christians were to be found in his dominion, do plainly show that any their sudden conspiracy there could not extend the guiltiness where they were not? And were the wives, the Ladies, the noble virgines & women guilty, whom no man for their sex would so dangerously trust with so great a secret, & whom no man for their weakness, would make parteners that had no force to assist them, but many impediments to withhold them? And were the silly babes also guilty, even the sucking infantes, & the unborn fruit guilty, whoes very remembrance would rather haue stayed them, or at least some of so many, from such an enterprise? would they haue come to such a feat so vnstored of weapon and means of furtherance, so laden & clogged with weak burdens and means of accombraunce. Doth not the hasty execution argue the murderers guiltiness, where himself stood in no fear or danger, nor the other side in any possibility of escapyng? Were they not in his power to be detained, to be arraigned, to be tried in judicial form, and in their public conviction to haue condemned themselves of treason & acquitted him of perjury? Would he haue suffered the stain dishonour and infamy of so vile a murder, if he might haue avoyded it with proving them guilty who could not escape the trial if he had lifted to haue brought them to it? If they were so wise as their former lives haue shewed them, it can not be credible that they would haue attempted so great a matter so foolishly. If they were fools, as they must needs be if they were truly charged, then had they not wit enough to haue prevailed. So if they were wise they are not truly to be accused, and if they were stark fools they were never justly to be feared. But( O excellent Princes) neither were they fools nor false. Noble & true gentlemen they were: valiant Christians, & faithful persons they were: onely unwisely they trusted a tyrant, & now lamentably they pray you to be wiser. Such were the false excuses of jugurth against noble Hiemsall and innocent Adherball. Such were the shameless proclamations, letters, & edicts of vile Antoninus Caracalla against his brother Geta and against the people of Alexandria. It was not their treason it was their cause, it was their faith, it was their Christian Religion, it was their virtuous and loyal constantie, whereby the tyrant could never be assured of them against you, but ever accounted them impediments such as he must of necessity remove ere he could procede with his practices against you, your kingdoms and states. albany could not be possessed, hungary can not be subdued; while Rascia is to minister aids and means of friendly passage for the one to relieve the other. Rascia divided from christianity, and added to his heathen servitude, setteth him in the midst of the frontiers of christendom, and severeth the assistance that should defend them. That is the mark, that is the end, these be but entrances. It is the cause that slay these Princes, it is the cause & the same cause that is common to you. It is your Christian faith, that they dyed for: it is your amity, for that they could not be drawn against you, that they dyed for: it is the defence of your dominions which could not be subverted nor ones with any force attempted in their lives, which they dyed for. It is they that living honoured and served you, and now dead do warn and teach you, and this they teach you, that you trust not the faithless tyrant. They tell you they were slayen for the faith that you profess: they tell you withall that the same cause sufficeth the tyrant for querel to do the like to you if he can: They tell you that they were murdered to make him the easier passage to your dominions: they tell you withall that he will not lose the fruit of that labour, but much more seek to destroy you than them, whom he destroyed but to make way to you. They tell you that( beside opportunity to hurt you) he gained nothing by their death, for that they were his vassals before: they tell you withall, that he shall gain great kingdoms by oppressing you, & therfore will more egrely pursue you than them. They tell you that he holdeth himself bound to maintain his principal league & confederacie with the princes of the Mahumetane heresy, wherein is included the joining of all their powers to the rootyng out of the godly princes that maintain the religion of Christ: they tell you with all that ye be those Princes to whom although this late mischief hath not yet atended yet surely it was and is intended against you. They tell you, and in their own example plainly prove it, that what soever later peace or leagues haue been made with you, they were never more sacredly made and assured than these that were made and sworn to them: & therewith they tell you that mohammed supposeth them all subject to his former league with those infidels, & that he will break them so some a● his advantage serveth against you. Imagine O ye noble kings, Princes, lords, and fathers, that ye saw here before yt the late excellent Lords of Ra●●ia, some with hoare beards reverend, some with manly visages honourable, some with youthful comely personages lovely, & joined with them in company an infinite multitude of noble Ladies, ancient women, flourishing virgins, tender babes, the healthy, the sick, the lame, the young, the old, the virtuous, the learned, all bewrayed with gore blood with filth and mire of streets, naked, howed, mangled, singed with powder, shot through with pellets, every way most lamentably slaughtered and made loathsome to look vpon, and imagine that piteously some one of them for all death say unto you. Ye noble Princes the remaining succours and defences of christianity, behold we beseech you the spectacle of Christians slain for our & your faith, & let the sight of us be warning to you that ye look to yourselves and to the ●●ocke of God. We are now delivered from earth and are no more the subi●ctes of the tyrant that cruelly slay vs. Now by death delivered from his yoke, ●owing him no duty we speak boldly lawfully freely & truly against him. Trust no bonds of his, for he is all together faithless & untrusty. We were ●●ess the stay between you & him, now by our death is the passage made open to you. If we could haue been contended, unthankfully and unworthily of the great benefits that we received of you, to haue promised him to serve against you, he had been pleased to haue suffered us to live with liberty of our religion. He proponed us that article, he travailed with us to that end, we refused it. He was chiefly bent to bereue you of your possessions and lives, to roote out your Religion & stablish his monarchy. He practised earnestly to haue our assistance. When he saw he could not win us thereto, but that we remained impediments to those devises; he hath for your sakes slain us, and made 〈◇〉 terrible examples to fray all other from resisting his purposes. In deed we know well, that if we had yielded to his request against you, his promise of enioyeng the freedom of our Religion and conscience, should not haue lasted but till you had been oppressed. Let that therfore be a lesson to you, that his promise shalbe no longer kept with you than till he may haue leisure, after destroyeng us, to set vpon you. For what assurance haue ye of him more then we had● nay surely ye haue not so much by this that we being slain there is so much less mutual assistance left to Christians. For it is nothing but fear & want of ability that holdeth him from breach of faith. Can ye trust vpon better then we haue found, by reason of treaties & articles conceived and put in writing? we had articles conceived, written, entred in records, and yet broken. Can ye trust vpon better by assurance of the word of a king? we had faith royal given us in the word of a king, & yet broken. Can ye trust vpon better by the oath of a Prince? we had many oaths of a Prince and many ways testified and yet broken. Can ye trust vpon better by oaths & promises of lords, counsellors, and Magistrates joined with their king and so bound to aduise him to observe it▪ Alas we had the oaths of queen Cathagusina his own mother a born Christian in name though descended of a ra●e despising Christ: we had the oaths of his Bassaes, his lieutenants and gouernours of the prouincies where we lived and of all the officers of all the courts of Iustice and Capitaines of places of strength within those partes of his dominions, and yet broken. Can ye trust vpon better in respect of honor? here was honor most highly violate, & the greatest dishonour entred that ever Prince deserved. Can ye trust vpon better by regard of natural pity? Alas we were his own and found no pity, what shall strangers look for? Can ye trust vpon better by shows and appearances of good countenances, faire words, and pleasant semblance? we had plenty of those, & yet broken. Can ye trust vpon better in respect or comparing of your own consciences on your part, knowing that on your behalf all peace is truly kept without cause of offence? Surely there was on our part nothing but innocence and naked confidence and much less matter of unkind construction than can on your partes be shewed if the quarreling victor ones growest out of fear shall himself haue the expounding of it. Thus it hath pleased God we should appear to your considerations in such mornefull and piteous wise as ye now behold us, to set before you your own perils, to imprint them in your hartes, & to be causes of extending your due compassion to the rest of Christes members which need your aid, and which yet do( as we sometime did) stand as a fence for a time between you & the common enemies of Christentie, and so serve we in the case of our bodies to warn you that ye defend them as your utter wall, least if it be lost, the peril draw nearer to win your innermost dungeon and greatest strength. And if it be lost by your betrayeng it, or by your doing nothing for defence of it, you not onely hazard your safeties, but shall lose your honors for ever, and with the conqueror himself you shall not win the thank of good peacekéepers and league-fellowes, but he in his triumph will brag in reproach of you that ye pretended fidelity of peace to cloak fear, and shounyng of honor with peril, and that most is, ye shal charge yourselves with a hard account to him that gave you the honor to bear the sword not in vain, & trusted ye with the keeping of his vineyard house & Church. On the otherside in the case of our souls, the same our God hath willed us to let you know, that how soever we seem in this show lamentable because in bodies we were so, yet now we are not in pain but in ioy, that ye may be assured, how soever( if ye well serve him) he guideth the success to his glory, it shalbe your benefit, & though you give your lives in his querell, yet shall you gain them, & eternal joy shall succeed your blessed endynges, and if you can carry clear conscience that you shrink not from the peril of his warfare you shalbe assured to haue your part in the honor of his triumph.  
Imagine ye mighty Princes that ye saw their bodies in this array, and that their ghosts thus spake unto you. The moving of conscience to consideration is called the speech of that which it considereth. So hath it been said by our saviour, that those & those shall rise against these and these to condemn them in the day of his dreadful judgment, which is no more but that the consciences of the guilty shall burden and condemn themselves with the others example and comparison.  
And now leaving that impression to prepare you to a right maner of construyng Mahumetes doings and your own duties, I beseech you mark the rest of his preachings, & thereby judge the course of his counsels, and direct your contermines thereafter. Behold how cruelly he hath dealt with the noble gentlemen my kinsmen and dearest friends the long parteners of my travails perils and fortunes both good and bad, whom being taken in war he could not be brought either to ransom or exchange, but horribly murdered them. Moses of Dibra my dearest companion, Giuriza de Vladen my kinsman, Musachio my sister Angelinaes son, Ginio Musachio, John Perlato, Nicholas Berrisio, George Chucca and Ginio Manessio, all excellent Capitaines and zealous Christians, travailing in succour of our faith and taken prisoners by that paisant born, that runagate infidel and traitor Ballabano Mahumetes minister within the streightes adjoining to the vale of val 〈…〉 the frontiers of Epirus toward ●●●●edone: how despitefully were they used, dragged about in most shameful ●i●e, vexed, tortured, and at length against all law of iustice and nature put to most vile & horrible execution, and set up for signs, not so much of their great calamity, as of his most abominable t●rannie, & if ye wi●e be, to your most 〈◇〉 warning & piercing example▪ The strong town of Sfetigrade one of the keys of Epirus he hath taken by treason of the superstitious garrison of the Dibrane souldiers, and by practices of fowle and vnhonorable corruption. Croir and Petrella he besiegeth. And, that his extreme malice may appear, in the deep of sharp winter, in hardness of provision, in scarcity of all things necessary, in the poverty of his own people, in so great need of rest after so many travails and miseries, in hye security of being assailed by us if he would haue let us alone, in the midst of the hope of his conquests elsewhere to be extended, and of his business other wise to be more profitably employed, behold howe his hatred of Christian name can give his greedy hart no 〈◇〉, but in all these reasons to the contrary, he pursueth our blood, to wade through it into your bodies and into the rest of christendom. What a wound hath he given to christendom at the battle of Uarna? How cruelly hath he used his victory, and what lamentable, slaughters & unspeakable outrages hath he committed at the winning of Constantinople? Behold how nere he is, how small a distance by sea departeth you. If Epirus bee thoroughly conquered that he leave no doubt behind him, how nere & how daungerous a neighbour is he 〈◇〉 your possessions in Dalmatia? how ●●tal 〈◇〉 is into Sicile? how lie your islands under his nose? what opportunities hath he to oppress your nauigations? your sailing decayed, how sore enemies shall he & his confederates by sea, yea and the sea itself, be unto you, even to enclose you and not to defend you, to environ you as a siege or net and not as a wall or trench. Note his means of growing further. While the querels that he maintaineth in Epirus, and the siege of small towns with huge armies, and preparations to other great attempts, do give him colour to raise great powers provisions and numbers, doth he not divert you from suspecting what he intendeth? It is not Epirus that needeth so great a force. Epirus is the colour to make you negligent. When Seruia your neighbours land is his confederate, when Epirus is distracted from you and not aided by you to find him fully occupied elsewhere, look for it out of hand, so soon as he shall by conquest of Croia & Petrella, or by new supply of his own forces, be able to spare them from thence, albany shall poure out his men of war vpon your frontiers, his ships that now attend for that service shall bring your danger nearer ●ithe yourselves will not drive it further. Then your slender succours that served not us for safety, shall serve him for querell, beside that he hath prepared & cherished querels within your own bosoms. How oft hath the Duke of Mysia that old false Christian his confederate practised to corrupt your subiectes, devised means of dividing yourselves, secretly raised rebellions within your lands, cherished traitors, given them strength and countenance when they were in force, & refuge when they were vanquished? he maintaineth your fugitives and exiles, he suborneth titles to your crownes, he hath prepared you work at home if you tarry till he be ready for you. In all these things is mohammed to carry the gain, he is the principal labourer and for whom is principally laboured. They haue cast lots upon your garments, they haue in their very leagues and treaties divided your dominions, and the great Antichristian fathers of their sect haue drawn the lines between them, and in their conventicles confirmed the distribution of your kingdoms, they support your nere enemies, they fain themselves protectors of those to whom they say you do wrong, and whoes cause they keep in store to accomber you. And whereto tendeth this, you can not but see, and if seeing it you foresee not to meet with it, you can not but feel it. And above all things I beseech you note one thing, by bold resolutenesse on his parte he hath the famed of constancy & it is found perilous to resist him: by timorous dealing on our side we haue won a mocking name of silly clemency and made it no danger to shrink from vs. By his growing the hopes are on his side: by our forbearing the fears are drawn to our side. And by this mean our own politic & worldly wise subiectes & friends, which are the greatest numbers, flee daily from us, make their peace under hand with our aduersaries, and still ripen the mischiefs till our state fall rotten to ruin, with small need of any foreign violence, but one boystcous blast of wind, to overthrow the feeble stay that we stand vpon. Thence came the Despotes first declining, thence came it that many towns and regions bordering upon the conqueror haue followed his fortune and forsaken those in whom they saw no hope of steadfast succour.  
Bend yourselves therfore bytimes, O noble Princes, to take the querell of Christ in hand, to succour your neighbours, to defend yourselves, to keep peril far of, to prevent impossibilities of escape, to win to you the praise of prudence and fortitude, to do true iustice in succoring against wrongs, & in doing the true offices of noble Princes repellers of unjust violence, and maintaining the public faith and society of men & specially the service & religion of God. You haue heard by example in other, to whom mohammed was as deeply bound as to you: you haue heard by the principles of his religion, which he more esteemeth than the love or fear of you: you haue heard by the inclination of his affections, and the course of his counsels and doings, which being made by him the scope of his life he will not change and so foregoe all his ambitious hopes to spare you: you haue I say hereby & many other ways heard and understood the case that presseth you. arm ye therfore with Christian & princely mindes. All Christian kings and princes haue charge of the church of God, the defence therof against infidels and professed enemies of Christian religion pertaineth to us all. The very law of nature hath not onely in rule taught it to bee dutiefull one to relieve an other against undue and unnatural violence, but also in example of all ages haue set forth the praise of such as haue been the rescuers of mankind against open tyranny.  
Herefore is Hercules worthily commended as the common patron of innocency and the daunter of monsters, the succourer of mankind, and the destroyer of manslaying ancients. Who ever thought him unjust & not most honourable, in that he sacrificed the sacrificing murderer Busyris, & taught the superstitious wretch to know strange blood in his own body, and such blood as the Gods required to be  shed for purging the earth and appeasing the heaven, and not the blood of innocents that Busyris by aduise of devils & devilish priestes had made to flow from his bloody altars? Who ever condemned Hercules of unjustice, in that he worthily recompensed vile Procustes that joyed & made pastimes of the mangling of men, that racked short men to his long bedstedes, and cut of tall men by the measure of his short ones, and so would pike querels for murder by mens not equal answering his opinion and fancy? Who magnifieth not the name of Hercules, and under title of iustice, in that he slay a multitude of the perjured faythbreaking centaurs that defiled the wedding feast with blood, and had turned the time appointed for mirth, for joy, for amity, for security of true league and friendship, to querel, to treason, to murder and outrage? spain itself that sometime boasted of Hercules pillars, though they haue lost those famous pillars the monuments of his far extended conquests, yet they and the whole world keep in honor the famed of Hercules valiaunce and iustice in that he slay the thréehedded monster king geryon, so by antiquity called and reported a monster with three heads, being in dede nothing else but three ancients the king and his two brethren unjustly and tyrannously reigning and exercising all cruelty vpon virtuous innocent and godly persons. Who thinketh that Hercules did not right, although he were not that contreyman nor natural sovereign of that place, in that he threw the wicked murderer into his own horsemanger to be devoured, who before had fed his beasts with men? eternal are the praises of noble Constantine, that made just war vpon Licinius for his cruelty to Christians, and after for the same cause justly put him to execution of death, though he were by right Emperor of the East and otherwise Constantines equal. The very name of that excellent Constantine( O noble Princes) with remembrance whence he was, even out of the famous Isle of britain, maketh me to run out into joyful exclaiming how much( I know not by what instinct from heaven) even at this present my mind is kindled with persuasion that God hath ordained the same iceland at this time and of the line of that Constantine to give us an heir of Constantines virtue, a spreader of the glory of God and rescuer of his church against him that usurpeth Constantines seat, and against his periurous upholder. After the death of Constantine, when the empire was divided between Constans and Constantius, and so by just right and title possessed, and that Constantius in favour of Arrian heresy had banished Athanasius & many godly fathers, Constans though in civil causes he had no right nor intermeddling in Constantius dominion, yet to his eternal praise made just war vpon Constantius and by force constrained him to give sincere safety and full restitution to his subiectes the true professors of the gospel of Christ. The like did Theodosius the virtuous Emperor at suit of Bishop Atticus. The like hath ever been lawful to Christian kings and princes. And if ever it were necessary, now it is, when not onely many an Athanasius, many an Atticus, and many a noble prince & godly parsonage lie prostrate at your feet for succour, but also the respect of your own safety and of your special charge of your own kingdoms concurreth with their petitions.  
Thus as nothing is more consonant with duty in respect both of God and man, of religion and nature, nothing more commendable for charity▪ nothing more auayling to honour, so is there nothing more profitable for every of your states, more needful for upholding the general degree and name of kings, nor more necessary for eschuing of imminent peril to all those things that you haue most desire to preserve, than it is to take this querell in hand for your faith, for your neighbors, for yourselves, against the enemy of God, of christendom, of your crownes, and of public truth. The degree of kings is a most sacred and reverend office ordained by God, armed and adorned with lawful power and majesty to preserve mankind and common society. It behoveth all kings to join together to uphold that estate in the same estimation and reverence, that kingdom may be esteemed as it is a wholesome ordinance for the kind of man. If a king shall break common faith and become an open tyrant and oppresser of men, without law, without judicial order, without all ground and form of right, though subiectes may not, yet it behoveth kings to redress it and to repress the rage and insolency of the defamer and shane of their state, to provide betimes that kings wax not odious to subiectes, and that particular examples increasing by contagion to numbers make not the whole degree grievous. If tarquin had received due punishment by the king, the kingdom had remained in Rome. If Appius the Decemuir had beéen justly chastised and not wantonly defended by his fellowes, the Deremuirate had not beéen so easily abolished. States are upholden by virtue and credite, and equal princes for their common interest to maintain the honour and continuance of princes, and to keep it free from hatred of the world, haue just cause and just authority, great wisdom and great necessity, by natural and virtuous consent to provide for the common society of men whereof they haue the supreme charge on earth, to wipe away the stain of their state, to remove such a wicked king from the earth and from example, and to cut from the world and from posterity the corrupter and sclaunderer of kingdoms and of their sacred majesties. How much more ought this to be done in case of the defence of Christian religion so far as the secular arm of princes whom Christ hath armed with the sword and lawful power is able to advance the surety of Christes church? How oft to this end haue there been proclaimed croisadoes, common leagues and confederacies entred, noble societies established, great voyages attempted, great promises of heaven proponed, to enlarge the kingdom of Christ in earth, to deliver not onely the ancient possessions of Christians from wrongful holding, but also and principally the souls of infinite multitudes from the servitude of satan? But here will perhaps be said, that howsoever my speech may be construed against the great mohammed, yet the other tyrant is a Christian prince, under whom and in whoes dominion Christians are suffered to keep their religion. I confess in deed he holdeth the name of a Christian in as hye degree as may be, but with such heresies and turkish mixture of heathen ceremonies, superstitions, and blasphemies against the name and dignity of Christ, and therwith is such a malicious cruel enemy to Christians, in stoping their passages to help one an other, in ministering dangerous counsels to mohammed, in aiding him with his force, according to the league and amity that is between them, that his name of christianity serveth him to no more but to increase the guiltiness of his fault, & the justness of your war against him, whoes case differeth onely thus much from the turk, that in that he saith he is a Christian he hath to all the Turkes lewdnesses added blasphemy, & where the turk is an open enemy, this tyrant is both an open enemy and traitor to Christian faith.  
Oh most excellent Princes, be it ever printed in your hart, that whatsoever he be, though he presume to bear the name even of most Christian, or of most holy, or usurp the title of pity or catholic religion, or other like good names, if he persecute the Church of God, if for ambitious respects he join himself in society with the Turk and Christes enemies to further the Turkes invasions vpon christendom, or to withdraw his own aid from the common cause of Christians, if public faith do not hold him, if law of nature and human society be no bonde unto him, if the word of God be not the rule of his religion, if he kill or oppress his subiectes or his neighbours for being Christians, and for professing the same according to the rule of Christ, as this prince hath done, he ought to be in your iudgement, as he is in his own practise, a heathen and publican, one against whom your sword ought to be justly drawn for that you bear thē not in vain, and in vain shall you bear them and deeply answer God for vain bearing of them, if ye use them not to defend, to succour, to rescue the Church of Christ. And by the way in the example of this false Christian the despot, I beseech you note one thing. The danger of leagues and societies with infidels. Surely it was no law of ceremony, but of the hye wisdom and eternal policy of God, that his people were forbidden heathen marriages. The great fall of wise Salomon to deep idolatry by that mean ought to be a terrible pattern to you all in that case, and to warn you not onely that it is dangerous but also unlawful to couple yourselves in bonds of marriage with open heretics or infidels. It is a hye pride in your own strength and a hye presumption against the will of God to trust that so matching you shall be able to retain your faith. Salomon was wise and could not do it, and was the rather by Gods mercy to you, destitute of Gods grace to him, to teach you to beware by his example. After that the despot had given his daughter Cathagusina in marriage to Amurathes, the friendship of the tyrant, the love of his daughter, the ambitious pride of so hye alliance, common conferences of counsels and affairs, transported him by little and little from faith to open falsehood and enmity against Christ and Christians. So great a thing it is to yield a little in matters of faith and service of God, as if it lay in ourselves to qualify the sincerity of truth, whereupon the grace of God by little and little destituting such yelders and dispensers with themselves in matters of God they become at length indurate and desperate, and void of all virtue and sense of God. O noble lords believe it for a most certain truth, record it for a most necessary admonition, that he hath not the religion of Christ that feeleth it not. And he feeleth it not that doth not together feel with other Christians the hurts and dangers of the body & members of the church of Christ. Nature hath told you how the difference between doing wrong and not preserving from wrong if you may, is so small as they be both subject to the title & guilt of wrong even in a private person, much more in those whoes office lieth in power & in charge to defend, and to that end was ordained. When a Christian after shipwreck, naked and destitute of ordinary mean of succour, wrestling in the waves for his life, his forces wasted with labour of swimming, his body filled with brine of sea, is by the working of the wind and water driven nere the shore, where you in safety stand and behold his woeful case and danger, and that thereupon his tyered spirites do of your presence gather some hope, and with recollecting his uttermost remaining force draweth together so much silly strength as by sign of hand stretched up, or by voice strained forth, to call to you for help, and that the throwing out of a rope, or reaching of a poale may save him: how will you answers him that made him if you save him not? will you be thought to haue humanity in you and refuse to relieve him? will you beast of christianity and not be moved with pity? will you vaunt of your religion and so foully defame it? will you think that any man can in faith believe that you haue faith when you show it not in the deeds of mercy and charity the true fruits of faith, specially to those that be of the household of faith? Will you pretend that leviathan and his sea monsters, that the Whales and Haddockes will be offended, that in saving the man you bereued them of their pray? Will ye allege that it were wrong to the flesh eating fishes that by your help the Christian was not devoured? But what if the case were such, as the case is in deed, that on the one side a monster of sea pursuing the man did threaten to eat up your Goslinges and your Ducklinges when he findeth them swimming on the water unless you suffered him to eat the man, and on the other side the poor mans father the King of kings and Lord of lords, that hath your life and death and the universal change of all things in his power and at his beck, shall stand over you, and shall say unto you, unless you help this man my child, your brother if you be mine, I will presently tomble you from the safe shore that you stand vpon, I will give wings and feet to the monsters that now pursue this silly creature in their own element and dominion onely, I will bring them to land, I will give them strength and mean to pursue you there also till they roote out you and yours? what would you then do or not do? whom would you then choose to please or displease? which threaten or peril would you rathest shun or adventure? It is not hard to conjecture what choice you would make, if these things were thus presently before your eyes: why make you not the like choice when the same thing is present to your understanding? Surely it can haue no cause but lack of faith, that concerning God we confess more in mouth than we feel in belief. We can be content to affirm religion and conscience to make other for religion and conscience obedient to our authority, and shall we ourselves against religion and without conscience neither haue pity of Christian men for whom our authority is established, nor show love or fear of God by whom it is ordained. But admit that ourselves were in like peril with the poor man, and the danger so equally conjoined that we must either be saved or perish together, what would we do? When the whole ship of Gods militant. church standeth in this likelihood of extremity, when ourselves are sailing in the ship ready to burst wholly in peers, will we still sleep and be wanton? Death is certain to you all, and this life must haue end, & in the ending of it a battle at the passage must be foughten with the mighty enemy of your salvation. It can not be avoyded but it must be tried, it can not be escaped but you must perish if you be not strongly armed. At your dying hour( O noble princes) that hour I say that endeth the estate of all princes and subdueth them in equality with all men to the highest prince, when the danger is most great, natural strength most feeble, and divine aid most needful, be sure of this that satan shall then most fiercely assail you, he shall querell with you vpon your great account, he shall so charge you with great faults, that he shall not omit the smallest default. judge yourselves therefore that ye be not judged. Charge yourselves now to amendment, that ye be not then charged to damnation. Imagine yourselves now to be in such case as ye are one day sure to be. Suppose the hour come when you are ro yield your spirit and your power together, when you lie in languor of dying, in sharpness of pain, and in expectation of the imminent judgment of God, and that now as then satan shall in his vggliest maner present himself unto you, and shall say thus: O ye sometime great princes, and now the more burdened because ye were princes, bethink you what you haue done and not done, and aclowledge the iustice of God in your damnation now present and not to be avoyded. I let pass your private faults against Gods commandements. Come to the greatest. You know Christ himself did set on his left side, and sent into eternal fire, those that in need did not relieve him, with clothing, with lodging, with food & comfort, pronouncing that uncharitableness to haue been shewed to himself, when mercy and succour was not extended to one of the poor ones that he had commended to their mercy. What shall he say to you that haue withholden your due aid not onely from one little one but also from his whole church, from the defence of his whole religion and people, and not that onely, but when you might haue holpen their misery, you haue not only suffered them to be spoyled, robbed, and slain, but infinite multitudes of them, their children and posterities to be thralled to a false faith, to be carried captive into heresy and the kingdom of Antichrist? Do you think to sit in heaven and see whole armies, whole nations go to hell by your fault? If blood ask blood, what vengeance shall be due to the instruments of eternal death? What shall it avail you to haue kept your own kingdoms in quiet and good estate for a little less or more than xx. yeares, & by your default to be guilty of all the infinite mischeues that you haue without compassion and succour seen among your neighbors, and without provision shall succeed after you in your own realms and dominions? When satan shall lay this to your charge, what shall be answered? you can not defend it nor excuse it. Will you run to mercy? he will run between you and the mercy gate, and tell you it is denied to the unmerciful? Will you allege that heaven is due to those of the church of God? he will bring for witness against you the very church of God itself that you haue destituted and forsaken it, I will not say betrayed it? Will you think to be holpen by faith, and the promises of the Gospel? he will say you haue not faith, and the promises of the gospel belong not to you: for he will bid you to show your faith by your deeds, he will charge you that infidelity hath been advanced by your means, and the faith of Christ & truth of his Gospel defaced by your sufferance, and you haue so dealt in the cause of faith and of the gospel as if you felt no zeal therof. What shall remain to you in this case? Then shall you feel a passion if now you will feel no compassion. The senseless beholding of the distress of the church of God, will raise such a sense of miseries, as shall be able to receive no comfort in horror of the pain that will haue no end. O how deeply it will then be wished, that all treasure, all travail, all policy, all adventure had been employed to the service of God, and the success committed to his goodness. O how ruthfully will wantonness be bewailed, idleness lamented, sparing detested, lust loathed, and liking of life hated? O extreme danger when so great burdens are laid vpon the weakest time, when presumption differreth good doing to the late and latest hour. Now is the remedy. Now noble princes so reign that ye may ever reign, both in famed & blessedness, in the world and after it: so live that ye may never fear to die, which shall be if ye shall so do in life which is but a way to death that ye may yeld to Gods mercy a life spent in his service, that the prayer of Gods church may prolong your reigns, testify your faiths, and commend your souls. But see the mischief, see the subtlety of satan. The self same devill that will then charge you with not doing, doth now withhold you from doing. He that then will threaten you with damnation, doth now move you to deserve it. The self same devill that will then say unto you to put you in terror, you betrayed the church of God, doth now say to you to bring you in error, that you owe no such duty to the church of God. The self same devill that will then object against you that in not showing your deeds to the help of Christians you haue shewed that you haue no faith, doth now say unto you, if you help Christians you break faith. O wretched entanglement. O crafty devill. He holdeth you snared with pretence of faith least you should do any thing in defence of faith. He saith your late league with the infidel doth tie you, by promise, by articles, by public attestation, by oath, so that howsoever your neighbours need requireth, howsoever your own danger craveth, howsoever Gods service commandeth, howsoever charity, howsoever faith, howsoever religion, howsoever wisdom, howsoever honor, howsoever the proper duty and office of princes & Christian princes adviseth, you may not fall out with mohammed, you may take no part against him, you may succour none, no not yourselves, whom he would haue destroyed. He telleth you that we are not comprehended in the league, there is no express capitulation to comprise us, you may not therefore for us interrupt the reach of his purposes, be they never so cruel, never so faithless, never so dangerous to the universal church or to your several lives, subiectes, and kingdoms. record( O noble princes) the truth of the league between him and you. observe all leagnes justly, for so becometh Christians: but judge all leagues truly, for so behoveth Christian governors. Wey your league with the mind that you made and understood it, keep it with the faith that you promised and assured it. You remember well I am assured, what means procured your league, what purpose did further it, and what trust and mind concluded it. You know how your noble virtues haue given succours to us your Christian neighbours, and therein you haue not onely charitably done us good but wisely diverted peril from yourselves. It pleased almighty God that used your honourable ministery in defence of his gospel and church, so to prosper the preachings that good form of peace ensued. Which as it was on our part for the benefit of christendom embraced, so on the ancients behalf it was most fraudulently meant and most vntruely observed. He first concluded peace with us in Epirus and Rascia, hoping to haue used our aids against you. To that end he procured the siege of Scodra, wherein he set Christians against Christians, that he might feed him with joy of the destruction on both sides. To that end he made offer to me and to the other princes in Epyrus and to the lords of Rascia to permit to us and them the free use of Christian Religion with his good contentment, if we would haue joined in serving him against you. That article we refused, whereupon he hath certainly holden us for impediments to his purposes against you. But finding that while your aids were ready to succour us in our necessities, and our services thankfully ready to withstand al perils that might be intended toward you, he practised to snare you with league that you might so be withholden from releuing our lives or revenging our deaths. He pretended great weariness of wars, of waste of his country and people, and a great desire of rest and quiet, with singular ioy that in part he had already obtained and tasted the sweet fruits of desired peace. He made us the means to persuade the peace, he made us to tell your ministers as from him what zeal and affection he had to cherish us, and that for this cause and for assurance of our safety, and our peaceable enjoying the quiet of our conscience this peace should be the bonde and pledge, which hope he confirmed with infinite circumstances and means of credite. With this trust, and for the benefit and security of the church of God, and with this understanding of Mahumets affection you made the peace. This was the cause and this was the purpose therof. You were not vanquished in battle, you were not forced by any fear or necessity to take any dishonourable composition at his hand, to the prejudice of your faith, religion, or honor, or to a necessary constraining of you to forsake the cause of Christ & the querell that had already so much cost you and yet still so much importeth you, you know you were not driven to any such need. Your conscience can tell you that you made the league only vpon these good semblances on his part, to preserve the church, and not to be compelled to destitute and betray it. Reach into your own hartes I beseech you, and let every one of you record with himself, whether you would haue made that league if he had said unto you before hand that which now hath followed. If he had said unto you sincerely, I haue made peace with the Christians at home and nere me, I haue testified it, I haue sworn it, I haue bound my blood, my counsel, my Iustices, mine officers & subiectes, with oath and charge to keep it, I haue subscribed it, I haue proclaimed it, I haue set forth edicts for observing of it, I haue punished breakers of it, I haue defaced the monuments of former discords & vnkindnesse, I haue told you that I seek and assent to league with you & them that both I & they and you may enjoy quietness with each of our consciences as we are persuaded, I will now join in bond of amity with you, but so soon as that is ended, I will keep no faith with heretics, the Rascians whom you haue aided shall die for it, the peace that I haue proclaimed with that sect of Christians shall be dissolved, the permission of use of their religion shall be revoked, Great mohammed my prophet and lawgeuer shall be served with their blood in peace, and the league that I now make with you shall remain, and it shall remain to bind you neither to assist nor to relieve such of them as shall escape my hand, nor to hold up a side that may any way assist you if you haue need hereafter: If I say he had plainly thus  told you, would you haue entred into any such league? Search your conscience and let it inform you. If you would not haue made if you had so understood him, surely neither did you make it with understanding that it should be free for him so to do. If then the cause of league directly understood between you both, and so laid open to the worlds iudgement, was to haue peace for the church, for religion, and for the politic estate on both sides, then who so breaketh that purpose, and by innovations layeth the other open to fraud and danger, that is he that hath dissolved the league, that is he that hath undone the knot, and with his unjust doing against the meaning and apparent cause of the league he hath justly armed you to withstand his treasons, and in vain complaineth that you be tied by the words of the league. Remember I beseech you his other doings against your safety, even in the civil part of your charge and authority. It is well known to you that though be forbear to avow attempts, yet he ceaseth not to make attempts against you. whereto sent he secret assistance to uphold a faction in your nearest borders to your peril? Why promised he money, men, munition and other sinews of war to the disturbers of your state? Why joineth he daily in practise with your deadly enemies? Doth he it to other end than to destroy you? Why throweth he the blame upon other whom he cherisheth, and by whom he is governed? Doth he it to any other end than to deceive you? If then you were deceived in the making of your league, shall it not suffice you to pursue and observe the cause and true purpose of the league? and shall it be free for him against the mind and appearing purpose therof to murder your friends and undermine you? and the cause of the league so destroyed by himself, shall it not be free for you to defend you selves? and shall it not be free till it be too late? I leave to divines, whether you may make a league against the church of God or no, but I hold upon common right and nature, that if a false Prince being in league with an other tyrant, with articles therein expressly contained to destroy certain godly Princes, do make peace with one of the good princes, and after with the other of them, pretending and so making it understood that this peace is made for the surety of both the good Princes, without which persuasion the second good Prince would not haue entred into league to forsake and betray the first, & afterward the tyrant by treason invadeth & murdereth the first good Prince, and publisheth that he lawfully did so, notwithstanding his peace sworn to him that he murdered, because( saith he) the articles of his first league with his fellow tyrant so required, and that he holdeth not himself bound to keep faith with the other: Whether this be proclaimed in word or in fact, it giveth warning to the second good Prince to look to himself, & liberty by all means( of which sometimes invasions is one mean both lawful and necessary) to repress the rage of the tyrant, to save the remnants that haue escaped his cruelty, and by force to withstand his attempts and purposes. If after a league made, new just cause of war be given, that new cause bindeth him that gave it, and giveth liberty to the other to use lawful force agaiost him. It is just cause of war for a Christian prince against a heathen or heretical tyrant, if the tyrant invade the church of Christ and do any attempt to the hurt of the Christian common weal. Since the last league between him and you he hath murdered Christians, he hath invaded your neighbours dominions, he hath done many new outrages to the oppressing of the church of God and to your evident danger. If he had been a Christian Prince with whom your league is made in respect of defending christendom, and he had afterward renounced christendom and become an infidel, had not the intent of your league been so disappointed as such an alteration of his estate had set you at liberty by arms to defend the Church of God? If he were a heathen with whom your league is made, vpon pretence to give peace to christendom, and he afterward by new murders and innovations bring new danger to yourselves through the sides of your christian neighbors, is not the purpose of that peace so defrauded, as you may take this fraud and violence on his part for a just cause of resistance and reuenge on your part, without being tied by league to him against whom may justly be said that in vain he seeketh to be shielded under the lawe that himself hath broken? It is not free for any to exact all faith and keep none. fraud and deceit give just defence to no man. A chirch-robber▪ shall in the same church haue no sanctuary, a peacebreaker can not win thereby liberty to haue the protection of peace with freedom of war. Awake therfore( O noble Princes) and see your danger by oures, his falsehood by his facts, and your necessity by both his and our example. And now when you haue seen what need you haue, what right you haue, what charge you haue, and what free authority you haue, and that thereby you be armed, now consider what strength, what means, what commodity and what ease you haue to do it. First almighty God shalbe your defender if you will defend your Christian neighbours in charity, and your charge in iustice. The tyrant is hated of his own subiectes: plague & famine already pursue his land: the friends of the murdered, & the remnantes of those that fear to be murdered are ready bent to all occasions against him: the fury of conference with conceiving continual presence of their ghosts that he hath stain haue him in daily chase & amaze him both day and night: terror of guiltiness and the face of hell leave him no quiet nor assurance: his extreme cruelty maketh desperate necessity without yielding, in those that shall stand against him: the defence of murder and mischief is so odious that he can not gather an army to trust unto, but mingled with such whose hartes in their slain friends he hath galled, or whose courage so evil a cause abateth, or whose guilty minds with him the like terror vexeth and apalleth: after the destruction of a hundred thousand mouths by murder, vitail is derer and scarcer, and not to suffice the remnant of his people: Gods wrath a thousand ways doth show itself. eternal honor shall follow the revengers of the breach of common faith, the rescuers of the church, the saviours of the afflicted, the preservers of the godly, the subduers of monsters and miscreants. wherefore( O noble princes) haue pity, haue compassion of princes, of Christians, of men, that humanity, religion, and honor, may commend you to eternal famed and to the favor of God. That ye the succorers of many a fatherless infant may live to see your childrens children in ioy and not bear the curse of God to die without heir that may be the comfort of yourselves & stay of your realms, that ye the deliverers of true religion to present time and posterity may presently live in the good grace of God, and leave to posterity a blessed remembrance and not a defacing of your present good doings with calamities to succeed for lack of provision, that when ye haue lived happily ye may die joyfully, and not feel the dangerous temptations that satan at your last hour shall assail ye with if Gods people shall perish which you might haue preserved. Let our case move ye to mercy, let your own case stir ye to wisdom, let the case of your kingdoms raise ye up to iustice, let the case of God and his church kindle you in zeal. Hope not alway for miracles, least they justly fail you for tempting God, or if they fail you not, they justly damn you for not serving God. Draw the sword that God hath given you for him and his people, against Antichrist and the enemies of God and his gospel. And so almighty God preserve you, give you victory, honor, and eternal bless.   

¶ A notable example of Gods vengeance, upon a murdering king. Written in latin by martin Cromer the writer of the history of Polonia, and is to be found in the xxxvii. page. of the said history as it was printed at basil by Oporine in the year of our lord 1555. with Charles the Emperours privilege. truly translated according to the latin.  
Imprinted at London by John day over Aldersgate.   

Popiel the younger.  
AFter the funeral solemnities of Popiel ended, his son of the same name, being under age, was with the uniform assent of his vncles and of the nobility, set in possession of the kingdom, they all by oath promising him their allegiance. The governance of the young kings person, and the administration of the common weal was committed to certain of his vncles that were thought most meet for it. They were continually in the Court, and ever at the Princes elbow. They heard and determined causes and controversies, and did in no point leave the common weal vnserued, until the king himself was able in person to do the public affairs, or at least so long as he would suffer himself to be governed by their advises. For when he came to be a stripling toward mans estate, which is the most slippery and inclining age to licentiousness and pleasures, he began by and by to live after his own fancy, to despise the admonitions of his vncles, to take counsel of young fellowes of his own yeares, and with such youths to use banquetinges and long large drinking feasts, to spend out whole nights in brothelhouses, in daunsinges, in plays and dalliaunce with young women: and then glutted with surfet and lechery, to sleep the most part of the day, to neglect the common weal and hearing of causes in iudgment, & poor mens suits: he became unapt to any good actions, witless, doltishe and blockish, and so waxed contemptuous to all men, in so much as he was conmmonly in scorn called Chostek: beside that his dissolute and vile conditions were further increased in deformity with a thin hear on his head and beard, such as commonly happeneth to vnchast persons. His vncles with the rest of the nobility consulted together how this dissolute life and desperate licentiousness of their Prince might be reformed. They provided him a wife, a very beautiful maid, the daughter of a Prince of Ducheland. And it seemed to them likely that shee a covetous and ambitious woman, would haue reduced her husbands life to better temper from prodigality, and would haue shaken from the sluggishe dull beast his drowsiness. But it happened otherwise, For he both abated nothing of his former disorders and wickedness: and such faults as he before was free from, he now learned of his wife and added them to his other leudenesse. For both he became more covetous, and sold judgements, honours and offices: and where he could not stablish his kingdom by virtue & worthiness, knowing himself so guilty of daily enormities, he laboured to achieve it by pride and cruelty, and coveted to be feared of his subiectes, when he listed not to deserve to bee beloved. And all this he did by provocation of his wife, and shée taking the doing and profit into her own hand. Shée having once tasted the sweetness of dominion and gain, and despising the base hart of her husband, had by her womannishe craftiness conveyed the whole governance to herself. And specially when shee having born him two sons, Lechus, and Popielus, was once become a queen mother, shée held the wanton weak hart of her husband fast bound in awe of her love, and so persuaded herself to make her authority in Poleland to stand firm and fast for ever.  
One onely impediment stood in her way, namely, the favour and credite of the kings vncles among the commonalty, which they had attained by uprightness of life, gravity, and wisdom. Them shée feared: them( for their sometime gentle admonitions, sometime free and plain rebukinges) shee deadly hated: Their very secret conscience shée stood in dread of. And therfore shée practised as much as shée could possibly, with feigned quarrels to bring thē in suspicion and hatred. Shée persuaded the king that while they were alive and in safety, his crown should never sit assuredly and fast on his head. And if he minded to keep it himself and leave it to his children, he must needs dispatch his vncles out of the way. If he himself had not the courage to do such an act, shée bade him commit it to her to compass, saying, that though they passed her in armour and true force, yet shée was better furnished then they with subtle inventions. Shée promised to bring it about without any offence, yea or any suspicion of the people. with which her persuasions shée easily drew to the worse part the feable and fearful hart of her husband. Thus they entred into devise for the murdering of his Uncles. The king feigned himself to be grievously and dangerously sick. his wife caused his vncles( whom shée had appointed to the slaughter) to be sent for in the kings name. They came in hast, & in great heaviness stood about the sick king, & comforted him, he with gronyng feigned himself to be very sore sick: he told them that it was revealed to him from the Gods that the end of his life was at hand: he again and again committed his wife and poor orpheine children to their trust and tuition.  
All the court was filled with noise of the queens womanishe howlyng, sobbing, and lamentations: preparation was made for the funerals by the kings own commandment. The day thus spent, when it drew toward sun setting, the king as one even presently ready to die minding to take his last leave of his Uncles, spake to every of them flatteringly by his name, and in token of his love & good will toward them all, he commanded to be brought a poisoned cup of drink which he had prepared for the same purpose. He feigned himself to drink to them, but he onely blew away a little of the froth in the midst, and scarcely touched the drink with the uttermost parte of his lips. When they had all drunk and pledged him in order one after an other, he feigned himself to bee heavy and disposed to sleep, and that he would fain take some rest. They reverently took their leave of the king and departed. The poison once conceived in their musics possessed their vital partes, and forthwith they fell distraught of their wits, and raging with great torment fell down and died.  
The queen being immediately informed thereof by her espials, commanded the dead carcases of the noble men to be thrown abroad vnburyed. Shée caused it to be published by Proclamation, that they had conspired against the life of the king their kinsman & friend, which had so well deserved of them, and that they were therefore by the evident vengeance of the Gods stricken with sudden death. Although the black spots of their bodies, and their bowels bursting and gushed out of their bellies gave manifest proof of poison, yet for fear of the tyrant( which now no more feigned and sickness or fear of death) no man durst openly lament so unworthy deaths of the good noble men.  
But the majesty of God suffereth not such horrible facts to be long unpunished. For out of the putrefied carcases came rats of monstrous bigness, which pursued through fire and water, which way soever he fled, the unnatural murderer, with his vile wife, and his children. No defences of doors and stops availed him, nor no succour of his guard and servants endeavours to drive them away. At the last, all persons flying from him, his sons were first devoured, and then his wife, and last of all himself unhappy wreatch was with painful flow death miserable consumed in the castle of Cruswik. And so his own fathers curse fell not in vain upon him. This happened about the year of Christ eight hundred twenty and three.   

¶ The same history reported also by Munster in the 895. page. of his cosmography in latin. Wherein he not so largely declareth the treason, but more amply expresseth the vengeance of God in punishing thereof.  
HE being left by his Father within age, his Uncles governed the kingdom, till he came to full age and married a wife. afterward while he was sitting at banquet, tippled with wine, bedecked with garlands, smeared with ointments, all dissolute with surfet and royot, he was set upon by exceeding great Mise that came out of the dead carcases of his Uncles, whom he and his wife had murdered by poison. They with furious eager biting assailed at his banquet the tyrant and his wife and children, his guard labouring in vain to drive them away, because when the force and succour of men was tired, the Mise continued day & night unwearied. They made great round fieres, and within the compass thereof they set Pompilius, and his wife and sons: but the Myse ran through the fire and ceased not to gnaw the unnatural murderer. At length they assayed an other element. They conveyed Pompilius the murderer of his Uncles, with his wife and children in ships into the midst of a great lake: but the myse uncessantly followed them, & eat through the boards of the ships, in so much that the water coming in at the holes, they were in danger of sinking, wherefore the Mariners fearing to be drowned, conveyed the ships to land, from whence an other company of myse joined with the first, and more fiercely assailed him. They that defended him seing this, and acknowledging it to be the vengeance of God fled away.  
Pompilius destitute of his succours, withdrew himself into an hye tower in Cruswic, whether the Myse furiouslye ran and climbed up, and consumed and devoured his two sons, and his wife, and wicked Pompilius himself. behold there is no power nor counsel against the lord.