A LETTER To the Most Illustrious Lord, The Count of Hohenlo, One of the Imperial Generals.  
Written by a Gentleman in the Army of Count Serini before Canisia.  
Concerning the RENEGADES amongst the TURKS.  
Put into English by a Person of Quality.  

With Allowance,  
June 10. 1664. ROGER LE STRANGE.   
LONDON, Printed by John Redmayne, 1664.   

My LORD,  
SInce your generous Humour leads you to oblige without either hope of desire of a return, finding myself in the number of those whose obligations can never be canceled. I have endeavoured, by this paper Mercury to testify to your Lordship how willingly I would catch at any opportunity to show myself grateful, though I cannot quit scores. I remember when I had last the honour of your converse, you were lamenting the fate of Christendom, that nothing should be so destructive of her interest, as a sort of people that falling into the hands of Infidels, either through cowardice, or ambition quit the reverence they own to the blessed jesus, and renounce a Religion as glorious in its Author, as eternal in its Verity, and surely the complaint was so just, that I dare say upon the strictest enquiry into the many Enemies that continually watch for the ruin of Europe, we shall find no such Arguses as the Renegades, who having once become bankrupt in Religion▪ account it glorious to show their passion for their new embraced in pieties, and in their hatred to their once fellow Christians, outvie ever natural Turks. The truth of this I have sufficiently experimented since my coming before Canisia, in which place a considerable number of these monsters are amongst some of the prisoners we have taken, I have met with here and there one of good judgement in affairs, who have assured me that the most considerable persons, and such as are able to give Christianity the most deadly blow are the Renegades now in pay with the Turk; Italians, French, Germans, Spaniards, English, etc. who being well skilled in the military part of the Mathematics (of which, and all other Species of good Learning the Turks are wholly ignorant) have ever the charge of the Artillery, are the Daemons that show them the Modern way of attaquing places, and the newest mode of regulating Armies amongst us, and indeed teach them all the Warlike Inventions which the most refined Wits have studied and happily brought to perfection: Nay one of them in pursuance of a large discourse he made me of the damage and injuries these Vipers do to Christendom, did not stick to affirm, that a Renegade in high esteem with this Prime Visier, was the grand Spring that put the Turks in motion now against the Emperor; and (besides the allegation of the differences Christian Princes foment amongst themselves) by other arguments more pleasing to the Turkish Gusto, pleaded the Necessity in point of Honour, and Facility in point of Success, if the War were once commenced. Neither is it, my Lord incredible, that the Turk with so great a power should like a flood come in upon us at the persuasions of these kind of men; for upon the same account he formerly undertook such expeditions. Sultan Soliman would rather have contented himself with the delights of his Seraglio, than ever attempted to besiege Malta with such a numerous Army, had not the charms of the Renegade Piali pushed him upon that design. Yea Mahomet the second would not have besieged Rhodes (where it pleased God to signalise the bravery of the Christians in raising that siege) had not the Renegades persuaded him, and in particular one Anthony Meligabi a Native of that very Isle, the perfile whereof he gave to the Sultan: And I must needs say, they have rendered the Ottoman Family and Empire so many meritorious services, that a great part of their Grandeur must be acknowledged the effect of their Counsel and Courage. I shall take liberty to look back into former times and give your most Excellent Lordship a summary account of their Erterprises. I will begin with Ibraim Bassa, so fatal to our Hungary. This grand Personage being a Child of Tribute;) for the Turk all over his Dominions, takes one in three from the Christians) was a Native of Parga, a Village of Greece, between the City of St. Maur and Corfeu; and being a youth of a comely presence and noble spirit, was sent to the Service of Solyman the Second in the life of his Father Selim; this young Prince being then at Adrinopolis: the Turkish Emperors having a Custom to bring up their Children out of the Seraglio, and Briantine Port whether they are never brought, until the decease of their Father. Ibraim grew not so fast in years, as he towered up in the favour of Solyman; and seemed to be the Soul, that gave life and motion to this Prince, who no sooner mounted the Imperial Throne, but he heaped so many honours and favours upon this Creature of his, that the world might easily judge, he intended him for that Colosse, on whose shoulders he resolved to lay the burden of that vast State: Now he is Grand Vizier, and Lieutenant General of the Empire; who being a great Soldier, and incomparable Statesman, put his Master upon those heroic actions that made our Hungary and the Isle of Rhodes, the just subjects of his Magnificent triumphs. To whose courage do the Turks own the Cities and Kingdoms of Tunis and Algiers, but to Ariadeno Barbarossa a Greek Renegade and Native of Metelin? and who so bravely defended the City of Algiers in the year 1541. when the glorious Emperor Charles V besieged it, but Assan Aga a Native or Sardignia? It was close begirt by Sea and Land with a potent Army, and yet he had the fortune to repel all the Impressions made by so many excellent Cavaliers, and see them sent to their last home. I might here mention that famous Captain Scipio Cigale, son of the Viscount Cigale, who passing out of Sicily into Spain, was taken prisoner, and carried to Constantinople; where renouncing his Religion, he grew into so great esteem with the Sultan, that he raised him to the Dignity of a Bassa, and made him General of divers great Armies, with which he enlarged the Ottoman Territories, and his own Reputation. But I shall content myself with the Actions and Fortunes of that great Renegade Nasuff, so famous in this Century, and nigher your Lordship's memory; this Nasuff was the son of a Greek Priest about Salonica, who being brought young to Constantinople, so well managed his Fortune that at 25 years of Age he was employed in the overseeing a Mosque, which the Sultaness caused to be built, and having fortunately performed that office, by her had the charge of the Seraglio given him, and all her domestic affairs: But here he stopped not, for being the child of Fortune, and destined to the highest Honours and Employs, she quickly brought him to the knowledge of Sultan Hohmet the first, who from Offices in his Seraglio, advanced him to be Bassa of Aleppo, and dignified him with the Government of Mesopotamia; yea the Emperor finding him to be one of a designing spirit, & ambitious to undertake great things, after the death of Serdar Bassa, gave him his Estate, and made him grand Vizier; and that he might have opportunity to show his address and courage in Military expeditions, made him General of his Army against the Persians, who were so beaten by him, that they were enforced to sue for a Peace as dishonourable to themselves, as advantageous to the Turks. Thus encircled with the beams of glory and honour, he enters Constantinople, receiving the plaudit of the Grandees of the Port; and as a further accession to his felicities, one of the Sultan's daughters in marriage; but in fine, this Ingrate hoping to make himself Sovereign of Mesopotamia, in reward of his perfidiousness had all his greatness choked with a Bowstring. Thus my Lord, I have given you some small remarks of the services formerly performed by these Renegades to the Ottoman Empire, and can we think they are less active now? No, no, the same maxims that lead them in the last Age to the prosecution of the most infamous designs, survive in the breasts of these, who conscious to themselves of the highest crimes, think there is no safety but in continuing to be still worse. We had been masters of Canisia before now, had these serpents left their hissing, and continual solicit to endure the utmost extremity rather than yield; yea the most Intelligent persons I can any where encounter assure me, the last year the Turks had not been so cruel where they came, had not these devils (like so many Muftis) persuaded the natural Turks (and for that no great store of Rhetoric was requisite) that Christians were the best victim they could offer up to their Prophet Mahomet. The truth is, that Impostor having taught in his Koran that his Law was to be planted with Sword in hand, there are no such people in the world to put that doctrine in practice as these Renegades, who having quitted a Religion innocent and pure, and such as bids the Sword to be sheathed; are the readiest to commit all kind of cruelties and murders, having a religious pretence to justify them: So that (my Lord) it will concern all Christian Princes to watch narrowly these Phaeton's, that have already fired so great a part of Christendom, and will undoubtedly endeavour to proceed further, if by severe animadversions they be not frighted from joining with those professed enemies of Christianity; for it is certain, many of these Renegades now in Command, are such as voluntarily and at years of discretion espoused that Interest. To conclude, That God Almighty would favourably shine on the Empire, and give all Christian Monarches a resolution to combine against the common Enemy, and amongst the many brave persons that fight under the Banner of the Cross, preserve your Excellency, shall be the prayer of  
From Canisia, May, 15th Still. Nou. 1664. Most Illustrious Lord, Your most humble and faithful Servant, N. R. D.