A True and Perfect NARRATIVE Of the late Dreadful FAMINE In the great and populous City of MESSINA in the STRAITS, Where vast Multitudes of Men, Women, and Children, have Miserably Perished in the Streets, for want of Food; and those that Survived, were forced to go many Days without Bread, Feeding only on Horses, Mules, Cats, Dogs, Leather, Hides, taken out of the Tan-fats, Vermine, etc.  
WITH A Description of the Place, the occasions and manner of their Revolting last Summer from Spain, and putting themselves under the Protection of the Crown of France, and a Journal of all Considerable Actions, performed there since their present troubles.  
Extracted from several Letters, from Milan, Naples, and Palermo.  
LONDON Printed 1674.   

An account of the Troubles and Terrible Famine at Messina.  
MEssina is an eminent City of Sicily, a great Island (Seven hundred Miles in Compass) which lies in the Mediterranean S●a, supposed to have formerly been joined to Italy, and Divided by the fury of the Waves, the Fretum or narrow Sea between them being not above a Mile a● half broad, in which, Charybdis a Gulf or Whirlp it being on the one side, and the Rock Scylla just opposite on the other, the dangerous passage for unskilful Mariners, occasioned that their Proverb, whereby we say, when a man knows not which way to turn him, he is between Scylla and Carrybdis, In this Island Polyphemus and all the Cyclops dwelled, here is the Hill Hybla so famous for Bees and Honey, here is Likewise the Hill Aetna (now called Morgibel) which continually Belches forth flames of Fire to the amazement of all beholders, and lastly to this mathematic Learning is more beholding than to Athens, Rome or any other place, Euclyde and Archimedes the two Pillars of that Art, being both born and flourished here.  
The People are Ingenious, Eloquent and pleasant, but withal wondrous Inconstant, and no less talkative whence G●●rae siculae becomes Latin, for old wives Fables, they follow the Romish Religion, and use the Italian Language, but very much Impaired and fallen from its true Elegancy by reason of the Commixture of the Greek, Saracen, Norman, Spanish and French Tongues, the Soil is incredibly fruitful in Wine, Oil, Honey, Sugar, etc. such abundance of all sorts of Grain, that it was of old Counted the Granary of the whole Roman Empire, to which usual plenty to which they were accustomed, must needs make the Pinch of Famine so much the more sensibly resented by the poor inhabitants at Messina During their late extremity of want.  
About July la●t the People being lamentably afflicted and oppressed by great Taxes, Impositions, Gab●ls and Excise laid on all kind of Commodities, especially on Meat and Drink and the necessary Provisions of Life, and suffering several other Greivances, the the whole Island was filled with Murmur and Complaints, but no place more than this Messina a very Large and Populous City, Scituate just opposite to Rhine in Italy whose Haven and Entrance are so strongly sconced and Bullwarked that they used Commonly to let their G●●●s in deris●●● of the Turks, stand continually open 〈◊〉 the People here pretended at least to have received 〈◊〉 insufferable abuses and oppressions from their Governors' 〈◊〉 at last occasioned a General Mutiny and 〈…〉 wherein they besieged their Strates 〈…〉 Magistrate in the Palace Royal and on the third of August 1674. S. N. having caused a Mine to be sprung, by which a great part of the said Palace was thrown to the Ground, and by other Means reduced him to the utmost Extremity, so that it was impossible for him longer to defend himself, he submitted to a Capitulation, and yielded the place and retired to the Castle of Salvadore, but not thinking himself safe there, he Embarked for Melaro to confer with the Marquis of Bayon than Viceroy of Sicily about reducing that City to its duty, whose inhabitants in the mean time, taking the supreme power into their own hands, took from the several orders of the religious within their precincts, all their Plate and Coined it into money, made incursions into the adjacent Country, and brought all within 16 Leagues of their City under their jurisdiction, sent several deputies into Foreign parts to solicit succours, and buy Powder and other Ammunition, and having an Implacable hatred against the Family of the Marly caused one Hundred and sixty, Persons of that Race to be executed, and amongst them 3 Women who were beheaded, and a Gentleman of the Family of Poverde, in this exigence of affairs the Viceroy there, is likewise these of Naples and Milan used all diligence to rasse Forces to, Reduce them to obedience.  
The Pope was solicited to aid, the Crown of Spain, with his Galleys, but his holiness avoided it with Compliment, so also did the great Duke of Tuscany, and the 〈◊〉 of Venice, but the Republic of Genoa seemed for a while inclinable to yield assistance, as long as the Rebels pretended a Respect and allegiance to Spain and that their aim was only a redress of grievances and a restraint of the Insolent Exorbitances of their Magistrates, but soon after, they had offered subjection to the French King, and that he had taken them into his protection, that state (fearing to disoblige his most Christian Majesty who was but nowly reconciled to them by the mediation of his Majesty of great Britain) recalled their Galleys home, however 2000 foot being sent from Naples with other forces, the Viceroy endeavoured to block them up by land, who in the mean time had made themselves Masters of the Castle of Salvadore and several other strong Forts, and grew more extravagant in their demands then before, relying much on the Succours that were sent them from Marseilles and Tholon, at last the Spanish Armada consisting of several Galleys and men of War, being got to sea and lying before the mouth of their Haven and his Catholic Majesties forces, on shore hindering all intercourse so that no provision could be brought them by land, and they themselves being very numerous, this City of Messina and its territories being estimated to contain near one hundred thousand Souls, all kind of food began to grow very scarce, having no store houses prepared before hand, which obliged them to send out great numbers of the more aged weak and poorest people to seek their fortune amongst their enemies; in this straight things stood with them most part of this winter, and the Hardships they endured are almost inexpressible; 'tis certain there is no enemy so terrible as the b●lly unsatisfied, nor any torment like Famine, to see the meager looks of so many thousand people half-famished walking the streets like so many ghosts or frightful Apparitions, to hear the sad cries and dismal complaints of Men Women and Children ready to perish for want of Bread, must certainly be an object of pity enough to affect the most obdurate heart; all kind of usual meat was wasted, herbs and roots devoured not out of a wanton delicacy as before, but for pure necessity. At last they fell to kill their Horses and mules dressing their Dogs and Cooking their Cats, and those nice Stomaches that within these Twelvemonths were wont to ransack the elements to gratify the Luxury of their insatiate palates and scarce thought any thing that Earth or water or air could yield, dainty enough to please their Appetite, could now with a ravenous delight feed on a piece of Carrion, and esteem a dish of Rats and Mice a most relishing repast, nay would have thought themselves happy if they could but have had their Bells full of such Cheer. For by a severe order every man was stinted his Quantity how much he should eat in a day, which it was death for him to exceed, to such an extremity of wants they were reduced that they Commonly Eat leather, and Hides, even after they had lain a long time in the tan fats, and even this wretched fare was so scarce that there was not above an ounce and an half or two ounces at most afforded for a man or Woman for a whole day; In this deplorable ease they Continued a considerable time, having nothing to live upon but hope, which being itself now grown almost helpless, was at last answered with relief: For on the 11th of February last passed, The duke of Vivonne coming up with nine ships under his Command, within sight of the Cape del Fare, designed to carry them provision, the Spanish Armada consisting of 20. men of war and 16. Galleys lying along the cost of Calabria and being resolved to hinder such their design weighed anchor, and fell upon the French with great fury, who notwithstanding the disadvantage of number bravely defended themselves till noon, at which time 5. more fresh men of war came into their Assistance, and in fine after a sharp and obstinate dispute, which Continued from Eight a clock in the morning till an hour after Sun set, the French having got the weather gage, the Spaniards thought fit to sheer off, and standing away towards Naples, lest the French to prosecute their Voyage, who soon after Arrived at Messina with great quantities of Corn and other necessary Provisions to the infinite Joy of the languishing Inhabitants.  
FINIS.