The nauigations, peregrinations and voyages, made into Turkie by Nicholas Nicholay Daulphinois, Lord of Arfeuile, chamberlaine and geographer ordinarie to the King of Fraunce conteining sundry singularities which the author hath there seene and obserued: deuided into foure bookes, with threescore figures, naturally set forth as well of men as women, according to the diuersitie of nations, their port, intreatie, apparrell, lawes, religion and maner of liuing, aswel in time of warre as peace: with diuers faire and memorable histories, happened in our time. Translated out of the French by T. Washington the younger.

Of Basar where were solde the christi∣ans, taken in the Ile of Sicile, Malta, and Gose: and of the maner of trenches, Gabions, and bat∣tries of the Turke.

Chap. 19.

HAuing wel considered the placing of the campe, the town and castle, we returned to the Bascha, with whom the Am∣bassadour talked a while, and in the meane while I went to see the market of the Turks (which they call Basar) being hard by where the poore Christians of Sicil, Malta, & Gose, were sold vnto those that most offered for them & last inhaunsers, being permitted vnto those that bought them (as the auncient cu∣stome of the Orientall Barbarians is) to stripp them starke na∣ked,* 1.1 & to make thē goe, to the intent to see if they haue any na¦turall impediment in their bodies, visiting afterwards theyr teeth and eyes, as though they had been horses, and standing there, I saw creeping vpon the ground a Scorpion of yealowe coloure, being of length more then a long finger. The same day the Turks brought their ordināce & gabiōs vnto the tren¦ches, whiche Gabions are made of great plankes of three inches, which they carry vpon their gallies or shippes to serue them when they haue neede of them: for when they will bat∣ter any place, they set them in the ground in forme of Baskets, Afterwards being set in rankes, they fill them with earth, and is a very commodious inuention, for the shot which can but slip¦pering passe ouer it, and can doe no hurt nor dammage. The Turks hauing in the night placed their gabions, & their ordi∣nance

readie to the battry, did the next day folowing beyng y^e eight of August, begin to shoote at the castle with great furie, which was not leaft vnanswered, & euery houre some slaine: whilest this was a doing the Bascha sent to pray the Ambassa∣dor that he wold suffer none of his mē to com a land, least the Turks might do them some outrage in mistaking them to bee of those of the castle. This battery cōtinued vntill about noon, but not without receiuing great damage of the besieged, who without ceassing shot into the trēches, so as that day they slue foure of the best gunners of the armie, two Chiaous, & certain Raiz of the Gallie:* 1.2 they also shot off the hand of the clarke ge∣nerall of the armie, being a man of great estimation & greatly beloued of the Bascha, and to be short there were a great num∣ber of Ianissaries slayne and hurt. Moreouer they burst one of their best peeces, and dismounted foure other, which for that day made them to leaue of the battery, which they of the Ca∣stle did not, but shot without ceasing to endamage the enemy: the night following the Turkes approched more neare vntoo the castle, vpon whom they of the Castle about the breake of day, gaue an assault euen to their trenches: and being retyred, the Turkes (at the Sun rysing, which they haue in great reue∣rence) renued their batterie with great force and 8. peeces at once: vpō the euening the fire by mischāce got into their pon¦der, with the which were burnt 30. Turkes, & many hurt, and one peece broken. The Ambassadour on the other part, sued with great instance for licence too prosecute on his iourney, which was graunted vnto him, but as wee were vpō our depar∣ture, the Bascha (being almost mad) sent to him by an Eunuch his Dragoman, that he would stay 2. dayes longer, within whi∣che time he hoped to win the castle. This message so greeuous put the Ambassador in no lesse perplexity of mind, thē choler aswel because of the retarding of his voiage: as for the dimini¦shing of our victuals, which began to scanten, but there was no remedie, but to dissemble the matter. The 11. of the monethe the Sieure Wirail, & I, went too see the trenches of the Salaris beeing not passing 150. paces from the Castle, where hee was battering with 8. great peeces. Morataga beeing behinde the

Artillery, sent for me by a renied Spaniard, called Casa matta, who hauing had acquaintance with me in our gallies, had told him that I was an Engener of the king, and therfore enquired of me many things appertaining vnto the siege, and strength of a place: I made him a short & brief answere, and clean con∣trary to that whiche by the reason of warres and experience I did know, which hee well per••eiued, and smiling, tolde mee that he saw wel that I dissembled. Thys Morataga was an Eu∣nuche of nation a Ragusey, but for the feates of warre of good spiri••e and iudgement, & then had the gouernment of Taiure & all the countrie Tripoli, hauing no grater enemies then the knightes of the religion, who dayly warred against him: Dor∣got was fiue & twentie or thirtie paces, beyond Salarais also, beating with eight great peeces: the Ianissaries & Azapis were on the left hand in their trenches, with their harquebusies re∣die, bowes and arrowes, targets and bucklers. And thus being placed they had so well continued the batterie, that they had beaten it downe euen to the very edge of the ditch: but that whiche was beaten downe in the day time, the assieged made vp againe in the night: notwithstanding the end was such that an vnhappie souldier of Prouence, borne in Cauaillon, being the Popes countrie, which by the long frequentation he hadde had in those countries, had learned the language and serued as a spie vnto the enemie, seeyng the occasion to be come to that passe, which his knauery and dissimuled treason hadde wished for, and being corrupted with money, found the menes to fle•• vnto the campe, where he declared vnto the Turkes the wea∣kest places of the castle, by the which it might be battered and soone taken, & it was against the gouernours lodging, which standing towards the ditch, and hauing vnderneath it the cel∣lars to retyre the munition, could not be repayred nor fortifi∣ed: which the Bascha hauing vnderstanded, caused the battery there to be planted, laying the peeces so lowe that easily they dyd beat the vautes and cellars in suche sorte as in small time they did pearse the walles, wherupon folowed that the height being charged with rampardes through the cōtinuall battery beganne greatly too sinke, which amased the souldiers for that

they knew no means to repayr the same, that setting al honor aside, quyting thēselues of their weapōs, cōcluded together to take some party, giuing their captayne to vnderstande that hauing vnto that instant quited themselues as good men and valiaunt souldyers, seeing theyr matters too be in despaire of succour, and not able to holde out any longer: he would not thynke euill of them, if they thought to practise some way for theyr suretie. Whereof the Gouernour called Vallier a knight of Daulphine beying aduertised, and by Argosin a Spanyshe souldier one of the eldest and most authorised, solicited, to come too a composition wyth the enemie, before the walles were further endamaged, was greatly dismayed: which seeing a sage and valiaunt knyght of Fraunce, named Poisieu, as the most auncient, in the name of the other knightes, declared vnto them, that the breache was not so great nor profitable for the enemie, but that it was defenceable too suche as would diligently repayre the same: And moreouer that it was more honourable to knights of honour and lustie souldiers, to die valiauntly, fighting against the Barbaries for the maintenance of the lawe and true Christian religion, then so fainte hearted∣lie to surrender themselues to the mercie of those, at whose hands was nothing to be looked for, but miserable seruitude, and all kinde of crueltie. But rather to preuent these dāgers, it were necessarie too refresh the xxx. knightes which were there offering himselfe to sustayne the assaulte, and to succour the first that hee should see wearie or hurt: and therefore ex∣horted the Gouernour to fight as long as hee coulde. Not∣withstanding all these his remonstrances were of no effect, be∣cause the Gouernour was without ceassing solicited vnto and as it were constrained by Argosin,* 1.3 & other of his partie to sur∣render: which with vehemencie declared vnto him the emi∣nent daunger, they and so many women and young children were in: findyng hymself bereafte of hearte and fortune: and forsaken of his souldiers, wythout further consideration con∣sented, that a whyte banner should be erected vpon the walles too call the enemies too a Parle. And a Turke presenting hym selfe, they prayed him that he would vnderstande of the Bas∣cha,

if he wolde receiue certaine of them to treat of some good accord touching the giuing ouer of the castle, whereunto the Bascha lightly consenting, was in all diligence dispatched a braue Spaniard,* 1.4 named Guiuare, and a knight of Maiorque to offer vnto the Bascha the castle with the Artillerie and muniti∣on, so as he would furnish them of shippes to bring them with bag & baggage safely to Malta: to whō summarily was answea∣red, that (forasmuchas, as yet they had not deserued any grace presuming to be so bold as to keep so small a place against the armie of the highest Prince on the earth) yf they woulde paye the whole charges of the armie, he would gladly agree to the matter proponed, or if they would not thereunto consent (as it became them) that for theyr recompence, all they within the Castle should continue slaues and prisoners: notwithstan∣dyng if they incontinently and without delay, did surrender the place he would exempt out of them two hundreth. Wher∣uppon the messengers returning in despayre of anye further grace, were stayed by Drogot and Salaraiz wyth flatteryng woordes, and fayned promises, that they woulde endeuour so much as in any wise lay in them, too make the Bascha condis∣cend to a better and more gracious composition: for they fea∣red that the assieged through despayre would resolue (as their extreeme refuge) to defend themselues euen too the last man. And incontinent went to the Bascha, to declare vnto him hys ouersight, in refusing those which of theyr owne voluntarie came to surrender themselues into his hands, and that too put thē out of dout and despayre, he ought with all mildnesse to a∣gree vnto all that they demaunded. For after he had the Ca∣••tle and all the men vnder his authoritie, he might afterwards dispose of them, as he should thinke good. The Bascha finding this counsel good, caused the two messengers too bee called a∣gayne vnto him, declaryng vnto them wyth fayned & dis••em••blyng woordes, that at the instaunce and request of Drogot and Salaraiz, there present, inclining vnto their request, he did discharge them of all the costes and charges of the armie, swea¦ryng vntoo them (the better to deceiue them) by the heade of hys Lord and his owne, inuiolablie to obserue all that whiche

he had promised vnto them, which they (too easily) beleeued, and foorthwith went to declare the same vnto the Gouernor and others within the Castle.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Maner to serch the christian slaues that come to bee sold.
• * 1.2

  Raiz are cap∣taines of the gallies.
• * 1.3

  Importunitie of the Argosin
• * 1.4

  Cōditions pro¦poned by the assieged.