[The siege of Rhodes]

••O the moste excellente / moste redoubted and moste crysten kyng: Kyng Edward the fourth Iohan kay hys humble poete lawreate / and moste lowly seruant: knelyng vnto the ground sayth salute. It ys not out of your knowleche & herty pyte moste prudente Prynce: howe that thies fourty ye¦res passed: the turkes hane vexed the crysten partyes & hane preuayled / & had of the crysten men the ouerhande: in so moche that nowe late agaynest al right, & reason were possessours in Italye / in the domynyon & grounde of the most constant kyng Ferrand of Arragon king of Naples: in preiudyce & horryble terrour to the court apostolyque & to al crystendome. For by that the grete Turke late named Mahumete proposed & or∣deyned grete myght & strenghte to vndoo & subuerte the holy cytee of Rome, & putte Italye to his subiectyon / & after light¦ly to ouercome & oppresse the resydue of crystendome. But Ihe¦su cryste our redemptour wold not his crysten people to be put into lenger peyne / or to more trybulacion: he hath retrayte & withdrawen hys rodde: as a kynd father to his dere children contente with grete menasses & lytil punycyon. Certes the syn¦nes of the crysten people: as I thynke: & lytil regarde to our sa¦ueour Ihesu: meued & caused the ryghtwys god: to warne vs to haue him beter in mynde by the flagel of this grete & migh¦ty ennemye. But after repentence & prayers of our holy fa∣ther the pope: Cardynalles: Crysten prynces: & all crysten peo∣ple: and with so grete pardones of the court of seyntes petre & paule: through the grace of the blessed Ihesu: this grete turke in his moste pryde / & his moste hope hath made be sodeyn deth amende of his lyue: and ys the cruel generacyon of the turkes for euermore / with goddes grace deiecte / & caste out of Italye

And all the turkes among them selfe in grete Werres. Whiche thyng ys token to all crysten prynces here after to recouer the partyes crysten. Certayn yt ys moste gracyous prynce: that he fewe dayes afore hys deth layde siege to the noble cytee of Rhodes: whiche ys the key & yate of all crystendome. But ther he was put to hys worse & to shame. And be cause that I ha¦ue seen & red in Italye of the oppressyng & captyuyce by the sayd Turke of the worshipful cytee somtyme of Constantino¦ple: and also not many yeres passed of the infortunate losse of the streng cytee of Nygrepount. For the Cardynale greke of Mycene made & wrode in latyne the lamentable captyuyte of Constantinople to the pope: and Balthasar perusyn wrote in the langayge Italyon of Nygrepount to the lord of Vr∣byn: for to meue the crysten people to prayers and prouyci∣on. I haue thought more beter labour & more commendable purpos yf I in the reuerence of Ihesu cryste / & in the wor∣ship of your gode grace shulde put with dylygence out of la∣tyn in english / & to the vnderstondyng of your people the dy¦lectable newesse and tithynges of the gloryous victorye of the Rhodyans agaynest the turkes. wherof they redyng shal haue Ioye & consolacyon & shal alwey deuoutely knowe by dayly miracles & goddes werkes the inestimable power & certente of our crysten fayth. And in so moche more to youre hyensse I make a yefte of my labour: that your gode grace abondeth with al vertues: also much as in a moste crysten king longeth to be: And also I am of this opynyon that al the comyn wele & co¦myn gode cometh through god & the kynges to their peoples. wherfor what so euer frute or pleasur your peple shal in thys my studies finde they shal yelde glorye to god & grace & than kynges to your hyenes. The whiche god almyghty kepe euer & prosper with all your noble desires