Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.

Zelymus the 11. after Ottomannus.

* 1.1AFter y^t thys wretched Zelymus had exercised hys bar∣barous cruelty vpon hys father, w^t like impietie he see∣keth the destruction of hys brethren and their children, first beginning his murther wyth the fiue children hys Ne∣phewes, which were the sonnes of hys 3. brethren before departed. Which done, then remained his other 2. brethren yet aliue, Acomates and Corchutus wyth theyr chyldren likewise to be destroyed.* 1.2 Of whome the one had 3. sonnes, whom the father sent to Zelymus his brother & their vn∣cle, with faire and gentle wordes to entreat him to be good vnto their father, offering to him their duety and seruice in all things, honoring him also as Emperor. But cruel Ze∣lymus commaunded forthwith his saide Nephewes to be strangled.* 1.3 The father hearing of the cruell murther of hys sonnes, leauing house and home, went and hid hymselfe in mountaines, where he liued for a space with hearbes and wilde honie, but being bewrayed by one of hys men, was brought to Zelymus, and so was strangled.

Christophorus Richerius, wryting of these matters, seemeth some thing to differ from other storyes, and sayeth that Zelymus, after the death of hys brother Corchutus, came to Bursia, where hee, vnder the colour of making a great triumph,* 1.4 ordeined a feast for his frends and kinsfolk, Wherunto were called especially his nephewes: who then at the end of the feast calling his nephewes aside (as vnder the pretēce of conferring with them secretly about hys ne∣cessary affaires) committed them to hys seruauntes to be strangled and put to death. All this while Acomates hys brother, through the help & instruction of his mother, was kept out of the tyrants hands, till at length, after great la∣bor and search made how to get him, certain forged letters were cast abroad, wherin was cōteined that Acomates, to reuenge the great impiety & subdue the tirāny of Zelimus his brother, should shew himself abroad. Which if he wold do, he should find frends enough to take his part. Acoma∣tes circumuented with these subtill traines, partly for hope of reuengement,* 1.5 partly for desire of y^t Empire, shewed him selfe abroad with such power and strength as he had: who being set vpon incontinent by Zelymus hys brother, was ouercome in battaile, and falling from hys horse, beyng a man corpulent and grosse, and his horse falling vpon him, was so ouerpressed and slaine.

Touching the death of thys Acomates, Munsterus somwhat differing from this narration, addeth moreouer, and sayeth, that hee was not killed with the fall from hys horse, but sitting all dismayed vpon a stone, and seeing no other remeady but death, desired the Captaine, taking hys rings from his fingers, to deliuer the same to his brother, desiring hym that he might not be put to any extreme cru∣elty of death, but that hee gently would suffer him to be let bloud in the hath,* 1.6 and so to die. But Zelymus being not ignoraunt of thys, suborneth priuy tormenters, who bin∣ding his hands behinde him, w^t their feete cast hym downe vpon the ground, and so twixing his necke with a coarde, did strangle him. This Acomates had two sonnes, who hearing of the death of their father, did flie for succour, the one to Sophus in Persia, and the other to the Sultane in Egypt.

By the meanes whereof, new occasion of warre grew vnto Zelymus, whereby hee was kept in Asia at home, to fight againste the Persians & Egyptians: so that throughe the Lordes prouidence, Christendom by that meanes was deliuered from great daunger and perill of the Turkes ti∣rannie: For otherwise, the Turke was wholy mineded, wyth all his force and puissance, to inuade the Christians, being in doubt whether first to beginne wyth Rhodes,* 1.7 or whether to assault Pannoma, or els to set vpon Italy, be∣ing then at great discorde within it selfe: but thys cause oc∣cupied the Turks mind otherwise, and kept him at home. Suche was then the prouidence of the Lorde for the safe∣gard of hys people.

Wherfore, for somuch as the affaires and doings of this Turke were spent for the most part in the Turkish & hea∣thenish countreys: it shal not be greatly necessary to trou∣ble our christian stories therw^t, but onely shal suffice to con∣tracte them in a briefe summe, declaring superficially what vnquietnes was amongst them there, which coulde neuer be quiet, but euer working some mischief either abroade, or at home.* 1.8 Amurathes the Turks nephewe aforesaide, after he had obtained aide of Sophus the king of the Persians, first inuaded Cappadocia: not long after whome folowed Ismael, Sophus the Persian king.

By reason whereof a great battell was fought betwixt the Persians and Zelymus in the fieldes of Armenia maior. In the which battaile Ismael Sophus the Persian Kyng was hurt on the shoulder with a pellet, and so being cary∣ed out of the field, left the victory to Zelymus: who all be it had an army of 150. M. men, yet he in the same fielde lost a∣bout 30000. of hys Turkes. Which field was fought in the yere of our Lorde. 1514. Zelymus after thys victorie went to Tauricia the imperiall Citie of the Persians, whiche he by yelding subdued.

In thys meane time it happened that one Aladulus a king in Armenia the greater,* 1.9 was also a helper to Ismael against the Turk, wherupon Zelymus the Turke taking great indignation, the next yere folowing, leauing y^e Per∣sians, fought against the sayd Aladulus, & in the end ouer∣came him, and afterward being found in a caue in a woode, was taken out and brought to Zelymus and so beheaded: whose hed being first caried about Asia for a triumph, was afterward sent to the Senate of Uenice for a terrour vnto them. The eldest sonne of Aladulus scaping the handes of his pursuers, fled into Egypt. This battaile thus fought and ended, Zelymus after he had deuided the kingdome of Aladulus into three prouinces, went to Lycaonia, & from thence to Europe, there to defend the Citie of Samandria, against the Christians in Hungary.* 1.10 But the Hungarians being sone repressed by Iuno Bassa the Turkes captaine, great preparation began to be made by the Turks against the confines of Seruia bordering vpō Hungary: The ter∣rour whereof stirred vp Maximilian the Emperour, and Ladislaus king of Hungarie, and Sigismundus Kyng of Polonie,* 1.11 to consult together, and conioyne their power for defence of Christendome. But through new incumberan∣ces incident, the turke leauing Europe, made haste againe into Asia, to renue againe his warres against the Persi∣ans, who had made a vow not to geue ouer that warre be∣fore Ismael was ouerthrowne.

But before he entred that warre, first he sent hys mes∣sengers to the Sultane of Egypte, requiring hym not to entermedle in that warre, for this sultane before had pro∣mised to assist the Persians against the Turke.* 1.12 The name of the Sultane which reigned then in Egypt, was Camp∣son, set vp by the Mamaluci. These Mamaluci were a cer∣tain order amongst the Egyptians, much like to the Iani∣zarites about the Turke, being the childrē of christen men, and after denyeng Christ, were the chefest doers in y^• Sul∣tanes court, and being growne into a great multitude, did

degenerat into a turkish barbarity, or rather became wors then Turkes. This Campson vnto the messengers of the Turke gaue this aunswere againe, that vnlesse he woulde leaue of his warre against Ismael, and restore the sonne of Aladulus, otherwise he woulde not lay downe his armor.

Zelymus being incensed not a little wyth this insolent aunswere of the Sultane, leauing all other warres aside, with great celeritie aduanced hys power against the Sul∣tane. Which Sultan partly through the falshode of his cap¦taine Caierbeius,* 1.13 partly by the sodeinnesse of the Turkes comming, not farre from the citie of Damascus encoūtred with the turke, and there ouerthrowne from his horse, be∣ing a fatte and grose body, and falling vnder his horse, and his horse also falling vpon him,* 1.14 was quashed in peces and so died, which was the yere of our Lord. 1516.

Mamalucie, of whome more then a M. in thys bat∣taile were slaine, flyeng from thence to Memphis, set vp Tomoumbeius in stede of Campson:* 1.15 whose captaine Ga∣zelles was ouercome at the City of Gaza, & he afterward himselfe driuen out of Memphis, where a great part of the Mamaluci were destroyed. Then Tomoumbeius flying ouer the floud Nilus, renued his army agayne: but in the ende was discomfited and chased into a marish, where hee was found standing in the water vp to the chinne, and so being brought to Zelymus, was put to the rack and great tormentes, to make him confesse where Campsons trea∣sures were. But when he would not declare, he was cary∣ed about the Towne with a halter about his necke, & han∣ged vp vpō a hie gibber for a spectacle to all Egypt:* 1.16 which was the yeare of our Lorde. 1517. And thus were the two Sultanes in Egypt destroied with the Mamaluci, whych there had borne the rule in Egypt the space of 243. yeares. The progenie of the whych Mamaluci remaining of the warres,* 1.17 the Turke commaunded in pryson gates of Alex∣andria to be cut in peces. Zelymus frō thence, triumphing departed to Constantinople, entending to spend the rest of his time in persecuting the Christians: But in that meane space he was stroken with a cankerd sore rotting inward, and died after hee had raigned 7. yeares like a beast, in the yeare of our Lord. 1520.

The raigne of this Turke was but short in number of yeres: but in number of his murthers and cruel bloudshed it might seme exceeding long: which liued more like a beast then a mā, for he neuer spared any of hys frends or kinred. His father first he poysoned, his brethren and al his cosins he quelled, leauing none of all his kinred aliue. Moreouer his chief and principal captaines for smal occasions he put to death,* 1.18 as Mustapha, Calogere, Chendeme, Bostāg hys sonne in law, and Iunobassa.

It is said moreouer that he entended the poysoning of his owne sonne Solyman, sending vnto him a shirt infec∣ted w^t poison, because he seemed something freely to speake against y^e cruel demeanor of his father: But by the meanes of hys mother, the gifte being suspected, was geuen to an other which was his Chamberlaine, who putting on the shirt, was strucken with the poyson therof, and therewith all died.

As touching thys Turke Zelymus, by the way heere may be noted how y^e secret prouidēce of the Lord kept hym occupied w^t hys Turkish warres at home, while that the reformation of christian religion here in Europe the same time begō by Martin Luther,* 1.19 might the more quietly take some roring without disturbance or interruption. For so it appeareth by the computation of time, that in the dayes of this Zelymus, Martin Luther first began to write against the Popes indulgences, which was in the yeare of oure Lord. 1516.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Zelymus the 11. after Ottoman¦nus.
• * 1.2

  The crueltie of Zelymus against his father and his bretheren.
• * 1.3

  The crueltie of Zelymus against his cousins.
• * 1.4

  Ex Christ. Ri∣cherio.
• * 1.5

  Zelymus the turke warreth a¦gainst his bro∣ther.
• * 1.6

  The crueltie of Zelymus against his brother. The two sonnes of A¦comates flie away from the tyrannie of Zelymus the turke.
• * 1.7

  The proui∣dēce of God in stirring vp occasions for his peo∣ple.
• * 1.8

  Warre be∣tweene Ze∣lymus and Sophus the Persiā king.
• * 1.9

  Warre be∣tweene Ze∣lymus and Aladulus an other turke.
• * 1.10

  Preparatiō of warre betweene Zelymus &c the Christi∣ans.
• * 1.11

  The turke called away from the Christians. A turkishe vowe.
• * 1.12

  Campson the Sultane or ruler of the Egipti∣ans. Mamalucy.
• * 1.13

  Caierbeius ••alse to his maister.
• * 1.14

  Campson slaine.
• * 1.15

  Tomoūbe∣ius made Sultane of Egipt.
• * 1.16

  Tomoūbei∣us executed
• * 1.17

  A worthy destruction of the Ma∣maluci for∣saking their faith and religion. Note a∣gaine the prouidence of God. The death of Zelymus.
• * 1.18

  The beastly crueltie of Zelymus against his kinred.
• * 1.19

  The cruelty of Zelymus against his sonne Soly∣man.