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.

¶ Ottomannus the first great Emperour or Tyraunt of the Turkes.

* 1.1THis Ottomannus was at the first, of poore estate and obscure amongest the common sort of men, comming of a base progeny and of rusticall parentes: but through hys valiantnes and actiuity in warre, he got him a great name amongest the Turkes. For he being a man of fearce cou∣rage, refusing no labour and delighting in warre, and ga∣thering together by great subtlety and multitude of com∣mon souldiours, began to make warre, and by conquestes and victories, to aduaunce himselfe and his family. Fyrst he began to robbe and spoyle with a great band of rouers and afterward he attempted to set vpon all men. Neither did he vexe and destroy the Christians onely, but set vpon his owne nation also,* 1.2 and sought al occasion to subdue thē wholy vnto him. For now the Princes and Captaynes of the Turkes, inflamed with ambition and desire of rule, be¦gan to fall out and contend among themselues, in so much that they fell to domesticall and inward warre, with all the power they could.

* 1.3Ottomannus hauing this occasion very fitte & meete to accomplishe that whiche he long had sought for, gathe∣ring vnto him all such as he thought to be geuē to robbing and spoyling, and sette all vpon mischiefe, in short time be∣gan to grow in authority, & first set vpon certayn townes, as he saw oportunity to serue him: Of which towns, some he tooke by force, some by yelding, other some he spoyled & ouerthrew, to terrify the rest, thus laying the first founda∣tion of his rising. In the meane time, the discorde whiche was among the Christians, was no small aduauntage to this Ottomannus,* 1.4 by occasion whereof, he within x. yeres space, subdued Bethinia, and al the prouinces about Pon∣tus: Also Natolia, which comprehendeth all the dominion of the Greekes within Asia: Ancyra a City in Phrigia: Si∣nope a Cittye in Galatia: and Sabastia a Cittye in Capa∣docia: and thus still preuayling, he encreased in short time, to a mightye power, either through the secret iudgemente of God agaynst that nation, or els because God woulde haue them so farre & so cruelly to preuayle, for the punish∣men of the sinnes of other nations, like as it was prophe∣cyed before,* 1.5 that such a kingdome there shoulde be of Gog and Magog.

This Ottomannus, after he had raigned 28. yeares in the yeare of our Lord 1527. dyed, and departed to his Ma∣humet, leauing behind him three sonnes, of whom Orcha∣nes being the youngest, killed his two brethren, whilest they were at variaunce betwene themselues.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ottomannus the first Empe∣rour of the Turkes.
• * 1.2

  Inward warre amonge the Turkes.
• * 1.3

  The comming vp of Ottomā∣nus.
• * 1.4

  Bithinia, Nato∣lia, Ancyra, Si∣nope, Sebastia, subdued.
• * 1.5

  Ezech. 38.