To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
THe name of this person whom God hath thus graciously brought home unto his Church, was before his Baptism Rigep, or in our Language Joseph Dandulo, derived by six or seven Generations or Descents from a noble Family of the Danduli of Venice. Of this Name and Family I find divers in the Catalogue of Grimstone, who have been ad∣vanced to the great Dignity of the Dukedom of that famous and antient Common-wealth.
The first, Henry D' Andule, in whose time Constantinople was taken, and the Em∣pire of the East gained, wherein he assisted the Princes and Barons of the French. This Henry D' Andule died General of all the Christian Armie.
Another Dandule chosen in his absence, in whose time the City was afflicted with Water and Earthquakes, he made war in Istria against the Patriarch of Aquileia, and the Count Caritia; at the instance of Pope Ni∣cholas, he succoured with Twenty five Gal∣leys, the Arch-Bishop of Tripoly.
The third, Francis D' Aridule, by whose intercession (casting himself at the feet of the Pope with a chain of iron about his neck) the Excommunication of the Pope had been formerly taken off from Venice. In the time of his Dukedom, they of Pola and Valese submitted themselves to the Com∣monwealth; Padua was taken; he was of the League of the Christian Princes against the Turk; and in his time there were Three∣score Ambassadors at once in Venice; he go∣verned ten years and ten moneths.
The fourth, Andrew D' Andule, who caus∣ed the dearth to cease by bringing Corn from Sicily, he obtained of the King of Babylon free Navigation into Egypt. Zura having
rebelled the seventh time was recovered; War was made against the Genuois, and the City was troubled with Earthquakes and Pe∣stilence; he governed about twelve years
Besides these that enjoyed the excellency of the Dukedom, there is mention also of one Matthew Dandalo, who was sent Am∣bassador, together with Nicholas de Ponte, from Hierom Prioli then Duke of Venice, to the Council of Trent.
From this noble Stock of the Venetian Commonwealth, was this our Convert, it seemeth, sprung; so that he is derived, as we see from Christian Ancestors. The corrupti∣ons of whose blood have now, (as I may so speak) been restored and purified in him by the water of holy Baptism, which he hath now lately through Gods mercy received.
Some of the braches of that generous Stock have been it seemeth transplanted (pro∣bably) in the various events of those Wars which have been so frequent between the Turk and the Venetians, of whom the Fa∣ther of this our welcome Christian is at this time a silk Merchant of good Estate in the Island of Tzio, not far from Smyrna, a pro∣fessed Turk, but his Mother is a Christi∣an, of the Greek Church; whose Christian profession, as it did invest him unto a just title unto Baptism, even in his infancy; for
the unbeleeving Husband is sanctified by the Wife, and therefore the Childe was holy, 1 Cor. 7.14. so it may be, the prayers of this Christian Mother, like the tears of Monica for her Augustine, have ministred unto the good providence of Almighty God, for the bringing home of this straied sheep unto the holy Fold of Christ Jesus. This happy Convert her Son, was the sub∣ject of the Divine Providence in many notable passages of his life hitherto, through which the Lord hath at last brought him to this happy period of his wandrings, and change of his Profession, into the bosom of the persecuted English Church.