University of Virginia Library

I sing a wondrous worke of God,
I sing his mercies great,
I sing his justice heere-withall
Powr'd from his holy seat.
To wit, a cruell Martiall warre,
A bloodie battell bolde,
Long doubtsome fight, with slaughter huge
And wounded manifold.
Which fought was in LEPANTOES gulfe
Betwixt the baptiz'd race,
And circumsised Turband Turkes
Rencountring in that place.
O onely God, I pray thee thrise,
Thrise one in persons three,
Alike Eternall, like of might,
Although distinct yee be.
I pray thee Father, through thy Sonne,
Thy word immortall still,
The great ARCHANGEL of records
And worker of thy will,
To make thy holie Spreit my Muse,
And eik my pen inflame,
Aboue my skill to write this worke
To magnifie thy name.
INTO the turning still of times,
I erre, no time can be,
Where was and is, and times to come,
Confounded are all three.
I meane before great God in Heauen,
(For Sunne and Moone deuides
The times in Earth by houres and dayes,
And seasons still that slides.)
Yet Man, whome Man must vnderstand,
Must speake into this cace,
As man, our flesh will not permit,
Wee heauenlie things imbrace.
Then, as I els began to say,
One day it did fall out,
As glorious God in glistering throne,
With Angells round about
Did sit, and Christ at his right hand,
That craftie Satan came,
Deceauer, Lyar, hating man,
And Gods most sacred name.
This olde abuser stood into
The presence of the Lord,
Then in this manner Christ accus'de,
The sower of discord.
I know thou from that City comes,
CONSTANTINOPLE great,
Where thou hast by thy malice made
The faithles Turkes to freat.
Thou hast inflamde their maddest mindes
With raging fire of wraith,
Against them all that doe professe
My name with feruent fayth.
How long ô Father shall they thus,
Quite vnder foote be tred,
By faithles folkes, who executes
What in this snake is bred.
Then Satan answerd, Fayth? quoth he,
Their Faith is too too small,
They striue me thinke on either part,
Who farthest backe can fall.
Hast thou not giuen them in my hands,
Euen boath the sides I say,
That I, as best doth seeme to me,
May vse them euery way?
THEN IEHOVA, whose nod doth make,
The heauens and mountaines quake,
Whose smallest wrath the centres makes,
Of all the Earth to shake,
Whose worde did make the worlde of nought,
And whose approouing syne,
Did stablish all even as wee see,
By force of voice deuine.
This God began from thundering throte,
Graue wordes of waight to bring,
All christians serues my Sonne though not
Aright in everie thing.
No more shall now these Christians be
With Infidels opprest,
So of my holie hallowed name
The force is great and blest.
Desist, ô tempter. GABRIEL come
O thou ARCHANGEL true,
Whome I haue oft in message sent
To Realmes and Townes anew.
Go quicklie hence to Venice Towne,
And put into their minds
To take reuenge of wrongs the Turks
Haue done in sundrie kinds.
No whisling winde with such a speed,
From hilles can hurle ore heugh,
As he whose thought doth furnish speed,
His thought was speed aneugh.
This Towne it stands within the Sea,
Fiue miles or there about,
Vpon no Ile nor ground, the Sea
Runnes all the streets throughout.
Who stood vpon the Steeple head
Should see a wondrous sight,
A Towne to stand without a ground,
Her ground is made by slight:
Strong Timber props dung in the Sea
Do beare her vp by art,
An Ile is all her market place
A large and spacious part,
A Duke with Senate joyned doth rule,
Saint MARKE is patron chiefe,
Ilk yeare they wedde the Sea with rings
To be their sure reliefe.
The Angell then ariu'd into
This artificiall Towne,
And chang'd in likenes of a man,
He walkes both vp and downe,
While time he met some man of spreit,
And then began to say,
What doe we all? me thinke we sleepe:
Are we not day by day
By cruell Turks and infidels
Most spitefullie opprest?
They kill our Knights, they brash our forts,
They let vs neuer rest.
Go too, go too, once make a proofe:
No more let vs desist,
To bold attempts God giues successe,
If once assay we list:
With this he goes away, this man
Vnto another tels
The purpose whereunto they both
Agree among them sels.
This other to another tels,
And so from hand to hand
It spreads and goes, and all that heard
It, necessare it fand.
And last of all, it comes vnto
The Duke and Senates eare,
Who found it good, and followed furth
The same as ye shall heare.
THE Towne was driuen into this time,
In such a piteous strait
By Mahometists, that they had els
Giuen ouer all debait:
The Turke had conquest Cyprus Ile,
And all their lands that lay
Without the bounds of Italie,
Almost the whole I say:
And they for last refuge of all,
Had moou'd each Christian King
To make their Churches pray for their
Reliefe in euerie thing.
The Towne with piteous plaints did call
Vpon the Lord of might,
With praying still and fasting oft,
And groning all the night,
Was nothing heard but sobs and sighs,
Was nothing seene but teares,
Yea sorrow draue the brauest men
With mourning to their beares.
The women swound for sorrow oft,
The babe for woe did weepe,
To see the mother giuing milke
Such dolefull gesture keepe.
Young men and maids within the towne
Were ay arraid in blacke,
Each Eau'n the Sunne was sooner hid
Then earst, the night to macke.
No VENVS then, nor CVPID false
durst kyth or once appeare,
For paile distresse had banisht them,
By sadde and sory cheare.
As Seas did compasse them about,
As Seas the Streets did rin,
So Seas of teares did ever flowe,
The houses all within.
As Seas within were joyned with howles,
So Seas without did raire,
Thair carefull cries to Heauen did mount
Resounding in the aire.
O stay my Muse, thou goes too farre,
Shewe where we left before,
Lest trikling teares so fill my penne
That it will write no more.
THEN VENICE being in this state,
When GABRIEL there was sent,
His speaches spred abroad, made Towne
And Senat both so bent
To take reuenge, as they implorde
The Christian Princes ayd,
Of forces such, as easilie,
They might haue spard and maid.
At last, support was granted them,
The holie league was past,
Als long to stande, as twixt the Turkes
And Christians warre shoulde last.
It was agreed, that into March,
Or Aprill every yeare,
The armie shoulde on easterne Seas,
Convene from farre and neare.
THVS bent vpon their interprise,
The principalls did conveene,
Into MESSENA to consult,
What order should haue beene,
Obseru'd in all their armie great:
There DON IOAN d'AVSTRIA came,
Their Generall great, and VENIER als
Came there in Venice name.
From GENES ANDREA DOREE came
And Rome COLONNE sent,
When they with others many daies
Had into counsaile spent,
In end ASCAGNIO DE LA CORNE
A Martiall man and wise
His counsaile gaue, as ye shall heare
Vpon their enterprise.
THREE causes be (ô Chieftaines braue)
That should a Generall let,
On Fortunes light vncertaine wheele
The victorie to set:
First, if the losse may harme him more,
Then winning can auaile,
As if his Realme he doe defend
From them that it assaile:
The next is when the contrare Host
Is able to deuide
For sicknes sore or famine great
Then best is to abide.
The third and last, it is in case
His forces be too small,
Then better farre is to delay,
Then for to perish all:
But since of these two former points
We need not stand in doubt,
Then though we leese, we may defend
Our Countries round about.
As to the last, this armie is
So awfull strong and faire,
And furnisht so with necessares
Through your foreseing cair,
That nought doth rest but courage bolde.
Then since your state is such,
With trust in God assay your chance
Good cause availeth much.
But speciallie take heede to this,
That ere yee make away,
Ye order all concerning warre,
Into their due array:
For if while that yee see your foes,
Yee shall continewe all,
Then shall their suddaine sight with feare
Your brauest Spreits appall,
Each one commande a sundry thing,
Astonisht of the cace,
And everie simple Soldat shall
Vsurpe his Captaines place.
This counsall so contents them all,
That everie man departs,
With whispering much, and so resolues
With bolde magnanime harts.
Their preparations being made,
They all vpon a day,
Their biting ankers, gladlie wayed,
And made them for the way.
The Grecian Fleet, for HELENS cause
That NEPTVNS town did sack:
In braue array, or glistring armes,
No match to them could mak.
There came eight thousand Spaniards braue,
From hotte and barren SPAINE,
Good ordour kepars, cold in fight,
With proud disdainfull braine.
From pleasant fertill ITALIE,
There came twelue thousand als,
With subtill spreites bent to reuenge,
By craftie meanes and fals.
Three thousande ALMANS also came,
From Countries colde and wide,
These monney men with awfull cheare
The chok will dourelie bide.
From diuers partes did also come,
Three thousand venturers braue,
All voluntaires of conscience mou'd,
And would no wages haue.
Armde Galleyes twice a hundr' and eight
Six shippes all wondrous great,
And fiue and twentie loadned Shipps
With baggage and with meate.
With fourtie other little barkes
And prettie Galents small,
Of these aforesaid was compound
The Christian Nauie all.
THIS cloude of Gallies thus began
On NEPTVNS back to rowe,
And in the Shippes the marriners
Did skippe from towe to towe.
With willing mindes they hailde the Tyes,
And hoist the flaffing Sayles,
And strongest towes, from highest mastes,
With force and practique hayles.
The Forceats lothsomlie did rowe,
In Gallies gainst their will,
Whome Galley masters oft did beat,
And threaten euer still.
The foming Seas did bullor vp,
The risking Oares did rashe,
The Soldats peeces for to clenge
Did shoures of shotts delashe.
BVT as the Deuill is reddie bent,
Good workes to hinder ay,
So sowd he in this Nauie strife,
Their good successe to stay:
Yet did the wisdomes of the Chiefes
And of the generall most,
Compound all quarrels and debates
That were into that Host,
Preferring wisely as they ought,
The honor of the Lord,
Vnto their owne, the publicke cause,
To priuate mens discord.
THE feathered fame of wondrous speed
That doth delite to flee
On tops of houses pratling all
That she can heare or see,
Part true, part false: this monster strange
Among the Turkes did tell,
That diuers Christian Princes joyned,
Resolu'd with them to mell.
Then spies were sent abroad, who tolde
The matter as it stood,
Except in Arithmetique (as
It seemd) they were not good,
For they did count their number to
Be lesse then was indeed,
Which did into the great Turks mind
A great disdaining breed:
A perrillous thing, as euer came
Into a Chieftaines braine,
To set at nougth his foes (though small)
By lighleing disdaine.
Then SELYM sent a nauie out,
Who wanderd without rest,
Whill time into LEPANTOES gulfe
They all their Ankers kest.
IN season when with sharpest hooks
The busie shearers cowe
The fruitfull yallow lockes of golde,
That doe on CERES growe,
And when the strongest Trees for weight
Of birth do downward bow
Their heauie heads, whose colourd knops
In showers raines ripelie now,
And Husband-men with woodbind crownes
To twice borne BACHVS dance,
Whose pleasant poyson sweet in tast,
Doth cast them in a trance:
Into this riping season sure,
The Christian Host I say,
Were all assembled for to make
Them Readie for the way:
But or they from MESSENA came,
The Vines were standing bair,
Trees voyd of fruit and CERES polde,
And lacking all her hair:
But when that leaues, with ratling falles
In banks of withered boughes,
And carefull laborers do begin,
To yoke the painefull ploughes
The Nauies neere to other drew,
And VENIER (sent before)
Gaue false Alarum, sending word,
The Turks had skowp'd the score.
That fiftie Galleis quite were fled,
This word he sent expresse,
To make the Christians willinglie
To battell them addresse,
As so they did, and enterd all,
(Moou'd by that samin flight.)
Into LEPANTOES gulfe, and there
Preparde them for the fight.
WHILL this was doing heere on earth,
Great God who creats all,
(With wakrife eie preordoning
What euer doth befall.)
Was sitting in his pompous Throne,
In hiest Heauen aboue,
And gloriouslie accompanied
With justice and with loue:
The one hath smiling countenance,
The other frowning cheare,
The one to mercie still perswades
Him as a Father deare,
The other for to powre his plagues
Vpon repining sinne,
And fill the fields with wofull cries,
The houses all with dinne,
But yet the Lord so temperates them,
That both doe brooke their place,
For Iustice whiles obtaines her will,
But euermore doth grace:
IEHOVA als hath ballances,
Wherewith hee weighs aright
The greatest and the heauiest sinnes,
With smaller faults and light,
These grace did mooue him for to take,
And so he weighed in Heauen,
The Christian faults with faithlesse Turkes,
The ballance stood not eauen,
But sweid vpon the faithlesse side:
And then with awfull face,
Frownd God of Hosts, the whirling Heauens
For feare did tremble apace,
The staiest Mountaines shuddred all,
The grounds of earth did shake,
The Seas did bray, and PLVTOES Realme
For horrour colde did quake.
HOVV soone AVRORAS ioyfull face,
Had shead the shadie night,
And made the chiuering Larks to sing
For gladnes of the light,
And PHOEBE with inconstant face,
In Seas had gone to rest,
And PHOEBVS chasing vapours moist,
The Skie made blew celest:
The Generall of the Christian Host
Vpon his Galley Mast,
The bloodie signe of Furious MARS
Made to bee fixed fast.
Then as into a spacious towne,
At breaking of the day,
The busie worke-men doe prepare
Their Worklumes euery way,
The Wright doth sharpe his hacking Axe,
The Smith his grinding File,
Glasse-makers beets their fire that burnes
Continuall not a while,
The Painter mixes colours viue,
The Printer Letters sets,
The Mason clinckes on Marble Stones,
Which hardlie drest he gets:
Euen so, how soone this Warriour world
With earnest eies did see
Yon signe of Warre, they all prepard
To winne or els to die:
Heere Hagbutters prepard with speed
A number of Bullets round,
There Cannoners, their Canons steild
To make distroying sound,
Here Knights did dight their burnisht brands,
There Archers bowes did bend,
The Armorers on Corslets knockes,
And Harnesse hard did mend,
The feirie Marriners at once
Makes all their tackling clair
And whispering dinne, and cries confus'de,
Preparing here and there:
As busie Bees within their Hyues
With murmuring euer still,
Are earn'st vpon their fruitfull worke
Their emptie holes to fill.
The Flags and Enseigneis were displaid,
At ZEPHYRS will to waue,
Each painted in the colours cleere
Of euery owner braue.
BVT all this time in carefull minde,
The Generall euer rolde,
What manner of array would best
Fit such an Armie bolde,
To pance on this it paind him more,
This more did trouble his brest,
Then Canons, Corse-lets, Bullets, tackle,
And swordes, and bowes, the rest,
And at the last with ripe aduise,
Of Chieftaines sage and graue
He shead in three in Cressents forme,
This martiall Armie braue:
The Generall in the battaile was,
And COLONNE vndertooke
The right wing with the force of GENES,
The left did VENIER brooke.
WHEN this was done, the Spanish Prince
Did row about them all,
And on the names of speciall men
With louing speach did call,
Remembring them how righteous was
Their quarrell, and how good,
Immortall praise, and infinit gaines,
To conquer with their blood,
And that the glorie of God in earth,
Into their manhead stands,
Through just reliefe of Christian soules
From cruell Pagans hands:
But if the ennemie triumphed
Of them and of their fame,
In millions men to bondage would
Professing Iesus name.
The SPANIOL Prince exhorting thus
With glad and smiling cheare,
With sugred wordes, and gesture good,
So pleas'd both eie and eare
That euerie man cryed victorie:
This word abroad they blew,
A good presage that victorie
Thereafter should ensew.
THE Turquish Host in maner like
Themselues they did array,
The which two, BASHAAS did command
And order euerie way.
For PORTAV BASHA had in charge,
To gouerne all by land,
And ALI-BASHA had by Sea,
The onely cheife command,
These BASHAAS in the Battaile were,
With mo then I can tell,
And MAHOMET BEY the right wing had,
The left OCHIALI fell.
Then ALI-BASHA visied all
With bolde and manly face,
Whose tongue did vtter courage more
Then had alluring grace:
He did recount amongst the rest
What victorie Turks obtaind
On catife Christians, and how long
The OTTOMANS race had raignd.
He told them als, how long themselues
Had victours euer bene,
Euen of these same three Princes small,
That now durst so conuene,
And would yee then giue such a lie
Vnto your glories past,
As let your selues be ouerthrowne
By loosers at the last?
This victorie shall Europe make
To be your conquest pray,
And all the rare things thereintill,
Ye carry shall away:
But if ye leese, remember well
How ye haue made them thrall,
This samin way, or worse shall they
Demaine you one and all,
And then shall all your honours past
In smoke euanish quite,
And all your pleasures turne in paine
In dolour your delite:
Take courage then, and boldlie to it,
Our MAHOMET will aid,
Conducting all your shots, and stroakes,
Of Arrow, Dart, and blaid:
For nothing care but onely one
Which onelie doth me fray,
That ere with them we euer meet
For feare they flee away:
This speach did so the Armie please,
And so their minds did mooue,
That clincks of Swordes, and rattle of Pikes,
His speaches did approoue.
THE glistering cleare of shining Sunne
Made both the Hosts so glance,
As fishes eies did reele to see
Such hewes on Seas to dance:
But TITAN shinde on eies of Turkes
And on the Christian backes,
Although the wauering wind the which
But seldome setling tackes,
The Turkes did second euer still
Whill but a little space
Before the chocke, ô miracle,
It turnd into their face,
Which Christians joyfull as a seale
And token did receaue,
That God of Hosts had promis'd them
They victorie should haue.
HOVV soone a Cannons smokie throat
The Seas did dindle all,
And on BELLONA bolde and wise,
And bloodie MARS did call,
And that the sounding cleare of brasse
Did als approoue the same,
And kindled courage into men
To winne immortall fame.
But what? Me thinke I doe intend
This battaile to recite,
And what by Martiall force was done
My pen presumes to write,
As if I had yon bloodie God
And all his power seene,
Yea to descriue the God of Hosts
My pen had able beene:
No, no, no man that witnes was
Can set it out aright,
Then how could I by heare-say do,
Which none can do by sight:
But since I rashlie tooke in hand,
I must assay it now,
With hope that this my good intent
Ye Readers will allow:
I also trust that euen as he
Who in the Sunne doth walke
Is colourd by the samin Sunne,
So shall my following talke
Some fauour keepe of Martiall acts,
Since I would paint them out,
And God shall to his honour als
My pen guide out of dout.
THIS warning giuen to Christians they
With Turks yoake heere and there,
And first the sixe aforesaid Ships
That were so large and fair,
And placed were in the former ranks,
Did first of all persew
With Bullets, Raisers, Chaines, and nailes,
That from their peeces flew:
Their Cannons rummisht all at once,
Whose mortall thudding draue,
The fatall Turks to be content
With THETIS for their graue.
The Fishes were astonisht all,
To heare such hideous sound,
The Azur Skie was dim'd with Smoke,
The dinne that did abound,
Like thunder rearding rumling raue
With roares the highest Heauen,
And pearst with pith the glistering vaults
Of all the Planets seauen:
The piteous plaints, the hideous howles,
The greeuous cries and mones,
Of millions wounded sundrie waies,
But dying all at ones,
Conjoynd with former horrible sound,
Distemperd all the aire,
And made the Seas for terrour shake
With braying euery where:
Yet all these vnacquainted roares,
The feareful threatning sound,
Ioynd with the groning murmuring howles
The courage could not wound
So farre of Turquish Chieftaines braue,
As them to let or fray
With boldest speed their greeuous harmes
With like for to repay,
Who made their Cannons bray so fast
And Hagbuts cracke so thicke,
As Christians dead in number almost
Did countervaile the quicke,
And sent full many carcages
Of Seas to lowest ground,
The Cannons thuds and cries of men
Did in the skie resound:
But Turks remaind not long vnpaid
Euen with their proper coyne,
By bitter shots which Christians did
To former thundring ioyne:
Dead drop they downe on euery side,
Their sighing Spreits eschews,
And crosses Styx into disdaine,
To heare infernall newes:
Yea skarcelie could the ancient bote
Such number of soules containe,
But sobbed vnderneath the weight
Of Passengers prophane.
While here the Father stood with Sonne,
A whirling round doth beare
The lead that dings the Father in drosse
And fils the Sonne with feare,
Whill there a Chieftaine shrillie cries,
And Soldats doth command,
A speedie Pellet stops his speach,
And staies his pointing hand,
Whill time a clustered troupe doth stand
Amasst together all,
A fatall Bullet them among
Makes some selected fall:
The hideous noise so deaf'd them all,
Increasing euer still,
That readie Soldats could not heare
Their wise commanders will,
But euery man as MARS him mou'd,
And as occasion seru'd,
His dutie did the best he might,
And for no perrill sweru'd,
Their olde commanders precepts past
They put in practise then,
And onely memorie did command
That multitude of men.
THVS after they with Cannons had
Their dutie done a farre,
And time in end had wearied them
Of such embassad warre,
A rude recounter then they made,
Together Galleis clipt,
And each on other rasht her nose,
That in the Sea was dipt:
No manner of man was idle then,
Each man his armes did vse,
No skaping place is in the Seas
Though men would MARS refuse:
The valiant Knight with Coutlasse sharpe
Of fighting foe doth part
The bloodie head from bodie pale:
Whill one with deadlie dart
Doth pearce his enemies heart in twaine,
An other fearce doth strike
Quite through his fellowes Arme or Leg,
With pointed brangling Pike:
The Cannons leaues not thundering of,
Nor Hagbuts shooting still,
And seldome Powder wasts in vaine
But either wound or kill:
Yea euen the simple forceats fought
With beggers boltes anew,
Wherewith full manie principall men
They wounded sore and slew:
Whill time a Christian with a sworde,
Lets out a faithlesse breath,
A Turke on him doth with a darte,
Reuenge his fellowes death,
Whill time a Turk with arrow doth,
Shoot through a Christians arme,
A Christian with a Pike dooth pearce
The hand that did the harme:
Whill time a Christian Cannon killes
A Turke with threatning sound,
A Hagbut hittes the Cannoner,
Who dead, falles to the ground:
The beggers boltes by forceates casten,
On all hands made to flie,
Iaw-bones and braines of kild and hurt,
Who wisht (for paine) to die:
The clinkes of swords, the rattle of Pikes,
The whirre of arrowes light,
The howles of hurt, the Captaines cryes
In vaine do what they might,
The cracks of Gallies broken and bruzd,
Of Gunns the rumbling beire
Resounded so, that though the Lord
Had thundered none could heare:
The Sea was vernished red with blood,
And fishes poysond all,
As IEHOVA by MOSES rod
In Aegipt made befall.
THIS cruell fight continued thus
Vncertaine all the while,
For Fortune oft on either side,
Did frowne and after smile,
It seem'd that MARS and PALLAS both
Did thinke the day too short
With bloodie practise thus to vse
Their olde acquainted sport:
For as the slaughter ay increast,
So did the courage still,
Of Martiall men whome losse of friends
Enarm'd with eigre will,
The more their number did decrease
The more that they were harmd,
The more with MARS then were they fild
With boldning spite inarm'd:
Now vp now downe on either side,
Now Christians seemd to winne,
Now ouerthrowne, and now againe,
They seemd but to beginne.
My pen for pitie cannot write,
My hair for horrour stands,
To thinke how many Christians there
Were kild by Pagane hands.
O Lord throughout this Labyrinth
Make me the way to vew,
And let thy holy three-folde Spreit
Be my conducting clew:
O now I spie a blessed Heauen,
Our landing is not farre:
Lo good victorious tidings comes
To end this cruell warre.
IN ALL the time that thus they fought,
The Spanish Prince was clipt
With ALI-BASHA, whome to meet
The rest he had oreslipt:
And euen as throughout both the Hosts,
Dame Fortune varied still,
So kythde she twixt those Champions two,
Her fond inconstant will:
For after that the Castels foure
Of Galleis both, with sound,
And slaughter huge, their Bullets had
In other made rebound,
And all the small Artillerie
Consumde their shots below
In killing men, or els to cut
Some Cable strong or Towe:
Yet victorie still vncertaine was,
And Soldats neuer ceast
(With interchange of Pikes and Darts.)
To kill, or wound at least.
In end, when they with blood abroad
Had bought their meeting deare,
The victorie first on Spanish side
Began for to appeare:
For euen the Spanish Prince himselfe
Did hazard at the last,
Accompanied with boldest men,
Who followd on him fast,
By force to winne the Turkquish decke,
The which he did obtaine,
And entered in their Galley syne
But did not long remaine:
For ALI-BASHA proou'd so well,
With his assisters braue,
That backward faster then they came
Their valiant foes they draue,
That glad they were to skape themselues,
And leaue behind anew
Of valiant fellowes carcases,
Whom thus their enemies slew.
The Generall boldned then with spite,
And vernisht red with shame,
Did rather chuse to leese his life
Then tine his spreading fame:
And so of new encouraged
His Souldiers true and bolde,
As now for eigrenesse they burne
Who earst were waxed colde:
And thus they entred in againe
More fiercelie then before,
Whose rude assault could ALI then
Resist not anie more,
But fled vnto the forte at STEVIN
For last refuge of all,
Abiding in a doubtsome feare
The chance he did befall.
A MACEDONIAN souldier then
Great honour for to win,
Before the rest in earnest hope
To BASHA bold did rin,
And with a Cutlace sharpe and fyne
Did whip mee off his head,
Who lackt not his reward of him
That did the Nauie lead:
The Generall syne caus'd fixe the head
Vpon his Galley Mast.
At sight whereof, the faithlesse Host
Were all so sore agast,
That all amas'd gaue backe at once,
But yet were staid againe,
And neuer one at all did scape,
But taken were or slaine,
OCHIALI except, with three times ten
Great Galleis of his owne,
And many of the Knights of MALT
Whome he had ouerthrowne:
But if that he with his conuoy
Had mist a safe retreat,
No newes had SELYM but by brute
heard euer of this defeat.
WHEN thus the victorie was obteind,
And thankes were giuen to God,
Twelue thousand Christians counted were
Releeu'd from Turquish rod.
O Spanish Prince whome of a glance
And suddainlie away
The cruell fates gaue to the world
Not suffering thee to stay.
With this the still night sad and blacke
The earth ouer shadowed then,
Who MORPHEVS brought with her and rest
To steale on beasts and men.
BVT all this time was Venice Towne
Reuoluing what euent
Might come of this prepared fight,
With doubtsome mindes and bent:
They long'd, and yet they durst not long
To heare the newes of all,
They hoped good, they feard the euill,
And kest what might befall:
At last the joyfull tidings came,
Which such a gladnes bred,
That Matrons graue, and Maids modest,
The Market place bespred:
Anone with chearefull countenance
They dresse them in a ring,
And thus the formest did begin
Syne all the rest to sing.