The Turke sent into the Iland a woonderfull great armie, which remaining there manie moneths with no lesse horrour to good men for their cruelties, than terrour to all men for their huge numbers, at last he came thither in person. And drawing to his de|sire of conquest and glorie, the respect of profit and riches which the victorie would yéeld, he lost not one minute of time to vex them.The Turke [...] great indu|strie equiua|lent to his valour. Wherein his industrie was nothing inferiour to his valour, for sometimes he cast monstrous mines and trenches, sometimes he raised platformes of earth and wood, whose height ouertopped the wals of the towne, and sometimes he afflicted them with most furious and bloudie assaults insomuch that as these works and engines were not performed without a woonderfull butcherie & slaugh|ter of his souldiors; so also the defense of them was so dangerous to the liues of them within, that manie numbers were diminished, manie bodies maimed and made vnseruiceable, & the residue sore terrified by the calamitie of their companions and fréends, to whome they could giue no other propertie of com|passion, than to mourne with them in their common miserie.

Their aduersitie was so much the more intollera|ble, by how much their trauels were without fruit, their words without comfort, and their valour dis|fauoured of fortune, & lastlie their store of gunpow|der was consumed, which is not the least necessitie for the defense of a place. They saw before their eies huge breaches made into their walles with the ar|tilleries of their enimies,The [...] calamities & ruines infor|ced by this warre. they discerned seuerall mines wrought into manie parts of the towne, and they found by lamentable experience, that the lesse good they did, the more painfullie they laboured, for that their fortune had reduced them to these termes of extremitie, that in abandoning one place to re|lieue another, they put both in danger, not hauing numbers sufficient to furnish the seruice, and lesse EEBO page image 877 expectation of rescue amid perils so raging and des|perate: so that, what for that their necessities were greater than their hopes, & their defense lesse able by the continuall diminution of their numbers, & last|lie holding it no breach of honour to preserue by wis|dome and composition, that they could no longer de|fend by their valour and prowes, they gaue place to their destinie, and capitulated with the Turke as followeth. That the great maister of their order should leaue the towne to him: that as well he as all his knights should depart in safetie, with libertie to earie with them as much of their goods as they could. And for assurance of this capitulation, the Turke should withdraw out of those seas, his fléet or nauie, and retire his armie by land fiue miles from Rhodes. By vertue of which capitulation Rhodes remained to the Turkes, and the christians passed into Sicilie, and so into Italie, [...] ren|dered by to [...] Turke. kéeping their faith and profession vnuiolated. They found in Sicilie an armie by sea compounded of a certeine number of vessels, with great releafe of vittels and munitions, and readie to hoise saile at the next wind to reuittle Rhodes. The slownesse of this reseue was laid to the popes fault.

After they were departed, Soliman for a more contempt of christian religion [...] , made his entrie into the citie vpon the daie of the birth of the sonne of God: which daie being celebrated in the churches of christians with noise of musike & holie inuocations, he connected all the churches of Rhodes dedicated to the seruice of Iesus Christ, into Mosqueis (so they call their temples) which after all the christian rites and ceremonies were abolished, they made dedica|torie to Mahomet. Good cause had the christians here|vpon with heauie hearts to make their complaint to God by the president of the psalmist, lamenting the li|bertie of the enimies exercising the vehemencie of his rage against Gods people; & full well with swolne eies testifieng the sorrow of their soules might (sad|lie sounding the dumps of their threnomina) saie:

—perde funditùs

Hostes proteruos, [...] 74. qui tuum sacrarium

Manu nefanda polluunt,

Clangunt sonora buccina, non quae tuas

Laudes canat, ludibrio

Sed festa acerbo quae profanet; in tuis

Vexilla figunt turribus, &c.