There Was In Tripolis At That Time A Venetian Whose Name Was Benedetto
Venetiano, And Seventeen Captives More Of His
Countrymen, which ran
away from Tripolis in a boat and came inside of an island called Malta,
which lieth forty
Leagues from Tripolis right north; and, being within
a mile of the shore and very fair weather, one of their company said,
"In dispetto de Dio adesso venio a pilliar terra," which is as much to
say: "In the despite of God, I shall now fetch the shore;" and
presently there arose a mighty storm, with thunder and rain, and the
wind at the north, their boat being very small, so that they were
enforced to bear up room and to sheer right afore the wind over against
the coast of Barbary, from whence they came, and rowing up and down the
coast, their victuals being spent, the twenty-first day after their
departure, they were enforced through the want of food to come ashore,
thinking to have stolen some sheep. But the Moors of the country very
craftily (perceiving their intent) gathered together a threescore of
horsemen and hid themselves behind the sandy hill, and when the
Christians were come all ashore, and passed by half a mile into the
country, the Moors rode betwixt them and their boat, and some of them
pursued the Christians, and so they were all taken and brought to
Tripolis, from whence they had before escaped; and presently the king
commanded that the foresaid Benedetto, with one more of his company,
should lose their ears, and the rest to be most cruelly beaten, which
was presently done. This king had a son which was a ruler in an island
called Gerbi, whereunto arrived an English ship called the Green
Dragon, of the which was master one M. Blonket, who, having a very
unhappy boy on that ship, and understanding that whosoever would turn
Turk should be well entertained of the king's son, this boy did run
ashore and voluntarily turned Turk. Shortly after the king's son came
to Tripolis to visit his father, and seeing our company, he greatly
fancied Richard Burges, our purser, and James Smith. They were both
young men, therefore he was very desirous to have them to turn Turks;
but they would not yield to his desire, saying, "We are your father's
slaves and as slaves we will serve him." Then his father the king sent
for them, and asked them if they would turn Turks; and they said: "If
it please your Highness, Christians we were born and so we will remain,
and beseech the king that they might not be enforced thereunto." The
king had there before in his house a son of a yeoman of our Queen's
guard, whom the king's son had enforced to turn Turk; his name was John
Nelson. Him the king caused to be brought to these young men, and then
said unto them, "Will you not bear this, your countryman, company, and
be Turk as he is?" and they said that they would not yield thereunto
during life. But it fell out that, within a month after, the king's
son went home to Gerbi again, being five score miles from Tripolis, and
carried our two foresaid young men with him, which were Richard Burges
and James Smith. And after their departure from us they sent us a
letter, signifying that there was no violence showed unto them as yet;
yet within three days after they were violently used, for that the
king's son demanded of them again if that they would turn Turk. Then
answered Richard Burges: "A Christian I am, and so I will remain."
Then the king's son very angrily said unto him, "By Mahomet thou shalt
presently be made Turk!" Then called he for his men and commanded them
to make him Turk; and they did so, and circumcised him, and would have
had him speak the words that thereunto belonged; but he answered them
stoutly that he would not, and although they had put on him the habit
of a Turk, yet said he, "A Christian I was born, and so I will remain,
though you force me to do otherwise."
And then he called for the other, and commanded him to be made Turk
perforce also; but he was very strong, for it was so much as eight of
the king's son's men could do to hold him. So in the end they
circumcised him and made him Turk. Now, to pass over a little, and so
to show the manner of our deliverance out of that miserable captivity.
In May aforesaid, shortly after our apprehension, I wrote a letter into
England unto my father, dwelling in Evistoke in Devonshire, signifying
unto him the whole estate of our calamities, and I wrote also to
Constantinople to the English ambassador, both which letters were
faithfully delivered. But when my father had received my letter, and
understood the truth of our mishap, and the occasion thereof, and what
had happened to the offenders, he certified the Right Honourable the
Earl of Bedford thereof, who in short space acquainted her Highness
with the whole cause thereof; and her Majesty, like a most merciful
princess tendering her subjects, presently took order for our
deliverance. Whereupon the Right Worshipful Sir Edward Osborne,
knight, directed his letters with all speed to the English ambassador
in Constantinople to procure our delivery, and he obtained the Great
Turk's commission, and sent it forthwith to Tripolis by one Master
Edward Barton, together with a justice of the Great Turk's and one
soldier, and another Turk and a Greek, which was his interpreter, which
could speak beside Greek, Turkish, Italian, Spanish and English. And
when they came to Tripolis they were well entertained, and the first
night they did lie in a captain's house in the town. All our company
that were in Tripolis came that night for joy to Master Barton and the
other commissioners to see them.
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