And thus me thinketh in one halfe yeare, he might soone empty that purging pit: Yet unlesse the Suppliant touch with his finger, during his Prayers, a gaudy beede [IX. 411.]inraveled betweene five small fast made irons, placed before the Altar; their Bulla, their payment for it; their Paters, their Devotion for their friends soules, are all lost. Then say, if peradventure, the friends of the defunct be oblivious in this officiousnesse, and neglect both the Ceremony, and Pater noster, might not the Pope justly be reputed a cruell Monster, that for want of pattering an abridged Pater, his Cerberian Office in Hell, should detayne any poore soule in such torments, as they say are in Purgatory.
Infinite passages of the like kind could I Recite, if I had longer time and larger leisure; and especially of their miraculous leyes, or leying Miracles; in erecting of falshood, and maintayning of perjury; but till a fitter occasion, I will revert to my Itinerary Discourse, and so proceede. Having left my afore-sayde friend Maister Grahame, at a Taverne at Bilbo neere to Rome, I set forward through the vaile of Ombria and the Countrey Romania, Ravenna the chiefe City of Romania.whereof Ravenna is Lady, and the Pope Lord, I arrived (the way of Ferrara and Padua) at Venice. Who then was levying an Army against the Croatian Scokes of Gradisca, and the Duke of Grasso now Emperour. Of which Army Count Mansfield was Generall, and with whom I crossed the Gulfe to Pola in Istria, and from thence to the siege of Gradisca: The discourse whereof, I have here formerly avouched in the second Part of my first Travailes. Now to speake of a Souldier, certainely hee is more then prayse-worthy and fortunate, that hath faced the Low-Countries, reviewed Briscia in Lombardy, and footed and sighted the Arsenal of Venice, then his eyes have first seene, the sonnes, the force, the policies and Kingdome of Mars: Secondly, the fiery shoppe of Vulcan, where rarest Armes and Weapons are hammer’d out upon the Anvill, for the honour of [IX. 412.]Mars; and lastly the incomparable Armory or store-house for Sea and Land, the Meggazin and treasury of Mars.
Now leaving both the Armies barking at other like to Hircanian wolves, I traced the fertile soyles of Carindia, Carneola, Vienne in Austria no way answerable to common fame.and Stria even to Vienna: all which were subject to the Emperour, save a part of Carneola, that groanes under the Turke. Being arrived at Vienne, I found the Towne, and the flying fame of it far different, either for greatnesse, strength, or wealth: for the Towne rising upon a moderat height circular, is but of small compasse without, not passing two English miles.
The suburbs round about, being twice as great as the Towne; and the strength of it is no way comparable to a hundred Cities that I have seene, neither is it for wealth so much to be admired, being depraved of Seas, shipping, and navigation, having onely the needfull prosperity of dry land Townes.
Here I found a Turkish Ambassadour, going downe the Champion Danubio of Europe, for Constantinople; and with him one Gratianus, a Greeke his Interpreter, to whose familiar love I was much obliged; and with whom I imbarked downe the River to Presburge a place where the Hungarian Crowne is kept, and from thence discending the River to Comorre, the downemost Towne the Emperour retayneth on Danubio, I left my noble Interpreter, and traversed the Champaine Countrey.
The chiefe Townes whereof I wil briefly touch, and so proceed: Buda is the capitall Citie of Hungary, wherein the Turkish Bassaw hath his residence, and was taken in by Solyman the Emperour, the twenty of August 1526. the other is the aforesaid Presburge, aunciently Bosonia; [IX. 413.]the rest are Belgrad or Albegrek, aunciently Taurinum, in Dutch Griechs: Weissenberge, that was taken by Soliman, 1520. Valpa, and Singidum, upon the Danubio, both under the Turke, and that of the seven Churches upon the River Drana taken in, in the yeare one thousand five hundred and forty three, and Zigeth taken also in the yeare one thousand five hundred sixty sixe.
The special Townes of Hungary.Moreover upon the Danubio, the Towne Strigonium commonly Grana, and Alberoyall otherwise Stulvesenburg, a place destined for the Sepultures and Coronations of the Kings of Hungary, and was taken by the Turkes, Anno 1543.
Neare the same place is Stridon, where they say St. Jerome was borne: And now above all other the strong Towne of Gamorra, standing in an Ile of the Danuby of that same name, which the Turkes have so oft besieged, yet never could surprise it.
There is also Tockay, and Januarin or Rab seated too upon Danuby, a Towne as it were impregnable, yet it was overtaken by the Turkes, and lastly recovered by the Christians.
The forces of the Bassa of Buda.The Beglerbeg of Buda, hath under his command, eight thousand Timariots, and twelve thousand common Souldiers which lye in Garrison, in continuall pay on the confines of Hungary, Croatia, and Dacia, and these confines belonging to the house of Austria: The Bassa hath under his authority 13. Sanzacks, lying at these thirteene Townes here undernamed, to wit, Novaguard, Semendria, Simontorno, Zetshen, Ecclesiæ, Sirnium, Capan, Zornock, Alba Regalis, Sigedin, Mucchatz, Zegedin, and Sexard.