At last sterne Æole, puft on Neptunes pride,
And gloomy Hellespont, their loves divide:
[III. 127.]He swimmes, and sinkes, and in that glutting downe,
The angry Fates, did kind Leander drowne:
Of which when Hiero heard, judge you her part,
She smote her selfe, and rent in two her heart.
But now they are commonly called the Castles of Gallipoly; yea, or rather the strength of Constantinople, betweene which no Shippes may enter, without knowledge of the Captaines, and are by them strictly and warily searched, least the Christians should carry in Men, Munition, or furniture of Armes, for they stand in feare of surprising the Towne: And at their returne they must stay three dayes, before they are permitted to go through, because of transporting away any Christian slaves, or if they have committed any offence in the Citty, the knowledge thereof may come in that time.
At that same instant of my abode at Abidos, there were fourescore Christian slaves, who having cut their Captaines throat, with the rest of the Turkes, Christian slaves fled from Constantinople.runne away from Constantinople with the Galley. And passing here the second day thereafter at midnight, were discovered by the watch of both Castles, where the Cannon never left thundring for two houres; yet they escaped with small hurt, and at last arrived in the Road of Zante; desiring landing, & succour, for their victuals were done: victuals they sent them, but the Governour would not suffer them to come on Land. In end, the Sea growing somewhat boysterous, the slaves for an excuse cut their Cables, and runne the Galley a shoare: Upon this they were entertained in service, but the Providitor caused to burne the Galley, fearing least the Turkes should thereby forge some quarrell. The yeare following, an other Galley attempted the same, but the poore slaves having past the Castles, [III. 128.]had bene so wounded and killed with the great shot, and the Galley ready to sinke, they were enforced to runne a shoare, where the next morning being apprehended, they were miserably put to death. Betwixt the Castles and Constantinople, is about fourty leagues. Over this straite Xerxes did make a bridge of boates to passe into Greece, which when a sudden tempest had shrewdly battered, he caused the sea to be beaten with 300. stripes.
The sorrow of Xerxes.And at that same time Xerxes passing over the Hellespont, and seeing all the sea cled with his Army, his Horses, Chariots, and Ships, the teares burst from his eyes: and being demanded the cause of his griefe? answered, O, sayd he, I weepe because within a hundreth yeares, all this great and glorious sight, shall be dissolved to nothing; and neither man, nor beast shall be alive, nor Chariot, nor Engine of Warre, but shall be turn’d to dust; and so I sorrow to see the short mortality of Nature. Indeed it was a worthy saying, from such a Heathnish Monarch, who saw no further, than the present misery of this life.
Here I left the two French men with a Greeke Barbour, and imbarked for Constantinople, in a Turkish Frigato. The first place of any note I saw, within these narrow Seas, was the auncient Citty of Gallipolis, the second seate of Thracia, which was first builded by Caius Caligula, and sometimes had beene inhabited by the Gaules: It was the first Towne in Europe, that the Turkes conquered; and was taken by Solyman sonne to Orchanes, Anno 1438.