nor child, meat, drink, nor bedding: but, thanked be God, I found straw, hay, and corn, for my horses to eat, and for myself and my servant to lie in, but the people were all fled into [the] mountains for fear.

The said Italians not only robbed the towns, but also ravished the [wo]men, and beat the men, and slew many. And yet cometh after the Emperor, [the] captain called Fabricius Maromaus" with his band about three thousand, who brenneth up all the towns which before were but spoiled, as I am informed by two of my servants which I left at Vienna, the one sick, and the other to keep him; and they told me that all the towns by the way, so far as Fabricius Maromaus hath gone, be clean brent up, so much that not one house is standing, except in such strong holds as they could not attain unto. And yet one walled town they have entered into and spoiled, which the other that went before durst not attempt to assault; the name of it is Newmarkes, and a servant of mine was present, when they brake the gates and slew the porters. Of this sacking and brenning is like to ensue great penury and default of all victuals, and specially of corn; for so much as the corn here is brent up, whereupon the people should live this year, and sow their land against the next year. Thus is this country miserably oppressed of all parties, but much more by them that came to defend this country, than it was by the Turks.

Sox that hitherto I can see no great fruit that hath succeeded of this puissant army assembled against the Turk. For it hath alienated the minds of the Almains from the Italians and Spenyardes much more than ever they were before. And moreover, as far as I can understand, it hath not a little diminished the minds, as well of the Italians as Almains towards the Emperor, because that he so shortly hath dissolved the said army that came to him with so good courages, and he hath not prosecuted the said enterprise

u

[He is called by Knolles, Fabricius Maramaldus. Discontent at his appointment to the command was one of the causes of the mutiny.] *[The passages in Italics were written in cypher in the original, but have been decyphered in the margin.]

1

against the Turk throughout all Hungary and Greece, according to their expectation; but now the men of arms be much displeased, and many of them do say openly, that they will never return at his calling hereafter Y.

And now the husbandmen of this country be in such a tumultuation for the loss of their goods and the brenning of their houses, that they muster together upon the mountains, and with guns and stones do slay many of the Emperor's people. And in divers places they come down from the mountains in the night, and do slay all the small companies that they may find sleeping. And many times they come down in the day in good companies, and rob carriages that do follow the court, and slay as many as will withstand them. So much that they have slain many gentlemen of the court, and yesterday they slew three or four gentlemen of Burgon, for whose death the Emperor is right pensive.

Y ["The protestants, as a testimony of their gratitude to the Emperor, "exerted themselves with extraordinary zeal, and brought into the field "forces that exceeded in number the quota imposed on them; the catho"lics imitating their example, one of the greatest and best appointed "armies that had ever been levied in Germany, assembled near Vienna. "Being joined by a body of Spanish and Italian veterans under the "Marquis dal Guasto, by some heavy armed cavalry from the Low "Countries, and by the troops which Ferdinand had raised in Bohemia, "Austria, and his other territories, it amounted in all to ninety thou"sand disciplined foot, and thirty thousand horse, besides a prodigious "swarm of irregulars. Of this vast army, worthy the first prince in "Christendom, the Emperor took the command in person; and mankind "waited in suspense the issue of a decisive battle between the two greatest monarchs in the world. But each of them dreading the "other's power and good fortune, they both conducted their operations "with such excessive caution, that a campaign, for which such immense "preparations had been made, ended without any memorable event. "Solyman, finding it impossible to gain ground upon an enemy always "attentive and on his guard, marched back to Constantinople towards "the end of autumn." Robertson, Charles V. The discontent which the Emperor provoked by not pursuing his advantage, is mentioned by the historians, but is no where so fully described as by Cranmer. "Taxant Cæsarem," says Seckendorf, "scriptores Hungari, et cum "iis Pallavicinus, (lib. III. c. xi. §. 1.) quod in Hispaniam ad uxorem "prolis generandæ cupidus, Ferdinando fratre deserto, festinasset. Mag"na autem culpæ pars Pontifici tribuenda est. Hujus enim copiæ, cum "reliquias belli in Pannonia persequi debuissent, seditione facta Ita"liam repetierunt, hostiliter in ditione Austriaca incendiis grassatæ, sic "vindicare se dictitantes quæ Germani in Italia (sub Borbonio scilicet "et Transpegio) patrassent." Seckend. Comm. de Lutheran. lib. III.

But the boors put no difference between one man and another, for all that go with the Emperor be to them Italians and Spanyardes. They have also slain the ambassador of Mantua, as the constant fame hath been here continually these three days. And the legate de Medices, at a town six miles hence called St. Vite, was taken prison [er, but was released] by favour of the Emperor's letters; but after in another place [they would have] slain him, if he had not escaped with good horses; [they slew] one of his men of arms with an arquebuse, and took Mon....... whom your Grace knoweth right well, and he had been sl[ain by the stroke of] an halberd, if the stroke had not light short: nevertheless [his clothes] upon his breast were cut down with the stroke unto the bare [flesh]; and afterwards they led him into the mountains almost two days, and [would] have slain him, if one man had not been his friend. And [since] is word brought, that four of the said legate's carriages be robbed, [which] came after the Emperor, and every day we hear of much murder and [rob]bing done by the boors. And yet all these dangers, than [ked be God,] I have escaped, but these two days to come I shall be [in] more jeopardy of the boors, than I was at any time yet: nevertheless, He that conducted me safely hither, I trust He will likewise conduct me into Italy and Spayne, and afterward to Englande again.

Don Ferdinando is not much beloved in these parts, neither of the princes that be adjoining to them, nor also of his own subjects. And this wasting of this country is like to augment the murmur of the people against him, whereupon many men do fear an insurrection to follow very shortly, whereunto this commotion of the commons is a very preparative. Deus omnia vertat in gloriam suam: for here

[Guicciardini relates, that the Emperor ordered both the legate, Cardinal Hippolytus de Medici, and Pietro Maria Rosso, to whom the mutiny was ascribed, to be arrested, but that he released the cardinal with many apologies almost immediately, and soon afterwards set at liberty Rosso also. Cranmer's account may be suspected to be a different version of the same transaction. Guicciard. b. xx.]

of might follow such inconvenience as in many years after should be irreparable.

Here hath appeared two hours before daylight every morning since the fifth or sixth day of this month a blazing star, called cometa, straight in the east, casting his beam upward, partly inclining toward the south, much whiter in colour than was the other that appeared the last year. And moreover, many persons here do affirm, that they have seen above the moon a blue cross, which mine host in a city called Indiburs and all his household did see, as they showed me. Other do say, that they have seen an horse head flaming, other have seen a flaming sword. But of these other impressions I cannot assure your Grace, for I saw no mo but the comet, which I saw within these two daysa. What strange things these tokens do signify to come hereafter, God knoweth, for they do not lightly appear, but against some great mutation; and it hath not be seen (as I suppose) that so ma[ny] comets have appeared in so short time.

.... na is a great infection of the plagueb, whereof is dead many of the Em[peror's] household, and among other is dead Waldesius, a Spanyarde, the Em [peror's] chief secretary, and was in his singular favour. He was well learned in the Latin tongue, and partly in the Greek; and whensoever the Emperor would have any thing well and exactly done in the Latin tongue, it was ever put to Waldesius, and I suppose that he made the draught of the answer of the Emperor, which I sent unto your Grace inclosed with my last letters.

In

my journey I passed through the place where was the

a["This was the end of those wonderful preparations made by the two great monarchs, Solyman and Charles V, in the year 1532, which held "the world in great suspense, with the fearful expectation of some "marvellous alteration; and so much the more, for that at the same "time appeared a great blazing star for the space of fifteen days." Knolles, Hist. of the Turks. The appearance of the comet is also mentioned by Sleidan.]

b["The plague was got into the camp, yea, even into his court."

first battle against the fourteen thousand Turks that came to Ens, though many say they were but eight thousand. In which battle were captains of our party, Cassiander, born in Croatia, and two Turks which have been long time servants unto King Ferdinando; one is called Bacrespal, and the other Turk Waylande. But the Turks durst not abide for fear of Duke Friderick, which was very near with six thousand horsemen and a great number of footmen. By the high way as I rode almost two English miles, lay many dead men and horses, part of Christian and part of Turks, but the great number were Turks. But to mine estimation, as much as I could view the ground, there was not slain upon both parties two thousand men. But after in another place were slain about two thousand Turks of the same band, and they slew again two or three thousand Spaniards arquebusiers at the same time, and took divers prisoners, whom they carried with them into Hungary b. Beside that, from their first entering into Austria and Stiria until their returning into Hungary again, they slew in one place and other above fifteen or sixteen thousand Christian men, and took many prisoners, and escaped themselves all but three or four thousand, which were slain as I have above written. This is the voice of this country, which I have now written unto your Grace, but Monsieur Grandeveile showed me otherwise, that all the said Turks were slain except two or three hundred, as I wrote unto your Grace in my last letters. Now I have signified unto your Grace both the saying of Monsieur Grandeveile, and also the voice of this country,

b [According to Knolles, they carried off prisoners to the number of thirty thousand.]

["Solymannus... prædatum emittit ad quindecim equitum millia, "duce Casono. Is Lincium usque supra Viennam excurrit, et longe "lateque devastatis agris, nullum immanitatis genus prætermittit: cum "vero pedem referret, in nostros equites, qui fuerant emissi ut rapinis "et populationibus illum prohiberent, incidit; et diversis locis ad in"ternecionem prope concisus, tandem et ipse occumbit." Sleidan, De Statu Religionis, lib. viii. According to Knolles, whose account is more full, this utter destruction befell a division of eight thousand men only, under Cason: the remainder escaped with little loss to Solyman. Knolles seems to have followed "the voice of the country," Sleidan the statement of Granvelle.]