CHAPTER XXIII

Footnotes[83]Force.[84]Subtlety, trick.[85]Applied to sounds suggesting angry vehemence.[86]Bitter?[87]Enticing.[88]Forcing, pressing.[89]Nimbly.[90]Ring, or circle.[91]Cutlass.[92]Encounter.[93]Releasing.[94]Smoke, vapour.[95]Irascible.[96]In spite of himself; reluctantly (Ital.)[97]Impudent.[98]A form ofsanctus; an outcry.[99]Frightened.[100]A person sitting on something (in this case, the elephant’s rider).[101]Saddle-bow.[102]i.e. The Turkish umpires.

Footnotes

[83]Force.

[84]Subtlety, trick.

[85]Applied to sounds suggesting angry vehemence.

[86]Bitter?

[87]Enticing.

[88]Forcing, pressing.

[89]Nimbly.

[90]Ring, or circle.

[91]Cutlass.

[92]Encounter.

[93]Releasing.

[94]Smoke, vapour.

[95]Irascible.

[96]In spite of himself; reluctantly (Ital.)

[97]Impudent.

[98]A form ofsanctus; an outcry.

[99]Frightened.

[100]A person sitting on something (in this case, the elephant’s rider).

[101]Saddle-bow.

[102]i.e. The Turkish umpires.

Bychance a Knight smote Faustus a box on the ear in the presence of a great company of brave Ladies,wherefore he swore to be egregiously revenged on him, giving him the Field, which the Knight refused not, so the weapons, the place, the time were ordained, and Faustus went out to the field, and no sooner was Faustus gone out of the presence but Signior di Medesimo, who was well-known to be a valorous and courageous man in his kind as any was about the Court, on a sudden fell down on his knees before all the Ladies, shaking and quivering, with a face as pale as him which was new risen from a month’s burying, desiring them if ever they tendered any Gentleman’s case, to entreat Monsieur Infeligo to forgive him his trespass. At this the whole assembly burst out into a loud laughter, to see the man that was even now in his brave terms and vaunting words to come in all submissive manner to entreat for a pardon so ridiculously. He yet not desisting with many a salt tear and hands lifted up towards the Heavens, from whence his pity came, when Faustus came blowing in like a swashbuckler with his Rapier by his side and his hand on his Poynard, swearing all the cross row over.[103]But when he saw the Knight in such a pickle, he sat himself against a wall and laughed so loud and so heartily, that all the whole rout could not choose but laugh with him, and here was laughing, and here and there and everywhere. At length two Ladies rose, to whom perhaps this Knight owed some particular service, and desired Don Infeligo with very mild sermon to be friends with Medesimo again, he told them that they could not demand the thing which he would not readily fulfil, marry he requested this, that as thedisgrace which he had received was too great to be forgotten without some such equal revenge, that he might use some like injury, whereby he might be satisfied and he might again come into his grace: which they granted. Faustus came to Medesimo and reared him up upon his feet, and then got upon his back, and so rid twice about the Chamber, and when he had done he took him by the chin, who had not yet forgotten how to weep, shaking worse then any school-boy when he fears to climb the horse, and gave him a good box on the ear and went his way. So the Knight was utterly disgraced, and for shame durst not be seen all that day after. They which were there had sport abundance, and Faustus was feared for his brave valour and with his continual delight in knavery got him foes enough too.

Footnotes[103]An incantation over the letters of the alphabet.

Footnotes

[103]An incantation over the letters of the alphabet.

Anothertime he by chance overheard a Gentleman which was talking to a Lady, and said that whatsoever she commanded him to do, he would do it, if she would grant him grace. The Gentlewoman belike willing to hear him speak so not to her, required him to build in that place with one word a Castle of fine silver, at which the Gentleman amazed went away confounded, Faustus followed him fast, and said to him that he had overheard the Lady’s unjust demand, wherefore go say (quoth he) thou wilt do it with one word. And so the Gentleman did and it was done, whilst he ran laughing in to many nobles and lusty gallants, tellingthem he would shew them the strangest thing that ever they saw, and all they came running into the garden together, where they found the Gentleman fast locked in a pair of stocks, and an ugly foul kitchen wrench in his arms. O Lord, what wondrous sport did he make them there. And when they had laughed their fill, he loosed the gallant, who went and swore all that he could he would be revenged on him. In such monstrous intolerable knaveries Faustus took especial felicity.

Thesefour honest fellows Faustus, Akercocke, Mephostophiles, and Wagner went out together into the street, and walking there by chance espied four Gentlewomen seeming to be sisters, them they cast to abuse, and they were never content to play any merry pranks for honest sport, but they must be so satirically full of gall, that they commonly proved infamous, sparing neither their good name on whom they committed them nor any kind of villainy, so it might procure mirth: when they had talked sufficiently with them, they did so much that they were contented to ride abroad with them, and so each fetched his horse and came to them masked, and the Gentlewomen were wimpled likewise (for the men as well as women use there to wear masks). Thus they rode to the common furlong where many Italian gentlemen were playing at the Balloon, and there they rode round about, whole armies of shouts accompanying them, they ridingstill backward and forward, whilst these men-women had sewed their coats to their doublets, and pinned upon their backs things of vile reproach amongst them, then rode they to the Court not yet satisfied, where they were entertained with more merriment and laughter. And when these men-women saw the greatest multitude that was there likely to be, even upon a piece of ground which was higher than all the rest, they leaped down, and by reason of the friendship betwixt their petticoats and their doublets, they haled them all down one after another, the horses ran away, and they lay upon them to their great confusion and reproach, yet they thought all well sith they were personated and masked, but the women stripped off their women’s garments and their head attires, and there they were well known to be four brave noble young Gentlemen brethren, and each of them rent off the masks of Mephostophiles and his mates, and detected them to their great shame, who neither durst revenge themselves for fear of further displeasure, nor of revealing what they were, nor could be moaned of any one for their notable abuses aforehand, so that whereas in others it had been but a common jest, on them it was wonderful strange and ridiculous. So they with shame enough went fretting in vain to their lodging.

TheEmperor being some five or six days in rest within his walls, caused, as sloth cannot dwell in true noble breasts, the whole Army to set forward, leaving aconvenient Garrison within the City of 30,000 men, marched into the fields in sundry embattles with above 130,000 men. And there in the view of the Army Mephostophiles, Akercocke, Wagner, Faustus pricked up to the Turk’s camp, armed in complete harness, and there challenged any four to break a staff with them, then came there forth four Janissaries horsemen armed at all assays,[104]and there they ran together to the singular delight of the beholders, so gallantly they demeaned themselves, but in the cope[105]all the four Janissaries were run quite through and through (as they say) and there lay on the cold earth, then made these four fellows in Arms their stop and expected a fresh revenge: which came immediately thundering out of the entry of the Camp, with whom to occur in time they met with the like success as before, to their singular commendations and high praises: then gan the Turk to stamp and fret, and commanded four of the best in his whole camp, and four more with them to run at these villains and to captive them, where they should rue the rashness of their presumption with long eternal torment. These eight came with all their power together and broke their lances very hardly upon their faces, and so did they four on theirs, then they drew their swords committing a brave tourney, till two of the Turks were slain, and the six fled, which were immediately hanged, at which ye Christian laughed heartily, and these four returned thanked highly, and for that the Enemy would not advance himself to the general Fortune of the fight, they marched in again into the City.

Footnotes[104]Ready for every event.[105]Encounter.

Footnotes

[104]Ready for every event.

[105]Encounter.

Abouttwo a clock in the night the Turk approached with all his whole army unto the walls of the City, causing particular bands and Pioneers to dig through the countermure, the Sentinels which were on the walls, privily espying by reason the Moon gave some slender light, though she was but three days old, gave warning without any alarm to the chief commanders: so that the whole power of the City almost was gathered into Arms, without any stroke of the Drum. The place wherein the Turk was entering, was right against a street’s end of above two yards over and not above thirty yards from the breach, they had digged a deep trench and placed on the scarf nine double cannons thoroughly round and charged with chain and murdering shot, and on each side of the cross street they had erected forts of gravel, etc., like our Barricadoes now, in each of which they placed above fifteen Culverin and Cannon. Now the breach being sufficient, the Turk having entered above 2,000 men, gave ye onset, and sounded the bloody alarm, when suddenly the Flankers discharged and the bulwarks shot freely together, and utterly cut off all them that entered beyond the ditch, and betwixt those three mentioned Forts with their terrible shot, they swept them all out of the place, then began the Turk to thrust his men forward upon the breach (having lost in this assault above 2,100) and ever as they came up to the breach, the Cannon heaved them off, and the small shot from the loops so galled them that theydurst not approach. But the Turk cared not, for the murthering of his men might weary the Cannons’ insatiate cruelty at length. Then was the alarm given through the City, and everyone fell to their Arms, getting to the walls, and the rest to the assembling places, whilst the Turk freshly filled the breaches with murthered men, he enforcing himself to his power to enter, and they to keep him out. When he saw that how he had stopped the breaches so with dead bodies, which almost made a new red sea with their blood, in a great rage transporting above 30,000 men over the Danuby, furnished them with scaling ladders, whilst he with great store of cannon beat his own slain men off the fore-named breaches, for he was a merciless tyrant, and caused them to assault the wall itself, which they did. Now began the morning to appear, and ye Christian came just upon the backs of the assailants, with the greatest part of the whole power of the city, and put them all to the sword, save those that escaped from them by water, but killed of their own fellows. Then the Christian marched upon the Turk, who seeing his power greatly weakened, having lost at his unlucky assault above 23,000 men, cursing and banning his disastrous fortune, and his Gods the givers of it, retired in a flying pace to his camp, whilst the plenteous spoil made rich the Christian, for upon the dead carcases were found store of jewels and gold in great plenty.

Thisnew victory gladded the Christians exceedingly, as much as it grieved the Turk. The breaches now were freshly repaired with all expedition. The Christian princes seeing the inconvenience that followed their keeping within the City, and how great shame it were for them to abstain from the enemy, considering their power to be not much inferior to that of the Turks in number, much more in brave soldiery, wherefore they made a general muster, and determined to offer the battle to them in the plain field, which if they refused, they would give them in their camps, concluding all under one day’s valiance, then marched forth the English archers, of whom Wagner desired he might be with his fellows, which when they had taken their stand, they brought store of fletchery[106]to them in carts, which were there disburdened, so every archer being five double furnished, the number of them now was nine thousand, the pike being converted into them, being thereto desirous, and having therefore made great suit, for the Emperor was very loth to forget their first good service: Faustus counselled the Captain to choose a plot of above one hundred acres square, where it was open to each horseman, which they marvelled at greatly, but yet they easily granted to stand anywhere: they were so well placed, that they stood as well to defend the friend, as to offend the foe. Then in due order marched out the wholearmies of the Christian, and so settled themselves, whilst the Turk brought forward his thick swarms. Now it had been a brave sight, to see the greatest princes of the whole world East and West, attended on by their whole forces set in array, their gorgeous and bright armours and weapons casting up long trammels of golden shine to the heavens, the noise of clarions, trumpets, etc., encouraging the fainting soldier, and increasing the boldness of the resolute. There was at once in this Field all the terror of the world, accompanied with all the beauty. In the City you might have seen the remainders at the churches at prayer, solemn procession round about the town with great devotion, etc. Well, the time was come that the horsemen began to assault the pike, and attempting the ruptures of their array, and the forlorn hopes fiercely skirmishing, whilst with loud outcries the whole use of hearing was taken away: above you nothing but smoke, round about you the thundering cannon, and sharp horrors of sundry weapons, and at your feet death. There might you see the great use of the eughen[107]bow, for the horse no whit fearing the musket, or culiver,[108]as used to it, nor yet respects the piercing of a bullet, by the thick tempest of arrows, hiding their eyes, and hurting their bodies, overthrew the horsemaster to the ground, on that side could not one horseman appear, but straight they fetched him down, so that of thirty thousand horsemen of one assault, there was not one that came within five spears’ length of the battle on foot. The great Turk cursing heaven and earth, and all trees that bore suchmurthering fruit as bows and arrows, caused a troop of five hundred barbed horses, with twenty thousand more to run upon the archers altogether, which they did, but when they came just upon a little ridge, not one horse but suddenly stopped, and the riders which now had rested their staves, lying close upon the saddle pommels, were thrown quite out of the saddle, and either their backs broken, or quite slain. All the whole archery with the camp wondering hereat, as ignorant of the matter, everyone suspending his several judgment, but Faustus laughed heartily, who knew the matter plain, for there had they buried in sand all the way wolves’ guts, which by natural magic, as authors affirm, suffers not the horse to come over it in any case, nor any force can carry him over with a rider on him. For the Archers drew just upon, and so universally shot together, that all the troops were put to flight, and above half spoiled and murthered. To be brief, so much the Christian prevailed upon the Turk in three hours and a half fight, that all them were turned and fled, each one advancing forward in his flight, there were slain in this battle and flight above seven score thousand Turks, the great Turk himself fighting manfully on his Elephant, was by the Emperor’s own hands slain, all his chief Bassas and men of honour, to the number of three hundred died manfully about him: now the retreat was sounded, and they marched home in most glorious pomp and rejoicing, where the soldiers made rich with the great spoil of the camp, were dismissed, and the princes returned home, and due order taken for the safety of the City. So the Duke of Austria rid of his enemies,gave himself to his forepassed life, and the other princes with great joy caused general feasts and triumphs to be performed in all their kingdoms, provinces, and territories whatsoever.

Footnotes[106]Goods made, or sold, by a fletcher (a maker or seller of bows and arrows).[107]Yew.[108]Caliver, a light musket or arquebus.

Footnotes

[106]Goods made, or sold, by a fletcher (a maker or seller of bows and arrows).

[107]Yew.

[108]Caliver, a light musket or arquebus.

Finis

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