be appointed for their Emperour: Vnto whom when Baiazetes had aūswered that he had assigned Acomates, they refused him because he was fatte, grosse, and vnhable therunto: but needes would haue Zelymus, which was stoute and warlyke, to be made Emperour, and withall drew out their swordes cryeng, Zelymus, Zelymus. Thē Baiazetes geuyng place to their fury, shewed himselfe content to geue them Zelymus: whom the Ianizarites receiuyng, brought him into the pallace:MarginaliaThe counsaile of Baiazetes to his sonne Zelymus. vnto whom Baiazetes his father geuyng place, willed him not to be so hasty and furious in hys doynges, but to be modest and take heede what he dyd, and not to folow his fury, but to geue place vnto tyme, whiche reuealeth all thynges, and thynke hymselfe to be a man subiect to daungers and ieoperdyes as other men are: and thus speakyng he resigned his Imperiall throne and seate vnto him and went away all heauy, entryng into a certeine order of their Religion. Wherupon folowed great acclamations of the people salutyng Zelymus as Emperour. Who then taking the rule vpon him, begã w^t great cruelty to gouerne, destoying many of his nobles, such as had stoode agaynst him, some with poyson, some by other cruell meanes, and aduaūcyng his owne side with great honours and promotions.  

[Back to Top]

Not long after  

that Zelymus was thus setled in his kyngdome, Baiazetes his father entendyng to see & proue how he behaued himselfe in his gouernement, first entred into the treasure house, where he founde all his riches to be scattered and gone. Afterward he came into his Armorie, where all the spoyles gotten by warre were likewise wasted: thē entryng into the Iewell house, where all his plate and giftes sent from Kyngs and Princes were kept, which likewise were dispersed and geuen away.MarginaliaThe displeasure of Baiazetes against his sonne Zelymus. At length he came into the stable, where also he seyng his principall horses to be lackyng, sighed with himselfe and cryeng vengeaunce vpon him, he prepared himselfe with the residue of the treasure which was remainyng, to sayle ouer into Natolia vnto his eldest sonne, and passing by an Orchard neare to the Sea side, where he had appointed to take shyp, in the meane tyme whilest the shyppes were in furnishyng, he sat downe vnder a tree and began to curse his sonne and to axe vengeaunce vpon him, for that he had so despised his father & was become so impious a wretch.

[Back to Top]

Zelymus vnderstãding of hys fathers departure, came into the Orchard where his father was, seemyng to be very heauy, and much lamentyng that his father would so priuely depart and go away, seyng that he desired not the gouernement of the Empire, but was contented onely with the title thereof.MarginaliaThe dissembling words of Zelymus to his father. O father (sayd he) do not thus priuely depart away: do not procure this shame to your sonne, who so tenderly loueth you. Let me haue but the name onely: and be you the Emperour in deede. The end of your natural life most paciently I shall expect, which I pray God may long cõtinue.MarginaliaZelymus the sonne poysoneth hys father. And thus vsing many fayre & flattering wordes to his father, he commaūded a banket w^t many deinty iunkets, to be brought vnto him, but tempered & infected with poison. Which, as soone as Baiazetes had begon to tast of, and felt the strength of the poyson working in his body, he tooke his last farewell of his sonne, and goyng out of the Citie accompanyed with a great retinue of men yellyng and cryeng out in the streetes, in the middle of his iourney fell downe and miserably dyed: in the yeare of our Lord. 1512. Here mayst thou see, good Reader, a cursed broode  

of this Turkish generatiõ, where the father dyeth in cursing the sonne, and the sonne reigneth by poysonyng his father.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaZelymus the 11. after Ottomãnus. AFter that this  

wretched Zelymus had exercised his barbarous cruelty vpon his father, with like impietie he seeketh the destruction of his brethren and their children,MarginaliaThe crueltie of Zelymus agaynst hys father and his brethren first begynnyng his murther with the fiue children his Nephewes, whiche were the sonnes of his three brethren before departed. Which done, then remained his other two brethren yet alyue, Acomates and Corchutus with their children likewise to be destroyed. Of whom the one had three sonnes, whom the father sent to Zelymus his brother and their vncle, with fayre and gentle wordes to entreate him to be good vnto their father, offeryng to him their duty and seruice in all thynges, honoryng him also as Emperour.MarginaliaThe crueltie of Zelymus agaynst hys cousins. But cruell Zelymus commaunded forthwith his sayd nephewes to be strangled. The father hearyng of the cruell murther of his sonnes, leauyng house and home, went & hyd himselfe in moūtaines, where he lyued for a space with herbes and wild honye, but beyng bewrayed by one of hys men was brought to Zelymus and so was strangled.

[Back to Top]

Christophorus Richerius, writyng  

of these matters, seemeth some thyng to differ from other storyes, and sayth MarginaliaEx Christ. Richerio. that Zelymus, after the death of hys brother Corchutus, came to Bursia, where he, vnder the colour of makyng a great triumph, ordeyned a feast for his frendes and kinsfolke wherunto were called especially his nephewes: who then at the ende of the feast callyng his nephewes aside (as vnder the pretence of conferring with them secretly about his necessary affaires) committed them to hys seruauntes to bee strangled & put to death. All this while Acomates hys brother, through the helpe and instruction of hys mother, was kept out of the tyrantes handes, till at length, after great labour and search made how to get hym, certain forged letters were cast abroad wherin was conteyned that Acomates, to reuenge the great impietie & subdue the tiranny of Zelymus his brother, should shew himselfe abroad. Which if he would do, he should finde frendes enough to take his part. Acomates circumuented with these subtill traynes, partly for hope of reuengement, partly for desire of the Empire, shewed him selfe abroad with such power and strength as he had:MarginaliaZelymus the turke warreth agaynst hys brother. who beyng set vpon incontinent by Zelymus his brother, was ouercome in battaile, and fallyng from his horse, beyng a man corpulent and grosse, and his horse fallyng vppon him, was so ouerpressed and slayne.

[Back to Top]

Touchyng the death  

of this Acomates, Munsterus somewhat differing from this narration, addeth moreouer and sayth, that he was not kylled with the fall from hys horse, but sittyng all dismayed vpon a stone and seyng no other remedye but death, desired the captaine, rakyng hys rynges from his fingers, to deliuer the same to his brother, desiryng him that he might not be put to any extreme cruelty of death, but that he gently would suffer hym to bee let bloud in the bath and so to dye. But Zelymus beyng not ignoraunteMarginaliaThe crueltie of Zelymus against his brother. of this, suborneth preuie tormenters, who byndyng his handes behind him. w^t their feete cast him downe vpon the gournd, and so twixing his necke with a coarde, did strangle him.MarginaliaThe two sonnes of Acomates flye away from the tyranny of Zelymus the turke. This Acomates had. ij. sonnes, who hearyng of the death of their father, dyd flye for succour, the one to Sophus in Persia, and the other to the Sultaue in Egypt.

[Back to Top]

By the meanes wherof, new occasion of warre grewe vnto Zelymus, whereby he was kepte in Asia at home, to fight agaynst the Persians and Egyptians:MarginaliaThe prouidence of God in stirring vp occasiõs for his people. so that through the Lordes prouidence, Christendome by that meanes was deliuered from great daunger and perill of the Turkes tyranny: For otherwyse the Turke was wholye mynded, wyth all hys force and puissaunce, to inuade the Christians, beyng in doubt whether first to beginne with Rhodes, or whether to assault Pannonia, or els to set vpon Italy, beyng then at great discorde within it selfe: but this cause occupied the Turkes mynd otherwise and kept him at home. Such was then the prouidence of the Lord for the safegard of his people.

[Back to Top]

Wherfore for somuch as the affaires and doynges of this Turke were spent for the most part in the Turkish & heathenish countreys: it shall not be greatly necessary to trouble our Christian stories therewith, but onely shal suffice to contract them in a briefe summe, declaryng superficially what vnquietnes was amongst them there, which could neuer be quiet but euer workyng some mischiefe either abroade or at home.MarginaliaWarre betwene Zelymus and Sophus the Persian kyng. Amurathes the Turkes nephew aforesayd, after he had obteyned ayde of Sophus the king of the Persians, first inuaded Cappadocia: not lõg after whom followed Ismael Sophus the Persian kyng.

[Back to Top]

By reason wherof a great battayle was fought betwixt the Persians and Zelymus in the fields of Armenia maior. In the which battaile Ismael Sophus the Persian kyng was hurt on the shoulder with a pellet, and so beyng caried out of the fielde, lefte the victory to Zelymus: who albeit had an armye of 150. M. men, yet he in the same fielde lost about 30000. of his Turkes. Which field was fought in the yere of our Lord, 1514. Zelymus after this victorye went to Tauricia the imperial city of the Persians, which he by yelding subdued.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaWarre betwene Zelymus and Aladulus an other Turke. In this meane tyme it happened that one Aladulus a kyng in Armenia the greater, was also a helper to Ismaell against the Turke, wherupon Zelymus the Turke taking great indignation, the next yere following, leauing the Persians, fought against the said Aladulus, and in the ende ouercame him, and afterward being found in a caue in a woode, was taken out and brought to Zelymus and so beheaded: whose hed beyng first caried about Asia for a triumph, was afterward sent to the Senate of Venice for a terrour vnto them. The eldest sonne of Aladulus scapyng the handes of hys pursuers, fled into Egypte. This battayle thus fought and ended, Zelymus after he had deuided the kyngdome of Aladulus into three prouinces, went to Lycaonia, and from thence to Europe, there to defend the Citie of Samandria,

[Back to Top]