[...]ERTAYN AND tru good nues, frō the syege [...]f the Isle Malta, wyth the goodly vyctorie, wyche the Christenmen, by the fauour of God, have ther latlye obtayned, agaynst the Turks, before the forteres of saint Elmo.
Translat owt of Frenche yn to Englysh.
And nuli prented yn Gaunt, the 27. of August.
M.ccccc.Lxv.
The copie of a letter writen, by the ryght honoroble lorde, brother iohn valet, great master ond Comander of the Rodes, now Malta, to the ryght noble & worthke Capitayn, don Garcia of Toledo Capitayn general to the kyng of spayn. Contayning the late nues last com from Malta, wyth the horrible & pytiful assautes made by the Turks apon the sayd fortressis, and the fayer victori, wych the Christians had before saynt Elmo, the xv. & xvj. day of Iune last past.
SYNS I sent vnto your honor the vertuus knyght saluage, I wrat twyes, & sent the letters to Gozzo, God grant they may surely pass, and afterward we sent fourth alyght boot wyth owers, cauled a fregat, wych making all diligēce to goo & cō, were browght to such necesiti, being abowt .ij. leagues owt yn the sea, that they were fayn to take flight to saue thē self, for asmuche as they were chased by thenimies, & they cast theyr lettres yn to the sea, & so retournyng recouered agayn the lād of Malta, by the grace of God. After the siege of Marzo Sirocco was remoued, & I forseyng to be ryght necessari to aduertise your honor, that the hauen ys not year so neare enclosed wyth thenimie, I caused to be browght from the land a brigantin, or smal shyp, to Marzo scala, bycause the syege of owr enimies lyeth on the other syde, I hoope the same shall come wythowt [Page]any stop (wyche God grant) ād that to aduertyse your honor that the .xv. day of Iune, toward euenyng, the hwole armye or syege wyth all theyr shyps passed by here, that they were easili perceyued of owrs frō the hauen, so that the nyght hyndered vs nothyhg, for the great noyse wych the shyps & galleis made, wyche were al dysarmed, & yll apoynted, hauing left their hole, & good shyps at Marzo muscheto, & one part of thē at saynct Giorgis. Whye the syege of Marzo Musche to ys raysed, the cause thereof ys lack of fresh watter, and yt may be for the great feare they haue of the armye of your lordshyp, for as we vnderstāde they be aduertysed how there are yn a reddines at Messina 150. galleis & other shyps, therfor they dare not cō so fer as saynt Pawles stayers, but lye as neare to their armie (wych ys a lond) as they possible may, neuertheles albeyt that this place lyeth so nye, year ys yt not so sure, yf they were yn hast, they myght hardli cō to theyr shyps, as thowgh they were ferder of, on the side of Marzo Sirocco ys not one man to be sene, for they haue left yt vp, & set fyar on the howsis of saynt Catharins, & saynt Ihons, now they begon from the sayd Marzo toward theyr syege, wych ys alway before saynt Elmo, we se playnli that almyghti God purposeth to defend the sayd place of saynt Elmo, for asmuche as yeasterday in the morning owr mē resysted more by miracle, then other wyse, one assault during .iiij. howrs lōg, wyche thenimies [Page]dyd make yn dyuers placis, speciali at a brydge that was bwylt by thē, wyth the masts & decks of .iiij. galeis, on the syde of Marzo muscheto, wyche assault they made .iiij. tymes, & so furiusli that at euerie tyme they browght fresh men, & at eueri tyme were repulst, & bet back wyth great loss of theyr men, and not wythout loss of owrs, for of owr syde remayned ded two hundred, and. 150. hurt and Capitan mirande was stayn wych was great gryef vnto vs, ād of turks were slayne abowt 2000. and as many hurt, and they were left the most part yn the dyches of saynt Elmo, wyth this victori owr men be so encorraged & made hardye, that I trust to keape thys place ūtyl the comīg of your lordshyps exelence, not wythstanding owr enimies be muche refreshed, & more fyers & desperat, thē before, as I haue not sene the lyke, for they haue shot wythin .xv. dayes .xiij. M shot of artilarie, neuertheles yf I may flynd soccours (as I hoop to do) by meanes of owr galleis I dowbt not a whyt, but to keape thys place, for the saff garding of the wych, I haue almost spent all that I haue, goods & men, and we are resolued & vtterli determined apō this poynt, to dye toguyther, hooping and looking affter ayd, & soccours frō your exelence. Considering & seyng yn what dangier we may cō yn, thorowgh long tarians ād delayes, we beseke your exelēce, not to fayle to gyue vs som asystance, at lest wyth som nomber of valiant men, wyche is easie to be don, by that good [Page]meanes I haue certified you, seying the syege ys retyred from Marzo syrocco they may lād yn the same syde cauled pietra nigra, all owr comfort & hoope, next God, ys yn your exelence, to the wyche I commēd & submyt my self hwolye, prayng the God almyghti for good auenture, & prosperiti. From Malta the xviij. day of Iune 1565.
Relation made by ORLANDO MAGRO pilot to the chyff galley of the great master comā der of the Rhodes, now Malta the wyche aryued at Messina the .xxvij. day of Iune 1565. And sayth:
HOW THAT HE PARTED from Malta the sonday .xvij. day of the month, about half an owr after son, and .iiij. companions wyth hym wyth asmal fregat of iiij. ewers, hauing [Page]letters of the great master of Malta to don Garcia, & sayth that the turks hauyng shot agaīst the fortres of saynt Elmo. xviij dayes toguyther, wyth .xxiiij. peacis of great artillari & assaulted yt sondrye tymes, at the fyrstasault got the vttmost fortres wythout the dychis, named saynt Ruelino the second tyme they went wyth 2000. men and ladders prepared to enter, and last, wych was fryday .xv. day of this month, they hauing made a brydge wyth the masts & d [...]cks of iiij galleis, & so cōming yn to the trenchis, ryght ouer against where they had made the barterie, hoping & thinking by thys meane, easli to enter, but they fownd them self deceyned, for they wythyn defended thē so valiantli, and the brydge wych the Turks had made, burnt wyth gon powlder & artificiall fyer, and beat thē yn suche sort that ther remayned ded. 800. Turks, and 600. hurt, and owr men toke .ij. ensygnes one of the wyche was, of the general Capitan by lande named Prali, and thother was of Dragut, yn thys assault were mounted vp. 30. Turks an hye ouer the bulwark and they of the castel of saynt Angelo shot to stryk thes. 30 turks, and stroke ded eyght of owr own men, and afterward charged, and shot agayn, & stroke thes. 30. Turks lykwise ded all sauyng one, among the wyche ther wer vj. of the hows of the rayes, & one was capitan general of the Rhodes, whose name was Portuch hali, & the other dragut wyche remayned onlye alyue.
This assault dured fyue howres toguyther, so muche that the Turks were forced to retyar back against ther wyll wyth great loss of theyt men. In this asault dyed of owrs abowt. 200. and 150. hurt & wonded, and of the Turks wer stayn abowt. 2000. &. 2000 hurt, of wych the more part were left wythin the trenchis & dychis of saynt Elmo. Item, that Dragut apon sonday the .xvij. day of the month set fyar yn the bulwark, or bastilion, wych they had made. Yn the market place of Marzo mulcheto, wher they had .iiij. great peacis of artilati. Itē that after the last asault, the most part of the syege, retorned by nyght toward the galleis, and are remayned a land onli abowt 3000. Turks, to gard the artillari, and they shot now wyth no mo then syx piecis, and that they haue shot yn all abowt. 13000. stroks or shot. Item, that .ij. dayes before their last assault their syege was retyered from Marzo Sirocco, hauing brent the fortres wych they had mad ther, & retyered toward the valey of saynt Paul, where thys pylot leaft them at hys departyng thence. Item, that certayn Christiens taken by the Turks and escaped again affirme, that they sayd yn the Turks armie, that don Garcia had a hundred and fyuetie shyps and galeys to guyther to recounter wyth them, and that the Turks had great feare, ād therfor they went the most part of thē by nyght to theyr shyps Item, that the great master writeth how thei had fownd a quyckspryng of freshe water [Page]wythin the town named Burgo, wych wathowght as a miracle.
Item the master of the postes of Mes [...]ina wrat that the galley of portuch hali wyche was slayn yn the assault was bowged and sonck by owr artilarie Item that the bassa takyng the muster of hys sowdyowrs and nauie, fownd fower galleys lackyng, of hys nomber.
Item, we vnderstād by other letters, that when owr enymies came to offer to let thys brydge wych they had made vearie artificiali owr men wyche were wythin were yn great dowbt & feare, yn so muche that they were ons determyned to render the place, but thorowgh good inspiration and the grace of God, & by the hardines of one valiant knyght hauing a two handed swerd yn hys hand, saying that he wold dye for the Cristian fayth, gave to all the rest suche cutrage, that they obtayned at last the victori. Item that the great master was veari sorrowful for the death of Capitayn mirande.