SInce your generous Humor leads you to oblige without either hope of desire of a return, finding my self in the number of those whose obligati­ons can never be cancelled. I have endeavoured, by this paper Mercury to testifie to your Lordship how willingly I would catch at any opportunity to shew my self grateful, though I cannot quit scores. I remem­ber when I had last the honour of your converse, you were lamenting the fate of Christendome, that nothing should be so destructive of her interest, as a sort of people that falling into the hands of Infidels, either through cowardize, or ambition quit the reverence they owe to the blessed Iesus, and renounce a Religion as glorious in its Author, as eternal in its Verity, and surely the complaint was so just, that I dare say upon the strictest enquiry into the many Enemies that con­tinually watch for the ruine of Europe, we shall finde no such Arguses as the Renegades, who having once become banquerout in Religion▪ account it glorious to shew their passion for their new embraced in pieties, and in their hatred to their once fellow Christians, out­vie ever natural Turks. The truth of this I have suffi­ciently experimented since my coming before Canisia, in which place a considerable number of these mon­sters are amongst some of the prisoners we have taken, I have met with here and there one of good judgement in affairs, who have assured me that the most consi­derable persons, and such as are able to give Christi­anity the most deadly blow are the Renegades now in pay with the Turk; Italians, French, Germans, [Page 2] Spaniards, English, &c. who being well skill'd in the military part of the Mathematicks (of which, and all other Species of good Learning the Turks are wholly ignorant) have ever the charge of the Artillery, are the Daemons that shew them the Modern way of attaquing places, and the newest mode of regulating Armies a­mongst us, and indeed teach them all the Warlike In­ventions which the most refined Wits have studied and happily brought to perfection: Nay one of them in pur­suance of a large discourse he made me of the damage and injuries these Vipers do to Christendome, did not stick to affirm, that a Renegade in high esteem with this Prime Visier, was the grand Springe that put the Turks in motion now against the Emperour; and (besides the allegation of the differences Christian Princes fo­ment amongst themselves) by other arguments more pleasing to the Turkish Gusto, pleaded the Necessity in point of Honour, and Facility in point of Success, if the War were once commenced. Neither is it, my Lord incredible, that the Turk with so great a power should like a flood come in upon us at the perswasions of these kinde of men; for upon the same account he formerly undertook such expeditions. Sultan Soliman would rather have contented himself with the delights of his Seraglio, then ever attempted to besiege Malta with such a numerous Army, had not the charms of the Re­negade Piali pusht him upon that designe. Yea Maho­met the second would not have besieged Rhodes (where it pleased God to signalize the bravery of the Christi­ans in raising that siege) had not the Renegades per­swaded him, and in particular one Anthony Meligabi [Page 3] a Native of that very Isle, the perfile whereof he gave to the Sultan: And I must needs say, they have ren­dred the Ottoman Family and Empire so many merito­rious services, that a great part of their Grandeur must be acknowledged the effect of their Counsel and Cou­rage. I shall take liberty to look back into former times and give your most Excellent Lordship a summary ac­count of their Enterprizes. I will beginne with Ibra­im Bassa, so fatal to our Hungary. This grand Perso­nage heing a Child of Tribute;) for the Turk all over his Dominions, takes one in three from the Christians) was a Native of Parga, a Village of Greece, betweene the City of St. Maur and Corfeu; and being a youth of a comly presence and noble spirit, was sent to the Service of Solyman the Second in the life of his Father Selim; this young Prince being then at Adrinopolis: the Turkish Emperours having a Custome to bring up their Children out of the Seraglio, and Briantine Port whether they are never brought, untill the decease of their Father. Ibraim grew not so fast in years, as he towred up in the favour of Solyman; and seemed to be the Soul, that gave life and motion to this Prince, who no sooner mounted the Emperial Throne, but he heap­ed so many honours and favours upon this Creature of his, that the world might easily judge, he intended him for that Colosse, on whose shoulders he resolved to lay the burden of that vast State: Now he is Grand Vizier, and Lievtenant General of the Empire; who being a great Souldier, and incomparable Statesman, put his Master upon those heroick actions that made our Hungary and the Isle of Rhodes, the just subjects of [Page 4] his Magnificent triumphs. To whose courage doe the Turks owe the Cities and Kingdomes of Tunis and Al­gier, but to Ariadeno Barbarossa a Greek Renegade and Native of Metelin? and who so bravely defend­ed the City of Algier in the year 1541. when the glori­ous Emperour Charles V. besieged it, but Assan Aga a Native or Sardignia? It was close begirt by Sea and Land with a potent Army, and yet he had the fortune to repel all the Impressions made by so many excellent Cavaliers, and see them sent to their last home. I might here mention that famous Captain Scipio Cigale, son of the Viscount Cigale, who passing out of Sicily into Spain, was taken prisoner, and carried to Constantino­ple; where renouncing his Religion, he grew into so great esteem with the Sultan, that he raised him to the Dignity of a Bassa, and made him General of divers great Armies, with which he enlarged the Ottoman Territories, and his own Reputation. But I shall con­tent my self with the Actions and Fortunes of that great Renegade Nasuff, so famous in this Century, and nigher your Lordships memory; this Nasuff was the son of a Greek Priest about Salonica, who being brought young to Constantinople, so well managed his Fortune that at 25 years of Age he was employed in the over­seeing a Mosque, which the Sultaness caused to be built, and having fortunately performed that office, by her had the charge of the Seraglio given him, and all her domestick affairs: But here he stopt not, for be­ing the childe of Fortune, and destined to the highest Honours and Employs, she quickly brought him to the knowledge of Sultan Hohmet the first, who from Offices [Page 5] in his Seraglio, advanced him to be Bassa of Aleppo, and dignified him with the Government of Mesopotamia; yea the Emperour finding him to be one of a designing spirit, & ambitious to undertake great things, after the death of Serdar Bassa, gave him his Estate, and made him grand Vizier; and that he might have opportunity to shew his address and courage in Military expediti­ons, made him General of his Army against the Persi­ans, who were so beaten by him, that they were enfor­ced to sue for a Peace as dishonourable to themselves, as advantagious to the Turks. Thus encircled with the beams of glory and honour, he enters Constantinople, re­ceiving the plaudit of the Grandees of the Port; and as a further accession to his felicities, one of the Sultans daughters in marriage; but in fine, this Ingrate hoping to make himself Soveraign of Mesopotamia, in reward of his perfidiousness had all his greatness choaked with a Bow-string. Thus my Lord, I have given you some small remarques of the services formerly perform'd by these Renegades to the Ottoman Empire, and can we think they are less active now? No, no, the same max­imes that lead them in the last Age to the prosecution of the most infamous designs, survive in the breasts of these, who conscious to themselves of the highest crimes, think there is no safety but in continuing to be still worse. We had been masters of Canisia before now, had these serpents left their hissing, and continual sollicitings to endure the utmost extremity rather then yeild; yea the most Intelligent persons I can any where encounter assure me, the last year the Turks had not been so cruel where they came, had not these devils (like so many [Page 6] Mufties) perswaded the natural Turks (and for that no great store of Rhetorick was requisite) that Christians were the best Victimes they could offer up to their Prophet Mahomet. The truth is, that Impostor having taught in his Alchoran that his Law was to be planted with Sword in hand, there are no such people in the world to put that doctrine in practise as these Rene­gades, who having quitted a Religion innocent and pure, and such as bids the Sword to be sheathed; are the readiest to commit all kind of cruelties and mur­ders, having a religious pretence to justifie them: So that (my Lord) it will concern all Christian Princes to watch narrowly these Phaetons, that have already fired so great a part of Christendom, and will undoubtedly endeavour to proceed further, if by severe animadver­sions they be not frighted from joyning with those pro­fest enemies of Christianity; for it is certain, many of these Renegades now in Command, are such as volun­tarily and at years of discretion espoused that Interest. To conclude, That God Almighty would favourably shine on the Empire, and give all Christian Monarchs a resolution to combine against the common Enemy, and amongst the many brave persons that fight under the Banner of the Cross, preserve your Excellency, shall be the prayer of