CHAP. XII. Wherein the Captive recounteth his Life, and other Accidents. I N a certain Village of the Mountains of Lion my linage had begin ning, wherewithall Nature dealt much more liberally then For tune, although my Father had the opinion amid'st the penury and poverty of that People, to bee a rich man, as indeed hee might have been, had hee but used as much care to hoord up his wealth, as prodigalitie to spend it. And this his liberall disposition pro ceeded from his being a Souldier in his youthfull yeers; for War is the School wherein the Miser is made Frank, and the Frank man Prodigall: and if among Souldiers wee finde some Wretches and Nig gards, they are accounted Monsters which are seldome seen. My Father passed the bounds of Liberalitie, and touched very neerly the confines of Prodigalitie; a thing nothing profitable for a married man, who had children that should succeed him in his name and being. My Father had three Sonnes, all men, and of yeers sufficient to make an election of the state of life they meaned to leade: wherefore hee perceiving as hee himself was wont to say, that hee could not bridle his nature in that condition of spending, he resolved to deprive himself of the instrument and cause which made him such a spender and so liberall, to wit, of his Goods; without which Alexander the great himself would bee accounted a Miser; and therefore calling us all three toge ther on a day into his Chamber, hee used these or such like reasons to us. Sonnes, to affirm that I love you well, may bee presumed, seeing I terme you my Sonnes: and yet it may bee suspected that I hate you seeing I doe not govern my self so well as I might in the Husbanding and increasing of your stock. But to the end that you may hence forth perceive that I affect you with a Fatherly love, and that I mean not to overthrow you like a step-Father, I will doe one thing to you which I have pondered, and with mature deliberation purposed these many dayes: You are all of age to ac cept an estate, or at least to make choice of some such exercise as may turn to your honour and profit at riper yeers: and therefore that which I have thought upon, is to divide my goods into four parts; the three I will bestow upon you, to every one that which appertains to him, without exceeding a jot; and I my self will reserve the fourth to live and maintain me with as long as it shall please Heaven to lend me breath. Yet I doe greatly desire that after every one of you is possest of his portion, hee would take one of the courses which I mean to propose. There is an old proverb in this our Spain, in mine own opinion very true (as ordinarily all proverbs are, being certain brief sentences collected out of long and discreet experiences) and it is this, The Church the Sea, or the Court: the meaning is, That whosoever would become wealthy, or worthy, must either follow the Church, haunt the Seas by exercising the Trade of Merchandizes, or get him a place of Service and entertainment in the Kings house; for men say, that A Kings Crumme is more worth then a Lords Loaf. This I say because I desire, and it is my will, that one of you doe follow his Book, another Merchandize, and the third the Warre, seeing that the service of his own house is a difficult thing to compasse. And although the Warre is not wont to inrich a man, yet it adds unto him great worth and renown. Within these eight dayes I doe mean to give you all your portions in money without defrauding you of a mite, as you shall see in effect: Therefore tell me now whether you mean to follow mine opinion and device in this which I have pro posed? And then hee commanded me by reason that I was the eldest, to make him an answer. I, after I had intreated him not to make away his goods, but to spend and dispose of them as hee listed, seeing wee were both young and able enough to gain more; at last I concluded that I would accomplish his will, and that mine was to follow the Warres, therein serving God and my King together. The second brother made the same offer, and imploying his portion in Commodities would venture to the Indias. The youngest, and as I deeme the discreetest, said, That either hee would follow the Church, or goe at the least to Salamanca to finish his already commenced Studies. And as soon as wee had ended the agreement and election of our vocations my Father embraced us all, and afterwards performed unto us, in as short a time as hee had mentioned, all that hee promised; giving unto each of us a portion, amounting, if I doe well remember, to three thousand Duckets apeece in money; for an Uncle of ours bought all the goods and paid ready money, because hee would not have them made away from our own Family and Lineage. Wee all took our leaves of our good Father in one day, and in that instant it seeming to mee a great inhumanity to leave my Father so old and with so little means; I dealt so with him, as I constrained him to take back again two thousand Duckets of the three hee had given me, for as much as the rest was sufficient to furnish me in very good sort with all things requisite for a Souldier: My brothers, moved by mine example, did each of them give him a thousand Crowns; so that my Father re mained with four thousand Crowns in money, and three in Goods, as they were valued, which Goods hee would not sell, but keep them still in Stock. Finally, wee bade him (and our said Uncle) farewell, not without much feeling and many Tears on both sides: and they charged us that wee would from time to time acquaint them with our successes, whether prosperous or adverse. Wee promised to performe it: and then embraceing us, and giving us his • lessing, one departed towards Salamanca, a nother to Sivill, and my self to Alicante. I arrived prosperously at Genova, and from thence went to Milaine, where I did ac commodate my selfe with armes, and other braveries used by souldiers, and departed from thence to settle my selfe in Piemonte, and being in my way towards the Citty of Alexandria de la Paglia, I heard newes that the great Duke of Alva did passe to wards Flanders. Wherefore changing my purpose, I went with him, and served him in all the expeditions hee made: I was present at the beheading of the Earles of Egm • nt and Hornes, and obtained at last to be Ensigne to a famous Captaine of Guada lasara, called Diego de Vrbina. Within a while after mine arrivall to Flanders, the news were divulged of the league that Pius Quintus the Pope, of famous memory, had made with the Venetians, and the King of Spaine, against our common enemy the Turk, who had gained by force the famous Island of Cypres, much about the same time, which Island belonged to the State of Venice, and was an unfortunate and lamentable losse. It was also certainly known, that the most noble Don Iohn of Austria, our good King Don Philips naturall Brother, did come downe for generall of this League, and the great provision that was made for the war was published every where. All this did incite and stir on my minde and desire to be present at the expedition so much expected: and therefore although I had conjectures, and half promises to bee made a Captaine in the first occasion that should bee offerred, yet I resolved to leave all those hopes, & to go into Italy, as in effect I did. And my good fortune so disposed, as the Lord Don Iohn of Austria arrived just at the same time at Genova, and went towards Na ples, to joyn himself with the Venetian Navy, as he did after at Mess • na. In this most for tunate journey I was present, being by this made a Captain of Foot: to which honourable charge, I was mounted rather by my good fortune, then by my deserts. And that very day which was so fortunate to all Christendome; for therein the whole world was un deceived, and all the Nations thereof freed of all the errour they held, and beliefe they had, that the T • rk was invinciable at Sea: in that very day I say, wherein the swelling Stomack, and Ottomanicall pride was broken among so many happy men as were there (for the Christians that were slaine were much more happy then those which they left victorious alive) I alone was unfortunate, seeing that in exchange of some Naval Crowne, which I might expect, had I lived in the times of the ancient Romanes, I found my selfe the night ensuing that so famous a day, with my legges chained, and my hands manacled, which befell in this manner: Vchali King of Argiers, a bold and ventrous Pirate, hav • ng invested and distressed the Admirall of Malta (for onely three Knights remained alive, and those very sore wounded) Iohn Andrea's chiefe Gallie came to her succour wherein I went with my company: and doing what was requisite in such an oc casion, I leapt into the enemies vessel, the which falling off from that which had assaulted her, hindred my souldiers from following me; by which means I saw my selfe alone a midst mine enemies, against whom I could make no long resistance, they were so many. In fine, I was taken, full of wounds. Now as you may have heard, Vchali saved him selfe and all his squadron, whereby I became captive in his power, and onely remained sorrowfull among so many joyfull, and captive among so many freed: for that day fifteen thousand Christians, which came slaves and inchained in the Turkish Gallies, re covered their desired liberty. I was carried to Constantinople, where the great Turk Selim, made my Lord Generall of the sea, by reason that he had so well performed his duty in the battell, having brought away, for a witnesse of his valour, the Stan dard of the Order of Malta, I was the yeer insuing of 1572. in Navarino, rowing in the Admirall of the three Lanth • rn • s, and saw and noted there the oportunity that was lost, of taking all the Turkish Navy within the haven: for all the Ienisaries and o ther souldiers that were in it, made full account, that they should be set upon, even with in the very Port, and therefore trussed up all their baggage, and made ready their shoo's, to flie away presently to the land, being in no wise minded to expect the assault, our Navy did strike such terrour into them. But God disposed otherwise of the matter, not through the fault or negligence of the Generall that governed our men, but for the sinnes of Christendome, and because God permits and wills that wee have alwaies some executioners to chastise us. In summe, Vchali got into Modon, which is an Island neer to Navarino, and landing his Men there, hee fortified the mouth of the Haven, and there remained untill Don Iohn departed. In this Voyage was taken the Gally called Presa, whereof the famous Pirate Barbarossas his sonne was Captain; it was surprized by the head Gally of Naples called the Shee-Wolfe, that was com manded by the Thunderbolt of Warre, the Father of Souldiers, that fortunate and never overthrown Don Alvaro de Bacan the Marquesse of Sancta Cruez. And here I will not forget to recount what befell at the taking of the Presa: this sonne of Bar barossas was so cruell, and used his Slaves so ill, that as soon as they that were rowing perceived the Shee-Wolfe to approach them, and that shee had overtaken them, they cast away their Oares all at one time, and laying hands on their Captain that stood on the Poop [ Estanderil. p 44 • ] crying to them to row with more speed, and pas sing him from one bank to another, from the Poope to the Prow, they took so many bits out of him, as hee h • d scarce passed beyond the Mast, when his soul was already wasted to Hell; such was the cruelty wherewithall hee intreated them, and so great the hate they also bore towards him. Wee returned the next yeer after to Constanti nople, being that of seventie three, and there wee learned how Don Iohn had gained Tunez, and taking that Kingdome away from the Turks, had by installing Muley Hamet therein, cut away all Muley Hameda's hopes to raign again there, who was the most cruell and valiant Moor that ever lived. The great Turk was very much grieved for this losse; and therefore using the sa gacitie wherewithall all his race were indued, hee made Peace with the Venetians which wished for it much more then hee did himself: And the yeer after of seventie and four he assaulted the Fortresse of Goleta, and the other Fortresse that Don Iohn had raised neer unto Tunez: And in all these occasions I was present, tyed to the Oare, without any hope of liberty; at least wise by ransome, being resolved never to signi fie by Letter my misfortunes to my Father. The Goleta was lost in fine, and also the Fortresse, before which two places lay in siege seventy five thousand Turks, and more then four hundred thousand Moors, and other Sarasins of all the other parts of Affrica, being furnished with such aboundance of Munition and Warlike Engines, and so many Pioneers as were able to cover Goleta and the Fortresse if every one did cast but his handfull of earth upon them. Thus was Goleta accounted untill then impregnable, first lost, the which did not happen through default of valour in the Defendants, who in defence thereof did all they could or ought to have done; but because experience shewed the facility wherewithall Trenches might bee raised in that desart sand; for though water had been found in it within two spans depth, the Turks could not finde it in the depth of two yards; and therefore filling many Sacks full of Sand, they raised their Trenches so high as they did surmount the walls of the Sconce, and did so gall the Defendants from them with their shot, as no one could stand to make any defence: It was a common report, that our men would not immure them selves within Goleta, but expect the enemie in the champain at their disembarquing: but those that gave this out spake widely, as men very little acquainted with the like Affairs: For if in Goleta and the Fortresse there were scarce seven thousand Souldiers, how could so few a number, were they ever so resolute, make a sallie, and remain in the Forts against so great a number of enemies? or how is it possible that the forces which are not seconded and supplied should not bee overcome, specially being besieged by many and obstinate enemies, and those in their own Countrey? But many others esteemed, and so did I likewise among the rest, that almighty God did a particular grace and favour unto Spain in that manner permitting to bee destroyed the stop and cloak of all wickednesse, and the Spundge and Moth of innumerable summes of money spent there unprofitably, without serving to any other end, then to preserve the memory of being gained by the Emperour Charles the fift, as if it had been requisite for the keeping of it eternall (as it is and shall be ever) that those stones should sustain it. The Fortresse was also wonne; but the Turks were constrained to gain it span by span; for the Souldiers which defended it fought so manfully and resolutely, as the number of the enemies slain in two and twenty generall assaults which they gave unto it, did passe five and twenty thousand. Never a one was taken Prisoner but three hundred which survived their fellows; a certain and manifest token of their valour and strength, and how well they had defended themselves and kept their Fortresses with great magna nimity. A little Fort or Turret that stood in the mid'st of the place, under the com mand of Don Iohn Zonaguera a Valentian Gentleman, and famous Souldier, was yield ed upon composition, and Don Pedro de Puerto carrero, Generall of Goleta, was taken Prisoner who omitted no diligence possible to defend the place; but yet was so grieved to have lost it as hee dyed for very grief on the way towards Constantinople, whither they carried him Captive. The Generall likewise of the Fort, called Gabriel Cerbellon, being a Gentleman of Milan, and a great Engineer, and most resolute Souldier, was taken; and there dyed; in both the places many persons of worth, among which Pagan de Oria was one, a Knight of the Order of Saint Iohn, of a most noble disposition, as the exceeding liberality which hee used towards his brother the famous Iohn Andrea de Oria cleerly demonstrates, and that which rendred his death more deplorable, was, that hee was slain by certain Sarasins (which hee trusted, perceiving how the Fort was lost) who had offered to convey him thence in the habit of a Moor to Tabarca, which is a little Haven or Creek possest by the Genevoses that fish for Corrall in that coast • These Sarasins cut off his head and brought it to the Generall of the Turkish Armie, who did accomplish in them the Spanish Proverd, That although the Treason pleaseth, yet is the Traytor hated: and so it is reported, that hee commanded those to bee hang ed that had brought him the present, because they had not brought it alive. Among the Christians that were lost in the Fort, there was one called Don Pedro de Aguilar born in Andaluzia, in some Town whose name I have forgotten; hee had been ancient in the Fortresse, and was a Souldier of great account, and of a rare un derstanding, and specially had a particular grace in Poetrie: This I say, because his fortune brought him to bee Slave to my Patron, even into the very same Gally and and bench whereon I sate. This Gentleman made two Sonnets in form of Epitaphs, the one for the Goleta, the other for the Fort; and I will repeat them because I re member them very well, and doe believe that they will bee rather gratefull then any thing disgustfull to the Audients. As soon as ever the Captive named Don Pedro de Aguilar, Don Fernando beheld his Camarada's, and they all three did smile: And when hee began to talk of the Sonnets, one of them said, Before you passe further, I beseech you, good Sir, let me intreat you to tell me what became of that Don Pedro de Auguilar whom you have named. That which I know of that Affair, answered the Captive, is, That after hee had been two yeers in Constantinople, hee fled away in the attire of an Armenian with a Greek Spie, and I cannot tell whether hee recovered his liberty or no; although I suppose hee did: for within a yeer after I saw the Greek in Constantinople, but I had not the oportunitie to demand of him the successe of that Voyage. Hee came then into Spain, quoth the Gentleman; for that same Don Pedro is my brother, and dwells now at home in our own Town, very well, rich married, and a Father of three Sonnes. God bee thanked, quoth the Captive, for the infinite favour hee hath shewed unto him: for in mine opinion there is not on earth any content ment able to bee compared to that of recovering a mans lost libertie. I doe moreover, said the Gentleman, know the Sonnets which my brother composed. I pray you then, good Sir, quoth the Captive, repeat them; for perhaps you can say them better then I. With a very good will, answered the Gentleman, and that of the Goleta is thus.