RICHARD WRAG ad. 



1595- 

 and others we tooke occasion to see Nicosia, the chiefe Nicosia. 

 city of this Hand, which was some twenty miles from 

 this place, which is situated at the foot of an hill : to 

 the East is a great plaine, extending it selfe in a great 

 length from the North to the South : it is walled about, 

 but of no such strength as Famagusta (another city in 

 this Hand neere the Sea side) whose walles are cut out 

 of the maine rocke. In this city be many sumptuous 

 and goodly buildings of stone, but uninhabited ; the 

 cause whereof doth give me just occasion to shew you 

 of a rare judgement of God upon the owners sometime 

 of these houses, as I was credibly informed by a Cipriot 

 a marchant of good wealth in this city. Before it came A great judges 

 in subjection to the Turks, while it was under the mento f Go(i 

 Venetians, there were many barons and noble men of mln of Cyprus 

 the Cipriots, who partly by usurping more superiority 

 over the common people then they ought, and partly 

 through their great revenues which yeerely came in by 

 their cotton wooll and wines, grew so insolent and 

 proud, and withall so impiously wicked, as that they 

 would at their pleasure command both the wives and 

 children of their poore tenants to serve their uncleane 

 lusts, & holding them in such slavery as though they 

 had beene no better then dogges, would wage them 

 against a grayhound or spaniell, and he who woon the 

 wager should ever after holde them as his proper goods 

 and chattels, to do with them as he listed, being 

 Christians aswell as themselves, if they may deserve so 

 good a name. As they behaved themselves most un- 

 christianly toward their brethren, so and much more 

 ungodly (which I should have put in the first place) 

 did they towards God : for as though they were too 

 great, standing on foot or kneeling to serve God, they 

 would come riding on horsebac.ke into the church to 

 heare their masse : which church now is made a publike 

 basistane or market place for the Turkes to sell com- 

 modities in : but beholde the judgement of the righteous 

 God, who payeth the sinner measure for measure. The 



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