THE LOSS OF RHODES ad. 



1522. 

 Basha sware upon his faith and certified, that there were 

 dead of the campe of violent death, that is to say, of 

 gunshot and other wayes, 64000. men or more, beside (^^ooo.Turks 

 them that died of sicknesse, which were about 40. or co. ^ ^^^^ ^^ ^ 

 thousand. Rhodes. 



How one of the ambassadours made answere of 

 his message, and how the Commons would 

 not agree to yeeld the towne. 



REturne we now to our purpose and to the answere 

 that our ambassadours brought to the lord great 

 master. The sayd Robert Perruse made the answere, 

 and told what the great Turke had sayd, certifying that 

 he would have an answere quickly either yea or nay. 

 The which answere after the demaund of the great Turke 

 hath bene purposed and concluded by the whole counsel, 

 and his offer & treatie accepted, howbeit the sayd am- 

 bassadours had it not to do so soone nor the first time 

 that they went for good reasons, but yet they would not 

 deferre it, for feare least he should repent him. And [II. i. 92.] 

 upon these determinations that they would have sent the 

 sayd Peruse to beare the answere, came some of the 

 common people of the towne to the lord great master, 

 that was with the lordes of the counsell, and sayd that 

 they were advertised of the appointment that he had made 

 with the great Turke, and that he would yeeld the towne 

 with covenaunts by him taken, which they supposed 

 ought not to be done without calling of them. And 

 because they were not called to it, they sayd that they 

 would not agree thereto, and that it were better for 

 them to die, for the great Turke by some way would put 

 them all to death, as was done in Bellegrado in Hungarie. 



How the lord great master sent two ambassadors 

 for the Commons to the great Turke. 



WHen the reverend lord great master had heard 

 their wordes, he sayd graciously to them, that as 

 touching the acceptation of the great Turks offer, it was 



51 



