AD THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1522. 



When the prisoner that the sayd de Merall did send 

 into Turkie had done his commission, hee returned into 

 Rhodes, whereof every man had marvell. And many 

 folkes deemed evil of his comming againe, as of a thing 

 unaccustomed, but none durst say any thing, seeing the 

 sayd de Merall of so great authoritie and dignitie, and 

 he cherished the sayd prisoner more then he was woont 

 to doe. Therefore belike hee had well done his message, 

 and had brought good tidings to the damnable and 

 shameful! mind of the sayd traitor de Merall. 



How the great Turke caused the passages to be 

 kept, that none should beare tidings of his 

 hoste to Rhodes. 



THe great Turke intending with great diligence to 

 make readie his hoste both by sea and by land, the 

 better to come to his purpose, and to take the towne un- 

 warily as hee was advertised, thought to keepe his doings 

 as secret as hee might, and commaunded that none 

 of his subjects should goe to Rhodes for any maner of 

 thing. And likewise he tooke all the barkes and brigan- 

 tines out of the havens and portes in those coastes, 

 because they should give no knowledge of his armie. 

 And also hee made the passages by land to bee kept, 

 that none should passe. Howbeit, so great apparell of 

 an armie could not bee long kept close : for the spies 

 which the lord great master had sent into Turkie, brought 

 tidings to the castle of saint Peter, and to Rhodes, of all 

 that was sayd and done in Turkie. Neverthelesse, the 

 sayd lord gave no great credence to all that was brought 

 and told, because that many yeeres before, the predeces- 

 sours of the great Turke had made great armies : and 

 alway it was sayd that they went to Rhodes, the which 

 came to none effect. And it was holden for a mocke and a 

 by-word in many places, that the Turke would goe to 

 besiege Rhodes. And for this reason doubt was had of 

 this last armie, and some thought that it should have 

 gone into Cyprus or to Cataro, a land of the lordship of 



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