A.D. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



whom the said Hand by the right of this his wife 

 Charlotta did appertaine) had the possession of the same. 

 James the bastard assoone as his father was dead, of a 

 Bishop became a souldiour, and with an army wanne the 

 Hand, making it his owne by force. This Duke of 

 Savoy hearing these newes, with a number of well 

 appointed souldiers, arrived shortly after in Cyprus, and 

 recovering againe the Hand, compelled the bastard to flie 

 foorthwith over to the Soldan of i^gypt. Who making 

 himselfe his subject, in time so wrought and tempered 

 the matter, that the Soldan in person at his request 

 passed over into Cyprus, besieged Duke Lewes in the 

 castle of Nicosia, and at length compelled him to depart, 

 leaving his kingdome. So that this Bishop became 

 againe King of this Hand : who shortly after cleaving 

 to the Venetians having made a league of friendship 

 with them, married by their consent one Catherina the 

 daughter of Marco Cornaro, which Catherin the Senate 

 of Venice adopted unto them soone after as their daugh- 

 ter. This Bishop not long after sickened, and died, 

 leaving this his wife with child, who lived not long 

 after his fathers death. By the which meanes the Vene- 

 tians making themselves the next heires to Catherina 

 by the law of adoption, tooke unto them the possession 

 of this kingdome, and have kept and enjoyed the same 

 almost this hundred yeeres. Now this great Turke 

 called Sultan Selim in the right of the Soldan of JEgypt, 

 whom his grandfather (called also Sultan Selim) con- 

 quered, pretendeth a right title unto it, and now, as 

 you may understand by reading of this short Treatise, 

 hath by conquest obtained the same. Whom I pray 

 the everliving God, if it be his holy will, shortly to 

 root out from thence. 



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