Travels into the Levant 
Part i 
CHAP. 
Of the Battel of the Dardanelles, Fought in the ' 
Tear 1656. 
Battel of the "^^TEws being brought to Confiaminople^ that the r v/ietian Fleet was before the 
pardaneiks. Dadaneîles, the Turks made haft to fet out theirs and engage them ; and 
m 1656. (juring that time an /f^/M« who had had feme command on Board of a Ship 
of the Venetian Fleet, being difgufted by the other Officers, made his efcape 
A Venetian out of the Fleet, and came with his Son prefently to Conftanttnofle^ where 
turns Turk, ^j^^y turned Turks : the Turks took that for a good Prefage, and gave 
it out that he was a Chriftian of great Quality that had turned Turk. He 
defired the command of a Ship, but they would not truft him fo much, only 
put him on Board the Bafiarde. All things being in readinefs, the Turkifh Fleet 
parted from Conjlaminofle on Saturday the feventeenth of Jme, about ten a 
clock in the Morning ; I was at that time in a Balcony of ray Lodgings, from 
The number whence I had a view of all the Port, and eafily reckoned all the Veflels as 
Veffel^t^t'^ they went out. The Fleet confifted of fix and fifty Galleys, feven and twenty 
were^atthe Gallions or Ships, nine Maonesor Galleafl^es, and five Galliottes op ^^-z^^^fwj. 
Battel of the I had with me a Turkilh Spahi^yNho by what art I cannot telUguelTed very well at 
Dardanelles a great many things, as he had feveral times done to Fremh Men in my prefence, 
in 16$ 6. to whom he told fuch things, as none but themfelves ought to know ; when he 
faw the Fleet go out,hc looked into his Book and then told me that the Captaia 
jBapa was much in the wrong to fet out before Noon, becaufe it was an unlucky 
day : It is probable that fomebody with the Captain Bajha told him as much, or 
that they Did the Book.-, becaufe they never undertake any thing of Importance, 
without as they call it, with two Arrows, as I have faid before: 
for being out of the great Port, they put into a little one, called Befihtafch in 
Europe, about four miles below Galata, towards the BlackzSea^ and ftaid there 
till one of the clock. The firft day of the Ramadan, which was fix or feven 
days after, the ^«ffi, QrandFifier, and all the People went to pray for the' 
profperity of the Fleet in the Ocmidan, which is a great open place that I 
mentioned before i but their Prayers were not hc^rdj for Thurfday evening 
News of tlie the nine and twentieth of June, news came to Confiant impie, that the two Fleets 
fight. j,a(j engaged the fix and twentieth, and that the Turkilh Fleet was Defeated. 
Some days after a French man of Provence and Renegado Janifary, who had been 
in the Fight, and got off, told me all the particulars, and the order of it very 
ÀFrenchman exadly -, according to his relation, and even according to what the Turks 
began the g^d all people confeffed, it was a Ship commanded by a French man carrying 
^'2''^' fourty Guns which began the play. When the two Fleets were drawn up 
overagainft one another, the Turks being near the Dardanelles, but without, 
this French Captain made all the Sail he could, and bore in upon the Turks 
with fo good way that the Galleys could not follow her. The Turks feeing 
her fo far on head of the reft of the Fleet, and all alone, thought at firft that 
fhe was coming to joyne with them -, but when the Captain was come within 
diftance and poured in two Broad-fides among them, fo that they faw their 
Veffels fliattered and Arms and Legs flying about, they were foon undecei- 
ved and all fell a Firing at him j the reft of the Chriftian Fleet followed, 
but he alone was fain to ftand by it, and received the great and fraall Shot 
of one half of the Turkilh Fleet, which he mawled feverely 5 for playing con- 
tinually both with great and fmall fliot, he difabled a good part of their Fleet. 
At length the Turks doing what lay in their power to fink this (hip, an un- 
lucky (hot from the Dardanelles carried away her Rudder ; fo that the brave 
Captain finding his Ship to be now no more fit for Service, he put all his 
Men on board a Turkifli Veffell that he had taken, and Burn'd his own, that 
the Turks might not be the better for her. In relating the Valour of this 
Captain 
