FRom the King of Pole the Emperor receiued letters the last Tuesday, the Captaine that brought them reporteth that the Turke hath receiued 4. ouerthrowes: in the first incounter he lost 40000. in the second 14000. in the third 9000. in the last 4000.
Bethlem Gabor hath raised his siege and fortified himselfe about a Dutch mile from this City, purposing then to offer the Emperor Battell: who hath now gathered all his forces into one Body: Euery day wée heare of hundreds and sometimes thousands slaine, which are onely light skirmishes to flesh them against the maine encounter.
Budianus in the meane while standing in awe of no body: Colalto who attended him with 8000. being called to the Campe, playes the fury, and with his 5000. Horse doth more endamage the Emperials, then the whole Army of the Bethlemists: yesterday to outbraue the Emperor hée passed by the walls of this Citty towards Bauaria, burning all before him as he went, his errand to carry Recaudo from Bethlem to the Duke, and to giue him notice that hée purposeth to visit him shortly, the which (if so disposed he may easily doe) there being no possibility of opposing him before he come to the Bauarian Army, which is 300. miles from hence.
In this Countrey the Silesian soldiours haue a good time, are secure, haue what they will, take whatsoeuer they can get against mens wills, consume the Country and the Townes, and yet will be paid at the full. Which is a speciall punishment of God layd vpon this Countrey.
Madalon the extraordinary French Ambassador, had made promise to the leaguers, to shew them his Commission from the King vpon the 31. of this month, yet prolonged it off 8 dayes more, and then assured them without further delay to shew it vnto them, Which they will hardly trust, considering that the enemy, the longer the more time had to strengthen himselfe. As vpon the 25. of this month, there came 30. Companies of Spaniards, & 18. Companies of Neopolitanes from Millain, and that dayly 30. Drums still sounded to take vp Soldiers, which is to late in the yeare to send to the Emperor, and therefore those Soldiers should be imployed in the places nearest there abouts. Therefore they made him answere, if that after the said 8. dayes respite so required, he should séeke for a longer prologation, that without further speaking vnto him, they wold giue him the contract back againe, and would procéed with their resolution. Whereupon y e said Ambssador hath distributed 26000. francks pension, and the people of the there Bunten are so well pacified and agrée together, as in 17. yeares before they neuer were more. They of Zuenicke and Bearne also haue promised them their ayde, and the Bund [...]naers haue put 2400. musketiers that lay in nether Engadien for their security, in the places bording vpon the frontiers of the Archduke Leopoldus Countrey.
From the fronters of Caniseche, there is newes, that the Budiane with ayde from the Turke hath taken the Fort of Kementh againe, and is determined also to take the Towne and Castle of Gius againe, and doth great hurt and damage by ransacking & burning, without resistance about Newstadt, and it is feared that they wil attempt somthing vpon the suburbs. There are many poor people that goe here abouts to beg, And to conclude, the necesity and misery is so great here amongst our people, as also among the enemies where they lye, that it is vnspeakable, and the Gretzer way or passage is so dangerous, that no man dares looke abroad.
Bethlem Gabor is now at Schindow, where he staies for 20000. Turkes to come vnto him, the Marquis of Iagerensdorp is with his Dutch forces, & ten Thousand Hungarians gone ouer Wittenbergh to Morauia, also the Budianer, the longer doth the more great hurt, to whom the Bassa of Natolia with 12000. Turks is comming to ayd him. And as newes now coms, he hath taken the Towne and Castle of Guns by force.
There is no newes here, this day the 2. Companies of Ritters haue receiued a month & a halfe pay, and are this day gone towards Morauia, because it is feared that the Hungarians, will enter into it againe, and it is not certainly knowne, whether Don Balthasar hath left his siege before Tabor or not.
Last Friday, Generall Veere sent a Trumpet to the Bishop of Spiers, with a Letter to this effect, that forasmuch as don Cordoua was entred further into the Palatinate, and had taken the Castle of Stein, and had vsed great tyrannie against the Subiects, and Churchmen, and that he was certified, that he had bin the motioner thereof, and moued Don Cordoua thereunto, as also that he had holpen to maintain the Bauarian army with mony, be thought good to aduertise the said Bishop, not onely to forbeare sending mony to the Catholike league, as also without delay specially to send the Spaniards againe out of his Territories, and if not, hée would deale in like manner with the Country and people, specially with the Priests, as Don Cordona hath done in the Palatinats, which is a matter to bréed war. Whereupon the Bishop sent a friendly answer & excuse, in this manner; that although he were by the said General estéemed to be an enemy, & that by him his poore Subiects in the Market were ransackt and spoyl'd, yet it was no furtherance nor good vnto him to haue the innocent poore people in the Palatinate, for a reuenge thereof to be assayled, whereunto he said, that he neither gaue counsell nor was any furtherer vnto the same, and much lesse had meanes to diuert the Spanish soldiers.
The vniuersall defence shall be taken in hand, & with all spéed put in effect, to the which end, the Duke of Lorains ambassador is now with the Bishop at Odenheim, and to that end there are Letters of aduise sent to the neighbour Townes and States.
In the Palatinate, euery one be he rich or poore, frée or not, within 3. monthes must pay 18. Florins for the payment of the Soldiers, but it is said that the Townes will not pay it, before they haue their Lord.
The Ship bridge made by the Spaniards by Stein, i [...] [Page]ready, and yesterday Wattenheim was burnt by the Spaniards. They of the Palatinate to the contrary lye still, it is thought the Spaniards now with their whole forces, will ouerrun all Bergstrate, and run almost to the gates of Heidelbergh, and it is to be feared (if no ayde comes) that all the lower Palatinate will be lost, for that there are no more but 3. Townes to be wonne in it, viz. Heydelbergh, Franckendall and Manheim.
They of Bensheim in Bergstraet haue sought for helpe of other Townes, which is promised them, and the said Towne hath taken the keyes from the Soldiers, and will assure the Towne themselues.
For that they of Lichtenbergh, in Werenbergh, and Schimthutten in the said passage haue sundry times shewed themselues to be enemies, to the Earle of Mansfield, vpon the last Friday he sent certaine Horse & Footmen with some péeces of great Ordinance, thetherward, to take the said passage, and to put garrison into it, and on Sunday at night secretly sent 4. Companies of Soldiers to Camp, and quartered them there.
The last Friday, there came 500. Bauarian soldiers to Freimt, whereupon on Sunday last the Earle of Mansfield sent 4000. foot, and 8. Companies of Ritters, thetherward to assayle them, but they refusing to yéeld vp the place, he began to batter it, and yesterday tooke it, wherein the Bauarians with the most part of the Burgers were slaine, and the Towne & Castle wholy ransackt, wherein there was great store of goods, that was brought thether by those that fled, after that the suburbes were burnt.
Don Hermancos de Cordoua lyes still with his forces by Rem Turckheim, and Generall Veere with a part of his forces, horse and footmen, lyeth at Birstadt, and in the Bergh stréet way, to hinder the Spaniards from ransacking and winning abroad: what will folowe thereof, time will reueale.
The towne of Bensheim is somoned by the Spaniards to yeild it selfe, and they haue required 3. dayes truce, which being past, yet we heare of no attempt, they within the Towne haue 1600. well mounted Ritters, and daily fortifie themselues, and haue gotten some great Ordinance and munition: It is thought that they in Berghstrate will stand vpon their defence.
It is said that there is a new leuie of Soldiers made for the King of Bohemia, and that there shall be 6000. foote, and 1000. horsmen more taken vp for him.
From France we vnderstand, that the King with his Army lyes still before Mountalbon, & battreth the towne with 45. pieces of Canon, but they within valiantly resist him, so it is apparant that the towne will holde out as long as possibly it can.
Touching the besieging of Gulicke, there is nothing to the purpose done, onely that the Spaniards begin to make 3. Bulwarkes before it, 2. of them being almost ready, but yet so farre from the towne, that they séeme to be made rather for the defence of their Army, and a letting of the Garrison from issuing out vpon them, then ouercome the towne, so that it is thought that the said towne shall onely be Bulwarked about.
Letters from Brigges certifie, that there past at least 12000, selected Soldiers, horse and footemen, by that towne: with all kind of preparation, as Scopes, Spades Baskets, Scuts, &c. Men supposing here, that they will doe some wondrous thing.
The Ditches in Flanders being cut through, the waters runs vp into the Country all about Gant and Bruges, the water lyeth in the Land, whereby their necessities is great thereabouts.
Here there are Commissions giuen out, for Christian Prince of Anholt, to leuie 1500. horsmen, and he hath 3. monthes time limmited vnto him to goe into the Palatinate: he also shall haue with him 5000. footmen, he hath already a great number together with him, there goes Adolph Plasman, Yonker Haesten, Mons. Quaet, Westerholt and others: It is said that the King will send with him 500. horse, and the Prince of Orange 500. horse more.
The 20. of this month, Marquis Spinola past ouer the Bridge with 20. or 22. Coronets of horsmen, toward our Army, but attempted nothing, but went backe again to Disfort house, where the poor Country men (yet neutrals) that were gone thither to saue themselues, with their Cattle and other goods, were pittifilly spoyled.
The Prince causeth the Cloyster Schellendorp, betwéene Rées and Bislicke, close by the Hauen masters, to be Intrenched, and haue sent for great store of Lathes and Pallisadoes.
The 2, young Kings, and the young Princes, being 5. in number, that were sent out of East India to the Prince of Orenge, and the East India Company héere in these Countries, to be brought vp in Learning, by common aduise of the Company, are sent to the Latine schoole in Amersfort, and vpon the 24. of the month of August entered therein.
From Montabon it is written that Duke de Mayne, did intreat the King, that no mercy might be shewed to this Towne, but that all might be put to the Sword.
The Gunpowder in his quarter was set on fire, by them out of the Towne, shooting wilde fier amongst it.
The Duke de Rohan hath 8000. men ready, and is within one dayes Iourney, going to ayde the Towne against the King.
The Cittizens of Montalbon haue hang'd vp 6. traytors, that sought to betray the Town to the King, whose heades were cut off, and set vpon poles, for a terror to others, one of them being Sergeant maior of the Towne whose name was Sauage, who betrayed the Towne of Neracke before to the King.
There is a Post come to Paris from Spaine, that is gone to Flanders, who saith, that the King of Spaine will be in Flanders in his owne person, before winter.
It is written from Paris, by a Gentleman that sawe it, that there was a wonderfull strange apparition séene in the ayre vpon Sunday night the 2. of September last, the whole sky séemed like the forme of a Tent, out of the which there issued certaine forces, fighting one with another, afterwards the whole Element séemed to be on fire, In the end, the said forces were reduced into a round circle, not much vnlike the besieging of a Towne.
London Printed for N. B October the 2. 1621. Out of the Hie Dutch Coppy.