LXXVIII.

French.

Le grand _Neptune_ du profond de la Mer, De sang punique & sang _Gaulois_ meslé, Les Isles a sang pour le tardif ramer, Plus luy nuira que loccult mal celé.

English.

The great _Neptune_ in the middle of the Sea, Having joyned _African_ and _French_ blood, The Islands shall be put to the Sword, and the slow rowing Shall do them more prejudice, than the concealed evil.

ANNOT.

To understand this, you must know that Henry the II. King of _France_, having renewed his Alliance with the Grand Seignior _Sultan Solyman_, he asked him succours for to take _Nice_, which he pretended to belong to the Earldom of _Provence_. To that purpose the Marshal of _Brissac_ went from Court with the Kings Army in the year 1557. to set upon _Nice_, _Savona_, and _Genoa_, and so to hinder the _Spaniard_ from coming by Sea in _Piemont_, and the _Milanese_. The _Turk_ sent him a good Fleet, consisting of 105. Galleys, and 14. Galliots.

The _French_ Fleet consisted of 26 Galleys, of which the great Prior was Admiral, who went with them from the Castle of _Yf_, the 9. of _June_ 1558.

Being at Sea, and not knowing where the _Turkish_ Fleet was, he went to and fro to seek it out, at last he found it pillaging and plundering the Island of _Minorica_. The _Turks_ had already taken the chief Town, where 800. _Turks_ were killed, which so incensed the rest, that they set the Town on fire; then going up and down the Countrey, they took 5000. Prisoners, and if the Lords of _Carces_ and _Vence_ had not stayed them, they would have ruinated the whole Island.

Then forsaking the Island, they joyned with the _French_, but the perfidious _Bassa_ being bribed by the _Genoeses_, and those of _Nice_, went slowly to work, and at last retreated without doing any thing for the _French_. This is the relation of _Cæsar Nostradamus_, in his History of _Provence_ under _Henry_ the II. and according to this the Author saith, that _the great Neptune in the middle of the Sea, shall joyn ~French~ and ~African~ blood_. _Neptune_ signifieth the _Mediterranean Sea_.

_The Islands shall be put to the Sword_, by the taking of _Minorica_, after which the _Turks_ being bribed, went slowly to work, and in conclusion did nothing of consequence.

The third and fourth Verse adds, that this _Bassa_’s slow rowing, _shall do them more prejudice then the concealed evil_; that is, shall do more damage to the _French_ by his hidden design of the Bassa of not serving the _French_; because this slowness of the Bassa spoiled the _French_ activity, lessened their provisions, and at last discouraged them; whereas if the _Turks_ had not come, the _French_ Galleys alone were able to take _Nice_.