The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
The French in the meane season hauing gotten some leasure by meanes of
their truce, and being sollicited and vrged by the intreaties of the
Genuois vndertooke to wage warre against the Moores, who robbed and spoyled
all the coasts of Italy, and of the Ilandes adiacent. Likewise Richard the
second, king of England, being sued vnto for ayde, sent Henry the Earle of
Derbie with a choice armie of English souldiers vnto the same warfare.
Wherefore the English and French, with forces and mindes vnited, sayled
ouer into Africa, who when they approached vnto the shore were repelled by
the Barbarians from landing, vntill such time as they had passage made them
by the valour of the English archers. Thus hauing landed their forces, they
foorthwith marched vnto the royall citie of Tunis, and besieged it. Whereat
the Barbarians being dismayed, sent Ambassadours vnto our Christian
Chieftaines to treat of peace, which our men graunted vnto them, vpon
condition that they should pay a certaine summe of money, and that they
should from thencefoorth abstaine from piracies vpon all the coasts of
Italy and France. And so hauing dispatched their businesse, within a fewe
moneths after their departure they returned home.
This Historie is somewhat otherwise recorded by Froysard and Holenshed in
manner following, pag 473.
In the thirteenth yeere of the reigne of King Richard the second, the
Christians tooke in hand a iourney against the Saracens of Barbarie through
sute of the Genouois, so that there went a great number of Lords, Knights,
and Gentlemen of France and England, the Duke of Burbon being their
Generall. Out of England there went Iohn de Beaufort bastarde sonne to the
Duke of Lancaster (as Froysard hath noted) also Sir Iohn Russell, Sir Iohn
Butler, Sir Iohn Harecourt and others. They set forwarde in the latter ende
of the thirteenth yeere of the Kings reigne, and came to Genoa, where they
remayned not verie long, but that the gallies and other vessels of the
Genouois were ready to passe them ouer into Barbarie. And so about midsomer
in the begining of the foureteenth yere of this kings reigne the whole army
being embarked, sailed forth to the coast of Barbary, where neere to the
city of Africa they landed: [Sidenote: The Chronicles of Genoa] at which
instant the English archers (as the Chronicles of Genoa write) stood all
the company in good stead with their long bowes, beating backe the enemies
from the shore, which came downe to resist their landing. After they had
got to land, they inuironed the city of Africa (called by the Moores
Mahdia) with a strong siege: but at length, constrained with the
intemperancy of the scalding ayre in that hot countrey, breeding in the
army sundry diseases, they fell to a composition vpon certaine articles to
be performed in the behalfe of the Saracens: and so 61 dayes after their
arriuall there they tooke the seas againe, and returned home, as in the
histories of France and Genoa is likewise expressed.
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