Don John of Austria, or Passages from the history of the sixteenth century, MDXLVIIMDLXXVII . lady wassatisfied with the somewhat Oriental reasons for the rejection ofher gifts, or whether she informed her uncle the Sultan of thecoolness with which Don John contemplated the possibility ofanother Lepanto. Said Bey and his tutor left Naples in themiddle of May, and, sailing to Ragusa, hastened overland toConstantinople. They were accompanied by Antonio Abellan,an agent of Don John, who had long been a slave in Turkey, andwas well versed in the Turkish language and the ways of theTurkish Court. T
Don John of Austria, or Passages from the history of the sixteenth century, MDXLVIIMDLXXVII . lady wassatisfied with the somewhat Oriental reasons for the rejection ofher gifts, or whether she informed her uncle the Sultan of thecoolness with which Don John contemplated the possibility ofanother Lepanto. Said Bey and his tutor left Naples in themiddle of May, and, sailing to Ragusa, hastened overland toConstantinople. They were accompanied by Antonio Abellan,an agent of Don John, who had long been a slave in Turkey, andwas well versed in the Turkish language and the ways of theTurkish Court. The account which the released prisoners gaveof the kindness and courtesy of Don John gained for that Prince ^ Both letters are printed by Torres [Chronica, ff. 92-3) and by Vanderhammen { de Austria, S. 165-168). CHAP. I. EXPEDITION TO TUNIS. golden opinions at Constantinople. Even the French Ambassador,the Bishop of Acqs, in his despatches, bore testimony to thegenerosity of the conqueror in freely liberating a captive whowould gladly have paid fifty thousand crowns for his DON JOHN OF AUSTRIA. But in the Prelates opinion this generosity was the fruit of deepcalculation, and a mere excuse for sending a clever secretary toforward the intrigues already set on foot for the establishment ofa strong Spanish party and the counteraction of French influenceat the Porte.^ ^ N^gociations de la France dans k Levant, iii. 415. 6 DON JOHN OF AUSTRIA. chap. i. Soon after the announcement of peace between Venice andthe Turk, Juan de Soto, the private secretary of Don John ofAustria, was promoted by the King to the post of Commissary-General of the royal fleet. From the time when Don John wasappointed to the command at Granada, Soto had followed hisfortunes. His skill and industry in business rendered him veryuseful to his master, for whom he appears soon to have conceiveda romantic admiration and an ardent affection. Don Johnreturned his regard ; he treated him with the utmost
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