_ 53 _ need not tell you that you should give him to understand the power and extent of His Majesty’s states which is well known and you will know how to convey, meriting as you do the confidence placed in you. He must be told of the many and far-reaching preparations, the large numbers of soldiers and the great quantities of munitions of war that are being made ready by land and sea by the Holy Father and almost all the Christian princes, in order to follow up the victory which Our Lord has begun to give us against him, which you will describe in terms which convey their scale and importance, which you well understand. But whether he accepts or not, you will find out whether he is at war or peace or has a truce with the Turk. And whether the Turk has given an account of the loss of his fleet, or has asked for aid in recovery, or has asked for any in order to harass Christians through India. Whether he has been fighting against the Turk, and when he did, whether he won or lost. How many men, infantry and cavalry, he has in the field against the Turk or other enemies, and if he wanted to reinforce his army, how many soldiers could he raise. Endeavour to acquire information as to the strength of his forces, the morale of the soldiers and the use of horses.
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