1596.

ransome, and therewithall to let him to understand, that they came not to deale with Church-men, or unarmed men, or with men of peace, weaklings and children, neither was it any part of their meaning to make such a voyage for gold, silver, or any other their wealth and riches, etc. But that their onely comming was to meet with their dishonourable practises, and manifold injuries, and to deale with men of war and valour, for the defence of the true honour of England; and to let them to understand, that whensoever they attempted any base-conceited and dishonorable practise to their soveraigne Queen, their Mistresse, that it should be revenged to the uttermost, &c.

In this meane space, while the Lords generall continued at Cadiz, there came to them certaine poore wretched Turks, to the number of eight and thirty, that had bin a long time gally-slaves, and either at the very time of the fight by Sea, or else immediately thereupon, taking the opportunity, did then make their escape, and did swim to land; yeelding themselves to the mercy of their most honorable Lordships. It pleased them with all speede to apparell them, and to furnish them with mony, and all other necessaries, and to bestow on them a Barke, and a Pilot, to see them freely and safely conveied into Barbary.

The eight and twenty day being Monday, the Lord Admirall came aboord the Arke againe, minding there to remaine for a space, as indeede he did, and upon the advice of his Phisitian, to deale something in phisicke, for that his Lordship found his body something out of frame. At that time it pleased his Lordship to write certaine letters to the Duke of Medina Sidonia, for the deliverance of English Captives, who were remaining in the Gallies. For by this time, it was reported, that the said Duke was come downe in person with some power, and that he was either at Port Saint Mary, or else at Rotta, or thereabout. His Lordship did indite the Letters himselfe, but his pleasure was,

they should be turned into Latine by another: and so to be sent (as indeede they were) in the Latine tongue unto the Duke.

1596.

The next day after, being the fourth of July, the Cadiz fired. Lords generall caused the towne of Cadiz to be set on fire, and rased and defaced so much as they could; the faire Cathedrall Church, and the Religious houses onely being spared, and left unblemished. And with the Towne all such provision, for shipping, and other things, as were serviceable for the Realmes use, and yet were not either so convenient for us to be carried away, as [IV. x. else such as we stood no whit at all in neede of, were likewise at the same instant consumed with fire. presently thereupon, their Lordships, with as convenient speede as they could, and the whole army in such order and leisure, as they thought they thought best, came aboord.

And

1934.]

his letters.

The next day being the fift of July, the Lords generall Effect of the with all the army being under saile, and now making L. Admirall for England, and but as yet passing the very mouth of the Bay of Cadiz, a Galley ful of English prisoners, with a flag of truce, met us from Rotta, sent by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, and sent as it should seeme, one day later then his promise: but yet their flag being either not big enough, or not well placed in the Galley, or not well discerned of our men, or by what other mischance I know not; but thus it was: by one of our smallest ships that sailed formost, as soone as the said Galley came within Gunshot, there was a great Peece discharged upon her, and at that instant there was one man slaine outright, and two other grievously hurt. The errour being espied and perceived, our ship gave over immediately from any further shooting. As soone as the Galley came neere us, my Lord Admirall caused a gracious salutation to be sounded with his trumpets, and willed the Captaines forthwith to come aboord his ship: which they did, and then he feasted them with a Banket, as the time and place might serve. And then by them understanding of that unfortunate mischance

1596.

that had hapned by the shot of the said ship, he was
very sorry for the same, and yet such was the mercifull
providence of almighty God, that even in this mischance
also, he did hold his holy hand over the English; and
all the harme that was done did light only upon the
poore Turke, and the Spaniard himselfe. When this
Lord had well banqueted them, he presently called for
his Barge, and did accompany the said Galley to the
Lord Generall the Earle of Essex, who then did ride
with his ship a good distance off: and there they being
in like manner most honorably received, and intertained,
the Spanish Gentlemen delivered up their prisoners the
English captives, of whom some had bin there six yeeres,
some eight or ten; yea, and some two and twenty yeeres,
and upward, and some of them but lately taken in
Sir Francis Drakes last voyage to the Indies. The
number of the prisoners delivered were but nine and
thirty, and no moe, and were brought in, and delivered
by Don Antonio de Carolla and his brother, and by
Don Pedro de Cordua, and certaine others.

If any man presume here so farre, as to inquire
how it chanced, that the Lord Generall rested so long
at Cadiz, and went no further; and why Port Saint
Mary, being so faire a Towne, and so neere to them,
was forborne? and why Sheres alias Xeres? And why
Rotta, and the like? And why this or that was done?
And why that, or this left undone? I will not answere
him with our common English proverbe, as I might,
which is: That one foole may aske moe questions in
one houre, then ten discreete men can well answere
in five dayes. But that grave ancient writer, Cornelius
Tacitus, hath a wise, briefe, pithy, saying, and it is this;
Nemo tentavit inquirere in columnas Herculis, sanctiusque
ac reverentius habitum est de factis Deorum credere,
quàm scire.

Also upon my knowledge, the chiefest cause why Port
Saint Mary, and the rest, were left untouched, was this:
For that it was most certainely known, that they were

Townes not worth the saluting of such a royall company, in which there was no manner of wealth in the world left, more then bare houses of stone, and standing wals, and might well have served rather as a stale, perchance, to have entrapped, then as a meanes to have enriched.

1596.

And thus much for our journey to Cadiz: for the accidents that hapned by the way, for the winning, spoiling, and burning of the said Towne, for the overthrow of the Spanish Fleete there, and for all other by-matters that hapned, as appendances to the same, both in the time of our abode there, as also at the very last houre of our comming from thence. As for our returne home, and our entrance into a part of Portugall by the way, with the taking, spoiling, and burning of the Towne of Faraon there, and marching Faraon burnt. into the Spanish confines thereabouts, &c. I minde to leave it to some other, whose chance was to be present at the action, as my selfe was not, and shall be of more sufficient ability to performe it.

Meteranus writeth, that the taking of Cadiz had so terrified the neighbour townes, that the inhabitants fled out of them; and Saint Lucar had beene also very easily taken, if a few ships had assaulted it; and that eighteene Spanish ships comming from the Indies ignorant of what had hapned, were English at unawares, being very wealthy.

[Chap. XIIII.

Chap. XIIII.

The Voyage to the Iles of Azores, under the conduct of the Right Honorable Robert Earle of Essex, 1597.

§. I.

The Relation thereof by the said Earle, and other Commissioners.

The Generall, having by her Majesties gracious favour the charge of her Fleete and Armie, set out of Plimmouth in June 1597. did both promise my selfe and give hope to her Majestie, that I should be able to defeate the King of Spaines Fleete, commanded by the Adelantado, if I met them at Sea, or destroy it in the harbour of Feroll, if I found them there; as also to master and take all Fleetes of treasure, or of the East or West Indian Fleete, that I should finde upon the Sea in their way to Spaine: and lastly, that I should take in the Iland of Terçea, which I held an action of equall importance to the other.

With this confidence I went out, and to these ends: but none of these three being performed, it may be doubted, whether we have not through weakenesse or negligence failed of successe. For which we make answere, that if our whole carriage be examined, from the first houre to the last, it shall appeare that we have striven to attaine to every one of these with as much obstinate constancie, as any men in the world could doe, and that onely the powerfull hand of God, did binde our hands, and frustrate all our endevours.

The first for the enterprise of Ferel, we went out of Plimmouth the third of June, and stiered directly for that port, and when most extreame stormes and