ROBERT TOMSON a.d. 



1556. 



the water before the boat could come to rescue her, and 

 with the spreading of her clothes rose above water againe, 

 and was caught by the coat & pulled into the boate 

 having still her child under her arme, both of them 

 halfe drowned, and yet her naturall love towards her 

 child would not let her let the childe goe. And when 

 she came aboord the boate she helde her childe so fast 

 under her arme still, that two men were scant able to 

 get it out. So we departed out of our ship & left it 

 in the sea : it was worth foure hundreth thousand ducats, 

 ship & goods when we left it. And within three 

 dayes after we arrived at our port of S. John de Ullua 

 in New Spaine. I do remember that in the great and [III. 450.] 

 boysterous storme of this foule weather, in the night, 

 there came upon the toppe of our maine yarde and 

 maine maste, a certaine little light, much like unto the 

 light of a little candle, which the Spaniards called the 

 Cuerpo santo, and saide it was S. Elmo, whom they Cuerpo Santo. 

 take to bee the advocate of Sailers. At the which sight 

 the Spaniards fell downe upon their knees and worshipped 

 it, praying God and S. Elmo to cease the torment, and 

 save them from the perill that they were in, with promising 

 him that at their comming on land, they would repaire 

 unto his Chappell, and there cause Masses to be saide, and 

 other ceremonies to be done. The friers cast reliques into 

 the sea, to cause the sea to be still, and likewise said Gospels, 

 with other crossings and ceremonies upon the sea to make 

 the storme to cease: which (as they said) did much good to 

 weaken the furie of the storme. But I could not per- 

 ceive it, nor gave no credite to it, till it pleased God 

 to send us the remedie & delivered us from the rage 

 of the same. His Name be praised therefore. This light 

 continued aboord our ship about three houres, flying 

 from maste to maste, & from top to top : and sometime 

 it would be in two or three places at once. I informed 

 my selfe of learned men afterward what that light should 

 be, and they said, that it was but a congelation of the 

 winde and vapours of the Sea congealed with the ex- 



345 



