A VALIANT FIGHT a.d. 



1590. 



followed, and gave a hot charge upon them, and they 



at us, where began a hot and fierce battaile with great 



valiancie the one against the other, and so continued for A fight of sixe 



the space of sixe houres. About the beginning of this )ures on ^ 



our fight there came two Flemings to our Fleet, who 



seeing the force of the Gallies to be so great, the one of 



them presently yeelded, strooke his sailes, and was taken A faint 



by the Gallies, whereas if they would have offered them- ^Teminz 



selves to have fought in our behalfe and their owne 



defence, they needed not to have bene taken so cowardly 



as they were to their cost. The other Fleming being 



also ready to performe the like piece of service began to 



vaile his sailes, and intended to have yeelded immediatly. 



But the Trumpetter in that shippe plucked foorth his 



faulchion and stepped to the Pilote at the helme, and 



vowed that if he did not speedily put off to the English 



Fleete, and so take part with them, he would presently 



kill him : which the Pilote for feare of death did, and so 



by that meanes they were defended from present death, 



and from the tyrannie of those Spaniards, which doubt- 



lesse they should have found at their handes. 



Thus we continued in fight sixe houres and somewhat 

 more, wherein God gave us the upper hand, and we 

 escaped the hands of so many enemies, who were con- 

 strained to flie into harbour and shroude themselves from 

 us, and with speed to seeke for their owne safetie. This 

 was the handie worke of God, who defended us all from 

 danger in such sort, as that there was not one man of us 

 slaine. And in all this fierce assault made upon us by 

 the Spanish power, wee sustained no hurt or damage at 

 all more then this, that the shrouds and backestay of the 

 Salomon, who gave the first and last shot, and galled 

 the enemie shrewdly all the time of the battell, were 

 cleane striken off. 



The battel being ceased, we were constrained for want 



of wind to stay and waft up and downe, and then went 



backe againe to Tition in Barbary, which is sixe leagues 



off from Gibraltar, and when we came thither we found 



vii 33 c 



