THE TAKING OF THE MADRE DE BIOS' a.d. 



1592. 

 no breath to spread a saile. Insomuch that fitly to dis- 

 cover her what she was, of what burthen, force, and 

 countenance, sir John Burrough tooke his boat, and 

 rowed the space of three miles, to make her exactly : 

 and being returned, he consulted with the better sort of 

 the company then present, upon the boording her in the 

 morning. But a very mighty storme arising in the 

 night, the extremity thereof forced them all to wey 

 ankers, yet their care was such in wrestling with the 

 weather not to lose the carak, that in the morning, the 

 tempest being qualified, and our men bearing againe with 

 the shore, they might perceive the carak very neere the 

 land, and the Portugals confusedly carrying on shore such 

 things as they could any maner of way convey out of 

 her ; and seeing the haste our men made to come upon 

 them, forsooke her: but first, that nothing might be A carak called 

 left commodious to our men, set fire to that which they ~~ Santa 

 could not cary with them, intending by that meanes ^ re 

 wholly to consume her ; that neither glory of victory nor 

 benefit of shippe might remaine to ours. And least the 

 approch and industry of the English should bring meanes 

 to extinguish the flame, thereby to preserve the residue 

 of that which the fire had not destroyed ; being foure 

 hundred of them in number and well armed, they 

 intrenched themselves on land so neere to the carak, that 

 she being by their forces protected, and our men kept 

 aloofe off, the fire might continue to the consumption of 

 the whole. This being noted by sir John Burrough he 

 soone provided a present remedy for this mischiefe. For 

 landing one hundred of his men, whereof many did swim An hundred 

 and wade more then brest high to shore, and easilv °f ouv men 



land 



scattering those that presented themselves to guard the 

 coast, he no sooner drew toward their new trenches, but 

 they fled immediatly, leaving as much as the fire had 

 spared to be the reward of our mens paines. Here was 

 taken among others one Vincent Fonseca a Portugall, 

 Purser of the carak, with two others, one an Almaine 

 and the second a Low-dutchman, canoniers : who refusing 



in 



