A.D. 



1568. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



3. ships of the 



Spaniards 



consumed. 



A hard case. 



Jesus and the Minion were gotten about two shippes 

 Sharpe wars, length from the Spanish fleete, the fight beganne so hotte 

 on all sides that within one houre the Admirall of the 

 Spaniards was supposed to be sunke, their Viceadmirall 

 burned and one other of their principall ships supposed to 

 be sunke, so that the shippes were little able to annoy us. 

 Then it is to be understood, that all the Ordinance 

 upon the Ilande was in the Spaniardes handes, which did 

 us so great annoyance, that it cut all the mastes and 

 yardes of the Jesus, in such sort that there was no hope 

 to Carrie her away : also it sunke our small shippes, were- 

 upon we determined to place the Jesus on that side of 

 the Minion, that she might abide all the batterie from 

 the land, and so be a defence for the Minion till night, 

 and then to take such reliefe of victuall and other neces- 

 saries from the Jesus, as the time would suffer us, and to 

 leave her. As we were thus determining, and had placed 

 the Minion from the shot of the land, suddenly the 

 Spaniards had fired two great shippes which were comming 

 directly with us, and having no meanes to avoide the fire, 

 it bredde among our men a marvellous feare, so that 

 some sayd, let us depart with the Minion, other said, let 

 us see whither the winde will carrie the fire from us. But 

 to be short, the Minions men which had alwayes their 

 sayles in a readinesse, thought to make sure worke, and so 

 without either consent of the Captaine or Master cut their 

 saile, so that very hardly I was received into the Minion. 

 The most part of the men that were left alive in the 

 Jesus, made shift and followed the Minion in a small 

 boat, the rest which the little boate was not able to 

 receive, were inforced to abide the mercie of the Spaniards 

 (which I doubt was very little) so with the Minion 

 only and the Judith (a small barke of 50 tunne) we 

 escaped, which barke the same night forsooke us in our 

 great miserie : we were now remooved with the Minion 

 from the Spanish ships two bow-shootes, and there rode 

 all that night : the next morning we recovered an Hand a 

 mile from the Spaniardes, where there tooke us a North 



72 



Small hope to 

 he had of 

 tyrants. 

 A storme. 



