GEORGE FENNER ad 



1567. 



with a Portugall ship, and being destitute of a cable and 



anker, our Generall caused us to keepe her companie, to 



see if she could conveniently spare us any. The next 



morning we might see bearing with us a great shippe and 



two Caravels, which we judged to be of the king of 



Portugals Armada, and so they were, whereupon we 



prepared our selves for our defence. The said ship was A Portugall 



one of the kings Galliasses, about the burden of foure GaRasse °f 



hundred tunnes, with about three hundred men in her, the 



shippe being well appointed with brasse pieces both great 



and small, and some of them so bigge that their shot was 



as great as a mans head, the other two Caravels were also 



very warlike and well appointed both with men and 



munition. 



As soone as they were within shotte of us, they waved [II. ii. 63.] 



us amaine with their swords, we keeping our course, the 



greatest shippe shot at us freely and the caravell also, and A fight be- 



we prepared our selves, and made all things cleare for our t '^ eene ^ ne 



c r 1 1 j T-i i 1 • English ship 



sategard as neere as we could. 1 hen the great shippe an ^ - 



shot at us all her broad side, and her foure greatest pieces Portugals. 



that lay in her sterne, and therewith hurt some of our 



men, and we did the best we could with our shot to 



requite it. At last two other Caravels came off the shoare, 



and two other pinnesses full of men, and delivered them 



aboord the great shippe, and so went backe againe with 



two men in a piece of them. The ship and the Caravell 



gave us the first day three fights, and when the night 



was come they left off shooting, yet notwithstanding kept 



hard by us all the night. In the meane time we had 



as much as wee could doe all the night to mende our 



ropes, and to strengthen our bulwarkes, putting our trust 



in God, and resolving our selves rather to die in our 



defence then to bee taken by such wretches. 



The next day being the 10 of May in the morning, 



there were come to aide the said Portugals foure great 



Armadas or Caravels more which made seven, of which 4 



three of them were at the least 100 tunnes a piece, the 



other not so bigge, but all well appointed and full of men. 



281 



