WILLIAM TOWERSON ad. 



I557- 

 wind if we could : we were neere some of them, and one 

 shot off a piece which wee judged to be the Admirall 

 of the Portugals, to cause the rest to come and speake 

 with him : so all this night we made our selves ready for 

 fight. 



The 26 we came in with the shore and had sight of 

 the Portugals where they rid at anker, and we bare with 

 them, and we gave all our men white scarffes, to the ende 

 that the Frenchmen might know one the other if we came [II. ii. 40.] 

 to boording : but the night came upon us that we could 

 not fetch them, but we ankered within demie-Culvering 

 shot of them. 



The 27 day we weighed and so did the Portugals, and 

 about eleven of the clocke wee had the wind of them, 

 and then we went roome with them, which when they 

 perceived, they kept about to the shore againe, and wee 

 after them, and when they were so neere the shore that 

 they could not well runne any further on that boord, 

 they kept about againe, and lay to the Seaward, and then 

 we kept about with them, and were a head of them, and 

 tooke in our topsailes and taried for them : and the first 

 that came up was a small barke which sailed so well 

 that she cared not for any of us, and caried good ordi- 

 nance : and assoone as she came up, she shot at us, and 

 overshot us, and then she shot at the Admirall of the 

 Frenchmen, and shot him through in two or three places, The fight with 

 and went foorth a head of us, because we were in our e Pertu i a ' s - 

 fighting sailes : then came up another caravell under our 

 Lee in like case which shot at us and at the Frenchman, 

 and hurt two of his men and shot him through the 

 maine maste. And after them came up the Admirall 

 under our Lee also, but he was not able to doe us so 

 much harme as the small shippes, because he caried 

 ordinance higher then they, neither were we able to make 

 a good shot at any of them, because our shippe was so 

 weake in the side, that she laid all her ordinance in the 

 Sea : wherefore we thought to lay the great ship aboord, 

 and as soone as the French Admirall went roome with 



