O'Reilly — Remarks on Captain Cuellar's Narrative. 193^ 



Armada, having had on board many splendid regiments of Infantry, 

 many Captains, Enseigns, and Major-Generals, and other officers of 

 the army, many gentlemen, and other young noblemen, of all whom, 

 numbering altogether about 200, hardly more than five escaped, the 

 rest having been either drowned, or having succeeded in reaching the 

 shore by swimming, were cut to pieces by the English .garrisons 

 which the Queen maintains in the kingdom of Ireland. I escaped 

 both from the sea and from these enemies, through having recommended 

 myself most earnestly to our Lord and to the most holy Virgin His 

 mother, along with some 300 soldiers or thereabouts, who also had 

 been able to look out for themselves, and to reach land by swimming. 

 With these I passed a most unfortunate time of it, naked and bare- 

 footed during an entire winter, living for more than seven months in 

 the mountains and woods amongst savages (salvajes), such as they 

 are in all those parts of Ireland, on the coast of which we were lost. 

 I also think that I should not fail to narrate to you, and in noways 

 to pass over the wrongs and the grievous insults they sought to heap 

 on me so unjustly, and without any fault on my part, in the matter 

 of the fulfilment of the duties which concerned me. From all which 

 troubles our Lord delivered me, condemned as I was to death, as you 

 are aware, and to a most disgraceful death. I, seeing the severity 

 that had been decided on as regards my execution, demanded with 

 much excitement and anger, the reason why such grievous outrage 

 and affront was being put on me, who had served the king as a brave 

 soldier and loyal servant on all occasions, and in all the encounters 

 we had with the enemy's fleet, from which engagements the galley 

 which I commanded, came out badly hurt, and with much loss in 

 killed and wounded. I demanded to be furnished with a copy of the 

 sentence passed on me, and further, that the statements of the 350 

 men who were on board should be taken, and that if anyone of them 

 declared me to be in fault, I should be quartered. I was refused a 

 hearing, as well as many gentlemen who interceded for me, the 

 answer being that the Duke was at the moment in his private cabin, 

 greatly depressed in mind, and not wishing to be spoken to by anyone, 

 the cause being that besides the unfortunate engagements that he had 

 had continually with the enemy, he was on that very day of my 

 troubles, informed that the Galleys * San Mateo' and 'SanEilipe' of the 

 Portuguese fleet, having on board the two Majors- General (Maeses 

 de Campo), D. Francisco de Toledo, brother of the Count de Orgaz, 

 and D. Diego Pimentel, brother of the Marquis of Savara, were 

 completely lost, the greater part of those who were on board being 



