Chap, I 1 ] A QJJ ES L E H E R M I T E, 6j 
does not appear, that they equipped any Ships. This Fleet 
was by far the moft confiderable that had been hitherto 
lent againft the Spaniards in the Weft Indies. 
3. We muft obferve, in order to the perfect under- 
ftanding the Hiftory of this remarkable Voyage, the moft 
important by far that ever was undertaken into, thofe Parts 
by the Dutch , that the Government of Holland differed 
much from what it was before, or what it has been fince, 
being in fad rather a Monarchy than a Republic, the 
Prince of Orange doing all, but in the Name of the States ; 
the executive Power* under colour of Neceffity, and 
upon Pretence of taking care of the Public, having ufurped 
the Sovereignty. The Reader may very well wonder at 
feeing fuch an Introdudion as this to a Voyage round the 
World 5 but the Neceffity of the Thing muft excufe it. 
Moft of the Captains, and other Officers, flood indebted 
for their Commiffions to Court Favour *, Prince Maurice , a 
Land Admiral, granted them ; and he had in View in this, 
as well as in other Things, the eftablifhing his own Power, 
as well as ferving the State. There is a certain Rugged- 
nefs in the Difpofitions of Men* who are beft fuited to go 
through the Difficulties of fuch Commands, which, at the 
fame time, renders them very unfit for making their Court 
to the great Men who beftoW them* efpecially if thofe 
great Men have arrived at their Stations by Birth, Intereft, 
or Intrigues, inftead of Service. For it is with refped to 
Seh Affairs* the fame as with regard to other Affairs, no 
Man, who is not himfelf verfed in them, can pretend to 
know how far another underftands them •, and hence it fre- 
quently happens, that, without any ill Intention towards the 
Public, Commands are beftowed in fuch a manner, as turn 
greatly to the public Prejudice. Thefe Refledions, which 
lie in a very narrow Compafs, will fave the Reader, as well 
as myfelf, a great deal of Trouble, becaufe they will en- 
able him, without my Affiftance, to account for moft of 
the untoward Accidents which happened in, and proved 
the Overthrow of this Expedition. It may not be amifs, 
likewife, to obferve, that I do not make thefe Remarks of 
my own Plead, but on the Authority of the famous John 
de Witte , the moft celebrated Statefman, the moft accu- 
rate Writer of the Nation, whom they concern ; and I 
have thrown them into a feparate Paragraph, that they 
might not interfere with a Relation, in which I keep not 
only to the Senfe, but ufe the very Words of the original 
Hiftorian of this Voyage, to which we may now lafely 
proceed. 
4. The Najftau Fleet, as it was called, failed from the 
Goeree on April 29. 1623. confifting of the Admiral, Nine 
Ships, and the Yacht. In the Evening, bn the 30th, they 
were informed, that the Eagle had fprung a Leak ; and 
that, in a very few Hours time, they had pumped 3000 
Barrels of Water: About the fame time, the Orange , 
which was the Rear-admiral, joined them. On May 1. 
it was refolved in Council to put into the Jjle of Wight , in 
order, if poffible, to flop the Leak in the Eagle. The 
Hope and the Orange running foul of each other, the for- 
mer had her Bowfprit very much damaged, and the Mi- 
zen-maft of the latter came by the Board. In the Af- 
ternoon, the whole Fleet anchored at Portfmouth , except 
the Hope , the Captain of which, out of pure Vanity, 
would needs take a Courfe different from that of the 
reft of the Fleet, in confequence of which, he run aftiore, 
and was in great Danger of perifhing •, but the Vice-ad- 
miral going in Perfon with all the Shallops of the Fleet to 
her Affiftance, and taking out the Guns, lightened the Ship 
fo, that fhe got off, and the Night following joined the 
Fleet, May 2. they anchored under Cowes Caftle ; there 
they haled the Eagle on fhore, and found the Leak to 
be owing intirely to bad Management in Building, fuch 
Spaces being left between the Seams, that a Knife might 
have entered. Haft and all : By the 6th, fhe was fit to put 
to Sea : Qn the 8th, they failed from the IJle of Wight ; but, 
the Wind dying away, they were forced to anchor with- 
out the Needles , in order to wait for the Orange and the 
Greyhound , the latter of which joined them on the 9th, 
and the former on the 4th. 
5. In the Night between the 13 th and 14th, the Admi- 
ral having given Orders for firing a Gun, as a Signal for 
failings, by fome Accident or other in the charging, it 
5 
burft, blew up part of both Decks, demoiiflied all the Ca- 
bins that were near it, and fent Numbers of the Seamens 
Chefts into the Air. It was a Gunner’s Mate who fired it, 
and who was fo lucky as to efcape without the leaft Hurt ; 
but another of the Gunner’s Crew, who was near him, 
had his Arm broke ill Two Places, and died foon after. 
The 29th, they were in the Latitude of 40 40k and the 
fame Day the Admiral gave Orders, that the Ships fhould 
extend themfelves, but fo as not to lofe Sight of him, in 
order, if poffible, to meet with the Plate Fleet, but were 
every Night to return to the Flag. On the goth, it was 
refolved in Council to keep as near as poffible the Spanifh 
Coafts, in order to take fome Prizes, that they might be 
the better informed as to the Situation of Things, when 
that Plate Fleet was expedted, and what Courfe it was like 
to hold, that they might regulate their own Proceedings 
accordingly. 
6. On the 31ft, they fpoke with Three Turkifh Corfairs* 
who informed them, that they had been chafed by Six 
Spanifh Men of War off Cape St. Vincent. In the Even- 
ing they fpoke with Two other Corfairs, of which One 
was fo far engaged in the Dutch Fleet, that the Concord 
obliged her to bring to, and the Captain of her was or- 
dered on board the Admiral. On June 1 . the fame Cap- 
tain returned, and demanded from the Admiral the Re- 
ftitution of Five Slaves, which he faid were carried off by 
the Vice-admiral’s Shallop, when he boarded him ; affuring 
him, at the fame time, that he had purchafed thefe Slaves 
at Algiers i But when this Matter came to be examined, 
and the Five Slaves were produced, they proved to be 
honeft Dutch Sailors, who afferted, that there were others 
likewife on board the fame Ship, that had been taken on 
board Merchantmen bound for the Levant. As, in con- 
fequence of the Treaties fubfifting between the States Ge- 
neral and the Regency of Algiers , thefe Slaves ought to 
have been fet at Liberty, they fent for the reft from on 
board the Ship, and charged the Captain with a Letter to 
the Dutch Conful at Algiers ; but he could not be per-’ 
fuaded to think this a reafonable Equivalent for fo many 
able Seamen, which, however, he was obliged to part with, 
and they were entered on board feveral Ships, and were al- 
lowed prefent Pay. On the 14th, at Break of Day, they 
chafed Ten Sail of Ships, with armed Shallops, of which 
they took Four, Three of them fmall Barks, and the other 
a little Ship. On board this laft, there were fome Prifon- 
ers of Diftindion \ amongft the reft a Prieft, and a Spanifh 
Nobleman, whofe Name was Auguftino Oforio. This little 
Squadron was homeward-bound from Fernambuco , laden with 
Sugar ; where they took in the Spanifh Nobleman, who 
had refided long at Peru , and who had travelled by Land 
to Buenos Ayres , in order to meet with this Paffage Home. 
On the 7th, while they were chafing a Lurkifh Corfair, 
the Prizes lay a little behind, which being perceived by 
another Corfair, he attempted to carry them off ; and had 
certainly done it, if the Vice-admiral, perceiving his De- 
fign in time, had not bore down upon them immediately. 
The Corfair had, at that time, a Chriftian Slave at the 
Helm, who took his Opportunity to run the Ship onboard 
the Dutch Vice-admiral, into which himfelf, and many of 
the Slaves, leaped as foon as they could. It fo happened, 
that the Captain of the Corfair was a Dutch Renegado, 
whofe Name was Henry Herman [on, a Native of Enchuyfen , 
who followed them quickly, and demanded that they 
fhould be reftored : But the Vice-admiral, inftead of liften- 
ing to his Requeft, expoftulated with him on the Folly of 
deferring his Country and Religion ; and this had fuch an 
Effedt, that he fent for all that belonged to him from on 
board the Privateer, and agreed to go along with the Fleet, 
which gave no fmall Uneafinefs to the Lurks , who, by 
this means, loft Seventeen good Men, and their Captain. 
7. On the 8th, a Council was called on the Report of 
this Captain, that there were no lefs than Thirty Spanifh 
Men of War in thofe Seas. In this Council it was ftrongly 
argued, that, as their Ships were deep-laden, fo that it was 
impoffible to make any Ufe of the lower Tire of Guns, 
without removing many Things that were neceffary for the 
Voyage, which muft be likewife greatly retarded, in cafe 
they remained longer upon that Coaft, aRefolution was 
thereupon taken to bear away immediately for the Road 
