Here Also Perished Our Saxon Refiner And Discoverer Of Inestimable
Riches, As It Was Left Amongst Some Of Us In Undoubted Hope.
No less
heavy was the loss of the captain, Maurice Browne, a virtuous, honest,
and discreet gentleman, overseen only
In liberty given late before to
men that ought to have been restrained, who showed himself a man
resolved, and never unprepared for death, as by his last act of this
tragedy appeared, by report of them that escaped this wrack
miraculously, as shall be hereafter declared. For when all hope was
past of recovering the ship, and that men began to give over, and to
save themselves, the captain was advised before to shift also for his
life, by the pinnace at the stern of the ship; but refusing that
counsel, he would not give example with the first to leave the ship,
but used all means to exhort his people not to despair, nor so to
leave off their labour, choosing rather to die than to incur infamy by
forsaking his charge, which then might be thought to have perished
through his default, showing an ill precedent unto his men, by leaving
the ship first himself. With this mind he mounted upon the highest
deck, where he attended imminent death, and unavoidable; how long, I
leave it to God, who withdraweth not his comfort from his servants at
such times.
In the mean season, certain, to the number of fourteen persons, leaped
into a small pinnace, the bigness of a Thames barge, which was made in
the Newfoundland, cut off the rope wherewith it was towed, and
committed themselves to God's mercy, amidst the storm, and rage of sea
and winds, destitute of food, not so much as a drop of fresh water.
The boat seeming overcharged in foul weather with company, Edward
Headly, a valiant soldier, and well reputed of his company, preferring
the greater to the lesser, thought better that some of them perished
than all, made this motion, to cast lots, and them to be thrown
overboard upon whom the lots fell, thereby to lighten the boat, which
otherways seemed impossible to live, and offered himself with the
first, content to take his adventure gladly: which nevertheless
Richard Clarke, that was master of the Admiral, and one of this
number, refused, advising to abide God's pleasure, who was able to
save all, as well as a few. The boat was carried before the wind,
continuing six days and nights in the ocean, and arrived at last with
the men, alive, but weak, upon the Newfoundland, saving that the
foresaid Headly, who had been late sick, and another called of us
Brazil, of his travel into those countries, died by the way, famished,
and less able to hold out than those of better health. . . . Thus whom
God delivered from drowning, he appointed to be famished; who doth
give limits to man's times, and ordaineth the manner and circumstance
of dying: whom, again, he will preserve, neither sea nor famine can
confound. For those that arrived upon the Newfoundland were brought
into France by certain Frenchmen, then being upon the coast.
After this heavy chance, we continued in beating the sea up and down,
expecting when the weather would clear up that we might yet bear in
with the land, which we judged not far off either the continent or
some island. For we many times, and in sundry places found ground at
50, 45, 40 fathoms, and less. The ground coming upon our lead, being
sometime cozy sand and other while a broad shell, with a little sand
about it.
Our people lost courage daily after this ill success, the weather
continuing thick and blustering, with increase of cold, winter drawing
on, which took from them all hope of amendment, settling an assurance
of worse weather to grow upon us every day. The leeside of us lay full
of flats and dangers, inevitable if the wind blew hard at south. Some
again doubted we were ingulfed in the Bay of St. Lawrence, the coast
full of dangers, and unto us unknown. But above all, provision waxed
scant, and hope of supply was gone with the loss of our Admiral. Those
in the frigate were already pinched with spare allowance, and want of
clothes chiefly: thereupon they besought the General to return to
England before they all perished. And to them of the /Golden Hind/
they made signs of distress, pointing to their mouths, and to their
clothes thin and ragged: then immediately they also of the /Golden
Hind/ grew to be of the same opinion and desire to return home.
The former reasons having also moved the General to have compassion of
his poor men, in whom he saw no want of good will, but of means fit to
perform the action they came for, he resolved upon retire: and calling
the captain and master of the /Hind/, he yielded them many reasons,
enforcing this unexpected return, withal protesting himself greatly
satisfied with that he had seen and knew already, reiterating these
words: /Be content, we have seen enough, and take no care of expense
past: I will set you forth royally the next spring, if God send us
safe home. Therefore I pray you let us no longer strive here, where we
fight against the elements./ Omitting circumstance, how unwillingly
the captain and master of the /Hind/ condescended to this motion, his
own company can testify; yet comforted with the General's promise of a
speedy return at spring, and induced by other apparent reasons,
proving an impossibility to accomplish the action at that time, it was
concluded on all hands to retire.
So upon Saturday in the afternoon, the 31 of August, we changed our
course, and returned back for England. At which very instant, even in
winding about, there passed along between us and towards the land
which we now forsook a very lion to our seeming, in shape, hair, and
colour, not swimming after the manner of a beast by moving of his
feet, but rather sliding upon the water with his whole body excepting
the legs, in sight, neither yet diving under, and again rising above
the water, as the manner is of whales, dolphins, tunnies, porpoises,
and all other fish:
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