The Spaniards There,
Supposing Us To Have Been The King Of Spain's Fleet, The Chief Officers
Of The Country Thereabouts
Came presently aboard our General, where
perceiving themselves to have made an unwise adventure, they were in
great fear to
Have been taken and stayed; howbeit our General did use
them all very courteously. In the said port there were twelve ships,
which by report had in them in treasure, to the value of two hundred
thousand pounds, all which being in our General his power, and at his
devotion, he did freely set at liberty, as also the passengers which he
had before stayed, not taking from any of them all the value of one
groat, only we stayed two men of credit and account, the one named Don
Lorenzo de Alva, and the other Don Pedrode Revera, and presently our
General sent to the Viceroy to Mexico, which was threescore leagues
off, certifying him of our arrival there by force of weather, desiring
that forasmuch as our Queen, his Sovereign, was the King of Spain his
loving sister and friend, that therefore he would, considering our
necessities and wants, furnish us with victuals for our navy, and
quietly to suffer us to repair and amend our ships. And furthermore
that at the arrival of the Spanish fleet, which was there daily
expected and looked for, to the end that there might no quarrel arise
between them and our General and his company for the breach of amity,
he humbly requested of his excellency that there might in this behalf
some special order be taken. This message was sent away the 16th of
September, 1568, it being the very day of our arrival there. The next
morning, being the 17th of the same month, we descried thirteen sail of
great ships; and after that our General understood that it was the King
of Spain's fleet then looked for, he presently sent to advertise the
General hereof of our being in the said port, and giving him further to
understand, that before he should enter there into that harbour, it was
requisite that there should pass between the two Generals some orders
and conditions, to be observed on either part, for the better
contriving of peace between them and theirs, according to our General's
request made unto the Viceroy. And at this instant our General was in
a great perplexity of mind, considering with himself that if he should
keep out that fleet from entering into the port, a thing which he was
very well able to do with the help of God, then should that fleet be in
danger of present shipwreck and loss of all their substance, which
amounted unto the value of one million and eight hundred thousand
crowns. Again, he saw that if he suffered them to enter, he was
assured they would practise all manner of means to betray him and his,
and on the other side the haven was so little, that the other fleet
entering, the ships were to ride one hard aboard of another; also he
saw that if their fleet should perish by his keeping them out, as of
necessity they must if he should have done so, then stood he in great
fear of the Queen our Sovereign's displeasure; in so weighty a cause,
therefore, did he choose the least evil, which was to suffer them to
enter under assurance, and so to stand upon his guard, and to defend
himself and his from their treasons, which we were all assured they
would practise, and so the messenger being returned from Don Martine de
Henriquez, the new Viceroy, who came in the same fleet, and had
sufficient authority to command in all cases both by sea and land in
this province of Mexico or New Spain, did certify our General, that for
the better maintenance of amity between the King of Spain and our
Sovereign, all our requests should be both favourably granted and
faithfully performed; signifying further that he heard and understood
of the honest and friendly dealing of our General towards the King of
Spain's subjects in all places where he had been, as also in the said
port; so that to be brief our requests were articled and set down in
writing, viz. -
1. The first was that we might have victuals for our money and license
to sell as much wares as might suffice to furnish our wants.
2. The second, that we might be suffered peaceably to repair our
ships.
3. The third, that the island might be in our possession during the
time of our abode there, in which island our General, for the better
safety of him and his, had already planted and placed certain ordnance,
which were eleven pieces of brass; therefore he required that the same
might so continue, and that no Spaniard should come to land in the said
island having or wearing any kind of weapon about him.
4. The fourth and the last, that for the better and more sure
performance and maintenance of peace, and of all the conditions, there
might twelve gentlemen of credit be delivered of either part as
hostages.
These conditions were concluded and agreed upon in writing by the
Viceroy and signed with his hand, and sealed with his seal, and ten
hostages upon either part were received. And farther, it was concluded
that the two Generals should meet and give faith each to other for the
performance of the promises. All which being done, the same was
proclaimed by the sound of a trumpet, and commandment was given that
none of either part should violate or break the peace upon pain of
death. Thus, at the end of three days all was concluded, and the fleet
entered the port, the ships saluting each other as the manner of the
seas doth require. The morrow after being Friday, we laboured on all
sides in placing the English ships by themselves and the Spanish ships
by themselves; the captains and inferior persons of either part
offering and showing great courtesy one to another, and promising great
amity upon all sides.
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