In This Chamber Was A Chest Wherein Was A Rich Treasure, And
All In Ducats, Which This Peter Vuticaro And
Two more opening, stuffed
themselves so full as they could between their shirts and their skin;
which John Fox would
Not once touch and said, "that it was his and
their liberty which he fought for, to the honour of his God, and not to
make a mart of the wicked treasure of the infidels." Yet did these
words sink nothing unto their stomachs; they did it for a good intent.
So did Saul save the fattest oxen to offer unto the Lord, and they to
serve their own turn. But neither did Saul scape the wrath of God
therefor, neither had these that thing which they desired so, and did
thirst after. Such is God's justice. He that they put their trust in
to deliver them from the tyrannous hands of their enemies, he, I say,
could supply their want of necessaries.
Now these eight, being armed with such weapons as they thought well of,
thinking themselves sufficient champions to encounter a stronger enemy,
and coming unto the prison, Fox opened the gates and doors thereof, and
called forth all the prisoners, whom he set, some to ramming up the
gate, some to the dressing up of a certain galley which was the best in
all the road, and was called "The Captain of Alexandria," whereinto
some carried masts, sails, oars, and other such furniture, as doth
belong unto a galley.
At the prison were certain warders whom John Fox and his company slew,
in the killing of whom there were eight more of the Turks which
perceived them, and got them to the top of the prison, unto whom John
Fox and his company were fain to come by ladders, where they found a
hot skirmish, for some of them were there slain, some wounded, and some
but scarred and not hurt. As John Fox was thrice shot through his
apparel, and not hurt, Peter Vuticaro and the other two, that had armed
them with the ducats, were slain, as not able to wield themselves,
being so pestered with the weight and uneasy carrying of the wicked and
profane treasure; and also divers Christians were as well hurt about
that skirmish as Turks slain.
Amongst the Turks was one thrust through, who (let us not say that it
was ill-fortune) fell off from the top of the prison wall, and made
such a groaning that the inhabitants thereabout (as here and there
stood a house or two), came and questioned him, so that they understood
the case, how that the prisoners were paying their ransoms; wherewith
they raised both Alexandria, which lay on the west side of the road,
and a castle which was at the city's end next to the road, and also
another fortress which lay on the north side of the road, so that now
they had no way to escape but one, which by man's reason (the two holds
lying so upon the mouth of the road) might seem impossible to be a way
for them. So was the Red Sea impossible for the Israelites to pass
through, the hills and rocks lay so on the one side, and their enemies
compassed them on the other. So was it impossible that the walls of
Jericho should fall down, being neither undermined nor yet rammed at
with engines, nor yet any man's wisdom, policy, or help, set or put
thereunto. Such impossibilities can our God make possible. He that
held the lion's jaws from rending Daniel asunder, yea, or yet from once
touching him to his hurt, cannot He hold the roaring cannons of this
hellish force? He that kept the fire's rage in the hot burning oven
from the three children that praised His name, cannot He keep the
fire's flaming blasts from among His elect?
Now is the road fraught with lusty soldiers, labourers, and mariners,
who are fain to stand to their tackling, in setting to every man his
hand, some to the carrying in of victuals, some munitions, some oars,
and some one thing some another, but most are keeping their enemy from
the wall of the road. But to be short, there was no time misspent, no
man idle, nor any man's labour ill-bestowed or in vain. So that in
short time this galley was ready trimmed up. Whereinto every man
leaped in all haste, hoisting up the sails lustily, yielding themselves
to His mercy and grace, in Whose hands is both wind and weather.
Now is this galley a-float, and out of the shelter of the road; now
have the two castles full power upon the galley; now is there no remedy
but to sink. How can it be avoided? The cannons let fly from both
sides, and the galley is even in the middest and between them both.
What man can devise to save it? There is no man but would think it
must needs be sunk.
There was not one of them that feared the shot which went thundering
round about their ears, nor yet were once scarred or touched with five
and forty shot which came from the castles. Here did God hold forth
His buckler, He shieldeth now this galley, and hath tried their faith
to the uttermost. Now cometh His special help; yea, even when man
thinks them past all help, then cometh He Himself down from Heaven with
His mighty power, then is His present remedy most ready. For they sail
away, being not once touched by the glance of a shot, and are quickly
out of the Turkish cannons' reach. Then might they see them coming
down by heaps to the water's side, in companies like unto swarms of
bees, making show to come after them with galleys, bustling themselves
to dress up the galleys, which would be a swift piece of work for them
to do, for that they had neither oars, masts, sails, nor anything else
ready in any galley.
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