In This State Of Misery And Wretchedness, Several Died Raving
Mad, And Others In A Most Loathsome State, Or In Dreadful Pain And
Agony.
None in the ship remained in perfect health, except the captain
and one boy; the master also, though oppressed with extreme labour and
anxiety, bore up with spirit, so that his disease did not overcome him.
At length all our men died except sixteen, five only of whom were able
to move. These were, the captain, who was in good health, the master
indifferent, Captain Cotton and myself swollen and short-winded, yet
better than the other sick men, and the boy in good health. Upon us five
the whole labour of the ship rested. The captain and master, as happened
to be necessary, took in and left out the topsails. The master by
himself attended to the sprit-sail, and all of us the capstan, being
utterly unable to work sheets and tacks. Our misery and weakness were so
extreme, that we were utterly unable to take in or set a sail; so that
our top-sails and sprit-sail were at length torn in pieces by the
weather. The captain and master had to take their turns at the helm,
where they were inexpressibly grieved and distressed by the continual
and sad lamentations of our few remaining sick men.
Thus lost wanderers on the ocean, unable to help ourselves, it pleased
God, on the 11th of June, 1593, that we arrived at Beerhaven in Ireland,
and ran the ship there on shore.
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