Towards Night We Came Near The Ram-Head, The Next Cape Westwards From
Plymouth Sound, But We Feared To Double It In The Night, By Reason Of
The Scantness Of The Wind:
So we stood out to seawards for half the
night, and towards morning had the wind more large.
But we made too
little to spare thereof; partly for which reasons and partly mistaking
the land, we fell so much to leeward that we could not double the cape.
For this reason we turned back again and got into Falmouth haven, where
we grounded in 17 feet water; but as it was low ebb, the sea ready again
to flow, and the ground soft, we received no harm. Here we gladly set
our feet again on the long desired English ground, and refreshed
ourselves by keeping part of Christmas on our native soil.
SECTION VIII.
_Valiant Sea Fight, by Ten Merchant Ships of London against Twelve
Spanish Gallies in the Straits of Gibraltar, on the 24th April_
1590[369].
In 1590, sundry ships belonging to the merchants of London, some
freighted for Venice, some for Constantinople, and some to divers other
parts, met on their homeward course within the Straits of Gibraltar,
having escaped all danger hitherto. The first of these was the Salomon,
belonging to Mr Alexander Barnam of London, and Messrs Bond and Tweed of
Harwich, which had sailed on the first of February last. The second was
the Margaret and John, belonging to Mr Wats of London. The third was the
Minion; the fourth the Ascension; the fifth the Centurion, belonging to
Mr Cordal; the sixth the Violet; the seventh the Samuel; the eighth the
Crescent; the ninth the Elizabeth; the tenth the Richard belonging to Mr
Duffield. All these ships, being of notable and approved service, and
coming near the mouth of the Straits hard by the coast of Barbary, they
descried twelve tall gallies bravely furnished, and strongly provided
with men and ammunition of war, ready to intercept and seize them.
Being perceived by our captains and masters, we made speedy preparation
for our defence, waiting the whole night for the approach of the enemy.
[Footnote 369: Hakluyt, II. 660.]
Next morning early, being Tuesday in Easter week, the 24th of April
1590, we had service according to our usual custom, praying to Almighty
God to save us from the hands of the tyrannous Spaniards, whom we justly
imagined and had always found to be our most mortal enemies on the sea.
Having finished our prayers, and set ourselves in readiness, we
perceived them coming towards us, and knew them indeed to be the Spanish
gallies, commanded by Andrea Doria, viceroy for the king of Spain in the
Straits of Gibraltar, and a notable enemy to all Englishmen. When they
came near us, they _waved us amain_ for the king of Spain, and in return
we waved them amain for the Queen of England[370]; at which time it
pleased the Almighty so to encourage our hearts, that the nearer they
came we the less feared their great strength and huge number of men;
they having to the amount of two or three hundred in each galley. It was
concluded among us, that our four largest and tallest ships should be
placed in the rear, the weaker and smaller ships going foremost; and so
it was performed, every one of us being ready to take part in such
successes as it should please God to send.
[Footnote 370: This waving amain seems to have been some salutation of
defiance, then usual at sea. - E.]
The gallies came upon us very fiercely at the first encounter, yet God
so strengthened us that, even if they had been ten times more, we had
not feared them at all. The Salomon, being a hot ship with sundry cast
pieces in her, gave the first shot in so effectual a manner on their
headmost galley, that it shared away so many of the men that sat on one
side of her, and pierced her through and through, insomuch that she was
ready to sink: Yet they assaulted us the more fiercely. Then the rest of
our ships, especially the four chiefest, the Salomon, Margaret and John,
Minion, and the Ascension, gave a hot charge upon them, and they on us,
commencing a hot and fierce battle with great valour on both sides,
which continued for the space of six hours. About the commencement of
this fight, our fleet was joined by two Flemish vessels. Seeing the
great force of the gallies, one of these presently struck his sails and
yielded to the enemy; whereas, had they exerted themselves on our side
and in their own defence, they needed not to have been taken in this
cowardly manner. The other was ready also to have yielded immediately,
and began to lower his sails: But the trumpeter of that ship drew his
faulcion, and stepping up to the pilot at the helm, vowed that he would
put him instantly to death, if he did not join and take part with the
English fleet: This he did, for fear of death, and by that means they
were defended from the tyranny which they had otherwise assuredly found
among the Spaniards.
When we had continued the fight somewhat more than six hours, God gave
us the upper hand, so that we escaped the hands of so many enemies, who
were constrained to flee into harbour to shelter themselves from us.
This was the manifest work of God, who defended us in such sort from all
danger, that not one man of us was slain in all this long and fierce
assault, sustaining no other damage or hurt than this, that the shrouds
and back-stays of the Salomon, which gave the first and last shot, and
sore galled the enemy during the whole battle, were clean shot away.
When the battle ceased, we were constrained for lack of wind to stay and
waft up and down, and then went back again to _Tition_ [Tetuan] in
Barbary, six leagues from Gibraltar, where we found the people
wondrously favourable to us; who, being but Moors and heathen people,
shewed us where to find fresh water and all other necessaries.
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