_Quem Pulchrum Digito Monstrari, Et Dicere Hic Est_.
Some of the poor Spaniards who were prisoners, though having the same
allowance with our own men, often begged us for the love of God to give
them as much water as they could hold in the hollow of their hands:
And,
notwithstanding our own great extremity, they were given it, to teach
them some humanity, instead of their accustomed barbarity both to us and
other nations. Some put leaden bullets into their months, to slack their
thirst by chewing them. In every corner of the ship, the miserable cries
of the sick and wounded were sounding lamentably in our ears, pitifully
crying out and lamenting for want of drink, being ready to die, yea many
dying for lack thereof. Insomuch, that by this great extremity we lost
many more men than in all the voyage before; as before this, we were so
well and amply provided for, that we lived as well and were as healthy
as if we had been in England, very few dying among us; whereas now, some
of our men were thrown overboard every day.
The 2d of December 1589 was with us a day of festival, as it then rained
heartily, and we saved some considerable store of water, though we were
well wet for it, and that at midnight, and had our skins filled with it
besides. This went down merrily, although it was bitter and dirty, with
washing the ship, but we sweetened it with sugar, and were happy to have
our fill. Besides our other extremities, we were so tossed and turmoiled
with stormy and tempestuous weather, that every man had to hold fast his
can or dish, and to fasten himself by the ropes, rails, or sides of the
ship, to prevent falling on the deck. Our main-sail was torn from the
yard, and blown away into the sea; and our other sails so rent and torn
that hardly any of them remained serviceable. The raging waves and
foaming surges of the sea came rolling upon us in successive mountains,
breaking through the waste of the ship like a mighty river; although in
fine weather our deck was near twenty feet above water. So that we were
ready to cry out, with the royal prophet, Psalm 107, verses 26 and 27.
"They mount up to heaven, and go down again to the depths: Their soul is
melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a
drunken man, and are at their wits end." In this extremity of foul
weather, the ship was so tossed and shaken, that, by its creaking noise,
and the leaking which was now more than ordinary, we were in great fear
that it would have shaken asunder, and had just cause to pray, a little
otherwise than the poet, though marring the verse, yet mending the
meaning:
Deus maris et caeli, quid enim nisi vota supersunt;
Solvere quassatae parcito membra ratis.
Yet it pleased God of his infinite goodness to deliver us out of this
danger.
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