They Had Fifty-Three
Ships Of War, And Above 10,000 Men, And Had Been Engaged Against This
Single Ship For Fifteen Hours.
At the same time, Sir Richard endeavoured
to prevail upon as many of the company as he could influence,
To commit
themselves to the mercy of God, and not of their enemies, since they had
like valiant men repulsed so many enemies, urging them not now to
obscure their honour and that of their nation, for the sake of
prolonging their lives a few days. The master gunner and various others
of the crew readily assented to this desperate resolution; but the
captain and master were quite of an opposite opinion, and conjured Sir
Richard to desist from his desperate proposal; alleging that the
Spaniards would be as ready to agree to a capitulation as they to offer
it; and begged him to consider, that there still were many valiant men
still living in the ship, and others whose wounds might not be mortal,
who might be able to do acceptable service to their queen and country
hereafter. And, although Sir Richard had alleged that the Spaniards
should never have the glory of taking one ship of her majesty, which had
been so long and valiantly defended; they answered, that the ship had
six feet water in her hold, and three shot holes under water, which were
so weakly stopped, that she must needs sink with the first labouring of
the sea, and was besides so battered and bruised, that she could never
be removed from the place.
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