The 99 Chapter.
THE ninth of October 1589. there arrived in
Tercera
fourteene ships that came from the Spanish Indies, laden
with Cochenile, Hides, Golde, Silver, Pearles, and other
rich wares. They were fiftie in companie, when they
departed out of the Haven of Havana, whereof, in their
comming out of the Channell, eleven sunke in the same
Channell by foule weather, the rest by a storme were
scattered and separated one from the other. The next
day there came another ship of the same companie, that
sailed close under the Island, so to get into the Roade:
where she met with an English ship that had not above
three cast peeces, and the Spaniards 12. They fought
a long time together, which we being in the Island might
stand and behold: whereupon the Governour of Tercera
sent two boates of Musketiers to helpe the shippe: but
before they could come at her, the English ship had shot
her under water, and we saw her sinke into the Sea
with all her sayles up, and not any thing seene of her
above the water. The Englishmen with their boate saved
the Captaine and about thirtie others with him, but not
one penie-worth of the goods, and yet in the shippe there
was at the least to the value of two hundred thousand
Duckats in Golde, Silver, and Pearles, the rest of the
men were drowned which might be about fiftie persons,
among the which were some Fryers and women, which
the Englishmen would not save. Those that they had
saved they set on land: and then they sayled away. The
seven and twentieth of the same moneth, the sayd fourteene ships having refreshed themselves in the Island
departed from Tercera toward Sivill, and comming upon
the coast of Spaine they were taken by the English ships
that lay there to watch for them, two onely excepted
which escaped away, and the rest were wholly caried into
England.
About the same time the Erle of Cumberland with one
of the Queenes ships, and five or sixe more, kept about
those Islands and came oftentimes so close under the
Island, and to the Road of Angra, that the people on
land might easily tell all his men that he had aboord,
and knewe such as walked on the Hatches: they of the
Island not once shooting at them, although they might
easily have done it, for they were within Musket shot
both of the towne and fort. In these places he continued
for the space of two moneths, and sayled round about
the Islands, and landed in Graciosa
and Fayal, as in the
description of those Islands I have alreadie declared.
Here he tooke divers ships and Caravels, which he sent
into England: so that those of the Island durst not once
put foorth their heads. At the same time about three
or foure dayes after the Earle of Cumberland had beene
in the
Island of Fayal, and was departed from thence,
there arrived in the said
Island of Fayal sixe Indian
shippes, whose Generall was one Juan Dorives: and
there they discharged in the Iland 4 millions of golde
and silver. And having with all speede refreshed their
ships, fearing the comming of the Englishmen they set
sayle, and arrived safely in S. Lucar, not meeting with
the enemie, to the great good lucke of the Spaniards
and hard fortune of the Englishmen: for that within
lesse then two dayes after the gold and silver was laden
againe into the Spanish ships, the Erle of Cumberland
sayled againe by that Island: so that it appeared that
God would not let them have it, for if they had once
had sight thereof, without doubt it had bene theirs, as
the Spaniards themselves confessed.
In the moneth of November there arrived in
Tercera
two great shippes, which were the Admirall and Viceadmirall of the Fleete laden with silver, who with stormie
weather were separated from the Fleete, and had beene
in great torment and distresse, and readie to sinke: for
they were forced to use all their Pumps: so that they
wished a thousand times to have met with the Englishmen to whom they would willingly have given their silver
and all that ever they brought with them, onely to save
their lives. And although the Erle of Cumberland lay
still about those Islands, yet they met not with him, so
that after much paine and labour they got into the Road
before Angra
, where with all speede they unladed and
discharged above five millions of silver, all in pieces of
8 or 10 pound great: so that the whole Kay lay covered
with plates and chests of silver, full of Ryales of eight,
most wonderfull to behold, (each million being ten
hundred thousand duckats,) besides pearles, gold, and
other stones, which were not registred. The Admirall
and chiefe commaunder of those ships and Fleete called
Alvaro Flores de Quiniones was sicke of the Neapolitan
disease, and was brought to land, whereof not long after
he died in
Sivillia. He brought with him the Kings
broad seale and full authoritie to be Generall and chiefe
commaunder upon the Seas, and of all Fleetes or ships,
and of all places and Islands, or lands wheresoever he
came: whereupon the governour of Tercera did him great
honour, and betweene them it was concluded, perceiving
the weaknesse of their ships, and the danger of the
Englishmen, that they would send the shippes emptie
with souldiers to convey them, either to Sivill or Lisbon
,
where they could first arrive, with advise unto his
Majestie of all that had past, and that he would give
order to fetch the silver with good and safe convoy.
Whereupon the said Alvaro Flores stayed there, under
colour of keeping the silver, but specially because of his
disease, and for that they were affraide of the Englishmen. This Alvaro Flores had alone for his owne part
above 50000 Duckats in pearles which he shewed unto
us, & sought to sell them or barter them with us for
spices or bils of exchange. The said two ships set sayle
with 3 or 4 hundred men, as well souldiers as others
that came with them out of India, and being at sea
had a storme, wherewith the Admiral burst and sunke
in the sea, & not one man saved. The Vice-Admirall
cut downe her mast, and ranne the ship on ground hard
by Setuval, where it burst in pieces, some of the men
saving themselves by swimming, that brought the newes,
but the rest were drowned.
In the same moneth there came two great ships out
of the Spanish Indies, and being within half a mile of
the Road of Tercera, they met with an English ship,
which, after they had fought long together, tooke them
both. About 7 or 8 moneths before, there had beene
an English shippe in
Tercera, that under the name of
a Frenchman came to traffike in the Island, there to
lade woad, and being discovered was both ship and goods
confiscated to the kings use, and all the men kept
prisoners : yet went they up and downe the streetes to
get their livings, by labouring like slaves, being in deede
as safe in that Island, as if they had beene in prison.
But in the ende upon a Sunday, all the Saylers went
downe behinde the hils called Bresil
: where they found
a Fisher-boat, whereinto they got and rowed into the
sea to the Erle of Cumberlands shippes, which to their
great fortune chanced at that time to come by the Island,
and ankered with his ships about halfe a mile from the
Road of Angra, hard by two small Islands, which lie
about a bases shot from the Island and are full of Goats,
Deere and Sheepe, belonging to the inhabitants of the
Island of Tercera. Those Saylers knew it well, and thereupon they rowed unto them with their boates, and lying
at anker that day, they fetched as many Goates and
sheepe as they had neede of: which those of the towne
and of the Island well saw and behelde, yet durst not
once goe foorth: so there remained no more on land but
the Master and the Marchant of the said English ship.
This Master had a brother in lawe dwelling in England,
who having newes of his brothers imprisonment in
Tercera, got licence of the Queene of England to set
forth a ship, therewith to see if he could recover his
losses of the Spaniards by taking some of them, and so
to redeeme his brother that lay prisoner in
Tercera, and
he it was that tooke the two Spanish ships before the
Towne, the Master of the ship aforesaid standing on the
shore by me, and looking upon them, for he was my
great acquaintance. The ships being taken that were
worth 300 thousand duckats, he sent al the men on land
saving onely two of the principall Gentlemen, which he
kept aboord thereby to ransome his brother: and sent
the Pilot of one of the Indian ships that were taken,
with a letter to the Governor of Tercera: wherein he
wrote that he should deliver him his brother, & he would
send the 2 Gentlemen on land: if not, he would saile
with them into England, as indeed he did, because the
Governour would not doe it, saying that the Gentlemen
might make that suite to the king of Spaine himselfe.
This Spanish Pilot we bid to supper with us, and the
Englishmen likewise, where he shewed us all the manner
of their fight, much commending the order and maner
of the Englishmens fighting, as also their courteous using
of him: but in the end the English Pilot likewise stole
away in a French ship, without paying any ransome as
yet.
In the moneth of Januarie 1590 there arrived one ship
alone in
Tercera, that came from the Spanish Indies,
and brought newes that there was a Fleete of a hundred
shippes which put out from the Firme land of the Spanish
Indies, and by a storme were driven upon the coast
called Florida
, where they were all cast away, she having
onely escaped, wherin there were great riches, & many
men lost, as it may well be thought: so that they made
their account, that of 220 ships that for certaine were
knowen to have put out of Nova Spagna, S. Domingo,
Havana, Capo verde, Brasilia
, Guinea, &c. in the yeere
1589. to saile for Spaine & Portugall, there were not
above 14 or 15 of them arrived there in safetie, all the
rest being either drowned, burst or taken.
In the same moneth of January there arrived in
Tercera
15 or 16 ships that came from Sivil, which were most
Flieboats of the Low countries, and some Britons that
were arrested in Spaine: these came full of souldiers,
and wel appointed with munition, to lade the silver that
lay in
Tercera, and to fetch Alvares de Flores by the
kings commandement into Spaine. And because that
time of the yeere there are alwayes stormes about those
Ilands, therefore they durst not enter into the road of
Tercera, for that as then it blew so great a storme that
some of their ships that had ankred were forced to cut
downe their mastes, and were in danger to be lost: and
among the rest a ship of Biscaie ran against the land
and was striken in pieces, but all the men saved themselves. The other ships were forced to keepe the sea
and seperate themselves one from the other, where wind
and weather would drive them untill the 15 of March
for that in all that time they could not have one day of
faire weather to anker in, whereby they endured much
miserie, cursing both the silver and the Iland. This
storme being past, they chanced to meet with a small
English ship of about 40 tunnes in bignesse, which by
reason of the great wind could not beare all her sailes:
so they set upon her and tooke her, and with the English
flag in their Admirals sterne, they came as proudly into
the haven as if they had conquered all the
realme of
England: but as the Admirall that bare the English
flag upon her sterne was entring into the road, there
came by chance two English ships by the Iland that
paied her so well for her paines, that they were forced
to cry Misericordia, and without all doubt had taken
her, if she had bene but a mile further in the sea: but
because she got under the Fortresse, which also began
to shoot at the Englishmen, they were forced to leave
her, and to put further into the sea, having slaine five
or sixe of the Spaniards. The Englishmen that were
taken in the small shippe were put under hatches, and
coupled in bolts, and after they had bene prisoners 3 or
4 dayes, there was a Spanish Ensigne-bearer in the ship
that had a brother slaine in the Fleet that came for
England, who as then minding to revenge his death,
and withall to shew his manhood on the English captives
that were in the English ship, which they had taken,
as is aforesayd, tooke a poiniard in his hand and went
downe under the hatches, where finding the poore
Englishmen sitting in boltes, with the same poiniard
he stabbed sixe of them to the heart: which two others
of them perceiving, clasped each other about the middle,
because they would not be murthered by him, & threw
themselves into the sea and there were drowned. This
acte was of all the Spaniards much disliked and very
ill taken, so that they caried the Spaniard prisoner unto
Lisbon
, where being arrived, the king of Spaine willed
he should be sent into England, that the Queene of
England might use him as she thought good: which
sentence his friends by intreatie got to be reversed, notwithstanding he commanded he should without all favour
be beheaded: but upon a good Friday the Cardinall going
to masse, all the captaines and Commanders made so
great intreaty for him, that in the end they got his
pardon. This I thought good to note, that men might
understand the bloody & dishonest minds of the Spaniards
when they have men under their subjection.
The same two English ships which folowed the Spanish
Admirall till he had got the Fort of Tercera, as I sayd
before, put into the sea, where they met with another
Spanish ship being of the same Fleet, that had likewise
bene scattred by the storme and was onely missing, for
the rest lay in the road. This small ship the Englishmen
tooke, and sent all the men on shore, not hurting any
of them: but if they had knowen what had bene done
unto the foresayd English captives, I beleeve they would
soone have revenged themselves, as afterward many an
innocent soule paied for it. This ship thus taken by
the Englishmen, was the same that was taken and confiscated in the
Iland of Tercera by the Englishmen that
got out of the Iland in a fisher boat (as I said before)
and was sold unto the Spaniards that as then came from
the Indies, wherewith they sayled to S. Lucar, where
it was also arrested by the duke, and appointed to go
in company to fetch the silver in
Tercera, because it was
a ship that sailed well, but among the Spaniards Fleet
it was the meanest of the company. By this means it
was taken from the Spaniards and caried into England,
and the owners had it againe when they least thought
of it.
The 19 of March the aforesayd ships being 19 in
number, set saile, having laden the kings silver, and
received in Alvaro Flores de Quiniones, with his company
and good provision of necessaries, munition and souldiers
that were fully resolved (as they made shew) to fight
valiantly to the last man before they would yeeld or
lose their riches: and although they set their course for
S. Lucar, the wind drave them unto Lisbon
, which (as
it seemed) was willing by his force to helpe them, and
to bring them thither in safetie, although Alvaro de
Flores, both against the wind and weather would perforce have sailed to Saint Lucar, but being constrained
by the wind and importunitie of the sailers that protested
they would require their losses and damages of him, he
was content to saile to Lisbon
: from whence the silver
was by land caried unto
Sivil. At Cape S. Vincent there
lay a Fleet of 20 English ships to watch for the Armada,
so that if they had put into S. Lucar, they had fallen
right into their hands, which if the wind had served they
had done. And therefore they may say that the wind
hath lent them a happy voiage: for if the Englishmen
had met with them, they had surely bene in great danger,
and possibly but few of them had escaped, by reason of
the feare wherewith they were possessed, because fortune
or rather God was wholy against them: which is a
sufficient cause to make the Spaniards out of heart, & to
the contrary to give the Englishmen more courage, and
to make them bolder for that they are victorious, stout
and valiant: and seeing all their enterprises do take so
good effect, that thereby they are become lords and
masters of the sea, and need care for no man, as it wel
appeareth by this briefe discourse.
The 7 of August 1590. a navie of English ships was
seen before Tercera, being 20 in number, and 5 of them
the Queenes ships: their Generall was one Martin
Frobisher, as we after had intelligence. They came
purposely to watch for the Fleet of the Spanish Indies,
and for the Indian ships, and the ships of the countreys
in the West: which put the Ilanders in great feare,
specially those of Fayal, for that the Englishmen sent a
trumpet to the Governour to aske certaine wine, flesh,
and other victuals for their money and good friendship.
They of Fayal did not onely refuse to give eare unto
them, but with a shot killed their messenger or trumpeter: which the Englishmen tooke in evill part, sending
them word that they were best to looke to themselves
and stand upon their guard, for they ment to come and
visite them whether they would or no. The Governour
made them answere, that he was there in the behalfe of
his majestie of Spaine, and that he would doe his best
to keepe them out, as he was bound: but nothing was
done, although they of Fayal were in no litle feare,
sending to Tercera for aide, from whence they had
certaine barkes with pouder and munition for warre, with
some bisket and other necessary provision.
The 30 of August we received very certaine newes
out of Portugal
, that there were 80 ships put out of
the Groine laden with victuals, munition, money and
souldiours, to goe for Britaine to aide the Catholiques
and Leaguers of France against the king of Navarre
.
At the same time two Netherland hulkes comming out
of Portugall to Tercera being halfe the Seas over, met
with 4 of the Queenes ships, their Generall being sir
John Hawkins, that staied them, but let them go againe
without doing them any harme. The Netherlanders
reported, that each of the Queenes ships had 80 pieces
of Ordinance, and that captaine Drake lay with 40 ships
in the English chanell watching for the armie of the
Groine: and likewise that there lay at the
Cape S.
Vincent ten other English ships, that if any ships escaped
from the Ilands, they might take them. These tidings
put the Ilanders in great feare, least if they failed of the
Spanish fleete and got nothing by them, that then they
would fall upon the Ilands, because they would not returne
emptie home, whereupon they held streit watch, sending
advise unto the king what newes they heard.
The first of September there came to the
Iland of S.
Michael a Portugall ship out of the haven of Phernambuck in Brasile
, which brought newes that the Admirall
of the Portugall Fleet that came from India, having
missed the
Iland of S. Helena, was of necessitie con
strained to put into Phernambuck, although the king had
expresly under a great penaltie forbidden him so to doe,
because of the wormes that there doe spoile the ships.
The same shippe wherein Bernardin Ribero was Admirall
the yeere before 1589. sailed out of Lisbon
into the Indies,
with 5 ships in her company, whereof but 4 got into
India, the 5 was never heard of, so that it was thought
to be cast away: the other foure returned safe againe
into Portugall, though the Admiral was much spoiled,
because he met with two English ships that fought long
with him, and slew many of his men, but yet he escaped
from them.
The 5 of the same moneth there arrived in
Tercera a
caravel of the
Iland of Corvo, & brought with her 50
men that had bin spoiled by the Englishmen who had
set them on shore in the
Iland of Corvo, being taken
out of a ship that came from the Spanish Indies, they
brought tidings that the Englishmen had taken 4 more
of the Indian ships, & a caravel with the king of Spaines
letters of advise for the ships comming out of the Portugal Indies, & that with those which they had taken, they
were at the least 40 English ships together, so yt not
one bark escaped them, but fel into their hands, & that
therefore the Portugall ships comming out of India durst
not put into the Ilands, but tooke their course under
40 & 42 degrees, and from thence sailed to Lisbon
,
shunning likewise the cape S. Vincent, otherwise they
could not have had a prosperous journey of it, for that
as then the sea was ful of English ships. Whereupon
the king advised the fleet lying in Havana in ye Spanish
Indies ready to come for Spaine, that they should stay
there all that yeere till the next yeere, because of the
great danger they might fal into by ye Englishmen, which
was no smal charge, & hinderance to the fleet, for that
the ships that lie there do consume themselves, and in
a maner eat up one another, by reason of the great
number of people, together with the scarcitie of al things,
so that many ships chose rather one by one to adventure
themselves alone to get home, then to stay there: all
which fell into the Englishmens hands, wherof divers
of the men were brought into Tercera, for that a whole
day we could see nothing els, but spoiled men set on
shore, some out of one ship, some out of another, that
pitie it was to see all of them cursing the Englishmen
& their owne fortunes, with those that had bene the
causes to provoke the Englishmen to fight, and complaining of the small remedie and order taken therein by
the king of Spaines officers.
The 19 of the same moneth there came to Tercera a
Caravel of Lisbon, with one of the kings officers, to
cause the goods that were saved out of the ship which
came from Malacca (for ye which we staied there) to
be laden and sent to Lisbon
. And at the same time
there put out of the Groine one Don Alonso de Bacan,
with 40 great ships of warre to come unto the Ilands,
there to watch for the fleet of the Spanish & Portugall
Indies, and the goods of the Malacca ship being laden,
they were to convoy them all together into the river of
Lisbon
: but being certaine daies at sea, alwaies having
a contrary wind, they could not get unto the Ilands,
onely two of them that were scattered from the fleet,
arrived at
Tercera, and not finding the fleet, they
presently returned to seeke them: in the meane time
the king changed his mind, & caused the fleet to stay
in India, as I said before: and therefore hee sent worde
unto Don Alonso de Bassan, that hee should returne
againe to the Groine, which he presently did (without
doing any thing, nor once approching neer the Ilands,
saving onely the two foresayd ships, for he well knew
that the Englishmen lay by the
Iland of Corvo, but he
would not visit them: and so he returned to the haven
the Groine, whereby our goods that came from Malacca
were yet to ship, and trussed up againe, and forced to
stay a more fortunate time with patience perforce.
The 23 of October there arrived in
Tercera a Caravel
with advise out of Portugall, that of 5 ships which in
the yere 1590 were laden in Lisbon
for the Indies, 4 of
them were turned againe to Portin. After they had bene
4 moneths abroad, & that the Admirall, wherein the Viceroy called Mathias d'Albukerk sailed, had onely gotten
to India, as afterward newes thereof was brought overland, having bin at the least 11 moneths at sea & never
saw land, and came in great misery to Malacca. In
this ship there died by the way 280 men, according to
a note by himselfe made, and sent to the Cardinal at
Lisbon
, with the names & surnames of every man,
together with a description of his voiage, & the misery
they had endured, which was onely done, because he
would not lose the government of India: and for that
cause he had sworne either to lose his life, or to arrive
in India, as in deed he did afterwards, but to the great
danger, losse and hinderance of his companie, that were
forced to buy it with their lives, & onely for want of
provision, as it may wel be thought: for he knew full
well that if he had returned backe againe into Portugal
as the other ships did, he should have bin cassiered from
his Indian regiment, because the people began already
to murmure at him for his proud & lofty mind. And
among other things that shewed his pride the more,
behind above the gallery of his ship he caused Fortune
to be painted, & his own picture wt a staffe standing by
her, as it were threatning Fortune, with this posie, Quero
que vencas, that is, I wil have thee to overcome: which
being read by the Cardinal & other gentlemen (that to
honor him brought him aboord his ship) it was thought
to be a point of exceeding folly: but it is no strange
matter among the Portugals: for they above all others
must of force let the foole peepe out of their sleeves,
specially when they are in authoritie, for that I knew
the said Mathias d'Albukerk in India, being a souldier
and a captaine, where he was esteemed and accounted
for one of the best of them, & much honoured, and beloved
of all men, as behaving himselfe curteously to every man,
whereby they all desired that he might be Viceroy. But
when he once had received his patent with full power &
authoritie from the king to be Viceroy, he changed so
much from his former behavior, that by reason of his
pride, they all began to feare and curse him, and that
before hee departed out of Lisbon
, as it is often seene
in many men that are advanced unto state and dignitie.
The 20 of Januarie 1591. there was newes brought
out of Portugall into Tercera, that the Englishmen had
taken a ship that the king had sent into the PortugalIndies, wt advise to the Viceroy for the returning againe
of the 4 ships that should have gone to India, & because
the ships were come backe againe, that ship was stuffed
and laded as full of goods as possible it might be, having
likewise in ready money 500 thousand duckets in roials
of 8, besides other wares. It departed from Lisbon
in
the moneth of November 1590. & met with the Englishmen, with whom for a time it fought, but in the end it
was taken and caried into England with men & all, yet
when they came there, the men were set at libertie, and
returned into Lisbon
, where the captaine was committed
prisoner; but he excused himselfe and was released, with
whom I spake my selfe, & he made this report unto me.
At the same time also they tooke a ship that came from
the Mine laden with gold, & 2 ships laden with pepper
& spices that were to saile into Italy
, the pepper onely
that was in them, being worth 170 thousand duckets: all
these ships were caried into England, & made good
prise.
In the moneth of July 1591. there hapned an earthquake in the
Iland of S. Michael, which continued from
the 26 of July, to the 12 of August, in which time no
man durst stay within his house but fled into the fields,
fasting & praying with great sorow, for that many of
their houses fel down, and a towne called
Villa Franca,
was almost cleane razed to the ground, all the cloisters
& houses shaken to the earth, and therein some people
slaine. The land in some places rose up, and the cliffs
remooved from one place to another, and some hils were
defaced and made even with the ground. The earthquake was so strong, that the ships which lay in the
road and on the sea, shaked as if the world would have
turned round: there sprang also a fountaine out of the
earth, from whence for the space of 4 daies, there flowed
a most cleare water, & after that it ceased. At the same
time they heard such thunder & noise under the earth,
as if all the devils in hell had bin assembled together
in that place, wherewith many died for feare. The Iland
of Tercera shooke 4 times together, so that it seemed
to turne about, but there hapned no misfortune unto it.
Earthquakes are common in those Ilands, for about 20
yeres past there hapned another earthquake, wherein a
high hill that lieth by the same towne of
Villa Franca,
fell halfe downe, & covered all the towne with earth, and
killed many men. The 25 of August the kings Armada
comming out of Ferol arrived in
Tercera being in all 30
ships, Biskaines, Portugals and Spaniards, and 10 dutch
flieboats that were arrested in Lisbon
to serve the king,
besides other small ships & pataxos, that came to serve
as messengers from place to place, and to discover the
seas. This navie came to stay for, and convoy the ships
that should come from the Spanish Indies, and the flieboats were appointed in their returne home, to take in
the goods that were saved in the lost ship that came
from Malacca, and to convoy them to Lisbon
.
The 13 of September the said Armada arrived at the
Iland of Corvo, where the Englishmen with about 16
ships as then lay, staying for the Spanish fleet, whereof
some or the most part were come, and there the English
were in good hope to have taken them. But when they
perceived the kings army to be strong, the Admiral being
the lord Thomas Howard, commanded his Fleet not to
fal upon them, nor any of them once to separate their
ships from him, unlesse he gave commission so to do:
notwithstanding the viceadmirall sir Richard Greenvil
being in the ship called the Revenge, went into the
Spanish fleet, and shot among them doing them great
hurt, & thinking the rest of the company would have
folowed, which they did not, but left him there, & sailed
away: the cause why could not be knowen. Which the
Spaniards perceiving, with 7 or 8 ships they boorded her,
but she withstood them all, fighting with them at the
least 12 houres together and sunke two of them, one
being a new double Flieboat of 600 tunnes, and Admiral
of the Flieboats, the other a Biscain: but in the end by
reason of the number that came upon her, she was taken,
but to their great losse : for they had lost in fighting and
by drowning above 400 men, and of the English were
slaine about 100, Sir Richard Greenvil himselfe being
wounded in his braine, whereof afterwards he died. He
was caried into the ship called S. Paul, wherein was the
Admirall of the fleet Don Alonso de Bacan: there his
wounds were drest by the Spanish surgeons, but Don
Alonso himselfe would neither see him nor speake with
him: all the rest of the captaines and gentlemen went to
visite him, and to comfort him in his hard fortune, wondering at his courage and stout heart, for yt he shewed
not any signe of faintnes nor changing of colour; but
feeling the houre of death to approch, he spake these
words in
Spanish, and said: Here die I Richard Greenvil
with a joyful & quiet mind, for that I have ended my
life as a true souldier ought to do, that hath fought for
his countrey, Queene, religion and honor, whereby my
soule most joyfull departeth out of this body, & shal
alwayes leave behind it an everlasting fame of a valiant
& true souldier that hath done his dutie as he was bound
to doe. When he had finished these or such other like
words, he gave up the Ghost, with great & stout courage,
& no man could perceive any true signe of heavines in
him.
This sir Rich. Greenvil was a great and a rich gentleman in England, & had great yeerely revenues of his
owne inheritance, but he was a man very unquiet in
his mind, and greatly affected to war; insomuch as of his
owne private motion he offred his service to the Queene:
he had performed many valiant acts, and was greatly
feared in these Ilands, and knowen of every man, but of
nature very severe, so that his owne people hated him
for his fiercenesse, & spake very hardly of him: for
when they first entred into the fleet or Armada, they
had their great saile in a readinesse, and might possibly
enough have sailed away, for it was one of the best ships
for saile in England, and the master perceiving that the
other ships had left them, & folowed not after, commanded the great saile to be cut that they might make
away: but sir Rich. Greenvil threatned both him & al the
rest that were in the ship, yt if any man laid hand upon
it, he would cause him to be hanged, and so by that
occasion they were compelled to fight & in the end were
taken. He was of so hard a complexion, that as he
continued among the Spanish captains while they were
at dinner or supper with him, he would carouse 3 or
4 glasses of wine, and in a braverie take the glasses
betweene his teeth and crash them in pieces & swalow
them downe, so that oftentimes the blood ran out of
his mouth without any harme at all unto him: & this
was told me by divers credible persons that many times
stood and beheld him. The Englishmen that were left
in the ship, as the captaine of the souldiers, the master
and others were dispersed into divers of the Spanish
ships that had taken them, where there had almost a
new fight arisen between the Biscains and the Portugals:
while each of them would have the honour to have first
boorded her, so that there grew a great noise and quarel
among them, one taking the chiefe ensigne, and the
other the flag, and the captaine and every one held his
owne. The ships that had boorded her were altogether
out of order, and broken, and many of their men hurt,
whereby they were compelled to come into the
Island of
Tercera, there to repaire themselves: where being arrived,
I and my chamber-felow, to heare some newes, went
aboord one of the ships being a great Biscain, and one of
the 12 Apostles, whose captaine was called Bartandono,
that had bin General of the Biscains in the fleet that went
for England. He seeing us called us up into the gallery,
where with great curtesie he received us, being as then
set at dinner with the English captaine that sate by him,
and had on a sute of blacke velvet, but he could not
tell us any thing, for that he could speake no other
language but English and Latine, which Bartandono also
could a litle speake. The English captaine got licence
of the governour that he might come on land with his
weapon by his side, and was in our lodging with the
Englishman that was kept prisoner in the Iland, being of
that ship whereof the sailers got away, as I said before.
The governour of Tercera bade him to dinner, and shewed
him great curtesie. The master likewise with licence
of Bartandono came on land and was in our lodging,
and had at the least 10 or 12 wounds, as well in his
head as on his body, whereof after that being at sea
between Lisbon
& the Ilands he died. The captaine
wrote a letter, wherein he declared all the maner of the
fight, and left it with the English marchant that lay in
our lodging, to send it to the lord Admiral of England.
This English captaine comming unto Lisbon
, was there
wel received and not any hurt done unto him, but with
good convoy sent to Setuval, and from thence sailed into
England with all the rest of the Englishmen that were
taken prisoners.
The Spanish armie staied at the
Iland of Corvo til
the last of September, to assemble the rest of the fleet
together, which in the ende were to the number of 140
sailes of ships partly comming from India, and partly of
the army, and being altogether ready to saile to Tercera
in good company, there suddenly rose so hard & cruell
a storme, that those of the Ilands did affirme, that in
mans memorie there was never any such seen or heard
off before: for it seemed the sea would have swalowed
up the Ilands, the water mounting higher then the cliffs,
which are so high that it amaseth a man to behold them:
but the sea reached above them, and living fishes were
throwen upon the land. This storme continued not only
a day or two with one wind, but 7 or 8 dayes continually,
the wind turning round about in al places of the compasse, at the lest twise or thrise during that time, and all
alike, with a continuall storme and tempest most terrible
to behold, even to us that were on shore, much more
then to such as were at sea: so that onely on the coasts
and cliffes of the
Iland of Tercera, there were above 12
ships cast away, and not onely upon the one side, but
round about it in every corner, wherby nothing els was
heard but complaining, crying, lamenting & telling, here
is a ship broken in pieces against the cliffes, and there
another, and all the men drowned: so that for the space
of 20 dayes after the storme, they did nothing els but
fish for dead men that continually came driving on the
shore. Among the rest was the English ship called
the Revenge, that was cast away upon a cliffe neere to
the
Iland of Tercera, where it brake in an hundred pieces
& sunke to the ground, having in her 70 men Galegos,
Biscains, and others, with some of the captive Englishmen, whereof but one was saved that got up upon the
cliffes alive, and had his body and head all wounded, and
he being on shore brought us the newes desiring to be
shriven, & thereupon presently died. The Revenge had
in her divers faire brasse pieces that were all sunke in ye
sea, which they of the Iland were in good hope to waigh
up againe the next Sommer after. Among these ships
that were cast away about Tercera, was likewise a Flieboat, one of those that had bin arrested in
Portugall to
serve the king, called the white Dove, the master of her
was one Cornelius Martenson of Schiedam in Holland
,
and there were in her 100 souldiers, as in every one of
the rest there were. He being over-ruled by the captaine
that he could not be master of his owne, sayling here and
there at the mercy of God, as the storme drove him, in
the end came within the sight of the
Iland of Tercera,
which the Spaniards perceiving thought all their safetie
onely to consist in putting into the road, compelling the
Master and the Pilot to make towards the Iland, although
the master refused to doe it, saying, that they were most
sure there to be cast away and utterly spoyled: but the
captaine called him drunkard and Heretique, and striking
him with a staffe, commaunded him to doe as hee would
have him. The Master seeing this and being compelled
to doe it, sayd: well then my Masters, seeing it is the
desire of you all to bee cast away, I can but lose one life,
and therewith desperately he sailed towards the shore, and
was on that side of the Iland, where there was nothing
els but hard stones and rocks, as high as mountaines,
most terrible to beholde, where some of the inhabitants
stood with long ropes and corke bound at the end thereof,
to throw them downe unto the men, that they might lay
holde upon them, and save their lives: but few of them
got so neere, most of them being cast away, and smitten
in pieces before they could get to the wall. The ship
sailing in this maner (as I sayd before) towards the Iland,
and approching to the shore, the master being an olde
man, and full of yeeres, called his sonne that was in the
ship with him, and having imbraced one another, and
taken their last farewell, the good olde father willed his
sonne not to take care for him, but seeke to save himselfe; for (sayd he) sonne thou art yong, & mayest have
some hope to save thy life, but as for me it is no great
matter (I am olde) what become of me, and therewith
ech of these shedding many teares, as every loving father
and kinde childe may well consider, the ship fell upon
the cliffes, and brake in pieces, the father on the one side,
the sonne on the other side falling into the sea, ech laying
holde upon that which came next to hand, but to no
purpose; for the sea was so high and furious, that they
were all drowned, and onely foureteene or fifteene saved
themselves by swimming, with their legs and armes halfe
broken and out of joynt, among which was the Masters
sonne, and foure other Dutch boyes: the rest of the
Spaniards and Sailers, with the Captaine and Master, were
drowned. Whose heart would not melt with teares to
beholde so grievous a sight, specially considering with
himselfe that the greatest cause thereof was the beastlines
and insolency of the Spaniards, as in this onely example
may well be seene? Whereby may be considered how
the other shippes sped, as we our selves did in part
beholde, and by the men that were saved did heare more
at large, as also some others of our countreymen that as
then were in the like danger can well witnesse.
On the other Ilands the losse was no lesse then in
Tercera: for on the
Iland of Saint George there were
two ships cast away: on the
Iland of Pico two ships : on
the
Iland of Gratiosa three ships: and besides those there
came every where round about divers pieces of broken
ships, and other things fleeting towards the Ilands, wherewith the sea was all covered most pitifull to beholde.
On the
Iland of S. Michael there were foure ships cast
away, and betweene Tercera and S. Michael three more
were sunke, which were seene and heard to cry out;
whereof not one man was saved. The rest put into the
sea without masts, all torne and rent: so that of the
whole fleet and armada, being 140 ships in all, there were
but 32 or 33 arrived in Spaine and Portugall, yea, and
those few with so great misery, paine and labour, that
not two of them arrived there together, but this day one,
and to morrow another, next day the third, and so one
after the other to the number aforesayd. All the rest
were cast away upon the Ilands, and overwhelmed in the
Sea, whereby may be considered what great losse and
hindrance they received at that time: for by many mens
judgements it was esteemed to be much more then was
lost by their army that came for England; and it may
well be thought, and presumed, that it was no other but
a just plague purposely sent by God upon the Spaniards,
and that it might truely be sayd, the taking of the
Revenge was justly revenged upon them, and not by the
might or force of man, but by the power of God, as
some of them openly sayd in the
Ile of Tercera, that they
beleeved verily God would consume them, and that he
tooke part with the Lutherans and heretiks: saying
further that so soone as they had throwen the dead body
of the Viceadmirall Sir Richard Greenfield
over-boord,
they verily thought that as he had a divellish faith and
religion, and therefore the divels loved him, so he presently sunke into the bottome of the sea, and downe into
hell, where he raised up all the divels to the revenge of
his death: and that they brought so great stormes and
torments upon the Spaniards, because they onely maintained the Catholike & Romish religion. Such and the
like blasphemies against God, they ceased not openly to
utter, without being reprooved of any man therein, nor
for their false opinions: but the most part of them rather
sayd and affirmed, that of trueth it must needs be so.
As one of those Indian fleets put out of Nova Spagna,
there were 35 of them by storme and tempest cast away
and drowned in the Sea, being 50 in all; so that but 15
escaped. Of the fleet that came from Santo Domingo
there were 14 cast away, comming out of the chanell of
Havana, whereof the Admirall and Viceadmirall were two
of them: and from Terra Firma in India there came two
ships laden with golde and silver, that were taken by the
Englishmen: and before the Spanish army came to Corvo
,
the Englishmen at times had taken at the least 20 ships,
that came from S. Domingo, India, Brasilia
, &c. and
were all sent into England.
