ANd this lie also he doth not receiue by intelligence from any other, but himselfe was an eye-witnesse in the action, which made him bold to send this with the rest into his Countrie for currant newes: But herein Don Bernaldino was more bolde then wise, for the torne and battered sides of his Gallyons, being compared with her Maiestes The torne sides of the Spanish Shippes doe condemne Don Bernaldino of lying. Shippes; and others that serued in that fight, doe declare, that his Ships receiued at least two bullets for one. Neither can it be concealed but his owne Countriemen (if any do fauour truth) may easily see the losse, and late reparations, done vnto the Kings fleete sithence they did encounter with the English Nauie, whensoeuer they that remaine shall arriue in Spaine: But the Generall seemeth to bee a verye good proficient in his profession, and waxeth somewhat bolde, treading the true steppes of old Barnardino de Mendozza, and yet Mendozza was somewhat more warie in his lyes, for he had sometime the colour of intelligence to shadow them, but the Generall growing from boldnes to impudencie, maketh no scruple to say, that the English Nauie fled as fast as they could without discharging any Hargebush or peece of Artillerie, when as the battered sides of his ships Note the valoure of Don Bernaldino. do returne the lye to his face: For in this conflict Don Bernaldino did behaue himselfe so valiantly, that he was alwaies farthest of in the fight, & had so great care of his owne person that he stoode cleare frõ the danger of Muskat or any smal shot, & durst not approach, whereas our generall The order of the English Nauie. was the foremost, & so held his place, vntill by order of fight other ships were to haue their turnes, according to his former direction, who wisely & pollitickly had so ordered his vangarde, & reregarde, that as the maner of it was altogether strange to the Spaniard, so might they haue bene without all hope of victorie, if their General had beene a man of any iudgement in Sea fights: I know no reason why the The Spaniard cannot bragge of his gaine. English Nauie should flye from him, for the Spaniard may put all the gaine in his eye that euer he did winne from the English: Peraduenture some siely nouice of our country meeting the general in Spaine, and hearing a repetition of so many sillables in one name, as Don Bernaldino Delgadillo de Auellaneda, might thinke them to be words of Coniuration, & for feare of raysing a Spirit, might flie from him as from the Deuill, or some simple Indian slaue hearing the like repetition of his long and tedious name, might suppose it to be an Armie of Spaniards, and for feare runne awaye: But the commaunders and Captaines of the English Nauie, Spanish bragges are of no value with the English. were men of such resolution, that no Spanish bragges coulde dismaye them, for they haue often met them with their Pikes in their Spanish beardes. Nor the countenaunce of Don Bernaldino quaile them, although he were acowtred in his gilt Leather buskins, and his Toledo Rapyer.
Sixtly, The generall saith in his letter, that notwithstanding their flying away so fast, the English left them one good Shippe well manned, who told him that the Drake dyed in Nombre de Dios, in which Shippe were one hundred and fourtie men, and fifteene noble Captaines of the best sorte.
THe Generall Don Bernaldino, Don Bernaldino very resolute. like a resolute Spaniarde hauing alreadye gonne ouer his shoes, maketh no dannger to wade ouer his Boates also: and as hee hath begun so he doth conclude, I maruaile that hee did not in writing his discourse remember this olde saying; that is, A lyar ought to haue a good memorie: It were much better for him in mine opinion to reuoke the testimonie which hee saith he had from the Englishmen, concerning Sir Fraunces Drake his death at Nombre de Dios, and stande to the intelligence The Indian slaue, is the best shadow, to the Generals lye. receiued from the siely Indian slaue, as it appeareth in his first lye, for without al doubt, there is no Englishman that wil say (if he haue his right sences) that he dyed at Nombre de Dios, for they all knowe the contrarie: Neither can the Generall avouch that he receiued intelligence from any English man, that after the death of Don Bernaldino his rare gift in coyning a new and straunge name. Sir Fraunces Drake they did elect for Generall Colonell Quebraran, as he doth most falsly affirme in the latter end of his vaine and friuolous letter, being that the name was straunge, and vnknowne to any in the English Nauie. Neither doe I imagine that any of those which the General saith he hath taken were so forgetfull as not to remember their generals name. But without all doubt this addition of so new, and straunge a name to the English Generall, doth proue that Don Bernaldino is not vnfurnished The Generals storehouse of lyes. of a forge & storehouse of lyes, from whence as from an euerflowing fountaine, he sendeth forth lyes of al sorts sufficient for his owne store, and greate plentie to furnish his friends: The General was much beholding to his godfathers who gaue him the name Barnaldino, which we in English do take to be plaine Barnard, which name hath as it were a kind of priueledge from being sharply reprehended The schoolemen of modestie do vse this kinde of reprehension, when they doe thinke the Author to erre. when the party is thought to erre: for it is a common saying amongst the Schoolemen that Barnardus non videt omnia, viz. Barnard seeth not all thinges, (when he doth dissent from their opinions) the which fauour wee coulde bee content to yeelde to Bernaldino for the name sake, if he were not taken with so many manifest and impudent lies, neither doe I thinke that Signior Bernaldino will say that he saw all that he hath written, be it spoken in councell for shaming the General, for is there any man so voide of reason as to thinke? That any Englishman being demaunded of his Generals name, would write or speake Quebraran The difference twixt Quebraran and Baskeruile. for Baskeruile, so much difference there is in the sound of the sillables, as there is no affinitie at all, or likelihoode of truth: But such are the Generals rare gifts, (be it spoken to his small praise) that we Englishmen must of force confesse that the Generall hath giuen a proude onset to carrie the whetstone from Signior Barnardino de Mendozza: Neither will the 140. men & 15. noble Captaines (which hee saith hee did take, of whome he might haue beene The Generall conuicted of lying and forgery. rightly informed of their generals name) acquit him of lying forgerie, for giuing the name of Quebraran to the English Generall: as for the good Shippe well manned, which he saith the English left them after the fight, I am perswaded hee hath no man to witnesse that lye, for the ship was seperated by weather from the English fleete in the night thirteene daies before the fight, with the Spanish Nauie, & The Generall maketh great brags in taking a distressed Ship, which is supposed not to strike one blow. neuer to anye mans knowledge came more in sight of the English fleete, if the Spanish Shippes by chaunce did take the said wel manned Shippe (as they cal her) I doubt not but they haue the Shippe, the 140. men, and the 15. noble Captaines to shew: But euermore I gesse the Spanish reckoning will fall short when it is examined, for the fifteene noble Captaines The fifteene noble Captaines according the generals lying occupation, will proue but three. will proue (as I take it) but three, whose losse I grieue to thinke on: Neither did the Spaniards gaine them by valour, or we loose or leaue them for cowardise, as most vntruely this bragging lyer hath certified. But the Generall like a prouident man, to make his fame and credite the greater with his Prince and country, doth take vpon him (amongst other his miracles perfourmed before the English fleet) by way of amplification to make small matters seeme great, as a little shoe to serue a great foote, and finding that it can hardly be brought to passe, he doth stretch the Leather with his teeth that it is ready to breake, and notwithstanding, all The Printing of the letter doth shame the Generall. this will not serue his purpose, for the Printing of the letter doth marr the play, and bringeth such matter in question, as the Generall doth wish might be concealed, and were he not of so dry and cholericke Don Bernaldino of an excellent complexion. complexion, as commonly Spaniards are, he would blush for very shame in publishing so impudently such manifest vntruthes. For sithence his meeting with the English fleet at the Isle of Pinas, there hath beene by the worthie English Generals, an honourable expedition from The first discouery of the Generals Printed letter. England into the Continent of Spaine, where amongst other exploits hauing taken the Cittie of Cales, in the sacke thereof was found some of Don Bernaldino his Printed letters: & comming to the hands of a Captaine that serued in the voyage to the west Indies, he hath thought very fit (in regard of the slaunders to the English Nauie contained in the saide letter) to quote the errors, that the truth onely may appeare, to all such as haue a desire to bee rightly informed of such accidents, as befell thẽ in this late voyage to the west Indies: and this may suffice to shew Don Bernaldino Delgadillo de Avellaneda his greate The Generals great skill in amplifying. iudgement in amplyfying small matters, or of nothing to make in shewe seeme somewhat. And now hauing thus farre informed you of the truth in reproofe of the slaunderous, false, and vntrue reports of this glorious lying Generall, with a true disproofe to some of the grossest of his lyes, I will leaue him with the rest of his lying letter, and the circumstances therein contained to your censures: who in discretion may easily discerne the same. And haue heere following plainely and truely set downe the course and order of our whole fight after we met.
THE MEETING
Of our English Nauie and the
Spanish fleete, and the order
of our encounter.
