Now when I was carryed on the shore againe the men in the ship, who was much greived with the maisters obstanacy, made a collection among themselves, and fournished my pocket with a French crowne in money, and giving me five or six dayes provision of bisket and pootered beefe they landed me on the other side of the river, with an earnest expectation that I should strive to the utmost of my power to get to Blaye, which was eight leagues from thence, and their they would watch for my coming to fetch me on ship board.
Being set on shoare about two of the clock in the afternoon, I did force myselfe to march, though my feet raged as if they had beene full of needles, and every step I sett was like a knife run through my heart, yet to strive for my life I would hazzard the losse of my feete, and have endured the greatest paine in going to Blaye then to fall into the hands of mine enimyes againe. Thus I marched in great paine all that day and the night following, without any obstruction because I was unknowne of that side of the water. The next morning about tenn of the clock I was met with a younge ougly looking country fellow, who hearing by my tongue that I was a stranger, bore me company, till he met two men of his aquaintance, then he together with them fell upon me, and tooke the crowne from me, and most part of the bisket which the seamen in the ship had bestowed on me, pretending that I was a spy left behind by the Spanish fleet which was lately in the river, and so my cloaths being not worth the taking they lett me goe. But within halfe an houre after upon better consideration they made an alarum after me by sounding the horne, which was presently taken round about, wherby I became subject to as much persecution as I had beene on the other side of the water, for although I had other habit yet did all the country take me for the man that was discribed in the hue and cry the two weeks before, seing that all that came to speake with me reviled me for an English trator. The alarum was so great that the troopers which quartered their abouts went the rounds on the high wayes till evening, and at night the countrymen kept their guards as strictlie as those did on the other side of the water.
Heere I was cast into a new despaire againe, for besides that I had lost all hopes of getting to Blay, by reason that my feete were nott onely very much swelled by the frost after the manner aforsaid, butt my soales were alsoe blistred that I was now disabled for going any more, there was moreover this block cast in my way, that I was now described and besett with guards in a waterish and inhedged country, and had yett a great river betweene mee and Blay to passe over, where without all doubt I was laide waite for in case I had bin able to goe further. Being by these meanes forced to desist from my resolution to meete the shippe att Blay, I fell into an hedge to hide mee from the rage of the countrymen and troopers which did every where attend mee. There I lay in a deplorable condition, sorely oppressed with greif both of body and minde; my feete full of raging paine were noe more able to carry mee, myne heart broke within mee with the conceit that alwayes my later calamities proved more desperate then the former, and the more that I strove to gett out of my misery that still the more I should sinke the deeper into the same. Hence I could nott butt fall into these thoughts, that the Lord had utterly rejected mee, that hee would bee favourable noe more, seing hee had sett mee as a marke into the which hee would shoote all his arrowes of anger; for when I looked for a time of healing behold my troubles increased, having bin frustrated in this attempt which I tooke for the last remedy of myne evill, I gave it for lost in regard I was now altogether disabled to make any further escape as I was formerly wont to doe when I was taken. In so hopeless a condition I spent my tyme under the said hedge that day and the night following, making an end of my provision that the robbers had left me.
The next day continuing still in the same place, because I was not able to goe nor knew I whether to goe, the hedge wherin I lay being very thin, I was discovered by some boyes that kept sheep (about two of the clock in the afternoone) their abouts, who as soone as they had seene me ran to the villadge hard by to give notice of my being their. Wher upon seing myselfe discovered, though before I was not able to stand on my feet, yet did feare so far overcome me that to shun any danger as long as possible I could make any shift to crawle a little way from thence to hide myself in a securer place. But as I was gott a quarter of a myle from the place where I lay in, it began to raine very hard; so seing a great house not far of I had a desire to try whether I could finde same shelter about the same, and coming neare it I entered into a stable one of whose doores was opened towards the feild the other into a court before the house. This stable being large was accomodated not only for cattell on the one side but also for all manner of other uses, for I found theirin a winepresse round about, their was also laid some cart loads of faggotts of greene furrs betweene which and the presse I did hide my selfe thinking it a great happinesse to be out of the cold winde and raine into a dry place wherby I hoped to have a warme nights lodging. Perceiving but little company about the house, when I came first into the stable I lay their with great confidence, not suspecting any body knew of my being their, yet before I had beene their halfe an houre, the good man of the house with two of his servants came home from the feild and received information conserning me of his son, a little boy of some 13 or 14 yeares old, who see my coming into the stable and watched me ever since then, wherby he knew that I was not come forth againe. Here upon great and small come into the stable rejoyceing for to have gotten the theife for whose sake all the townes and villages theirabouts had been fame to keepe guard all the night past, and being assured that I could have no other hiding place but under the furrs they sent for two longe hay forkes to remoove them all to come att me. I, in the meane tyme full of terror and trembling as soone as I perceived that I was discovered, forced myselfe under the winepress which was joyned to one side of the wall, the bed their of lay on two peices of timbre which being some five foot one from another were no thicker then my body so that with hard shift I could worke betwixt the bed and the ground upon my belly to the wall. Being crept under it as farr as I could, I tooke an old peece of wood which accidentally lay their and left it with other small sticks in the outside under the bed theirby to prevent in them all suspicion of my being under the presse. Now when they had remooved all the furrs and come to the full sight of the bed of the winepress they tooke it for granted that I could not be their, because the hollownesse between the ground and the bed was so flat in their apprehentions that they judged it altogether uncapable of receiving a man, theirfore they only ran the forke into the peice of wood which I had laid out of the mouth of the hollow, and having tourned the same they made no further scruple of that place, but were taken with great wonder and amazment, being confident I had beene seene going into the stable and not coming out againe, or if I was gott out it was not by naturall meanes but by witchcraft. Nevertheless suspecting that perhaps he might be mistaken in watching my coming forth either into the feild or into the court (though both the doors of the stable were so placed that from one station he could looke them both) because it was now darke, and their were more stables and a great deale of timber in the court where I might hide myselfe in case I were got out of the stable, the maister of the house sett his two men to watch in the court all the night over till the next morning that they might make a more exact search for me.
The two watchmen walked the round in the court all the fore part of the night, while in the meane tyme about eleaven of the clock, being weary to lye longer in so cumbersome a posture, I gott forth from underneath the winepress, where I had lyen now about nyne houres flatt on my belly till all my joynts felt like dead, because being pressed close to the ground I had no roome to turne myselfe nor to make any motion with my body. Being gott out of this straite lodging I sheltered myselfe betweene the cattle that stood on one side of the stable observing the motion of the said watchmen, which having borne the labour of the day and now walked till now about midnight began to longe for some rest, because they could not perceive all that tyme the least signe of my being their abouts. They blamed the boy for making such trouble with his groundless fancies and came into the stable where I was, laying themselves downe to sleepe hard by the doore that went into the court, and after they had a little reasoned that I could not breake open the doore about the court without making a great noyse they went boldly to sleepe while I heartely prayed for their good rest. As soone as I judged them to be fast a sleepe I passed by them into the court where I found all the doors locked and the walls so high that by no meanes I could gett over them. I walked an houre up and downe devising by what shift I might get out into the feilds, at length finding no other meanes to escape I pitched upon a doore which went into a vineyard joyning to the house, and seeing this doore went not close to the threshold upon the ground but lacked so much of his full length as that I could put my fist under it, I tooke a small peice of a tree and lifted the said doore from the hinges and after I had loosened it, being both in feare and hast, I could not prevent the falling of it to the ground, wherby presently the whole house tooke an alarum, but I having now before me a great hole to get out by would make no stay to looke for the issue of that alarum but ran a pace till I gott without the bounds of that vineyard.
Thus in the midst of my greatest trouble I received comfort againe, though it was but such as in relation to a better condition was comparable to dispare it selfe, for although I had drawne my foot out of the snare yet knew not where to fix my biding but must of necessity fall into another againe. I was become like a ship that upon a tempestuous sea hath lost his rudder and sailes and can no more be guided by the discretion of the steersman to any harbour of safty, but left to the mercyless waves to be overtourned and swallowed up in the deepe, to be cast upon the rocks of despaire. Even so was I at this instant deprived of all hope and counsell to direct my course either to the right or left for safety, seing nothing but signes of unavoidable destruction round about me.
Being thus at liberty againe to seeke another hiding place I walked or rather crawled upon my pittifull feet out of one feild into another, not knowing nor careing which way I went, till againest day I lit on another barne which stood by itself about a stones cast from the dwelling house. Coming to this barne I found a little haystack piled up against a wall the which, the weather being very ill, was a great invitation to me to take up my lodging on the top of it, perswadeing my selfe that no body would suspect or seeke me theire. In this confidence I made shift to get to the top of it, and having prepared me a place wherin I might lye both secret and warme I fell presently a sleepe, not wakeing till about nyne of the clock. Being wakened I saw two country fellows at the barne doore standing on purpose to watch least I should get away before those came for whom they had sent to aprehend me. Here the comfort my last nights escape had gotten in me was tourned into dispaire againe, although I knew not by what meanes or after what manner I had beene discovered so soone, only I ghesed that either some body had seene me goe into the barne, or else the servants when they came to feed a couple of oxen which stood in a pertition made in the corner of the barne had heard me make some noyse in my hard sleepe. How ever it came these same fellows thought themselves very sure of me, mocking and jearing with my pittifull condition, and demanding of me why I would rather come to be taken in their barne then their neighbours house which was but halfe a mile from thence. I had bewitched their neighbours eyes, but I should not bewitch theirs. With such and the like jeasts they passed their tyme till the good wife of the house called them to dinner; then they went to the dwelling house, and fetched their meat, with an intent to dine without the doore that so they might both eate and have an eye to the prisoner.
As soone as they were gone I raised myselfe from my couch and perceiving in the little pertition where the oxen stood that their was a hole broken in the wall some nyne foot from the ground for to let the light in I hasted downe from the stack and went into the said stable and making meanes by a long beame to get up to the hole, after I had looked out of it, I found that it would be very narrowly overlooked by them that stood in the doore of the dwelling house. Yet because the watchmen that were at dinner saw a little more to that side of the doore where they could not give so good attendance to the hole as to the barne doore, I retourned to creep out and fell into a thicket of briers which were under the hole, and on that side of the barne. Being gotten to the ground I crept in the bottom of these bryers till I came at the back of the barne, then could I goe whether I would without disturbing the watchmen, being at their dinner. Now because it was daylight I durst not venture far to seeke a hiding place for feare of being betrayed againe, I was constrained to fall into a ditch under a thick hedge near the high way that came from Burdeaux. I had not lien long their before the alarum conserning me was made as fresh as ever it was. The troopers went too and fro upon the high wayes, and all the travillers that passed by me made me the cheife subject of their discourse, giving to my hearing (because I laid on the way side) their severall judgments upon me, one counting me a crafty fellow, another tooke me for a witch by reason that I had beene so oft in hold and yet escaped as oft again beyond their expectations that had me in coustody.
All these things that I heard and saw could promisse nothing else but a finall ruine to me, neither could I since I was disapointed in my journey to Blaye think upon any way more wherby I might conceive any hopes of life; yet as every day brought forth new troubles, so new troubles led me upon new devices, new devices gave me new experiences of the wonderfull mercyes of God. Even so while I lay in the bottom of the hedge struggleing for life, I began to have new consultations againe; though I had hitherto beene frustrated in all my attempts, as longe as I enjoyed breath I thought it my duty to nature to thinke upon others. However the latter project semed to be more desperate then the former. I resolved theirfore to retourne to Bourdeaux againe being no further then three leagues from thence, and to apply myselfe to some Hambrough marchants, thinking if the Lord would yet looke upon my afflictions that he was able to incline their harts towards me, and make them instruments of my recovery, and keepe me also out of the hands of my enimyes which lived their, but if he intended to bring me to a wofull end in this world I counted it as expedient for me to submit to his good pleasure their, as in the country where not the least hope of life did appeare to me.
To prosecute this resolution, as soone as it was darke I laboured to get forward to Burdeaux with as much speed as I could. Finding the guards very vigilant in all villages I made shift to pass by them with going about where occation served, but as I came to an open market towne within two leagues of Burdaux I met with a small river at the hither end of the towne. Because of the low waterish grounds and deepe ditches and thick hedges, this place was so barrocaded up with carts and ladders and through all the night so strongly guarded that by no means it was possible for me to get through or by it, although I spent all the whole night in trying all manner of wayes to gett by. Against morning I went a little back to hide myselfe in a great empty barne which stood aloane in an inclosed feild, in hope that it would not be frequented much by day by any people, because their was nothing in it but some rotten and decayed straw under which I lay hid. Their I took my rest undiscovered till about one of the clock, their came halfe a dozen children which in their play running up and downe a top of the straw came to tread upon me as I lay in my sleep. Herby they presently discovered me, saying that I was the theife for whom they had watched all the last night, they would goe to tell their fathers of my being theire. And so they being gon their way I thought it not safe for me to stay their till the inhabitants should come to take me with delibration, theirfore I went forth to seeke another hiding place, but could finde none ready to my hand, because of the ditches under the hedges were brim full of water. In the meane while I came accidentally to see the barrecado which the townes men had made the night before for my sake to be without any guard (for they thought I durst not march by day in view of the people—they kept only guard in the night tyme) I resolved to make use of this opportunity, and to venture through the towne at noone day. Thus comitting myselfe to the Lord I marched with confidence through the towne whilest the people theirin least expecting my coming, because it was about dinner tyme I did not meet many on the streets, divers men looking over the doores, and seeing me goe fistling as though I heard nothing, knew not what to make of me. I went in a poore seamens habbitt, yet by that tyme I was gott through the other end of the towne they bethought themselves better, and suspected that I was he for whose sake they watched the last night, calling after me and desiring me to tarry, and I refused to hearken to their call, they cryed aloud their was the traytor we looked for the last night. But before they could be ready to come or send after me, I being now got through the towne went backward behind the middle of the towne, where I did hide myselfe againe whilest some of the townes men pursued me in the way to Burdeaux.