When our Mr. and captaine had harde these men speake, he toulde them that he would not staye one hour for any more companye than God alreddie had sente him, the which was only our pinis and tow shipes that weare goinge for New found Land, and for there owne saftie mad haste after us. Saylinge forthe before a faire wynde, our ship sayled so well that we could spare the pinis our mayne saile, and yeate the nexte morninge our pinnis was verrie far behind. Aboute 8 of the clocke, one in our maine tope discried 3 sayle, the which did ly close by our fore porte a little after; he saw four more, which lay the same cource, and these weare the seven sayell which we weare tould of. Than we began to Louke aboute us, our goneres made Reddie there ordinance, our faightes[26] oute, and everie man his bandaleare[27] and muskett. We hade the wynde of them, and needed not to have spoken with them, but our Captaine thoughte it not fitt to show our selves fearfull or cowardly; Leaste the wynde should sodonly turne, or scante upon us, and our flyinge would incurridge our enemyes to com the more bouldly upon us. Than he caled the botson and bid him beare towardes them, the which he willingly wente aboute; so we bore Towardes them, and when we came so neare them that we myghte well disarne the hulke of there amberall and of their vizamberall, and they cam bouldly upon us, our Mr. bide the botswayne stow them a brood side; for our mayne sayle was so brode, that they could not se the stoutnes of our ship; for may hape, cothe he (mayhap, quoth he), they may take our ship to be one of the Quen’s, and yf we doo hapen to heale them, or theye us, they which make answer maye say our ship is caled the Seven stars, for the quene as yeate hathe none of that name; but assowne as they sawe the brode side of our ship, thinking us in dede to be one of the Quene’s ships, they presently turned them aboute to flye away. Than we gave chace to them, havinge almoste loste sighte of our pinis, and all other shipes savinge those which we gave chace unto. They made all the sayle they coulde, and yeat with in halfe an hour we weare come with in shott of them. Than our captain bid the Mr. goner give them a chace peece[28] shout at the amberall, but hitt him not, so the Mr. goner gave him a shott cloce by his fore bowe[29]; yeat would they nether strike sayle, nor show any flagge, but made away with all the sayle they had, drablings[30] and topgalands, but all would not serve their turne, for we came nearer and nearer unto them. Than our Mr. bid the goner shoute throughe the amberall his maynsayle, and so he did verrie near her drablinge. Than the Amberall, vise amberall, Rear amberall, and one more shoute the mayn topp; but at that time they hade the wyndie side of us, though we weare com unto them, yeat no man would once show himselfe. Than the booteson of our ship stod upon our spar decke,[31] with his sorde drawne in his hande, commandinge them to come under our Lee side. The which verrie unwillingly they dide, yeate no man would show himselfe. Now we beinge verrie neare the coste of Spayne (or France) he tackte about againe to goo his Ryghte cource, and all this seven sayell did follow us; than our Mr. caled unto the amberall him selfe, comanding them to caste oute the bote and com abord us (or eles he would sinke them); after so callinge twyse unto them, one that semed by his spetche to be a Ducheman, answered, we woll, we woll, but Longe it was before the boote came forthe, yeat at laste there bote came forthe, and the captaine of that shipe, with 4 saylers to Row the bote, wente a borde the wise amberall, and there stayed halfe an houre. Than those thre captaines came a borde our shipe; now all this whyle we weare saylinge our courc, and all these seven shipes durst do no other but follow us. When these thre captaines came aborde us, one of our company saw one of them have under his arme a good long mony bage full of somthinge, and so they wente with the Mr. of our ship into his cabin, and talked a good whyle. In the meane time the sayleres which broughte these captaynes a borde, standinge on our hatchis, and our saylers Loukinge upon them, one of our men sayde, surly I should know this fellow, for he is an Inglishman. That man presently answered, swearinge a greate othe, and sayde that he was no Inglishman, nether could speak one worde of Inglishe; and yeat he spoke as good Inglishe as any of us. Than one of our maysteres mates, our pursser and boteson touke theyr boote, and foure of our owne sayleres, and wente a borde thre or foure of those shipps; and in that meane time, our Mr. and the 3 captaines havinge well talked of the mater, our Mr. cam forthe of his cabbin and strode upon the sparr decke, causing all our company to be caled before him, did Reed a letter which semed to be but newly wrytten; the efeckte of that letter was as yf it had bene made as a pass from the kinge of France, with sartayne wynes which the captaynes sayde weare a borde ther shipes. But whyle he was a Reeding that Letter, our mysteres mate, purser, and bootson came frome the shipps and sayd they weare men of warre, Laden with nothinge but men, soulders, musketes, Raperes and dagers, sheldes and buckeleres, and ment nothinge so moche as to have taken us; but our maister havinge alreddie taken the prise in his cabbin, seemed to be verrie angrie with his mate and the purser for sayinge so, he havinge a letter to show the contrarie; so he discharged the captayn and let the shipes go, the which greved the sayeleres and the Reste of our company verrie moche. Yf he had done, as he myghte verrie well have done, broughte these seven sayle as a prise into Inglande, it would have bene the braveste sarvis that ever any Inglishe marchante shipe did, and tharby have Reaped greate cridit as any ever did.
[32][At our cominge home out of Turkie it was well knowne that those seven saile, after they escaped from us, and before our coming home, they had taken and Robed upon the seae, betwyxt London and New Castell, thre score sayle of Inglishe and other contrie ships.]
Marche 1599.
The 20th Day, the wynde sarvinge well, we paste the Northe Cape, and entered the bay of Portingale. The 23 we Recovered the Soothe Cape. Than we weare becalmed for a time. The 24 thare came an Infinite company of porposis aboute our ship, the which did leape and Rone (run) marvalusly. The 25 we saw 2 or 3 greate monstrus fishis or whales, the which did spoute water up into the eayere, lyke as smoke dothe assend out of a chimnay. Sometime we myghte se a great parte of there bodye above the water. The calme did yeat continue. The 27, havinge a verrie fayer wynde, the which did blow a good gale aboute 12 or one of the clocke, we entered the straytes of Marie-medeteranum in Dispite of our enymyes. At the entrie it is butt 3 Leages at the moste from shore to shore. In my thinkinge it seemed not to be above 3 myles, but the Reason of yt is because the Lande is verrie hie on bothe sides, Spayne on our Lefte hand, and Barberie of the Ryghte. On Spayne side we did se a verrie fayer towne or cittie, caled Tarrefe,[33] the which stood verrie pleasantlye close to the seae. On Barbarie side Thar is a myghtie mountayn of Rockes, the which theye do call Ape hill.[34] 7 Leages further, on Spayne side, thar is a verrie strone (strong) towne Caled Jebbatore.[35] This towne Lay verrie fayer to our vew. It is verrie well fortified, and of greate strengthe. Thare dothe also Ly a greate number of the king of Spayens gallies and men of warr, to keepe the straites. On the easte side of the towne tharis a greate mountayne, wheare on a great parte of the towne dothe stande. This mountayne is verrie upryghte on bothe sides, but on the easte sid it is so uprighte that no man can go to the top of it. It standes cross wyse to the seae. On the fore end tharis a stronge bullworke, by which means the towne is more secure.
We sett oute from Plimmouthe the 16th of Marche, havinge than verrie could wether, and no sine of any grene thinge on trees or hedgis; and the 27, at the entringe of the straites, the wether was exsedinge hoote, and we myghte se the feeldes on bothe sides verrie grene, and the tres full blowne, the which unto me was a verrie greate wonder to finde suche an alteration in a 11 dayes. Ryghte over againste Jeblatore, on Barbarie side, thar is a towne verrie fayer to our vew, caled Shutte.[36] This towne is waled aboute, and the feldes about it verrie pleasante, and of good soyle.
Thoughe on bothe sides of seae tharis hudge mountains and Raged Rockes, on the Easte end of this towne a litle tharis a Large and stronge bullworke (or forte), and the Lyke is on the weste side. The kinge of Spayne Dothe also houlde that toune, beinge in Barberie.
A litle further on the Coste of Spayne thar is a Towne caled Marvels,[37] but I could not well disarne it for the fogge which at that time Laye upon the seae. The nexte towne is caled grand Malligan,[38] and than Sallabrin,[39] which towne is fortie Leages easte of Jeblatore.
The 28 of Marche we sayled still a longe by the shore of Spayne, wheare we myghte se upon hudg mountaynes great store snowe that Dothe ly thare contenually, and yeate in the vallies below it is verrie hote.