Marche 1599.
The firste of Marche came in a litle shipe caled the Diamon.
In this contrie is verrie good muscadine,[157] and thar is also som Currante. This harbur is verrie good; what wether so ever blow, a ship is without dainger thare. On the weste sid dothe stand a pretie toune caled Luksere[158]; on the easte, a Castell. When we wente to sea from hence we weare in Company eighte ships; beinge 4 or 5 leages at sea, the wynde came contrarie, and like to be foule wether, so that we returned againe to the same harber; in the morninge the wynde came fair againe, and we sett saile againe.
The sixte daye we paste the Gulfe of Venis, the which daye the wynde came all southe weste a smale gale, so that we could not keepe our course; but as we weare turninge in the nighte, the wynde came faire at southe and by easte, and contenued the nexte daye.
The 9th daye we descried Mount Etnaye, but thare it is caled Muntabell,[159] the burninge mountaine in Cisillia. In the Afternoone we came under the shore of the same lande; at the firste we did thinke to com to an anker because the wynd was bad, yeate torninge up and downe by the shore, we saw the watche toweres make lightes at the topp of theire tours, to shew unto other watche toures how many ships they saw that weare not theire frendes; for thare be of those touers round aboute the iland, so that yf one Touer do show so many lightes one after another as they se ships, it will goo round aboute the iland in a verrie shorte time. Yf we had com to an anker we feared them note, but theye weare a frayed of us; yeat doubtinge the wynde would be worse, or else no wynd at all, we kept at sea. The next day we weare so neare the shore that we saw a greate company of souldiers, bothe horse and foote, gathered together.
For all that, towardes eyghte we came to an anker neare the shore. When the wynde came faire, everie ship sett saile before our Anker was upe or wayed. The other 7 ships beinge under saile, they gave chase to a Spainishe shipe which was goinge to Malta with wheate, and when she saw so many Inglishe ships under saile she thoughte it better for her to goo backe againe to Sesillia than to keepe her cource. Our shipe beinge the hindmoste of all the 8, yeate we out wente them all, and touke that prise. There was but 10 men in her; it was but a smale barke; she was loden with wheate. When our sailers had pillidged her our Mr. gave the ship and wheate to Captain Coke, a man of ware; we had out of her verrie fine whyte breade and good Chese. In the nyghte folloinge thare rise a myghtie storme, the wynde at weste, at which time we weare 30 leages from Capp Passaro,[160] wheare we weare laste at Anker. This storme contenued 48 houres, that we weare not able to beare any saile; in this storm the prise which we hade taken was Caste awaye.
The 13th day, beinge Weddensday, we weare in sighte of Cape Passaro againe, beinge driven backe againe thre score Leagues, and thar came to an Anker againe, wheare we founde a greate Flemishe shipe. That nyghte the watche touers made lightes as they did before. The nexte morninge we wayed Anker again, but we weare driven further backwardes. The second nyghte after we recovered that place againe; this truble we touke to be a punishmente for takinge of that prise. The nexte day, beinge Sundaye, and the 16th daye of Marche, it was verrie calme and extreame hoote wether; at 8 a clocke at nyghte we sett saile, for the wynde came faire at easte, but a verrie smale gale; the next day we weare becalmed betwixte Malta and Cesillia.
The 19th we mett with an Inglishe ship caled the John and Francis, neare the coste of Cesillia, loaden with Turkes and Jues bounde for Alicksandrea.
The 21, beinge Good Fridaye, the wynde came faire, and broughte us to Panthaleara (Pantelaria).
One Easter day the wynd was direcktly againste us, and drive us backe.