Hoping your Worship will accept of it no less friendly than I offer it willingly: which if you do, then is my desire satisfied, and myself rest bounden to your Worship's worthiness. Ever beseeching the Giver of all good to increase the number of such worthy-minded subjects; by whom our Prince and country are, in foreign parts, so much honoured.
Your Worship's
To command in what I may,
William Barley.
The miserable Captivity of Richard
Hasleton, born at Braintree in Essex.
IN the year 1582, departing the English coast toward the end of May, in a ship of London called the Mary Marten (one of the owners [of which] was a citizen of London named Master Eastwoode; the other of them, named Master Estridge, dwelling at Limehouse), being laden and bound for Petrach [Patras], a town of mart, being within the dominion of the Turk: where we safely arrived and made our mart.
And within eight and twenty days were laden homeward; and presently we weighed anchor, and set sail. And coming out of the Gulf of Lepanto, [we] grounded upon a rock, lying on the larboard side; being in very great danger, [and] in doubt to lose both ship and goods: yet it pleased GOD that we recovered.
Then, about the midst of the month of July [1582], we came right before Cape de Gatte [Cabo de Gata, near Almeria, in Spain] when, having a very small wind, we descried two galleys: whereupon the Master commanded the Gunner to put forth the ordnance, and to heave the skiff overboard.