de parecer a R The same in English. 1587. Ight high and mightie Prince, Having understood from our Agent the great affection and good wil which you beare us, and how great honour and favor you shew him for our sake, to the end to give us more ample testimonie of your friendship, we have received very great contentment & satisfaction, aswel of the one as of the other and withall we could not omit to magnifie you, according to your desert. We have also received your letters, and do not a litle rejoyce thereof, because they come from a prince unto whom we are so much beholden. Our Agent hath written unto us concerning certaine things which you desire to bee sent unto you from hence. And albeit we wish that we could particularly satisfie you, as you desire, yet it is fallen out, that the warres, wherin at this present we be busied, wil not suffer us fully to doe the same: neverthelesse, wee have commaunded to satisfie you in part, and [II. ii. 120.] according as the present necessitie doeth permit us, as our Agent will declare unto you more particularly, hoping you will receive it in good part, and according to the good will wherewith wee graunt the same. because it hath bene signified unto us that you have promised to proceed in justice against one John Herman John Herman our subject, which hath grievously offended us, in such an English sort as wee have sent word unto you, wee have given order to our said Agent to informe you more particularly in that which we desire to be done in this busines, praying you also to command the same to be VI 433 2 E And rebel. 1587. put in execution: and that it would please you alwayes to favour our said Agent and to hold him in good credite, as you have done hitherto, not suffering your selfe to be changed in your opinion, for all the false reports which they may raise against him, nor to doubt that wee will not accomplish at large all that he shall promise you on our behalfe. Our Lord keepe and preserve your right high and mightie person. Written in our royall Court at Greenwich the 20. of July 1587. A voyage to the Azores with two pinases, the one called the Serpent, and the other the Mary Sparke of Plimouth, both of them belonging to Sir Walter Ralegh, written by John Evesham Gentleman, wherein were taken the governour, of the Isle of Sainct Michael, and Pedro Sarmiento governour of the Straits of Magalanes, in the yeere 1586. He 10. of June 1586. we departed from Plimouth with two Pinases, the one named the Serpent, of the burden of 35. Tunnes, and the other the Mary Sparke of Plimouth of the burthen of 50. Tuns, both of them belonging to sir Walter Ralegh knight; and directing our course towards the coast of Spaine, & from thence towards the Isles of the Azores, we tooke a small barke laden with Sumacke and other commodities, The governor wherein was the governour of S. Michaels Island, of S. Michael being a Portugal, having other Portugals and Spaniards taken prisoner. with him. And from thence we sailed to the Island of Graciosa, to the Westward of the Island of Tercera, where we discried a saile, and bearing with her wee found her to be a Spaniard: But at the first not greatly respecting whom we tooke, so that we might have enriched our selves, which was the cause of this our travaile, and for that we would not bee knowen of 1586. nour of the Straights of Magelan taken prisoner. what nation we were, wee displayed a white silke ensigne in our maine toppe, which they seeing, made accompt that we had bene some of the king of Spaines Armadas, lying in wait for English men of war: but when we came within shot of her, we tooke downe our white flagge, and spread abroad the Crosse of S. George, which when they saw, it made them to flie as fast as they might, but all their haste was in vaine, for our shippes were swifter of saile then they, which they fearing, did presently cast their ordinance and small shot with many letters, and the draft of the Straights of Magelan into the Sea, and thereupon immediatly we tooke her, wherein wee also tooke a gentleman of Spaine, named Pedro Sarmiento, governour of the Pedro SarmiStraights of Magelan, which saide Pedro we brought ento the goverinto England with us, and presented him to our soveraigne Lady the Queene. After this, lying off and about the Islands, wee descried another saile, and bearing after her, we spent the maine maste of our Admirall, but yet in the night_our Viceadmirall tooke her, being laden with fish from Cape A ship laden Blanke, the which shippe wee let goe againe for want with fish taken of men to bring her home. The next day we discried and released againe. two other sailes, the one a shippe and the other a Caravel, to whom we gave chase, which they seeing, with all speede made in under the Isle of Graciosa, to a certaine Fort there for their succour, where they came to an anker, and having the winde of us we could not hurt them with our ships, but we having a small boate, which we called a light horseman, wherein my selfe was, being a Musqueter, and foure more with Calivers, and foure that rowed, came neere unto the shore against the winde, which when they saw us come towards them they caried a great part of their marchandise on land, whither also the men of both vessels went and landed, and as soone as we came within Musquet shot, they began to shoote at us with great ordinance and small shot, and we likewise at them, and in the ende we 1586. One of the ships taken, with 2. per sons. is taken. boorded one shippe wherein was no man left, so we cut her cables, hoysed her sailes, and sent her away and sent away with two of our men, and the other 7. of us passed more neere unto the shoare, and boorded the Caravel, which did ride within a stones cast from the shoare, and so neere the land that the people did cast stones The Caravel at us, but yet in despight of them all we tooke her, and one onely Negro therein; and cutting her cables in the hawse we hoysed her sailes and being becalmed under the land, we were constrained to rowe her out with our boate, the Fort still shooting at us, and the people on land with Musquets and calivers, to the number of 150. or thereabout: and we answered them with the small force wee had; In the time of which our shooting, the shot of my Musquet being a crossebarre[II. ii. 121.] shot happened to strike the gunner of the fort to death, even as he was giving levell to one of his great pieces, and thus we parted from them without any losse or hurt on our side. And now, having taken these five sailes of shippes, we did as before, turne away the shippe with the fish, without hurting them, and from one of the other shippes wee tooke her maine Maste to serve our Admirals turne, and so sent her away putting into her all the Spaniards and Portugals, (saving that gentleman Pedro Sarmiento, with three other of the principal men and two Negroes) leaving them all within sight of land, with bread and water sufficient for 10. dayes if neede were. The prises sent home. Two Caracks, 10. Gallions, 12 small ships. Thus setting our course for England, being off the Islands in the height of 41. degrees, or there about, one of our men being in the toppe discried a saile, then 10. saile, then 15. whereupon it was concluded to sende home those prizes we had, and so left in both our Pinasses not above 60. men. Thus wee returned againe to the Fleete wee had discried, where wee found 24. saile of shippes, whereof two of them were Caracks, the one of 1200. and the other of a 1000. tunnes, and 10. Galions, the rest were small shippes and Caravels all 1586. laden with Treasure, spices, and sugars, with which 24. shippes we with two small Pinasses did fight, and kept company the space of 32. houres, continually fighting with them and they with us, but the two Caracks kept still betwixt the Fleete and us, that wee could not take any one of them, so wanting powder, wee were forced to give them over against our willes, for that wee were all wholly bent to the gaining of some of them, but necessitie compelling us, and that onely for want of powder, without losse of any of our men, (which was a thing to be wondered at considering the inequalitie of number) at length we gave them over. Thus we againe The 2. pinasses set our course for England, and so came to Plimouth returne for within 6. houres after our prizes, which we sent away England. 40. houres before us, where wee were received with triumphant joy, not onely with great Ordinance then. shot off, but with the willing hearts of all the people of the Towne, and of the Countrey thereabout; and we not sparing our Ordinance (with the powder wee had left) to requite and answere them againe. And from thence wee brought our prizes to Southampton, where sir Walter Ralegh being our owner, rewarded us with our shares. Our prizes were laden with sugars, Elephants teeth, waxe, hides, rice, brasill, and Cuser, as by the testimonie of John Evesham himselfe, Captaine Whiddon, Thomas Rainford, Benjamin Wood, William Cooper Master, William Cornish Master, Thomas Drake Corporall, John Ladd gunner, William Warefield gunner, Richard Moone, John Drew, Richard Cooper of Harwich, William Beares of Ratcliffe, John Row of Saltash, and many others, may appeare. [A briefe |