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1591.

nie us, for other refuge we had none. Then 1. of their smal ships being manned from 1. of their great, & having a boat to rowe themselves in, shipped her oars likewise & rowed after us, thinking w their small shot to have put us from our oars, until ye great ships might come up with us: but by ye time she was within [III. 566.] musket shot, the Lord of his mercie did send us a faire. gale of wind at the Northwest off the shore. What time (they being all to leeward of us) wee stood to the East. The small ship was under our lee within Falcon shot, and another great shippe lay to the Westward, so that wee could no way possibly escape them upon that boord: then (we thinking to avoyd them by casting about to the Westwards) the other great shippe gate under our lee, and the small ship on our weather quarter, purposing to make us pay roome with the great ship, by force of her small & great shot. Then (we being lerboord tacked, and they sterboord) we made her spring her looffe, and by a fortunate shot which our gunner made, pierced her betwixt winde and water. Hereupon shee was forced to lay herselfe upon the carena, and to stand with one of the other ships for ayde. Afterward (commending our selves to almightie God in prayer, and giving him thankes for the winde which he had sent us for our deliverance) we looked forth and descryed two saile more to the offen : these we thought to have bene the Hopewell, and the Swallow that had stoode in to ayde us: but it prooved farre otherwise, for they were two of the kings gallies. Nowe having a loome gale of winde, wee shipped our oars, and rowed off the shore: and our watch was no sooner set, but wee espied one gallie under our lee hard by us, boging up with us. Then (because it was evening) one of the great ships discharged sixe great shot at us, to the ende the gallies should knowe that wee were the shippe they looked for. Then the gallie came up, and (hayling us of whence our shippe was) a Portugall which wee had with us, made them answere, that we were of

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the fleete of Tierra firma, and of Sivil: with that they bid us amaine English dogs, and came upon our quarter star-boord: and giving us five cast pieces out of her prowe, they sought to lay us aboord: but wee so galled them with our muskets, that we put them from our quarter. Then they winding their gallie, came up into our sterne, and with the way that the gallie had, did so violently thrust in the boordes of our Captaines cabbin, to that her nose came into it, minding to give us all their prowe, and so to sinke us. But wee being resolute, so plyed them with our small shot, that they could have no time to discharge their great ordinance: and when they began to approch, wee heaved into them a ball of fire, and by that meanes put them off: whereupon they once againe fell asterne of us, and gave us a prowe. Then having the second time put them off, wee went to prayer, and sang the first part of the 25. Psalme, praysing God for our safe deliverance. This being done, we might see 2. gallies and a frigat all three of them bending themselves together to encounter us: hereupon we (eftsoones commending our estate into the hands of God) armed our selves, and resolved (for the honour of God, her Majestie, and our countrey) to fight it out till the last man. Then shaking a pike of fire in defiance of the enemie, and weaving them amaine, we bad them come aboord: and an Englishman in the gallie made answer, that they would come aboord presently. So managing ourselves to our furniture, and every moment expecting the assault, wee heard them parle to this effect, that they determined to keepe us companie till the morning, and then to make an end with us: then giving us another shot from one of the gallies, they fell asterne. Thus

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our fight continued with the shippes and with the gallies, Afight from from seven of the clock in the morning till eleven at 7. in the night. Howbeit God (which never faileth them that morning till 11. at night. put their trust in him) sent us a gale of winde about two of the clocke in the morning at Eastnortheast, which was for the preventing of their crueltie, and the saving of our

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lives. Also (the Lord be praised for it) in all this dangerous fight, wee had not one man slaine, and but 2. hurt: but our sayles and ropes were so rent with their shot, that it was wonderfull to behold: our maine mast also was shot cleane through, whereby wee were in exceeding great danger. Thus our consortes forsooke us, and left us in these extremities. The next day being the 14. of June in the morning, wee sawe all our adversaries to lee-ward of us, and they espying us, chased us till 10. of the clocke, and then seeing they could not prevaile, gave us over. So that day about 5. of the clocke in the afternoone, we bare up to the Southwest, in hope to finde our consortes, but we had no sight of them at that time, nor afterward. Then stoode we in all that night for the Cape of S. Anthonie, hoping there to see our Admirall according to his direction. The 15. day of June early in the morning, we descryed the Spanish fleete againe, being within 5. leagues of Cape S. Anthonie. Then (having no sight of our consortes) wee stoode for the place according to the direction of our owner sir George Carey, where we did plie for the space of 23. dayes, and never could see any sayle but two frigats, which wee gave chase unto the 24. of June, and could not fet them up. Thus wee give God most humble thankes for our safe deliverance from the cruell enemie, which hath beene more mightie by the providence of God, then any tongue can expresse: to whom bee all prayse, honour, and glory, both now and ever, Amen.

THE

Appendix.

He barke called The Content had but one Minion, one Falcon, one Saker, & 2. port-bases. She continued fight (from seven in the morning til sunset) with [III. 567.] 3. armadas of 600. and 700. tunnes apiece, and one small shippe of 100. tunnes, not being above musket shot from any of them. And before the sunne was set, there came up to her two of the kings gallies. Besides, the Armadas shot their great ordinance continually at her, not so few

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as 500. times. And the sides, hull, and mastes of the
Content were sowed thicke with musket bullets. More-
over, all their sheats, tops and shrowdes were almost cut
insunder with their great & small shot. There passed
from the galies (each whereof came thrise up to her, &
discharged five great pieces at a time, out of every their
prowes forthright, within three yards of her poope)
through her maine saile 19. great shot, through her maine
top-saile foure: through her fore-saile seven: through
her fore-top-saile five: and through her maine maste one.
The upper part of the Content was hurt in five places.
Onely 13 men continued this fight, the rest being in
hold.

A frigat of the Spaniards (being afterward taken)
confessed, that there were in the gallies above 40. Span-
iards slaine, and many were hurt in that combate.

The names of those 13 persons that continued the fight.

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1591.

A true report of a voyage undertaken for the West Indies by M. Christopher Newport Generall of a fleete of three shippes and a pinnesse, viz. The golden Dragon Admirall, whereof was Captaine M. Newport himselfe ; The Prudence Vice-admirall, under the conduct of Captaine Hugh Merrick; The Margaret under Captaine Robert Fred; and The Virgin our pinnesse under Captaine Henry Kidgil: Begun from London the 25. of Januarie 1591. Written by M. John Twitt of Harewich, Corporall in the Dragon. In which voyage they tooke and burnt upon the coast of Hispaniola, within the bay of Honduras, and other places, 3. townes, and 19. saile of shippes and frigats.

He 12. daye of Februarie An. 1591. we set saile from Dover roade, and having a prosperous winde, the 27. day of the same moneth wee fell with Cape Cantin on the coast of Barbarie, and on the 28. wee arrived at Santa Cruz roade, where having refreshed our selves some 3. or 4. dayes, we put off to sea againe, and about the 5. of March wee passed by the Ilands of the Canaries and having a favourable wind, the 4. of April An. 1592. we fell with Dominica in the West Indies: where making stay a day or two, wee bartred with the Salvages for certaine commodities of theirs, viz. Tabacco, hennes, Potato rootes, &c.

Passing from thence to a watering place on the other side of the cliffe, wee tooke a Portugall ship of Lisbone of 300. tuns, which came from Guinie, and was bound for Cartagena, wherein were 300. Negros young and olde. Which ship we tooke along with us to S. Juan de Puerto

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