1596.

marchants ships with other small vessels being without the Queenes ships, shot when they saw opportunitie. After the enemie finding no good to be done (being well beaten) fell from us, the Adventure playing upon them with her great ordinance, made three of the last shot at them: their Viceadmirall with divers others of The Spanish Viceadmirall

Cresset light,

their ships, were so beaten that they left off the fight, can witnesse, and were forced to lie in the winde, for that they durst what successe not lie of either boord by reason of their many and they had in great leakes, which they had received by our great shot. this fight. The Generall with the rest of their fleete tacking about, fell in our wake, thinking to get the winde, which in the beginning wee sought to hinder. But our Generall seeing that in holding the winde we should shoot our selves into the bay, gave them the winde. All that The English night they kept themselves upon our brode side, not- admirall withstanding our Admiral carried his cresset-light all carried his night, having great care of our smallest shippes. This notwithstandfight continued about foure houres till it was neere ing the enemie night, in the which fight, thankes be to God, there was upon his were slaine so few persons of our English fleete, as I broad side. thinke the like conflict hath not bene performed with The English so little losse of men: What harme befell the Spaniards received little Yet our in their fleete I leave to your judgements. Yet conflict. eyes can witnesse their ships were sore beaten and racked thorough, whereby there was such falling backe and lying by the lee to stoppe their leakes, as some of them were driven to haste away, and rather to runne on shore to save themselves then sinke in the Sea: besides within two houres after our fight with them, we sawe one of their great shippes on fire which burnt into the Sea, and all the sterne of another of their ships blowen up: And in the morning a shippe of our fleete was runne so neere the land, that to double the Cape de los Corrientes be must of necessitie tacke about and fall in the wake of the enemie, which caused our Generall in the Garland and the Defiance to tacke about; which two ships forced the three ships of the

Losse in this

1596.

enemies (which were put foorth to take our shippe, or else to cause her runne on ground) to returne to their fleete to save themselves, hoysing all their sayles The remain- for haste: This morning they were faire by us having der of the the winde of us, being but thirteen sayle of their Spanish fleete twentie to be seene: then we stroke our toppe sayles

were but

thirteene

sayles.

thinking to have fought with them againe, which they
perceiving tacked about from us, and after that never
durst nor would come neere us: What became of the
rest of their fleete wee knowe not, but true it was that
they were in great distresse mightily beaten and torne,
by having received many bullets from us. All this day
wee had sight of them, but they shewed little will to
fight or come neere us, so we keeping our course West,
and by North, about sixe of the clocke at night lost the
sight of them. And this is a true discourse of our
fight with the Spanish fleete. The which the author
hereof will justifie with the adventure of his life,
against any Spaniarde serving in that action, that shall
contradict the same.
HENRY SAVILE.

[III. 598.] Thomas Baskervil knight, his approbation to the former twofold discourse of Captaine Savile.

Thomas Baskervill knight, Generall ot her Majesties late Indian armada in the late conflict had betweene the Spanish fleete and us, having perused the Spanish letter written by Don Bernaldino Delgadillo de Avellaneda, Generall of the king of Spaines Navie, and also having perused captaine Henrie Savile his answeres unto the sixe exceptions in the Generals letter, with his discourse of the manner of our fight with the Spanish fleete, doe say that the said Henrie Savile hath answered the letter, and set downe the order of the fight sincerely according to truth, for testimonie of which I have hereunto set my hand.

1596.

A true relation of the voyage undertaken by Sir
Anthony Sherley Knight in Anno
Anno 1596.
intended for the Ile of San Tomé, but per-
formed to S. Iago, Dominica, Margarita, along
the coast of Tierra firma, to the Ile of Jamaica,
the bay of the Honduras, 30 leagues up Rio
Dolce, and homewarde by Newfoundland.
With the memorable exploytes atchieved in
all this voyage.

E departed from Hampton the 23 of Aprill with nine ships and a gallie. The Bevice Admirall being 300 tunnes, the Galeon Viceadmirall being 240 tunnes. The George Rereadmirall being 160 tunnes. The Archangel being 250 tunnes. The Swanne 200 tunnes, the George Noble being 140 tunnes, the Wolfe 70 tunnes, the Mermayde 120 tunnes, the Little John 40 tunnes the Galley and a Pinnesse. All which ships we sufficiently victualled and furnished for ten monethes, with all necessaries fit for the voyage. They were also manned with souldiers and saylers, exceeding well appointed with all furniture necessarie for the intended. purpose of our Generall to the full number of 900. ratably & orderly distributed into every ship. We arrived at Plimmouth the 29 of Aprill, where wee found the Right honourable Earle of Essex readie for the attempt of his Cadiz Action, with whom our Generall left three ships and 500 souldiers well victualed and furnished. So the 21 of May we departed from Plimmouth with the Bevice, the Gallion, the George, the George Noble, the Wolfe and the Galley and Pinnesse, determining our voyage for the Ile of S. Tomé. But if our whole force had remayned with us our Generals purpose was to have first sackt the Madera Ile, and

1596.

so to have proceeded for S. Tomé. The 27 of May we arrived upon the coast of Spaine, coasting all the shore, hoping to meete with some of the kings ships. From thence we past in sight of the coast of Barbary, and came to Masagant, within shot of the Fort, which The Fort of our Generall reported to be an excellent fortification, Masagant. where the Spaniard is in strong garrison. And bending our course for the Canarie Iles there purposing to water, our galley lost her rudder; so our Generall directed the George Noble to goe for the Ile Mogador, there to repaire the Gallies wants. Betweene which place and the Canarie Iles we tooke a fly-bote of two A Flieboat hundred tunnes bound for Brasill, having nothing aboord taken. her but some small portion of victuals for their reliefe. The Captaine of this Flybote tooke upon him to be a perfect Pilot of S. Tomé, and willingly consented to stay with us, being a Fleming. Having watered at the Canaries, by the counsell of this Fleming we shaped our course for the Iles of Cape Verde, he assuring us that we should there meet the fleete of Saint Tomé, for the yeere was so farre past, that we knewe they were all departed from S. Tomé.

The first of July we fell with the Isle Maio, where wee saw small hope of any fleete to bee expected, & therefore departed for Cape Verde, the appointed place for the George noble to meete us: where we arrived the fift of July, and there found him. And so instantly we proceeded for our voyage, because the yeere was farre spent. At this place most unfortunately our General fell exceeding sicke, and we wanting water were enforced to goe with a place named Pescadores in 10 degrees of North latitude, where we had many skirmishes with the barbarous Negros. Our Generall now hopelesse of life, and we all dismayed and comfortlesse through that his exceeding extremity, having his memory very perfit, he called all his Captaines, Masters, and officers unto him, unto whom he made a very pithie and briefe speech, tending to this purpose: That as we

[III. 599.] The Isle of

Mayo.