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our owner, Sir George Carey, where we did ply for the space of twenty-three days, and never could see any sail but two frigates, which we gave chase unto on the 24th of June, and could not set them up. Thus we gave God most humble thanks for our safe deliverance from the cruel enemy, which hath been more mighty by the providence of God than any tongue can express; to whom be all praise, honour, and glory, both now and ever. Amen.

SPANISH POINT.

THE waters--O the waters!—wild and glooming,
Beneath the storm pall that shrouds the sky,
On, through the deepening mist more darkly looming,
Plumed with the pallid foam funereally,

Onward, like death, they come, the rocks entombing!
Nor thunder knell is needful from on high;

Nor sound of signal gun, momently booming
O'er the disastrous deep; nor seaman's cry!
And yet,-if aught were wanting-manifold

Mementoes haunt those reefs: how proud that host

Of Spain and Rome so smitten were of old,

By God's decree, along this fatal coast,

And over all their purple and their gold,

Mitre, and helm, and harp, the avenging waters

rolled!

SIR AUBREY DE VERE.

The Fight about the Isles of Azores, this last summer, betwixt the Revenge and an Armada of the King of Spain.

Walter Raleigh.

By Sir

THE Lord Thomas Howard, with six of Her Majesty's ships, six victuallers of London, the bark Raleigh, and two or three pinnaces, riding at anchor near unto Flores, one of the westerly Islands of the Azores, the last of August in the afternoon, had intelligence by one Captain Midleton of the approach of the Spanish Armada. This Midleton, being in a very good sailer, had kept them company three days before of good purpose, both to discover their forces the more, as also to give advice to my Lord Thomas of their approach. He had no sooner

delivered the news but the fleet was in sight.

Many of our ships' companies were on the island ; some providing ballast for their ships; others filling of water and refreshing themselves from the land with such things as they could, either for money or by force, recover. And, that which was most to our disadvantage, the one half part of the men of every ship were sick and utterly unserviceable. For in the Revenge there were ninety diseased; in the Bonaventure, not so many in health as could handle her main-sail. For, had not twenty men been taken out of a bark of Sir George Carey's (his being commanded

to be sunk), and appointed to her, she had hardly ever recovered England. The rest, for the most part, were in little better state. The names of her Majesty's ships were these as followeth: the Defiance, which was admiral; the Revenge, vice-admiral; the Bonaventure, commanded by Captain Cross; the Lion, by George Fenner; the Foresight, by Mr. Thomas Vavisour; and the Crane, by Duffield. The Foresight and the Crane being but small ships, only the other were of the middle size; the rest, besides the bark Raleigh, commanded by Captain Thin, were victuallers, and of small force or none.

The Spanish fleet, having shrouded their approach by reason of the island, were so soon at hand that our ships had scarce time to weigh their anchors; but some of them were driven to let slip their cables, and set sail. Sir Richard Grenville was the last weighed, recovering the men that were upon the island, who otherwise had been lost. The Lord Thomas with the rest very hardly recovered the wind, which Sir Richard Grenville, not being able to do, was advised by the master and others to cut his main-sail and cast about, and to trust to the sailing of his ship; for the squadron of Seville were on his weather bow. But Sir Richard utterly refused to turn from the enemy, alleging that he would rather choose to die than to dishonour himself, his country, and her Majesty's ship, persuading his company that he would pass through the two squadrons in despite of them, and enforce those of Seville to give him way. This he performed upon divers of the foremost, who, as the mariners term it, sprang their luff, and fell under the

lee of the Revenge. But the other course had been the better, and might right well have been answered in so great an impossibility of prevailing. Notwithstanding, out of the greatness of his mind, he could not be persuaded.

In the meanwhile, as he attended those which were nearest him, the great San Philip, being in the wind. of him and coming towards him, becalmed his sails in such sort that the ship could neither make way nor feel the helm, so huge and high was the Spanish ship, being of 1500 tons. And she after laid the Revenge aboard. When he was thus bereft of his sails, the ships that were under his lee, luffing up, also laid him aboard. The said Philip carried three tiers of ordnance on a side, and eleven pieces in every tier. She shot eight forth right out of her chase, besides those of her stern ports.

After the Revenge was entangled with this Philip, four others boarded her, two on her larboard and two on her starboard. The fight thus beginning at three of the clock in the afternoon continued very terrible all that evening. But the great San Philip having received the lower tier of the Revenge, discharged with crossbar shot, shifted herself with all diligence from her sides, utterly misliking her first entertaintainment. Some say that the ship foundered, but we cannot report it for truth unless we were assured.

The Spanish ships were filled with companies of soldiers, in some two hundred besides the mariners; in some five; in others eight hundred. In ours there were none at all beside the mariners, except the servants of the commanders and some few voluntary

gentlemen only.

After many interchanged volleys of great ordnance and small shot, the Spaniards deliberated to enter the Revenge, and made divers attempts, hoping to force her by the multitudes of their armed soldiers and musketeers; but they were still repulsed again and again, and at all times beaten back into their own ships or into the seas.

In the beginning of the fight the George Noble, of London, having received some shot through her by the Armadas, fell under the lee of the Revenge, and asked Sir Richard what he would command him, being but one of the victuallers of small force; and Sir Richard bid him save himself and leave him to his fortune.

After the fight had thus without intermission continued while the day lasted and some hours of the night, many of our men were slain and hurt; and one of the great galleons of the Armada and the admiral of the hulks were sunk, and in many other of the Spanish ships great slaughter was made. Some write that Sir Richard was very dangerously hurt almost in the beginning of the fight, and lay speechless for a time ere he recovered. 'But two of the Revenge's own company, examined by some of the Lords and others, affirmed that he was never so wounded as that he forsook the upper deck till an hour before midnight; then being shot into the body with a musket as he was dressing, he was again shot into the head, and withal his surgeon wounded to death.

But to return to the fight! As the Spanish ships which attempted to board the Revenge, were wounded and beaten off, so always others came in

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