Thus God delivered them from the hands of their enemies, and gave them the victory, for which they heartily praised him, and not long after, safely arrived in London.

Principal Navigations.

VII

THE TAKING OF THE MADRE DE DIOS

In this sort they lay1 from the 29th of June to the third of August2, what time Captain Thomson, in the Dainty, had first sight of the huge carrack called the Madre de Dios, one of the greatest receipt belonging to the Crown of Portugal. The Dainty being of excellent sail, got the start of the rest of our fleet, and began the conflict somewhat to her cost, with the slaughter and hurt of divers of her men.

Within a while after, Sir John Burgh, in the Roebuck of Sir Walter Raleigh's, was at hand to second her: who saluted her with shot of great ordnance, and continued the fight within musket-shot, assisted by Captain Thomson and Captain Newport3, till Sir Robert Crosse, Vice-Admiral of the fleet, came up, being to leeward,— at whose arrival Sir J. Burgh demanded of him what was best to be done. Who answered, that if the carrack were not boarded, she would recover the shore, and fire herself as the other had done5.

Whereupon Sir J. Burgh concluded to entangle her, and Sir R. Crosse promised also to fasten himself to her together at the instant, which was performed. But after a while, Sir John receiving a shot with a

1 At Flores in the Azores.

2 1592, just twelve months after the loss of the Revenge.

3 Of the Dragon.

In the Foresight.

5 The Santa Cruz which arrived before her consort and burned herself to avoid capture.

cannon perier1 under water, and ready to sink, desired Sir R. Crosse to fall off, that he might also clear himself, and save his ship from sinking, which with difficulty he did. For both the Roebuck and the Foresight were so entangled as with much ado could they clear themselves.

The same evening Sir R. Crosse, finding the carrack then sure, and drawing near the island, persuaded his company to board her again, or else there was no hope to recover her. Who after many excuses and fears, were by him encouraged, and so fell athwart her foreships all alone: and so hindered her sailing, that the rest had time to come up to his succour, and to recover the carrack ere she recovered the land.

And so toward the evening, after he had fought with her alone three hours single, my Lord of Cumberland's two ships came up, and with very little loss entered with Sir R. Crosse, who had in that time broken their courages, and made the assault easy for the rest.

The General, having disarmed the Portugals, and stowed them, for better security, on all sides, first had presented to his eyes the true proportion of the vast body of this carrack, which did then, and may still, justly provoke the admiration of all men not formerly acquainted with such a sight. But albeit, this first appearance of the hugeness thereof yielded sights enough to entertain our men's eyes.

Yet the pitiful object of so many bodies slain and dismembered, could not but draw each man's eye to see, and heart to lament, and hands to help those miserable people, whose limbs were so torn with the violence of shot,

1 Originally a gun throwing a stone shot; whence the name. Το avoid the possibility of breaking the stone the charge was small and the barrel was short. In 1592, however, the Cannon Perier was not necessarily a stone gun any longer. It was the "howitzer" of the period. Its range was short but its destructiveness at close quarters evidently tremendous. 2 The Samson and the Tiger.

and pain made grievous with the multitude of wounds. No one could almost step but upon a dead carcase or a bloody floor, but specially about the helm, where very many of them fell suddenly from steering to dying.

For the greatness of the steerage requiring the labour of twelve or fourteen men at once, and some of our ships beating her in at the stern with their ordnance, oftentimes with one shot slew four or five labouring on either side of the helm, whose rooms being still furnished with fresh supplies, and our artillery still playing upon them with continual volleys, it could not be but that much blood should be shed in that place. Whereupon our General, moved with singular commiseration of their misery, sent them his own chirurgeons, denying them no possible help or relief that he or any of his company could afford them.

Among the rest of those whose state this chance had made very deplorable was Don Fernando de Mendoza, Grand Captain and Commander of this carrack, who indeed was descended of the house of Mendoza in Spain, but being married in Portugal, lived there as one of that nation: a gentleman well stricken in years, well spoken, of comely personage, of good stature, but of hard fortune. In his several services against the Moors, he was twice taken prisoner, and both times ransomed by the King.

In a former voyage of return from the East India, he was driven upon the Baxos or sands of Juda, near the coast of Cephala, being then also captain of a carrack which was there lost; and himself, though escaping the sea danger, yet fell into the hands of infidels on land, who kept him under long and grievous servitude. Once more the King, carrying a loving respect to the man, and desirous to better his condition, was content to let him try his fortune in this easterly navigation, and committed unto him the conduct of this carrack, wherein he went

from Lisbon General of the whole fleet; and in that degree had returned, if the Viceroy of Goa, embarked for Portugal in the Bon Jesus, had not, by reason of his late office, been preferred1.

Sir John intending not to add too much affliction to the afflicted, moved with pity and compassion of human misery, in the end resolved freely to dismiss this Captain and the most part of his followers to their own country, and for the same purpose bestowed them in certain vessels furnished with all kinds of necessary provision.

This business thus dispatched, good leisure had he to take such view of the goods as conveniency might afford.

And having very prudently (to cut off the unprofitable spoil and pillage, whereunto he saw the minds of many inclined) seized upon the whole to Her Majesty's use, after a short and slender rummaging and searching of such things as first came to hand, he perceived that the wealth would arise nothing disanswerable to expectation; but that the variety and grandeur of all rich commodities, would be more than sufficient to content both the adventurer's desire and the soldier's travail.

And here, I cannot but enter into consideration and acknowledgment of God's great favour towards our nation, who by putting this purchase into our hands, hath manifestly discovered those secret trades and Indian riches, which hitherto lay strangely hidden and cunningly concealed from us: whereof there was among some few of us some small and unperfect glimpse only, which now is turned into the broad light of full and perfect knowledge. Whereby it should seem that the will of God for our good is (if our weakness could

1 The Madre de Dios was one of four vessels that set out from India on the return journey to Lisbon in January, 1592. The Bon Jesus was lost in the Mozambique Channel. The S. Bartholomeu was never more heard of. And the Santa Cruz and Madre de Dios were accounted for as the text describes.

apprehend it) to have us communicate with them in those East Indian treasures, and by the erection of a lawful traffic to better our means to advance true religion and his holy service1.

The carrack being in burden, by the estimation of the wise and experienced, no less than 1600 tons, had fully 900 of those stowed with the gross bulk of merchandise, the rest of the tonnage being allowed partly to the ordnance, which were thirty-two pieces of brass of all sorts, partly to the passengers and victuals, which could not be any small quantity, considering the number of persons, betwixt 600 and 700, and the length of the navigation.

To give you a taste [as it were] of the commodities, it shall suffice to deliver you a general particularity of them according to the catalogue taken at Leadenhall the 15th of September 1592; where upon good view it was found that the principal wares after the jewels (which were no doubt of great value, though they never came to light)2 consisted of spices, drugs, silks, calicoes, quilts, carpets, and colours &c.

The spices were-pepper, cloves, maces, nutmegs, cinnamon, green ginger.

The drugs were-benjamin3, frankincense, galingale, mirabolans, aloes, zocotrina, camphor.

1 The East India Company was founded a few years later.

2 As soon as the English mariners came aboard the Madre de Dios and realized the extent of her riches, they threw discipline to the winds and rifled and plundered to their hearts' content. Leaving the bulkier cargo unbroken they helped themselves to handfuls of precious stones. One seaman on his return home sold 1800 diamonds and between 200 and 300 rubies for £130. Another had in his possession half a peck of pearls. Yet the remainder of the cargo brought in so satisfactory a figure that the Queen who had invested £3000 in the undertaking recouped herself thirty-fold.

3 An essence made from benzoin: used in perfumery and the making of incense.