The travailes of Job Hortop, which Sir John Hawkins
set on land within the Bay of Mexico, after his departure from the Haven of S. John de Ullua in Nueva
Espanna, the 8. of October 1568.
NOT untruely nor without cause said Job the faithfull
servant of God (whom the sacred Scriptures tell us, to
have dwelt in the land of Hus) that man being borne
of a woman, living a short time, is replenished with many
miseries: which some know by reading of histories, many
by the view of others calamities, and I by experience in
my selfe, as this present Treatise insuing shall shew.
It is not unknowen unto many, that I Job Hortop
pouder-maker was borne at Bourne
, a towne in Lincolnshire
, from my age of twelve yeeres brought up in
Redriffe
neere London
, with M. Francis Lee, who was the Queenes
Majesties powder-maker, whom I served, until I was
prest to go on the 3. voyage to the West Indies, with
the right worshipful Sir John Hawkins, who appointed
me to be one of the Gunners in her Majesties ship called
the Jesus of Lubeck, who set saile from Plimmouth in
the moneth of October 567. having with him another
ship of her Majesties, called the Minion, and foure ships
of his owne, namely the Angel, the Swallow, the Judith,
and the William and John. He directed his Vice-admiral,
that if foule weather did separate them, to meete at the
Iland of Tenerif. After which by the space of seven
dayes and seven nights, we had such stormes at sea, that
we lost our long boats and a pinnesse, with some men:
comming to the
Isle of Tenerif, there our Generall heard
that his Vice-admirall with the Swallow, and the William
and John were at the Iland called Gomera
, where finding
his Vice-admirall, he anchored, tooke in fresh water, and
set saile for
Cape Blank, where in the way wee tooke
a Portugal
caravel, laden with fish called Mullets : from
thence we sailed to
cape Verde. In our course thither
we met a Frenchman of Rochel called captaine Bland,
who had taken a Portugal
caravel, whom our vice admiral
chased and tooke. Captaine Drake, now Sir Francis
Drake was made master & captaine of the Caravel, and
so we kept our way till we came to
Cape Verde, and
there we anchored, tooke our boates, & set souldiers on
shore. Our Generall was the first that leapt on land, &
with him Captaine Dudley: there we tooke certaine
Negroes, but not without damage to our selves. For
our Generall, Captaine Dudley, & 8. other of our company
were hurt with poysoned arrowes: about nine dayes after,
the 8. that were wounded died. Our general was taught
by a Negro
, to draw the poyson out of his wound with
a clove of garlike, whereby he was cured. From thence
wee went to Sierra leona, where be monstrous fishes
called Sharkes, which will devoure men. I amongst
others was sent in the Angell with two Pinnesses into
the river called Calousa, to seeke two Caravels that were
there trading with the Negros: wee tooke one of them
with the Negros, and brought them away.
In this river in ye night time we had one of our pinnesses bulged by a sea-horse, so that our men swimming
about the river, were all taken into the other pinnesses,
except two that tooke hold one of another, and were
caried away by the sea-horse. This monster hath the
just proportion of a horse, saving that his legs be short,
his teeth very great, and a span in length : hee useth
in the night to goe on land into the woods, seeking at
unawares to devoure the Negroes in their cabbins, whom
they by their vigilancie prevent, and kill him in this
maner. The Negroes keepe watch, and diligently attend
their comming, and when they are gone into the woods,
they forthwith lay a great tree overthwart the way, so
that at their returne, for that their legs be so short, they
cannot goe over it: then the Negroes set upon them with
their bowes, arrowes and darts, and so destroy them.
From thence we entred the river called the Casserroes,
where there were other Caravels trading with the Negroes,
and them we tooke. In this Iland betwixt the river and
the maine, trees grow with Oisters upon them. There
grow Palmito trees, which bee as high as a ships maine
mast, and on their tops grow nuts, wine and oyle, which
they call Palmito wine and Palmito oyle. The Plantan
tree also groweth in that countrey; the tree is as bigge
as a mans thigh, and as high as a firre pole, the leaves
thereof be long and broad, and on the top grow the fruit
which are called Plantanos: they are crooked, and a
cubite long, and as bigge as a mans wrist, they growe
on clusters: when they be ripe they be very good and
daintie to eate: Sugar is not more delicate in taste then
they be.
From thence with the Angel, the Judith, and the two
pinnesses, we sailed to Sierra leona, where our Generall
at that time was, who with the captaines and souldiers
went up into the river called Taggarin, to take a towne
of the Negroes, where he found three kings of that
countrey with fiftie thousand Negroes besieging the same
towne, which they could not take in many yeeres before,
when they had warred with it. Our General made a
breach, entred & valiantly tooke the towne, wherein were
found five Portugals which yeelded themselves to his
mercy, and hee saved their lives: we tooke & caried thence
for traffique to the West Indies 500. Negroes. The three
kings drove 7000. Negroes into ye sea at low water, at
the point of the land, where they were all drowned in
the Oze, for that they could not take their canoas to
save themselves. Wee returned backe againe in our
pinnesses to the ships, and there tooke in fresh water,
and made ready sayle towards Rio grande. At our
comming thither we entred with the Angel, the Judith,
and the 2 pinnesses, and found there seven Portugal
Carvels, which made great fight with us. In the ende
by Gods helpe wee wonne the victory, and drove them
to the shore, from whence with the Negroes they fled,
and we fetcht the carvels from the shore into the river.
The next morning M. Francis Drake with his carvel,
the Swallow, and the William and John came into the
river, with captaine Dudley and his souldiers, who landed
being but a hundred souldiers, and fought with seven
thousand Negroes, burned the towne, and returned to
our Generall with the losse of one man.
In that place there be many muske-cats, which breed
in hollow trees: the Negroes take them in a net, & put
them in a cage, & nourish them very daintily, & take
the muske from them with a spoone.
Now we directed our course from Guinea towards the
West Indies.
And by the way died Captaine Dudley.
In sayling towards the Indies, the first land that we
escryed, was the Iland called Dominica
, where at our
comming we ancored, & tooke in fresh water and wood
for our provision: which done, we sayled towards the
Iland called Margarita, where our Generall in despite of
the Spaniards anchored, landed, & tooke in fresh victuals.
A mile off the hand there is a rocke in the sea, wherein
doe breede many fowles like unto Barnacles: in the night
we went out in our boates, and with cudgels we killed
many of them, and brought them with many of their egs
aboord with us: their egges be as bigge as Turkies egges,
and speckled like them. We did eate them, and found
them very good meate.
From thence wee sayled to Burboroata, which is in the
maine land of the West Indies: there we came in, mored
our ships, and taried two moneths trimming and dressing
our ships, and in the meane time traded with certaine
Spanyards of that countrey. There our Generall sent us
unto a towne called Placencia, (which stood on a high
hil) to have intreated a Bishop that dwelt there for his
favour & friendship in their lawes, who hearing of our
comming, for feare forsooke ye town.
In our way up the hil to Placencia, wee found a
monstrous venemous worme with two heads: his body
was as bigge as a mans arme, and a yard long: our
master Robert Barret did cut him in sunder with his
sword, and it made it as blacke as if it were coloured
with ynke.
Heere be many Tygers, monstrous and furious beasts,
which by subtiltie devoure and destroy many men: they
use the traded wayes, & wil shew themselves twise or
thrise to the travellers, and so depart secretly, lurking
till they be past, then suddenly & at unawares they leape
upon them and devoure them: they had so used two of
our company, had not one of them looked behind. Our
Generall sent three ships unto the Iland called Coracao,
to make provision for the rest, where they remayned untill
his comming. Hee sent from thence the Angel and the
Judith to
Rio de Hacha, where we anchored before the
town. The Spaniards shot three pieces at us from the
shore, whom we requited with two of ours, and shotte
through the Governours house: we wayed anchor, &
anchored againe without shot of the towne, where wee
rid five dayes in despite of the Spanyards and their shot.
In the mean space there came a Carvel of advise from
S. Domingo, whom with the Angel, and the Judith wee
chased and drove to the shore: we fetcht him from thence
in spite of 200. Spaniards hargubush shot, and anchored
againe before the towne, and rid there with them, till
our Generals comming, who anchored, landed his men,
and valiantly tooke the Towne, with the losse of one man,
whose name was Thomas Surgeon: wee landed and planted
on the shore for our safeties, our field ordinance: we
drove the Spaniards up into the countrey above two
leagues, whereby they were inforced to trade with our
General, to whom he sold most part of his Negros.
In this river we killed a monstrous Lagarto or Crocodile
in this port at sunne set: seven of us went in the pinnesse up into the River, carying with us a dogge, unto
whom with ropeyarne we bound a great hooke of steele,
with a chaine that had a swivel, which we put under the
dogs belly, the point of the hooke comming over his
back fast bound, as aforesaid: we put him over boord,
and vered out our rope by litle and litle, rowing away
with our boate: the Lagarto came & presently swallowed
up the dogge, then did we rowe hard, till we had choked
him: he plunged and made a wonderful stirre in the
water: we leapt on shore, and haled him on land: he
was 23. foote by the rule, headed like a hogge, in body
like a serpent, full of scales as broad as a sawcer: his
taile long and full of knots as bigge as a fawcon shotte:
he hath foure legs, his feete have long nailes like unto
a dragon: we opened him, tooke out his guts, flayed
him, dried his skinne, and stuffed it with straw, meaning
to have brought it home, had not the ship bin cast away.
This monster will cary away and devoure both man and
horse.
From hence we shaped our course to Santa Martha,
where we landed, traded, and sold certaine Negroes:
there two of our company killed a monstrous adder, going
towards his cave with a Conie in his mouth: his body
was as bigge as any mans thigh, and seven foote long:
upon his tayle he had sixteene knottes, every one as
bigge as a great walnut, which they say, doe shew his
age: his colour was greene and yellow: they opened
him, and found two conies in his belly.
From thence wee sayled to Cartagena
, where we went
in, mored our Shippes, and would have traded with them,
but they durst not for feare of the King: wee brought
up the Minion against the Castle, and shotte at the Castle
and Towne: then we landed in an Iland, where were
many gardens: there in a cave we found certaine Botijos
of wine, which wee brought away with us, in recompence
whereof, our Generall commanded to be set on shore
woollen and linnen cloth, to the value thereof. From
hence by foule weather wee were forced to seeke the Port
of Saint John de Ullua. In our way thwart of Campeche
we met with a Spaniard, a small ship, who was bound
for Santo Domingo: he had in him a Spaniard called
Augustin de villa nueva, who was the man that betrayed
all the Noble men in the Indies, and caused them to be
beheaded, wherefore he with two Friers fled to S.
Domingo: them we tooke and brought with us into
the Port of S. John de Ullua. Our Generall made great
account of him, and used him like a Noble man: howbeit
in the ende he was one of them that betrayed us. When
wee had mored our ships, and landed, wee mounted the
Ordinance that wee found there in the Ilande, and for
our safeties kept watch and warde. The next day after
wee discovered the Spanish fleete, whereof Lucon
a Spanyard was Generall: with him came a Spanyard called
Don Martin Henriquez, whom the king of Spaine sent
to be his Vice-roy of the Indies. He sent a Pinnesse
with a flagge of truce unto our Generall, to knowe of
what Countrey those Shippes were that rode there in the
King of Spaines Port; who sayd, they were the Queene
of Englands ships, which came in there for victuals for
their money: wherefore if your Generall will come in
here, he shall give me victuals and all other necessaries,
and I will goe out on the one side of the Port, and he
shall come in on the other side. The Spanyard returned
for answere, that he was a Vice-roy, and had a thousand
men, & therefore he would come in. Our Generall sayd,
If he be a Vice-roy, I represent my Queenes person, & I
am a Vice-roy as well as he: and if he have a thousand
men, my powder and shot will take the better place.
Then the Vice-roy after counsell among themselves,
yeelded to our Generals demaund, swearing by his King
and his Crowne, by his commission and authority that he
had from his King, that hee would performe it, and thereupon pledges were given on both parts. Our Generall
bearing a godly and Christian minde, voyde of fraude and
deceit, judged the Spanyards to have done the like,
delivered to them sixe gentlemen, not doubting to have
received the like from them : but the faithlesse Spanyardes, in costly apparell gave of the basest of their
company, as afterwardes it was well knowen. These
things finished, proclamation was made on both sides, that
on payne of death no occasion should be given, whereby
any quarel should grow to the breach of the league, and
then they peaceably entred the port, with great triumph
on both sides.
The Spaniards presently brought a great Hulke, a ship
of sixe hundred, and mored her by the side of the Minion,
and they cut out ports in their other ships, planting their
ordinance towards us, in the night they filled the Hulke
with men, to lay the Minion aboord, as the sequel did
shew, which made our General doubtful of their dealings:
wherefore, for that he could speake the Spanish tongue,
he sent Robert Barret aboord the Vice-roy, to knowe his
meaning in those dealings, who willed him with his company to come in to him, whom he commanded presently
to be set in the bilbowes, and forthwith a Cornet (for a
watchword among the false Spaniards) was sounded for
the enterprising of their pretended treason against our
Generall, whom Augustine de villa nova sitting at dinner
with him, should then presently have killed with a poynado
which hee had privily in his sleeve, which was espyed and
prevented by one John Chamberlayne, who tooke the
poynado out of his sleeve. Our General hastily rose up,
and commanded him to be put prisoner in the Stewards
roome, & to be kept with two men. The faithlesse Spanyards, thinking all things to their desire had bene finished,
suddenly sounded a Trumpet, and therewith three hundred
Spaniards entred the Minion, whereat our General with a
loude and fierce voyce called unto us, saying, God and
Saint George, upon those traiterous villaines, and rescue
the Minion, I trust in God the day shalbe ours: and
with that the Mariners & souldiers leapt out of the Jesus
of Lubeck into the Minion, and beat out the Spanyards,
and with a shot out of her fiered the Spanyards Vice
admirall, where the most part of 300. Spanyards were
spoyled, and blowen over boord with powder. Their
Admirall also was on fire halfe an houre: we cut our
cables, wound off our ships, and presently fought with
them: they came upon us on every side, and continued
the fight from ten of the clocke until it was night: they
killed all our men that were on shore in the Iland, saving
three, which by swimming got aboord the Jesus of Lubeck.
They sunke the Generals ship called the Angel, and tooke
the Swallow: the Spaniards Admirall had above threescore
shot through her : many of his men were spoyled : foure
other of their ships were sunke. There were in that fleete,
and that came from the shore to rescue them, fifteene
hundred: we slew of them five hundred and fourtie, as we
were credibly informed by a note that came to Mexico
.
In this fight the Jesus of Lubeck had five shotte through
her mayne Mast: her fore-mast was strooke in sunder
under the hounds with a chayne shotte, and her hull was
wonderfully pearced with shotte, therefore it was unpossible to bring her away. They set two of their owne
Shippes on fire, intending therewith to have burnt the
Jesus of Lubeck, which we prevented by cutting our cables
in the halse, and winding off by our sternefast.
The Minion was forced to set saile and stand off from
us, and come to an anker without shot of the Island.
Our Generall couragiously cheered up his souldiers and
gunners, and called to Samuel his page for a cup of Beere,
who brought it him in a silver cup, and hee drinking to
all men willed the gunners to stand by their Ordinance
lustily like men. He had no sooner set the cup out of
his hand, but a demy Culverin shot stroke away the cup
and a Coopers plane that stoode by the maine mast, and
ranne out on the other side of the ship: which nothing
dismaid our Generall, for he ceased not to incourage us,
saying, feare nothing, for God, who hath preserved me
from this shot, will also deliver us from these traitours
and villaines. Then Captaine Bland meaning to have
turned out of the port, had his maine mast stroke over
boord with a chaine shot that came from the shore,
wherefore he ankered, fired his ship, tooke his pinnesse
with all his men, and came aboord the Jesus of Lubek
to our Generall, who said unto him, that he thought he
would not have runne away from him: he answered,
that he was not minded to have run away from him, but
his intent was to have turned up, and to have laid the
weathermost ship of the Spanish fleete aboord, and fired
his ship in hope therewith to have set on fire the Spanish
fleete, hee said if he had done so he had done well.
With this, night came on. Our Generall commanded the
Minion, for safegard of her masts to be brought under
the Jesus of Lubecks lee: he willed M. Francis Drake to
come in with the Judith, and to lay the Minion aboord, to
take in men and other things needefull, and to goe out,
and so he did.
At night when the wind came off the shore, wee set
sayle, and went out in despite of the Spanyards and their
shot, where wee ankered, with two ankers under the
Island, the wind being Northerly, which was wonderfull
dangerous, and wee feared every houre to be driven with
the lee shore. In the end when the wind came larger, we
waied anker, and set saile, seeking the river of Panuco
for water, whereof we had very little, and victuals were
so scarce, that we were driven to eate hides, cats, rats,
parrats, munkies, and dogges: wherefore our Generall
was forced to divide his company into two parts, for there
was a mutinie among them for want of victuals: and
some said that they had rather be on the shore to shift
for themselves amongst the enemies, then to sterve on
ship-boord. He asked them who would go on shore,
and who would tarry on ship-boord, those that would goe
on shore, he willed to goe on foremast, and those that
would tarrie, on baft mast: fourescore and sixteene of us
were willing to depart. Our Generall gave unto every
one of us sixe yards of Roane cloth, and money to them
that demanded it. When we were landed, he came unto
us, where friendly imbracing every one of us, he was
greatly grieved that he was forced to leave us behind
him, he counselled us to serve God, and to love one
another, and thus courteously he gave us a sorowful
farewell, and promised if God sent him safe home, he
would do what he could, that so many of us as lived
should by some means be brought into England
, & so
he did.
Since my returne into England
I have heard that many
misliked that he left us so behind him, and brought away
Negroes: but the reason is this, for them he might have
had victuals, or any other thing needfull, if by foule
weather hee had bene driven upon the Islands, which for
gold nor silver he could not have had.
And thus our Generall departed to his ship, and we
remained on land, where for our safeties, fearing the wild
Indians that were about us, we kept watch all night, and
at Sunne rising wee marched on our way, three and three
in a ranke, untill that we came into a fielde under a grove,
where the Indians came upon us, asking us what people
we were, and how we came there. Two of our company,
namely Anthony Goddard and John Cornish, for that they
could speake the Spanish tongue, went to them, and said
wee were Englishmen, that never came in that countrey
before, and that we had fought with the Spaniards, and
for that we lacked victuals, our Generall set us on shore:
they asked us whither we intended to goe, we said to
Panuco. The Captaine of the Indians willed us to give
unto them some of our clothes & shirts, which we did:
then he bad us give them all, but we would not so doe,
whereupon John Cornish was then slaine with an arrow,
which an Indian boy that stoode by the Captaine shot
at him, wherefore he stroke the boy on the necke with
his bow, that he lay for dead, and willed us to follow
him, who brought us into a great fielde, where we found
fresh water: hee bad us sit downe about the pond and
drinke, and he with his company would goe in the meane
space to kill five or sixe Deere, and bring them us. We
taryed there till three of the clocke, but they came not:
there one of our company whose name was John Cooke,
with foure other departed from us into a grove to seeke
reliefe, where presently they were taken by the Indians,
and stript as naked as ever they were borne, and so
returned to us.
Then we divided our selves into two parts, halfe to
Anthony Goddard, and the rest to James Collier, and thus
severally we sought for Panuco. Anthony Goddard with
his company, bid us farewell, they passed a river, where
the Indians robbed many of them of their clothes, and so
passing on their way, came to a stony hill, where they
stayed. James Collier with his company that day passed
the same river, and were also robbed, and one of them
slaine by chance: wee came that night unto the hill,
where Anthony Goddard and his company rested, there
we remained til morning, and then we marched altogether
from thence, entring betweene two groves, where the
Indians robbed us of all our clothes, and left us naked,
they hurt many, and killed eight of us. Three dayes
after we came to another river, there the Indians shewed
us the way to Panuco, and so left us: we passed the river
into the wildernes, where we made wreaths of greene
grasse, which we wound about our bodies, to keepe us
from the Sunne, and gnats of that Countrey. We
travelled there seven dayes, and seven nights, before wee
came to Panuco, feeding on nothing but roots, and
Guiavos, a fruit like figs. At our comming to the river
of Panuco two Spanish horsemen came over unto us in
a Canowe: they asked us how long we had bene in the
wildernesse, and where our generall was, for they knewe
us to be of the company that had fought with their
countrimen : we told them seven dayes and seven nights,
and for lacke of victuals our Generall set us on shore,
& he was gone away with his ships. They returned to
their Governour, who sent them with five Canowes to
bring us all over, which done, they set us in aray, where
a hundred horsemen with their lances, came forceably
upon us, but did not hurt us, they carried us prisoners to
Panuco, where we remained one night. In the river of
Panuco there is a fish like a calfe, the Spanyards call it a
Mallatin, hee hath a stone in his head, which the Indians
use for the disease of the Collicke, in the night he
commeth on land, and eateth grasse. I have eaten of it,
and it eateth not much unlike to bacon. From thence we
were sent to Mexico
, which is 90 leagues from Panuco.
In our way thither, 20 leagues from the sea side, I did
see white Crabs running up & downe the sands, I have
eaten of them, and they be very good meat. There
groweth a fruit which the Spanyards call Avocottes, it
is proportioned like an egge, and as blacke as a cole,
having a stone in it, and it is an excellent good fruit.
There also groweth a strange tree which they call
Magueis, it serveth them to many uses, below by the root
they make a hole, wherat they do take out of it twise
every day a certaine kind of licour, which they seeth in a
great kettle, till the third part be consumed, & that it wax
thick, it is as sweet as any hony, and they do eat it.
Within 20. daies after that they have taken al the licour
from it, it withereth, & they cut it down, & use it as we
use our hempe here in England
, which done, they convert
it to many uses: of some part they make mantles, ropes,
and threed: of the ends they make needles to sow their
saddles, pannels, & other furniture for their horses: of
the rest they make tyles to cover their houses, and they
put it to many other purposes.
And thus we came to Mexico
, which is seven or eight
miles about, seated in a great fen, invironed with 4 hils,
it hath but two wayes of entrance, and it is full of creeks,
in the which in their Canowes they passe from place to
place, & to the Islands there within. In the Indies
ordinarily three times a yeere bee wonderfull earthquakes,
which put the people in great feare and danger: during
the time of two yeeres that I was in Mexico
, I saw them
sixe times: when they come they throw downe trees,
houses, and Churches. There is a citie 25. leagues from
Mexico
, called Tlaxcalla, which is inhabited with a hundred
thousand Indians, they goe in white shirts, linnen
breeches, and long mantles, and the women weare about
them a garment much like unto a flannell petticote. The
kings pallace was the first place wee were brought unto
in Mexico
, where without we were willed to sit downe.
Much people, men, women, and children came wondring
about us, many lamented our misery, & some of their
clergy asked us if we were Christians, we said, we praised
God, we were as good Christians as they: they asked
how they might know that, we said, by our confessions.
From thence we were carried in a Canow
to a Tanners
house, which standeth a little from the citie: the next
morning two friers and two priests came thither to us,
and willed us to blesse our selves, and say our prayers in
the Latin tongue, that they might understand us, many
of our company did so, whereupon they returned to the
viceroy, and told him that we were good Christians, and
that they liked us well, and then they brought us much
reliefe, with clothes, our sicke men were sent to their
Hospitals, where many were cured, and many died. From
the Tanners house we were led to a gentlemans place,
where upon paine of death we were charged to abide, and
not to come into the citie, thither we had all things
necessary brought us: on Sundayes and holy dayes much
people came, and brought us great reliefe.
The viceroy practised to hang us, and caused a paire
of new gallowes to be set up, to have executed us,
wherunto the noblemen of that countrey would not
consent, but prayed him to stay until the ship of advise
brought newes from the king of Spaine, what should
be done with us, for they said they could not find any
thing by us, whereby they might lawfully put us to death.
The viceroy then commanded us to be sent to an
Island there by, and he sent for the Bishop of Mexico,
who sent foure priests to the Island, to examine and
confesse us, who said, that the viceroy would burne us,
when wee were examined and confessed according to the
lawes of the countrey. They returned to the Bishop, and
told him that we were very good Christians. The Bishop
certified the viceroy of our examinations and confessions,
and said that wee were good Christians, therefore he
would not meddle with us. Then the viceroy sent for our
master, R. Barret, whom he kept prisoner in his pallace,
untill the fleete was departed for Spayne. The rest of
us he sent to a towne seven leagues from Mexico
called
Tescuco, to card wooll among the Indian slaves, which
drudgery we disdained, and concluded to beat our masters,
and so wee did: wherefore they sent to the viceroy,
desiring him for Gods sake and our Ladies, to send for us,
for they would not keepe us any longer, they said that we
were devils and no men.
The viceroy sent for us, and imprisoned us in a house
in Mexico
, from thence he sent Anthony Goddard, &
some other of our company with him into Spaine, with
Lucon
, the General that tooke us: the rest of us staied in
Mexico
two yeres after, and then were sent prisoners into
Spaine, with Don Juan de Velasco de Varre, admirall and
generall of the Spanish fleet, who caried with him in his
ship, to be presented to the K. of Spaine, the anatomie of
a giant, which was sent from China
to Mexico
, to the
viceroy Don Martin Henriquez, to bee sent to the king
of Spaine for a great wonder. It did appere by the
anatomie, that he was of a monstrous size, the skull of
his head was neere as bigge as halfe a bushel, his neckebones, shoulder-plates, arme-bones, and all other lineaments of his other partes, were huge and monstrous to
behold, the shanke of his legge from the ankle to the knee
was as long as from any mans ankle up to his wast, and
of bignesse accordingly.
At this time, and in this ship, were also sent to be
presented to the king of Spaine, two chestes full of earth
with ginger growing in them, which were also sent from
China
, to be sent to the king of Spaine. The ginger
runneth in the ground like to liccoras, the blades grow
out of it in length and proportion like unto the blades of
wild garlicke, which they cut every fifteene dayes, they
use to water them twise a day, as we doe our herbes here
in England
, they put the blades in their pottage, and use
them in their other meates, whose excellent savour and
tast is very delightfull, and procureth a good appetite.
When we were shipped in the Port of S. John de Ullua,
the Generall called our master Robert Barret and us with
him into his cabbin, & asked us if wee would fight against
Englishmen if we met them at the sea, we said that we
would not fight against our Crowne, but if we met with
any other, we would do what we were able. He said if
we had said otherwise he would not have beleeved us,
and for that we should be the better used, and have
allowance as other men had: and he gave a charge to
every one of us, according unto our knowledge. Robert
Barret was placed with the pilote, I was put in the
gunners roome, William Cawse with the boat-swaine,
John Beare with the quarter-masters, Edward Rider, &
Geffrey Giles, with the ordinary mariners, Richard the
masters boy attended on him and the pilote: shortly after
we departed from the port of S. John de Ullua with all
the fleete of Spaine, for the port called Havana
: wee were
26. dayes sayling thither. There wee came in, ankered,
tooke in fresh water, and stayed 16. dayes for the fleete
of Nombre de Dios, which is the fleet that brings the
treasure from Peru
.
The Generall of that fleet was called Diego Flores de
Valdes. After his comming, when he had watred his
ships, both the fleetes joyned in one, and Don Juan de
Velasco de Varre was the first fifteen dates Generall of
both the fleets, who turning through the chanell of
Bahama, his pilote had like to have cast away all the fleet
upon the Cape called Cannaveral, which was prevented by
me John Hortop, & our master Robert Barret: for I
being in the second watch escried land, and called to
Robert Barret, bidding him looke over boord, for I saw
land under the lee-bow of the ship: he called to the boatswaine, & bid him let flie the fore saile sheat, and lay the
helm upon the lee, and cast the ship about. When we
were cast about, we were but in seven fathome water : we
shot off a piece, giving advice to the fleet to cast about,
and so they did. For this we were beloved of the
Generall, and all the fleet. The Generall was in a great
rage, and swore by the king, that he would hang his
pilote: for he said, that twise before he had almost cast
away the Admirall. When it was day, he commanded a
piece to be shot off, to call to councill: the other Admirall
in his ship came up to him, and asked what the matter
was, he said, that his pilote had cast away his ship and all
the fleet, had it not bene for two of the Englishmen, and
therefore he would hang him. The other Admirall with
many faire words perswaded him to the contrary.
When we came in the height of Bermuda
, we discovered a monster in the sea, who shewed himselfe three
times unto us from the middle upwards, in which parts
hee was proportioned like a man, of the complection of a
Mulato, or tawny Indian. The Generall did commaund
one of his clearks to put it in writing, and hee certified
the King and his Nobles thereof. Presently after this,
for the space of sixteene dayes we had wonderful foule
weather, and then God sent us a faire wind, untill such
time as we discovered the Iland called Faial
.
On S. James day we made rackets, wheeles, and other
fire-workes, to make pastime that night, as it is the order
of the Spanyards. When we came neere the land, our
master R. Barret conferred with us, to take the pinnesse
one night, when we came on the Iland called Tercera, to
free our selves from the danger and bondage that we were
going into, whereunto we agreed; none had any pinnesse
asterne then but our ship, which gave great courage to
our enterprise: we prepared a bagge of bread, and a
Botijo of water, which would have served us nine dayes,
and provided our selves to goe: our Master borrowed a
small compasse of the Master gunner of the ship, who
lent it him, but suspected his intent, and closely made the
Generall privy to it, who for a time dissembled the matter.
In the ende seeing our pretense, he called R. Barret,
commanding his head to bee put in the stocks, and a great
payre of yron bolts on his legs, & the rest of us to be set
in the stocks by the legs. Then he willed a peece to be
shot off, and hee sent the pinnesse for the other Admirall,
and all the captaines, masters and pilots of both fleetes to
come aboord of him. He commanded the mayne-yard to
be strooke downe, and to put 2. pullies, on every yardarme one; the hangman was called, and we were willed
to confesse our selves, for he swore by the king that he
would hang us.
When the other Admiral, and the rest were come
aboord, he called them into his counsel-chamber, and told
them that he would hang the master of the Englishmen,
and all his company. The Admirall, whose name was
Diego Flores de Valdes, asked him wherefore: he sayd,
that we had determined to rise in the night with the
pinnesse, and with a ball of fireworke to set the ship on
fire, and goe our wayes: therefore, sayd he, I will have
you the Captaines, Masters, and Pilotes, to set your hands
unto that, for I sweare by the king that I will hang them,
Diego Flores de Valdes answered, I nor the Captaines,
Masters, and Pilotes wil not set our hands to that, for
hee said, if he had bin prisoner as we were, he would
have done the like himselfe. He counselled him to keepe
us fast in prison, till he came into Spaine, & then send
us to the Contratation house in
Sivil, where, if we had
deserved death the law would passe on us, for hee would
not have it said that in such a fleet as that was, sixe men
and a boy should take the pinnesse, and goe away, and so
he returned to his ship againe.
When he was gone, the Generall came to the maine
mast to us, and swore by the king, that we should not
come out of the stocks til we came into Spaine: within
16 dayes after we came over the bar of S. Lucar, and came
up to the Hurcados, then he put us into a pinnesse in the
stocks, and sent us prisoners to the Contratation house
in
Sivill. From thence after one yere we brake prison,
on S. Stevens day at night, 7. of our company escaped,
Robert Barret, I Job Hortop, John Emerie, Humphrey
Roberts, and John Gilbert were taken, and brought backe
to the contratation house, where we remained in the stocks
till twelfe tide was past. Then our keeper put up a
petition to the Judge of the contratation house, that we
might be sent to the great prison house in
Sivill, for that
we broke prison, whereupon we were presently led thither,
where we remained one moneth, and then from thence, to
the castell of the Inquisition house in Triana
, where wee
continued one yere: which expired, they brought us out
in procession, every one of us having a candle in his hand,
and the coate with S. Andrewes crosse on our backs:
they brought us up on an high scaffold, that was set up
in the place of S. Francis, which is in the chiefe street of
Sivill: there they set us downe upon benches, every one
in his degree, and against us on another scaffold sate all
the Judges, and the Clergy on their benches: the people
wondered, and gazed on us, some pittying our cases, other
said, burne those heretikes. When we had sit there two
houres, we had a sermon made to us: after which one
called Bresinia, secretarie to the Inquisition, went up into
the pulpit with the processe, and called Robert Barret
and John Gilbert, whom two familiars of the Inquisition
brought from the scaffold before the Judges, where the
secretarie read the sentence, which was that they should
be burnt, and so they returned to the scaffold, and were
burnt.
Then I Job Hortop, and John Bone were called, and
brought to the place, as before, where we heard our
sentence, which was, that we should go to the Gallies,
and there row at the oares ende ten yeeres, and then to
be brought backe to the Inquisition house, to have the
coate with S. Andrewes crosse put on our backs, and
from thence to goe to the everlasting prison remedilesse,
and so we were returned from the scaffold from whence
we came. Thomas Marks, & Thomas Ellis were called,
and had sentence to serve in the Galleys eight yeeres,
and Humphrey Roberts, and John Emery to serve five
yeeres, & so were returned to the benches on the scaffold,
where we sate till foure of clocke in the afternoone. Then
we were led againe to the Inquisition house, from whence
we were brought. The next day in the morning Bresinia
the treasurer came thither to us, and delivered to every
one of us his sentence in writing. I with the rest were
sent to the Gallies, where we were chained foure and foure
together: every mans daily allowance was 26. ounces of
course blacke bisket and water, our clothing for the whole
yeere two shirts, two paire of breeches of course canvas,
a red coat of course cloth, soone on, and soone off, and a
gowne of haire with a friers hood: our lodging was on the
bare boords, and banks of the Gallies, our heads and
beards were shaven every month, hunger, thirst, cold,
and stripes we lacked none, til our several times expired.
And after the time of 12. yeeres, for I served two yeeres
above my sentence, I was sent backe to the Inquisition
house in
Sivill, and there having put on the coat with
S. Andrewes crosse, I was sent to the everlasting prison
remedilesse, where I wore the coat 4. yeres, & then upon
great suit, I had it taken off for 50 duckets, which Hernando de Soria treasurer of the kings mint lent me,
whom I served for it as a drudge 7. yeres, and until the
moneth of October last, 1590, and then I came from Sivill
to S. Lucar, where I made meanes to come away in a flieboat, that was laden with wines and salt, which were
Flemings goods, the king of Spaines subjects, dwelling
in
Sivil, maried to Spanish women, and sworne to their
king. In this moneth of October last, departing from
S. Lucar, at sea, off the southermost Cape, we met an
English ship, called the Galeon Dudley, who took the
Flemming, & me out of him, & brought me to Portsmouth
, where they set me on land, the 2. day of
December last past, 1590. From thence I was sent by
M. Muns the lieutenant of Portsmouth
, with letters to
the R. honorable the Earle of Sussex, who commanded
his secretary to take my name and examination, how
long I had bene out of England
, and with whom I went,
which he did. And on Christmas even I took my leave of
his honor, and came to Redriffe.
The Computation of my imprisonment.
I suffered imprisonment in Mexico
two yeeres.
In the Contratation house in
Sivill one yeere.
In the Inquisition house in Triana
one yeere.
I was in the Gallies twelve yeeres.
In the everlasting prison remediles, with the coat with
S. Andrews crosse on my back 4. yeres.
And at libertie I served as a drudge Hernando de
Soria 3. yeeres, which is the full complement of 23.
yeeres.
Since my departure from England
, untill this time of
my returne, I was five times in great danger of death,
besides the many perils I was in, in the Gallies.
First in the Port of S. John de Ullua, where being on
shore, with many other of our company, which were all
slaine saving I, and two other that by swimming got
aboord the Jesus of Lubek.
Secondly, when we were robbed by the wild Indians.
Thirdly, after we came to Mexico
, the viceroy would
have hanged us.
Fourthly, because he could not have his mind to hang
us, he would have burnt us.
Fiftly, the Generall that brought us into Spaine, would
have hanged us at sea.
Thus having truely set downe unto you my travels,
misery and dangers, endured the space of 23. yeeres, I
ende.
