then, as they were driven to come near me, and inforced to range their sides towards me, I bestowed a benediction amongst them. But the St. Philip, the great and famous Admiral of Spain, was the mark I shot at; esteeming those galleys but as wasps in respect of the powerfulness of the other; and being resolved to be revenged for the Revenge, or to second her with mine own life, I came to anchor by the gallions; of which the Philip and Andrew were two that boarded the Revenge. I was formerly commanded not to board, but was promised fly-boats, in which, after I had battered a while, I resolved to joyn unto them. My Lord THOMAS came to anchor by me, on the one hand, with the Lyon; the Mary Rose, on the other, with the Dreadnaught; the Marshal,1 toward the side of Puntall; and towards ten of the clock, my Lord General ESSEX, being impatient to abide far off, hearing so great thunder of ordnance, thrust up through the fleet, and headed all those on the left hand, coming to anchor next unto me on that side; and afterward came in the Swiftsure, as near as she could. Always I must, without glory, say for myself, that I held single in the head of all. Now, after we had beat, as two buts, one upon another almost three hours (assuring your Honour that the volleys of cannon and culverin came as thick as if it had been a skirmish of musketeers), and finding myself in danger to be sunk in the place, I went to my Lord General in my skiff, to desire him that he would inforce the promised fly-boats to come up, that I might board; for as I rid, I could not endure so great battery any long time. My Lord General was then coming up himself; to whom I declared that if the fly-boats came not, 1 Sir Francis Vere. LETTER LXIX. 1596. LETTER 1596. I would board with the Queen's ship; for it was the same loss to burn, or sink, for I must endure the one. The Earl finding that it was not in his power to command fear, told me that, whatsoever I did, he would second me in person, upon his honour. My Lord Admiral, having also a disposition to come up at first, but the river was so choked as he could not pass with the Ark, came up in person into the Nonpereill, with my Lord THOMAS. While I was thus speaking with the Earl, the Marshal, who thought it some touch to his great esteemed valour to ride behind me so many hours, got up ahead my ship; which my Lord THOMAS perceiving headed him again;—my self being but a quarter of an hour absent. At my return, finding my self from being the first to be but the third, I presently let slip anchor, and thrust in between my Lord THOMAS and the Marshal, and went up further ahead than all them before, and thrust my self athwart the channel; so as I was sure none should outstart me again, for that day. My Lord General ESSEX, thinking his ship's side stronger than the rest, thrust the Dreadnaught aside, and came next the Warspight on the left hand; ahead all that rank, but my Lord THOMAS. The Marshal, while we had no leisure to look behind us, secretly fastened a rope on my ship's side towards him, to draw himself up equally with me; but some of my company advertizing me thereof, I caused it to be cut off, and so he fell back into his place; whom I guarded, all but his very prowe, from the sight of the enemy. Now if it please you to remember, that having no hope of my fly-boats to board, and that the Earl and my Lord THOMAS both promised to second me, I laid out a warp by the side of the Philip to shake hands with her (for with the wind we could not get aboard): which when she and the rest perceived, finding also that the Repulse (seeing mine) began to do the like, and the RearAdmiral my Lord THOMAS, they all let slip, and ran aground, tumbling into the sea heaps of souldiers, so thick as if coals had been powred out of a sack in many ports at once; some drowned and some sticking in the mud. The Philip and the St. Thomas burnt themselves: the St. Matthew and the St. Andrew were recovered with our boats ere they could get out to fire them. The spectacle was very lamentable on their side; for many drowned themselves; many, half burnt, leapt into the water; very many hanging by the ropes' ends by the ships' side, under the water even to the lips; many swimming with grievous wounds, strucken under water, and put out of their pain; and withal so huge a fire, and such tearing of the ordnance in the great Philip, and the rest, when the fire came to them, as, if any man had a desire to see Hell itself, it was there most lively figured. Our selves spared the lives of all, after the victory; but the Flemmings, who did little or nothing in the fight, used merciless slaughter, till they were by my self, and afterward by my Lord Admiral, beaten off.1 The ships that abode the fight in the morning till ten aclock, were the Warspight, the Nonpareill, the Lyon, the Mary Rose, the Rainbow, and the Dreadnaught. To 1 The Spanish account, after describing the entry of Ralegh's squadron into the Bay, goes on to describe the retreat of the Spanish fleet under the fort of Puntal, and then proceeds thus: ".... quedando en la boca del los dichos galeones y las galeras, se fueron arrimando á ellos los mayores navios del inglés, y se han acañoneado pasadas de cuatra horas con tanta fuerza de artilleria que los galeones San Felipe y San Andrés queriendo virar para entrar mas adentro se quedaron en seco, y asi se han perdido, echandose á nado la gente dellos, y los ingleses pegaron fuego á Sant Felipe y lo mismo harán de los demás," &c.-Duke of Medina Sidonia to the King of Spain; Puerto Real, 1 Julio, 1596 [21st June, O. S.]. LETTER LXIX. 1596. LETTER 1596. second these came up the Earl and the Swiftsure; and these were all that did ought against six goodly gallions, two argosies, three frigots, seventeen galleys, and the Fort of Puntall, backed by the Admiral of Nueva Espana, and others; in all, fifty-five or fifty-seven. This being happily finished, we prepared to land the army, and to attempt the town; in which there were, of all sorts, some five thousand foot burgers, one hundred and fifty souldiers in pay, and some eight hundred horse of the gentry and cavalleros of Xerez, gathered together upon the discovery of our fleet two days before, while we were becalmed off Cape St. Mary. The horsemen sallied out to resist the landing; but were so well withstood that they most took their way toward the bridge which leadeth into the Main, called Puento Souse; the rest retired to the town, and so hardly followed, as they were driven to leave their horses at the port (which the inhabitants durst not open, to let them in), and so they leapt down an old wall into the suburbs; and being so closely followed by the vanguard of our footmen, as, when the General perceived an entrance there, he thought it was possible for ours to do the like; upon which occasion the town was carried with a sudden fury, and with little loss; only Sir JOHN WINGFEILD was slain; Sir EDWARD WINGFEILD, Captain BAGNOLL, and Captain MEDICK hurt; other men of quality, few or none. For the particular behaviours of any that entered, I cannot otherwise deliver than by report; for I received a grievous blow in my leg, interlaced and deformed with splinters, in the fight. Yet, being desirous to see every man's disposition, I was carried ashoar on men's shoulders; and as soon as my horse was recovered, my Lord Admiral sent one unto me, but I was not able to jabide above an hour in the town, for the torment I suffered, and for the fear I had to be shouldred in the press, and among the tumultuous disordered soldiers, that, being then given to spoyl and rapine, had no respect. The same night I returned; chiefly for that there was no Admiral left to order the Fleet, and indeed few or no people in the Navy; all running headlong to the sack; and, secondly, because I was unfit for ought but ease at that time. At the break of day following, I sent to the General to have order to follow the fleet of ships bound for the Indies; which were said to be worth twelve millions, and lay in Puerto Reall road, where they could not escape. But, the town new taken, and the confusion great, it was almost impossible for them to order many things at once; so as I could not receive any answer to my desire. The afternoon of the same day, those which were merchants of Cales and Sevil offered the Generals two millions to spare the fleet; whereupon there was nothing done for the present. But the morning following, being the twenty-third of June, the Duke of MEDINA caused all that fleet of merchants to be set on fire; because he was resolved that they must needs have fallen into our hands; so as now both gallions, frigots, argosies, and all other ships of war, together with the fleet of Nueva Espagna, were all committed into ashes; only the St. Matthew and the St. Andrew were in our possession. Much of the ordnance of the St. Philip hath been saved by the Flemmings, who have had great spoil. There is imbarked good store of ordnance out of the town; and the two Apostles aforesaid are well furnished, which (God willing) we purpose to bring into England. The town of Cales was very rich in merchandize, in plate, and money; many rich prisoners given to the land commanders; so as that sort are very rich. Some had LETTER LXIX. 1596. |