212

Eliz, Naval Expeditions , &c gs the English, Boole $

Is 8^. In this Distress, some of them be-sought the Captain to lay his Commandon his Men, to give over the Fight;But his Answer was; " That such was“ the Courage of the English Na-

“ TION in'DEFENCE OF THEIR LlVES

" and Liberties, that they would" make no Scruple of killing him," with them, if he should offer to“ curb their Fury.” Their Deck wasnow covered with Spaniards, dead orwounded, which lay weltring, or ra-ther swimming in their own Blood;While their Companions, who were notyet entered, were glad, as fast as theyboarded, to retire again, by jumpingeither into their Boats , or into theSea, with the faint and uncertain Hopesof recovering the Shoar.

In short, by one Means or other,the Ship was, in a very little Time,Most of the cleared of them, and, tho’ they never

Spaniards knew the certain Number, it was veryeither kil - 1 • i i ^ i r J

lei , drown- P lain > b 7 the g reat . man 7 the 7 sawed or taken, struggling for their Lives, on the Sur-face of the Ocean, that very few e-scaped, to give an Account on Shoar,what was become of their Companions.Four of them endeavouring to scram-ble up the Ship's Side, the Captain tookPity of them, and perceiving they wereall wounded, ordered them to be takenon Board, and their Wounds to be dres-sed by the Surgeon, not knowing thenwho they were ; But it afterwards ap-peared, that one of them was the Cor-regidor himself; and that they had allstuffed their Bosoms with Paper, think-ing thereby to avoid the Force of theEnemy’s small Shot.

After this gallant Action, in whicheight and twenty Englishmen gained socompleat a Victory over ninety-sevenSpaniards , with the Loss of one Manonly killed, and fix wounded, CaptainFoster saw it was in vain 30 stay anylonger: And, therefore, preferring asmall Evil to a greater, tho’ he hadalready landed upwards of twenty Tunsof Goods, and had then two Men onShoar, set Sail, with all Expedition,and, putting up with that Loss, there-by saved his Ship and the Remainder ofhis Cargo.

'she Ship re- He arrived at London, on the eighthturns, with os J une and brought the Corregidor,ners/nSafe- a nd bis other Spanish Prisoners, withty to Lon- him ; tho’ they offered him a consider-con. able Sum to be set on Shoar, in any o-ther Place. The Corregidor, beingasked, during the Voyage, what had

induced him to deal thus treacherouslyby the Engli/h, who were then in Ami-ty with the Spaniards, produced a Com-mission from the King of Spain, forwhat he had done. Of which, as it wasone of the Motives to an ensuing Rup-ture, and sufficiently justifies the Queen’sConduct, I shall give my Readers aTranslation.

The King of Spain’r Commission fora General Embargo to be laid onthe English, &c. dire fled to HisMaj eftfs Corregidor of the Signory ofBiscay.

" I have caused a great Fleet to be" put in Readiness, in the Haven of **

" Lisbon, and in the River of Sevil fall“ And there is required, for the Sol- Ships.

“ diets. Armour, Victuals, and Muni-" tion, which are to be employed in" the fame great Store of Shipping, of" all Sorts, against the Time of Service;

" And to the End there may be Choice" made of the best, upon Knowledge" of their Quantities and Qualities; I" do, therefore, require you, that im-" mediately after the Arrival of this" Courier, and with as much Djslimu-" lation as may be, (that your Design" may not be known, ’till it be put intc Execution,) that you give Orders for" the Stopping and Arresting (with all" possible Foresight) all the Shipping" that shall be found upon the Coast,

" and in the Ports of the said Signory,

" excepting none, of Holland, Zealand,

" Eafterland, Germany, England, and" other Provinces, that are in Rebel-" lion against me, saving those of" France, which, being of small Bur-tc den and no Force, are deemed unfit" for the Service.

“And they being, in this Manner,

" stop’d, you are to have especial Care" that such Merchandizes, as the said" Ships or Hulks have brought, whe-" ther they be all or Part unladen, may,

" he taken out, and that the Armour,Munition, Tackling, Sails, and Pro-visions, may be safely bestowed;

" -Amd a ls 0 that y OU have Care, thatnone of the said Ships, or their Men,

" e scape. All which Things beingthus executed, you are to advise Me,

" hy a Messenger sent express for thatPurpose, of your Proceedings there-in ; And you are to fend Me a plainand distinct Declaration of the Num-ber of Ships, which you shall have,

" in