o

597 -

Eliz. Naval Expeditions , 6c c of the English, Book If-

“ other three great Ships of ours, to de-“ fire them to attempt the cutting their“ Cables; But Sir Francis Fere rather“ wished his coming off, that they“ might take a Resolution what to do :“ This must be rather imputed toWant“ of Experience than Backwardness in" him; For Sir William sent him Word,“ that if he quitted the Harbour, the“ Ships would tow near the Castle, and" as the Night drew on, the Wind,c would freshen and come more off the" Land ; Which indeed proved so, and“ we above a League from the Road,“ in the Morning.

“We ma y fay, and that truly, there" was never that Possibility to have“ undone the State of Spain as now ;" For every Ryal of Plate we had ta-“ ken in this Fleet had been two to“ them, by our converting it by War“ upon them.

" No Man can receive Blame here-**’ by but the Want of Experience in“ my Lord, and his flexible Nature to“ be overruled ; For, the first Hour he<e anchored at Flares, and called a Coun-te cil, Sir William Monfon advised him," and upon the Reasons following; viz.** After his Watering, to run West," spreading his Fleet North and South,“ so far as the Eastern Wind that then“ blew would carry them : Alledging,“ that if the India- Fleet came home“ thatYear, by Computation of the last" light Moon, from which Time their“ disemboguing in the Indies , must be“ reckoned, they could not be above“ two Hundred Leagues short of that“ Island, and whensoever the Wind" should chop up Westerly, in a few" Days, (he bearing a flack Sail) they" would overtake him, if they were to" come home.

“ This Advice my Lord seemed to“ take; But he was diverted by divers" Gentlemen, who, coming principal-“ ly for Land-Service, found themselves“ tired with the Tediousness of the Sea:“ It is certain, if my Lord had follow-“ ed his Advice, within less than forty“ Hours he had made the Queen Ow-“ ner of thatFleet; For, by the Pilot’s“ Card, which was taken in the Frigat,“ the Spanijh Fleet was but fifty Lea-<c gues in Traverse with that Easternr< Wind, when my Lord was at Flores-,ts Which made my Lord wish, the first“ Time Sir William Monfon repairedV unto him, after the Escape of the

" Fleet, that he had lost his Hand, so i ^" he had been ruled by him.

" Being met aboard Sir Francis“ Fere, as you have heard, he desired" to consult, what to do ; We resolv-" ed to acquaint my Lord with what“ had happened, desiring his Presence“ with us to be an Eye-witness if there" were any Possibility to attempt the" Shipping, or to surprize the Island,

" and so possess the Treasure.

“My Lord received this Advertise-“ ment, just as he was ready with bis“ Troops to have landed in St. Mi-“ chad's y But this Message diverted his" Landing, and made him presently“ cast about for the Island of Tercera,

“ where we lay all this while expect-“ ing his Coming; In his Course from“ St. Michael's , it was his Hap to take“ three Ships that departed the Havana,

“ the Day after the Fleet; which three“ Ships did more than countervail the“ Expence of the whole Voyage.

“ A Tmy Lord’s Meeting with us, at“ Hercera, there was a Consultation,how“ the Enemy’s Ships might be fetched“ off or destroyed, as they lay; But“ all Men, with one Consent, declared“ the Impossibility of it. The attempt-tf ing the Island was then propounded,

“ but withstood for these Reasons ;

“ The Difficulty in Landing; the“ Strength of the Island, which was“ increased by fourteen or fifteen Hun-“ dred Soldiers in the Ships, and the“ Want of Victuals in us, to abide the“ Siege. Seing then that we were frii-“ strated of any Hopes at Tercera we“ resolved upon Landing at St. Mi- t“ chael's , and arrived in Punta Ddga-“ da, the chief City. The Day fol-“ lowing, my Lord imbarked his small“ Army in Boats, with Osier to land,

“ and having thereby drawn their“ greatest Forces thither to resist him,

“ suddenly he rowed to Villa Franca,

“ three or four Leagues distant from ,tc them ; which he took, it not being.

“ defended by the Enemy. The Ships“ had Order to abide in the Road os,

" Delgada , for that my Lord made Ac- r

count to march thither by Land; But“ being ashoar at Filla Franca, and the<f March impossible, as he was told,

“ by Reason of the high and craggy“ Mountains, he altered his Purpose.

" Victuals now grew short in ma-ny Places ; And my . Lord General >

“ began discreetly to foresee the Dan-

tf g er