and loyal subjects, as with their own immediate interest.
110 ENGLISH SEAMEN
Still less were Englishmen likely to consider, what certainly
was the case, that some of the Dutch, who thus endeavoured
to save Portuguese property from the privateers, were Jews
of Portuguese birth or blood, trading with their brethren who
secretly held the same faith, and many of whom were desirous
of removing themselves, as well as their property, from a land
where they were in perpetual danger of the Inquisition.
Least of all did our licensed sea rovers make allowance for
the views of commercial men, who, in continuing a long-
established trade with their old connections, had fair intentions,
though they were compelled to use false colours, and knew
that the commerce which they carried on was beneficial to
their own Government, and, in fact, received from that Govern-
ment all the secret encouragement that it could give.*
* Charnock, who hated the Dutch, says the rapid progress of their
naval power "was effected by a steady and uniform perseverance in one
system, from which they never suffered themselves to be diverted for a
single moment by any supposed and imaginary evil attendant on the
prosecution of it. This fundamental principle (for so it might truly be
deemed, being the point or centre stone from whence all their maxims of
government sprang, and on which alone, according to the mode in which
the fabric was constructed, they depended for support) consisted in an
unalterable resolution, that public hostilities should never be permitted,
even for a single moment, to interrupt private commerce. So completely
bigoted were the people and the Government to this opinion, that in the
very height of the war the Dutch vessels entered the Spanish ports with
their commodities (the want of which would have distressed their enemies
extremely) with as much cordiality and unconcern as though they had
been in perfect amity with them. They are even reported to have carried
this idea, which by all other nations has been deemed extravagant and
improper, to such an extent, as to have supplied their antagonists with
ammunition and stores of different kinds, which, had they not obtained
from some quarter or other, it would not have been possible for them to
have carried on the war " (Hist, of Marine Arch., ii., 168).
Charnock did not perceive how much might be alleged in defence of
the system which he thus condemns ; and he has altogether overlooked
the other motives noticed in the text, powerfully as they must have
influenced the Dutch at that time.
THE EARL OF CUMBERLAND 111
Proceeding to the coast of Spain, the earl " took good
purchase," but to little profit. One prize, laden with sugar
from St. Thomas's, he was forced to cast off because of an
irremediable leak : another, which he sent for England, was,
after long contrary winds, compelled to put into Corunna for
want of victuals, and his men to render themselves to the
enemy's mercy. He was not more fortunate with the spices
which had been taken from the Hollanders. These were put
on board a ship for England, the squadron convoyed her to
the Berlings, from whence Captain Monson, who was on
board, was to see her safely despatched. But the other ships
did not observe the directions given them : the night fell
calm ; and in the morning six galleys from Peniche, seeing
that this vessel was at a distance from her companions, and
that, by reason of the calm, they could not come up to her
assistance, attacked her. A brave resistance was made : but
Captain Bayly and the principal men being slain, both ship
and spices were taken ; and Monson, with all the others who
survived, made prisoners. Luckily for himself, Monson, but a
little before, having surprised two vessels, merely for the sake
of obtaining information, had let them go again without
offering any injury to the people on board. His reason for
dismissing the ships was, that they w,ere not worth taking ;
but the men, thankful for their deliverance, made a favourable
report of the usage which they had received at his hand,*
and he now found the benefit of this good character.
" Whether it was," he says, " the respect they had to the
queen's ship, which was admiral of that fleet, or honour to
my lord that commanded it, or hope by good usage of our
men to receive the like again, I know not ; but true it is, that
the ordinary men were treated with more courtesy than they
had been from the beginning of thewar."t Some effect may
also have been produced by a letter which the earl sent to
* Monson, 460. t Ibid., 164.
112 ENGLISH SEAMEN
the Archduke Albert, at that time Governor of Portugal,
requesting that the prisoners might be well used ; and
intimating that upon their treatment would depend that of
the Spaniards and Portuguese, "of whom, he presumed, he
should take store ".* This led to an agreement, by which
the other prisoners were released upon terms, for the per-
formance of which Monson was detained as hostage.
The intelligence which the earl had obtained was of some
importance. The Spaniards had, with great exertions, fitted
out a formidable fleet.t As soon as he learnt this, he
despatched one of his ships with the advice to Lord Thomas
Howard, who was then off the Western Islands, waiting to
intercept the West Indian fleet ; and it arrived just in time to
put him upon his guard, and enable him to avoid the danger. J
But having sent off this vessel, and being weakened by the
loss of another with its crew, and especially finding the
queen's ship " but ill of sail, it being the first voyage she had
had to sea, he durst not abide the coast of Spain, but thought
it more discretion to return to England. Thus ended the
third of his maritime adventures, and nothing whatever was
taken in it toward defraying the great charges of its outfit."
The naval history of England is so much beholden to Sir
William Monson that it would be treating him with ingratitude,
as well as disrespect, if the story of his captivity were pretermitted.
For some months he was kept on board the galleys at Cascaes
and Lisbon, which "was most grievous to him" ; and while
lying in the Tagus, he planned means of escaping, by aid of a
good-natured Dutchman, the master of a Dutch vessel, which
had come from Brazil ; " for at that time the Portuguese
freighted Holland ships in most of their long voyages, though
they pretended to be in war one with another ". The war,
* Purchas, iv., 1144.
t " Little inferior," Monson says, " to that of 1588."
\ Monson, 163, 164. Purchas, 1144.
THE EARL OF CUMBERLAND 113
however, was more than a pretence, as both nations found to
their cost, and nowhere more dearly than in Brazil itself. But
the day before this scheme was to have been put in execution,
the galleys were ordered to sea. In September, when the
galleys were commonly laid up for the winter, he and eight
other Englishmen were sent to the castle at Lisbon, " there
to be imprisoned till a course was taken for their redemption ".
Each man had for his maintenance a daily allowance of 1\d.,
"A proportion," he says, "that did not equal three-pence
according to the rate of things in England". The humanities
of war will always be in proportion to the established standard
of military honour, one as it were regulating the other ; and
in wars which are exasperated by religious hatred both are
disregarded. Monson and his comrades in captivity were
closely confined all the time of their imprisonment ; only in
the morning they resorted to the castle walls, with a guard
of soldiers, even decent privacy being refused them. " It
happened," says this officer, " on St. Andrew's Day, being
upon the walls at our usual hour, we beheld a great galleon
of the king's turning up the river in her fighting sails, being
sumptuously decked with ancients, streamers, and pendants,
with all other ornaments, to show her bravery. She let fly
all her ordnance in a triumphant manner for the taking Sir
Richard Grenville in the Revenge, at the Island of Flores,
she being one of that fleet, and the first voyage she ever
made. I confess it was one of the greatest and sorrowfullest
sights that ever my eyes beheld, to see the cause the
Spaniards had to boast, and no remedy in me to revenge it
but in my tongue." He expressed, however, to his country-
men a hope of such future comfort, and offered to give them
one on condition of receiving ten, should he live to be at the
taking of that triumphal galleon : its name was not likely to
escape his memory, for it was St. Andrew, and some of the
gala bravery which he attributed to the joy of this victory was
no doubt intended in honour of its patron saint upon his
114 ENGLISH SEAMEN
festival. This passed only as an idle desire to see his word
come to effect : to effect, however, it came, five years after-
wards, in the Cadiz expedition ; for the St. Andrew was one of
the five galleons which were run ashore, and one of the two
that were brought off by the conquerors, and Monson com-
manded in the boat that saved and took possession of her.*
A Portuguese, by name Manoel Fernandes, was at this
time a prisoner in the castle. He had been in the service of
the prior, Don Antonio, and having emigrated with him, had
returned, as his emissary, to encourage the hopes of his party,
and prepare them for taking up arms in his favour when
opportunity might offer : in this he was discovered, and must
have suffered death, if influence and money, which have
always been all but all-powerful in Portugal, had not been
employed with such effect in his behalf that, after seven years'
imprisonment, he was now on the point of being enlarged.
Among the persons who visited him in prison was a pilot, who
was usually employed to meet the Indian fleets, with letters
directing them what course they should hold, according as
information had been obtained concerning the English
cruisers. It occurred to Monson that, by means of Fernandes,
it might be possible to corrupt this man, and give such
intelligence to the queen's ships, as should enable them to
fall in with the treasure fleet. He made no scruple of pro-
posing this design to Fernandes, whose political feelings were
in no degree mitigated either by time or the mercy that had
been shown him ; and the pilot, who, if he were an Antonian
at heart, would be hardly the less villain for betraying his
trust, entered into the scheme. Monson then wrote letters to
Lord Burleigh, and to the lord admiral, informing them of
the train which he had thus laid. As he had a page who
was allowed to wait on him in his confinement this boy was
to convey the letters, and they were secreted in the soles of
* Monson, 466.
THE EARL OF CUMBERLAND 115
his shoes. Unfortunately for all parties, Monson had been
obliged to use an Englishman as an interpreter. No English-
man could then reside in Portugal unless he professed the
Portuguese religion ; and this person thought that he consulted
best for his conscience and safety, and interest at the same time,
by disclosing the plot. The boy was seized, and marched to
Belem Castle, through one of those violent rains, which can
hardly be imagined by those who have never witnessed
them : to that rain both he and his master were indebted for
their lives ; for it was not till they had lodged their prisoner
at Belem that they ripped the soles of his shoes, and the
letters had by that time been so thoroughly soaked that they
were quite illegible, so that no proof whatever could be drawn
from them.
The Government, however, had such good reason for
believing the informer's story, that they proceeded against
Fernandes for his old treason, and a day was appointed for
executing his sentence of death. He consulted with Monson,
and was provided with a cudgel and a rope : by fixing the
cudgel across two of the battlements of the wall, he might
let himself down by the rope, and thus, it was hoped, take
sanctuary in a church hard by : but upon closer inquiry it was
found that this could not be done in the day-time. They
then called to mind, that over the room in which he lay was
a chamber wherein soldiers had been lodged, but which had
been just left unoccupied. They cut a trap door through the
ceiling of the one room, which was the floor of the other ;
and when night came, Fernandes, who had procured a scab-
bard and a wooden sword, ventured from the upper apart-
ment, passed through the guards, who seeing the sword by
his side took him for a soldier, to the wall, let himself down,
and reached a place of concealment. Ere long the watch,
or round as it is called, passing about the castle, espied the
rope by which he had descended ; the alarm was given ; the
prisoners were questioned ; all agreed that Monson was the
116 ENGLISH SEAMEN
likeliest person to have been privy to the escape, and Monson
accordingly was brought before a judge to be examined on
the following morning. Every artifice was used that could
either intimidate or tempt him to confess his part of the trans-
action ; but he denied all knowledge of it ; pretended that it
was impossible for him to plot with a man with whom he
could carry on no conversation, because each was ignorant of
the other's language ; and argued, that if he had done what
he was accused of it could not be deemed an offence, for not
having come into that land by his own will to carry on any
designs against the state, but having been brought there as a
prisoner of war, it was lawful for him to seek his own liberty,
and to neglect no occasion wherein he might do service to
his own prince and country. They could prove nothing
against him that deserved punishment by the universal law of
honour and arms ; and he bade them be wary what violence
they offered him, for he had friends in England, and was of a
nation that both could and would revenge any cruelty that
might be used towards him. The boldest defence was the
best, and Monson took the right ground when he spoke of
the strength and spirit of the English people ; though the
plea would have availed little if Fernandes had been taken,
for he had provided him with a letter addressed to all English
captains at sea ; the design being that the fugitive should put
himself into a fishing-boat and look out for a man-of-war to
transport him to England. When the judge found that
nothing could be drawn from him, he was remanded to the
castle, with orders to be more strictly watched : no violence
was used towards him, but no art left unattempted by which
he might be entrapped.
Fernandes had faithful friends : among them he was con-
cealed till the eagerness of the search for him had abated, and
means could be taken for engaging a fishing-boat. At length
he embarked, but with such ill fortune, that, having been a
fortnight at sea without meeting an English ship, and wearied
THE EARL OF CUMBERLAND 117
with sea-sickness, he was forced to return to shore, where he
"lived some time among poor shepherds and herdsmen/' till
he thought that, disfigured as he was by fatigue, and sufferings,
and exposure, and disguised also, he might venture to show
himself, and ask alms. It so happened, however, that he
begged at the house of one who had been fellow-prisoner
with him. This person recognised him, and immediately
called a servant ; and Fernandes, not waiting to ascertain with
what intention his old comrade had done this, ran into the
church thereby, and took sanctuary, thus betraying himself
by his own fears. Information was immediately despatched
to the cardinal prince, and he, paying no regard to the
sanctuary, ordered him to be reconveyed to his old lodging in
the castle ; the law then proceeded against him, and he was
condemned to death, not without grief to many of the
beholders ; for Monson says : " He was a man of much good-
ness and great charity ". The day of execution arrived, the
last acts of religion were perfonned, and he was brought out
of prison "with a winding-sheet lapped bandelier fashion
about him ". Many gathered around to give him their last
adieu ; and on taking leave of the soldiers he requested that
in return for all his former kindness to them, one of them
would with all speed hasten to the Misericordia, and inform
the brethren of that institution of the injury done to God,
themselves, and the Holy Church, by taking perforce a
penitent sinner out of sanctuary. Fernandes had made him-
self so well liked during his long imprisonment, that happy
was he who could make most speed upon this errand ; and
some of the brethren making no delay hastened on horseback
to the place of execution, " where they found poor Senhor
Fernandes ready to commend his spirit to God, and the
hangman as ready to perform his office ". Their interference
was effectual, under a Government which implicitly conformed
to whatever was required of it in the name of the Church ;
and thus his life was saved. Before this occurred Monson had
118 ENGLISH fSEAMEN
been released ; the conditions, for the performance of which
he was detained in pledge, having been performed.*
The queen had given command " not to lay any Spanish
vessel aboard with her ships, lest both might together be
destroyed by fire '' ; and in this injunction the earl found so
much inconvenience, that he chose rather "to seek out
amongst the merchants than to make further use of the ships
royal ". So he hired the Tiger of 600 tons, for 300/. a month
wages, in which, and with his own ship the Samson, the
Golden Noble, and two small vessels, he set forth. The winds
proved so adverse, that three months' victuals were spent in
harbours before they could get to the westward of Plymouth.
This frustrated his chief design, which was to intercept the
outward-bound carracks, and it consumed also the stores
that had been provided for a West India voyage : the earl
therefore transferred the command to Captain Norton, with
orders to go for the Azores, and returned to London. The
voyage proved a most eventful one. They called at Flores,
where the English cruisers used to take in water and refresh-
ments at will, because the islanders had no means of resisting
them ; learning there that the homeward-bound East India
ships must be near, they spread themselves in quest, and ere
long came in sight of the Santa Cruz, which was some days'
sail a-head of her comrades. The Portuguese made all sail
for Angra ; and the pursuers, when within half a league of
her, discovered an English ship standing to cross her way, so
that she was fain to luff up, the wind being westerly, and
make for the road of Lagens on the south of the Isle of
Flores. The English vessel proved to be the Roebuck of 200
tons, Sir John Burroughs, commander, the admiral of a
squadron which Raleigh had fitted out. The wind soon fell,
so as not to yield breath for spreading a sail ; and, as no way
could then be made on either side, Burroughs took his boat
* Monson, 461, 462.
THE EARL OF CUMBERLAND 119
and rowed near enough the enemy to ascertain what she was,
of what burden, force, and countenance ; having " made her
exactly/' he consulted with Norton, and they agreed to board
her in the morning. A storm in the night forced them all
to weigh anchor. " Yet their care was such in wrestling with
the weather, not to lose the carrack, that in the morning,
the tempest being qualified," they recovered the road and saw
the carrack warped as near the shore as she could be brought,
with all her sails up and flags flying. The Portuguese had
carried all they could on shore, and then, at sight of the
English, set fire to her, "that neither glory of victory nor
benefit of ship might remain to their enemies ". The guns
went off as the fire reached them ; and lest the English should
endeavour to extinguish the fire, some of the Portuguese
entrenched themselves near enough for defending the
approach. Burroughs ordered 100 men to disperse them : the
surge was so high that, for fear of losing their boats, the men
were up to the neck in water, and some over head and ears,
before they could reach the shore ; and then they were
forced to climb on hands and knees up a steep hill, from the
top of which the islanders rolled great stones upon them ; but
all difficulties were overcome by resolution and hope : they
entered the town without further opposition, and then
possessed themselves of what little had been landed, or was
drifted on shore from the wreck.
What was of more consequence, they obtained from some
prisoners, by threats of torture, information that three larger
carracks, at little distance, were holding the same course. By
this time more of Raleigh's vessels had come up, with Sir
Robert Cross in the Foresight, a queen's ship ; their united
numbers were now sufficient, by spreading from north to
south, yet keeping in sight of one another, to discover the
space of two whole degrees. On the fifth day the Mad re
de Dios came in sight, one of the largest carracks belonging
to the crown of Portugal. Thomson, who came up with her
120 ENGLISH SEAMEN
first, in a ship of Sir John Hawkins's, "again and again
delivered his peals as fast as he could fire, and fall astern to
load again, thus hindering her way, though somewhat to his
own cost, till the others could come up ". Burroughs and the
Golden Dragon came up next, and the former received a shot
under water in the bread-room, which made him bear up to
stop the leak. Sir Robert Cross then "coming to give his
broadside, came so near, that, becalming his sail, he un-
willingly fell aboard the carrack, which lashed his ship fast
by the shrouds, and sailed away with her by her side ". The
earl's ships, being the worst sailers, came up last, about
eleven at night, and Captain Norton had no intention to
board the enemy before daylight, if there had not been a cry
from the Foresight, " An you be men save the queen's ship ! "
Upon this he laid the carrack aboard on one side, while the
Tiger boarded her on the other, through the Foresight. That
ship took the opportunity to free herself. A desperate
struggle ensued when the men had entered into the fore-
chains, " the forecastle being so high, that without any
resistance the getting up had been difficult ; but here was
strong resistance, some irrecoverably falling by the board, and
the assault continued an hour and half, so brave a booty
making the men fight like dragons ". But when the fore-
castle was won, the Portuguese sought where to hide them-
selves. The English turned to pillage, "and were ready to
go to the ears about it, each man lighting a candle " ; and by
this they had nearly lost their prize, for by their carelessness
they fired a cabin, in which were some hundred cartridges,
and they were as eager then to forsake the carrack as they
had been to board her, if Norton and some others had not
"adventured the quenching of that flame ".
When the prisoners were secured, the general "first had
presented to his eyes the true proportion of the vast body of
this carrack, which," says the writer in Hakluyt, "did then,
and may still, justly provoke the admiration of all men not
THE EARL OF CUMBERLAND 121
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 torn with the violence of
shot. No man could almost step but upon a dead carcass or
a bloody floor, but especially about the helm ; for the great-
ness 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 her ordnance, oftentimes with one shot slew four or
five labouring on either side of the helm ; whose room 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." It may be feared that such humanity, at that
time, deserved this special commendation ; but Sir John
Burroughs acted towards his prisoners with a generosity which
was not less rare ; for, " moved with compassion of human
misery, and not to add too much affliction to the afflicted, he
dismissed the captain and most of his followers freely to
their own country, and for that purpose bestowed them in
one of the earl's vessels, furnished with all things necessary ".