of an hundreth and fourtie persons, besides fiftie mariners, tooke ship
at Harflew, thinking to follow the king, and sailing foorth with a south
wind, their ship thorough negligence of the mariners (who had drunke out
their wits & reason) were throwne vpon a rocke, and vtterlie perished on
the coast of England, vpon the 25. of Nouember, so that of all the
companie none escaped but one butcher, who catching hold of the mast,
was driuen with the same to the shore which was at hand, and so saued
from that dangerous shipwracke. [Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._] Duke William
might also haue escaped verie well, if pitie had not mooued him more
than the regard of his owne preseruation. For being gotten into the
shipboat, and lanching toward the land, he heard the skréeking of his
sister in dredfull danger of drowning, and crieng out for succour;
wherevpon he commanded them that rowed the boat to turne backe to the
ship, and to take hir in. [Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._ _Matth. Paris._] But
such was the prease of the companie that stroue to leape in with her,
that it streightwaies sanke, so that all those which were alreadie in
the boat were cast awaie.

[Sidenote: Looke in page 39.[12]] ¶ Here (by the way) would be noted the
vnaduised speech of William Rufus to the shipmaister, whom he emboldened
with a vaine and desperat persuasion in tempestuous weather and high
seas to hoise vp sailes; adding (for further encouragement) that he
neuer heard of any king that was drowned. In which words (no doubt) he
sinned presumptuouslie against God, who in due time punished that
offense of his in his posteritie and kinred, euen by the same element,
whose fearsenes he himselfe séemed so little to regard, as if he would
haue commanded the stormes to cease; as we read Christ did in the
gospell by the vertue and power of his word. Here is also to be noted
the variablenes of fortune (as we commonlie call it) or rather the
vncerteine and changeable euent of things, which oftentimes dooth raise