the last that staid there. Thence by barge, it raining hard, down to the
chaine; and in our way did see the sad wrackes of the poor "Royall Oake,"
"James," and "London;"

["The bottom of the 'Royal James' is got afloat, and those of the
'Loyal London' and 'Royal Oak' soon will be so. Many men are at work
to put Sheerness in a posture of defence, and a boom is being fitted
over the river by Upnor Castle, which with the good fortifications
will leave nothing to fear."--Calendar of State Papers, 1667, p.
285.]

and several other of our ships by us sunk, and several of the enemy's,
whereof three men-of-war that they could not get off, and so burned. We
did also see several dead bodies lie by the side of the water. I do not
see that Upnor Castle hath received any hurt by them, though they played
long against it; and they themselves shot till they had hardly a gun left
upon the carriages, so badly provided they were: they have now made two
batteries on that side, which will be very good, and do good service. So
to the chaine, and there saw it fast at the end on Upnor side of the
River; very fast, and borne up upon the several stages across the River;
and where it is broke nobody can tell me. I went on shore on Upnor side
to look upon the end of the chaine; and caused the link to be measured,
and it was six inches and one-fourth in circumference. They have burned
the Crane House that was to hawl it taught. It seems very remarkable to
me, and of great honour to the Dutch, that those of them that did go on
shore to Gillingham, though they went in fear of their lives, and were
some of them killed; and, notwithstanding their provocation at Schelling,
yet killed none of our people nor plundered their houses, but did take
some things of easy carriage, and left the rest, and not a house burned;
and, which is to our eternal disgrace, that what my Lord Douglas's men,