to die and be buried in the middest of the sea, rather then to suffer
themselues to come into the tormentors hands: and therefore in very bold
and manly sort some tooke them to their iauelings, lances, bore-speares,
and shot, which they had set in readinesse before, and hauing fiue
Calieuers readie charged, which was all the small shot they had, those that
were vnder the hatches or the grate did shoote vp at the Spaniards that
were ouer their heads, which shot so amazed the Spaniards on the suddaine,
as they could hardly tell which way to escape the daunger, fearing this
their small shot to be of greater number then it was: others in very
manlike sort dealt about among them, shewing themselues of that courage
with bore-speares and lances, that they dismayed at euery stroke two or
three Spaniards. Then some of them desired the Maister to commaund his men
to cease and holde their handes, but hee answered that such was the courage
of the English Nation in defence of their owne liues, that they would slay
them and him also: and therefore it lay not in him to doe it. Now did their
blood runne about the ship in great quantitie, some of them being shot in
betweene the legges, the bullets issuing foorth at their breasts, some cut
in the head, some thrust into the bodie, and many of them very sore
wounded, so that they came not so fast in on the one side, but now they
tumbled as fast ouer boord on both sides with their weapons in their
handes, some falling into the sea, and some getting into their boates,
making haste towardes the Citie. And this is to be noted, that although
they came very thicke thither, there returned but a small companie of them,
neither is it knowen as yet how many of them were slaine or drowned, onely
one English man was then slaine, whose name was Iohn Tristram, and sixe
other hurt. It was great pitie to behold how the Spaniards lay swimming in
the sea, and were not able to saue their liues. Foure of them taking hold
of the shippe were for pities sake taken vp againe by Maister Foster and
his men, not knowing what they were: all the Spaniards bosomes were stuft
with paper, to defend them from the shot, and these foure hauing some