Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/253

 *bour. The sandy bay or banke, on the one side is 500. yardes broad, all sandy ground without any trees. So that the enemie which giueth the assault in this place must be constrayned to march all alongst this sandie Bay, the enemie lying open these 500. yardes, which reach vntill you doe come to the trench: And on the backside other 500. yardes, till you doe come vnto the Citie.

The sayde sandie bay or banke is 130. yardes broad, where the trench is builded. And in this place this Citie hath bene taken by the enemie twise. Wherefore heere wee haue driuen in a great many of woodden stakes, which goe downe into the sea 50. yardes deepe: and this wee haue done, because this is a very dangerous and filthy coast. And below in the bottome of the Valley there we haue builded a little Sconce, where we may plant 3. or 4. peeces of ordinance. And likewise wee haue made a deepe ditch, which doeth answere to both parts of the sea: so on this side the Citie is very strong and sufficient. For this was the place whereof the Citizens were most afrayde.

The other entring is lower downe by the sayde sandy Bay, which is called Cienaga, or The fenne del Roreado. This is another place which is on the sayd sandy bay, which is 300. yardes broad from the one place downe to the sea. And on the other side there lyeth the Cienaga, which is a certaine plat of ground that is ouerflowen with water all the yeere long. So that the enemie which shall come this way to winne the Citie, must come marching ouer land a good way vpon a sandie banke or Bay, where the Sea lyeth on the one side, and a groue or boske of wood on the other side, and through a plat of ground which is ouerflowen with water, but not all couered. So in this place wee haue made a Fort or Sconce with certaine Flanckers belonging therunto. And I haue caused a deepe ditch to be digged of 60. foote in bredth, so that the Sea doeth come to that plat or place which is ouerflowen. And in this order we haue stopt this passage so that the Citie standeth in maner like vnto an Iland. There is 2600. yardes distance from this place to the other trench where the enemie Francis Drake did land last.

The entring in of this Harbour is by the bridge and Causey which doeth goe from the Citie to S. Francis; the sayd Causey is 300. yardes in length, and 12. yardes in bredth; and the water is on both the sides of the saide Causey: so this is the strongest place of all the rest of the three places. Also in this place there is order taken to make a draw bridge, and vpon the top of the