Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/307

 on a round pace. The enemie was in readinesse a little without the towne to encounter vs on horsebacke. Being nowe fully descended from the mountaines wee came into a faire plaine champion fielde, without either hedge, bush or ditch, sauing certaine trenches which the water had made, as it descendeth from the mountaines. Here we set our selues in a readinesse, supposing the enemie would haue encountered vs: but hauing pitched our maine battell, and marching forward a good round pace, captaine Beling, and captaine Roberts tooke ech of them some loose shoot, and marched in all hast toward the enemie before the maine battel, wherein was our generall with cap. Sommer and came to skirmish with them: but it was soone ended: for the enemie fled. One Spaniard was slaine in this skirmish, and not any one of our companies touched either with piece or arrow, God be thanked.

We soone marched into the towne, and had it without any more resistance: but there we found not the wealth that we expected: for they had conueyed all into the mountaines, except such goods as they could not easily cary, as wine, and iron, and such things. By three of the clocke in the afternoone the 29 of May, we entred the citie. Here we remained vntil the 3 of Iune without anie great disturbance, sauing sometime by night they would come on horsebacke hard vnto our Corps du guard, and finding vs vigilant, and ready for them, would depart againe.

The first of Iune, there came a Spaniard neere vnto vs alone: the Corps du guard perceiuing him, called our General, who soone came towards him: but before he approched, the Spaniard made signes that he should lay aside his armes: which he refused to doe, but promised as he was a souldier, if he would come, hee should haue free passage. Vpon which promise hee came to him on horse-back, and our General brought him within the towne, and there communed with him. Who demanded what he ment to do with the towne: he answered that he meant to remaine there and keepe it; or if he did depart from it he would burne it. The Spaniard then demanded, what the ransome of it should be. Our General required 30000 ducats. Whereunto he replied that it was very much. So hauing had some other conference together, hee shewed him that hee had bene a souldier in Flanders a long time, and now was sent thither by his kings commandment.