Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/358

 sought to hinder. But our Generall seeing that in holding the winde we should shoot our selues into the bay, gaue them the winde.

All that night they kept themselues vpon our brode side, notwithstanding our Admiral carried his cresset-light all night, hauing great care of our smallest shippes.

This fight continued about foure houres till it was neere night, in the which fight, thankes be to God, there were slaine so few persons of our English fleete, as I thinke the like conflict hath not bene performed with so little losse of men: What harme befell the Spaniards in their fleete I leaue to your iudgements.

Yet our eyes can witnesse their ships were sore beaten and raked thorough, whereby there was such falling backe and lying by the lee to stoppe their leakes, as some of them were driuen to haste away, and rather to runne on shore to saue themselues then sinke in the Sea: besides within two houres after our fight with them, we sawe one of their great shippes on fire which burnt into the Sea, and all the sterne of another of their ships blowen vp: And in the morning a shippe of our fleete was runne so neere the land, that to double the Cape de los Corrientes he must of necessitie tacke about and fall in the wake of the enemie, which caused our Generall in the Garland and the Defiance to tacke about; which two ships forced the three ships of the enemies (which were put foorth to take our shippe, or else to cause her runne on ground) to returne to their fleete to saue themselues, hoysing all their sayles for haste: This morning they were faire by vs hauing the winde of vs, being but thirteen sayle of their twentie to be seene: then we stroke our toppe sayles thinking to haue fought with them againe, which they perceiuing tacked about from vs, and after that neuer durst nor would come neere vs: What became of the rest of their fleete wee knowe not, but true it was that they were in great distresse mightily beaten and torne, by hauing receiued many bullets from vs. All this day wee had sight of them, but they shewed little will to fight or come neere vs, so we keeping our course West, and by North, about sixe of the clocke at night lost the sight of them. And this is a true discourse of our fight with the Spanish fleete. The which the author hereof will iustifie with the aduenture of his life, against any Spaniarde seruing in that action, that shall contradict the same.