In The Year Of Our Lord 1577, In The Winter Season, The Galleys Happily
Coming To Their Accustomed Harbourage, And
Being discharged of all
their masts, sails, and other such furnitures as unto galleys do
appertain, and all the masters
And mariners of them being then nested
in their own homes, there remained in the prison of the said road two
hundred three score and eight Christian prisoners who had been taken by
the Turks' force, and were of fifteen sundry nations. Among which
there were three Englishmen, whereof one was named John Fox, of
Woodbridge, in Suffolk, the other William Wickney, of Portsmouth, in
the county of Southampton, and the third Robert Moore, of Harwich, in
the county of Essex; which John Fox, having been thirteen or fourteen
years under their gentle entreatance, and being too weary thereof,
minding his escape, weighed with himself by what means it might be
brought to pass, and continually pondering with himself thereof, took a
good heart unto him, in the hope that God would not be always scourging
His children, and never ceasing to pray Him to further his intended
enterprise, if that it should redound to His glory.
Not far from the road, and somewhat from thence, at one side of the
city, there was a certain victualling house, which one Peter Vuticaro
had hired, paying also a certain fee unto the keeper of the road. This
Peter Vuticaro was a Spaniard born, and a Christian, and had been
prisoner above thirty years, and never practised any means to escape,
but kept himself quiet without touch or suspect of any conspiracy,
until that now this John Fox using much thither, they brake one to
another their minds, concerning the restraint of their liberty and
imprisonment. So that this John Fox, at length opening unto this
Vuticaro the device which he would fain put in practice, made privy one
more to this their intent; which three debated of this matter at such
times as they could compass to meet together, insomuch that, at seven
weeks' end they had sufficiently concluded how the matter should be, if
it pleased God to further them thereto; who, making five more privy to
this their device, whom they thought that they might safely trust,
determined in three nights after to accomplish their deliberate
purpose. Whereupon the same John Fox and Peter Vuticaro, and the other
five appointed to meet all together in the prison the next day, being
the last day of December, where this John Fox certified the rest of the
prisoners what their intent and device was, and how and when they
minded to bring that purpose to pass, who thereunto persuaded them
without much ado to further their device; which, the same John Fox
seeing, delivered unto them a sort of files, which he had gathered
together for this purpose by the means of Peter Vuticaro, charging them
that every man should be ready, discharged of his irons, by eight of
the clock on the next day at night.
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