It Began With A Swelling In Their
Ankles, Which In Two Days Rose Up As High As Their Breasts, So That They
Could Not Breathe.
It then fell into the scrotum, which, with the penis,
swelled in a most grievous manner, so that they
Could neither stand,
walk, nor lie; and many of them became frantic with grief and distress.
Our captain, with extreme distress of mind, was in so miserable a
condition, that he wished to die; yet, while scarcely able to speak for
sorrow, he continued to exhort us all to patience and reliance on God,
desiring us to accept our chastisement like dutiful and thankful
children. In this state of misery and wretchedness, several died raving
mad, and others in a most loathsome state, or in dreadful pain and
agony. None in the ship remained in perfect health, except the captain
and one boy; the master also, though oppressed with extreme labour and
anxiety, bore up with spirit, so that his disease did not overcome him.
At length all our men died except sixteen, five only of whom were able
to move. These were, the captain, who was in good health, the master
indifferent, Captain Cotton and myself swollen and short-winded, yet
better than the other sick men, and the boy in good health. Upon us five
the whole labour of the ship rested. The captain and master, as happened
to be necessary, took in and left out the topsails. The master by
himself attended to the sprit-sail, and all of us the capstan, being
utterly unable to work sheets and tacks. Our misery and weakness were so
extreme, that we were utterly unable to take in or set a sail; so that
our top-sails and sprit-sail were at length torn in pieces by the
weather. The captain and master had to take their turns at the helm,
where they were inexpressibly grieved and distressed by the continual
and sad lamentations of our few remaining sick men.
Thus lost wanderers on the ocean, unable to help ourselves, it pleased
God, on the 11th of June, 1593, that we arrived at Beerhaven in Ireland,
and ran the ship there on shore. The Irish helped us to take in our
sails, and to moor the ship so as to float her off next tide; for which
slender aid it cost the captain ten pounds, before he could get the ship
into a state of safety. Thus, without men, sails, victuals, or other
means, God alone guided us into Ireland. Here the captain left the
master and three or four more of the company to keep the ship; and
within five days after our arrival, he and some others got a passage in
a fishing-boat to Padstow in Cornwall. For the merciful preservation of
this our small remnant, and our restoration to our country, be all
honour and glory to God, now and for ever. - Amen.
CHAPTER IV.
VOYAGE OF OLIVER VAN NOORT ROUND THE WORLD IN 1598 - 1601.[67]
* * * * *
INTRODUCTION.
The inhabitants of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, after their
separation from the Spanish monarchy, found themselves extremely at a
loss for means to supply the expences of the long and vigorous war in
which they were engaged for the defence of their liberties. This gave
them the more uneasiness, as their great enemy, Philip II. carried on
the war against them, more by the length of his purse than the force of
his arms, and because the riches, of the Spanish monarchy were derived
from sources of commerce and colonization that were prohibited to them,
even if they had submitted themselves to the yoke of Spain. The sense,
therefore, of these difficulties, joined to the vast advantages they
were likely to reap by overcoming them, induced the government and
people of Holland to prosecute the advancement of trade in general with
the greatest vigour, and particularly to establish a commercial
intercourse with the East and West Indies, the great sources of wealth
to their tyrannical oppressor and enemy, from whom they had revolted.
[Footnote 67: Harris, I. 31. - Two editions of this voyage were published
in Dutch, both in folio; one at Rotterdam without date; and the other at
Amsterdam in 1602. Bib, Univer. des Voyages, I. 115.]
Among other inducements to this course of proceeding, they were not a
little encouraged by the progress made by their neighbours, the English;
seeing that even private persons, and with a small force, had been able
to disquiet the Spaniards exceedingly; and had at the same time acquired
great riches to themselves. Another cause of attempting expeditions like
the present, was their having failed in their first scheme of finding a
new passage to the East Indies, than that with which the Spaniards and
Portuguese were acquainted, which they had often and unsuccessfully
endeavoured to explore by the north-east, with great hazard and expence.
Their first voyages to the East Indies proving more fortunate even than
they themselves had expected, they were tempted to proceed farther, and
to distress their enemies likewise in the South Sea, which hitherto had
only been done by the English.
The distressed states of Holland, however, were not hitherto so
powerful at sea as to attempt acting offensively against the king of
Spain on that element; but contented themselves with giving power and
authority to any of their subjects who were inclined to venture upon
expeditions of this nature, at their own risk and expence, so as at the
same time to join their own private advantage with the public good, by
fitting out squadrons for these distant and hazardous voyages. This
policy, though arising in some measure from necessity, was conducted
with such wisdom and address, that the king of Spain soon found himself
more distressed by the armaments of the Dutch merchants, than by all the
forces of the United States. This is a plain proof; that the surest way
to render any government powerful, is to interest the people in general
in its support:
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 47 of 221
Words from 46901 to 47909
of 224764
