He Was Of Middle Stature, And Lame Of
One Foot, But Not So In Disposition And Manners, Being A Good Christian
And Well-Bred Gentleman.
- Astley, I. 231, b.]
The 20th January 1591, news was brought from Portugal to Tercera, that
the English had taken a ship sent by the king to the Portuguese Indies,
carrying advice to the viceroy of the return of the four ships to
Portugal; which captured ship was stuffed full of goods, in consequence
of their return, besides having 500,000 ducats in ryals of eight. It
sailed from Lisbon in November 1590, and fought the English a long time,
but had at length to yield, and was carried to England, where all the
men were set free and returned to Lisbon, at which place the captain was
thrown into prison, but afterwards justified himself and was released,
as he told me personally. The English took, at the same time, a ship
coming from the Mina, laden with gold, and two ships laden with pepper
and other spices, bound for Italy, their pepper only being worth 170,000
ducats. All these rich prizes were carried clear off into England.
In July 1591, an earthquake commenced in the island of Tercera, which
continued from the 26th of that month to the 12th of August, or 18 days,
during all which time no person durst remain within a house, but all
fled into the fields in terrible consternation, fasting and praying
almost incessantly. Many houses fell down, and in particular a town
called Villa Franca was almost utterly destroyed, all its houses and
cloisters thrown down, and several people slain. In some places the
ground rose up, the cliffs were removed from their places, and even some
hills were thrown down and levelled with the adjoining plains. The
earthquake was so violent, that the ships in the road and in the
adjoining sea, were shaken as if the whole earth had been agitated to
its centre. In one place a fountain sprung from the ground, whence clear
water flowed in abundance for four days, and then ceased. All this time
a noise was heard under ground as of thunder, or as if all the devils in
hell had been assembled there, by which many died of fear. Four several
times the island of Tercera shook with such violence as if it had turned
upon its foundations, yet was it not overwhelmed. Earthquakes are common
in these islands, as about 20 years before there happened just such an
earthquake, when a hill, close to the town of Villa Franca, fell down
and buried all the town with earth, by which many people were
overwhelmed and slain.
The 25th of August, the kings armada from Ferrol arrived in Tercera,
consisting of 30 ships of war belonging to Biscay, Portugal, and Spain,
together with 10 Dutch fliboats that were pressed at Lisbon into the
service, besides other small vessels and _pataxos_ to serve as
advice-boats, and to scour the seas for intelligence. This fleet came to
wait for and convoy the ships from the Spanish Indies; and the fliboats
were for the purpose of bringing home to Lisbon our goods that were
saved in the lost ship from Malacca. This fleet arrived at the island of
Corvo on the 13th of September[385], where the English then lay waiting
for the fleet from the Spanish Indies, with a squadron of about 16
ships. Some or most of the Spanish ships were already come to the
Azores, and the English were in great hopes to have taken them: But, on
perceiving the Spanish fleet of war to be so strong, the lord Thomas
Howard, who was admiral of the English, gave orders to his fleet not to
assail the Spaniards, and on no account to separate from him without
special orders[386]. Yet the vice-admiral, Sir Richard Grenville, in his
ship the Revenge, bore into the Spanish fleet, and shot among them doing
much harm, thinking that the rest of the English ships would have
followed him, which they did not, but left him there and sailed away,
the reason of which could not be known. Perceiving this, the Spaniards
boarded the Revenge with 7 or 8 ships, but she bravely withstood them
all, fighting with them at the least 12 hours without ceasing, and sunk
two of them, one a double fliboat of 600 tons, and admiral of the
fliboats, the other a ship of Biscay. In the end, however, in
consequence of the overwhelming number that came against her, the
Revenge was taken, but to the heavy loss of the Spaniards, who lost in
the fight, either slain or drowned, above 400 men, while 100 of the
English were slain. Sir Richard was himself wounded in the brain, of
which he afterwards died.
[Footnote 385: It is probable, from this date, that the arrival of the
fleet at Tercera on the 25th August, as above, is an error; and that it
only then left Ferrol; on its voyage for Tercera. - E.]
[Footnote 386: See the English account of these events in the
immediately preceding section. - E.]
Sir Richard, after the Revenge yielded, was carried on board the San
Paulo, the ship in which was Don Alonso de Bacan, the admiral of the
Spanish fleet, where his wounds were dressed by the Spanish surgeons,
but Don Alonso would neither see nor speak to him. All the other
captains went to visit and comfort him in his hard fortune, wondering at
his courage and constancy, as he shewed no signs of faintness, not even
changing colour: But, feeling his death approaching, he spoke in Spanish
to the following purport: "Here die I Richard Grenville, with a joyous
and quiet mind, having ended my life as a true soldier ought to do,
fighting for my country, my queen, my religion, and my honour: so that
my soul most joyfully departeth from this body, and shall always leave
behind the everlasting fame of a true and valiant soldier, having done
my duty as became me." When he had finished these, or such like words,
he gave up the ghost with great and unshaken courage, no man being able
to perceive the least sign of concern.
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