By This Exploit, There Only Remained Behind The
Master And Merchant Of The Detained English Ship.
This master had a
brother-in-law in England, who, on hearing of his brothers imprisonment,
got a licence
From the queen to fit out a ship, with which to endeavour
to recover his losses by cruizing against the Spaniards, by which to
redeem his brother from imprisonment in Tercera, and it was he who took
the two Spanish ships before the town: The before-mentioned merchant,
who was my intimate acquaintance, was standing on the shore along with
me, looking at them at the time. When these ships were taken, which were
worth 300,000 ducats, the brother sent all the men on shore, except only
two of the principal gentlemen, whom he kept to give in exchange for his
brother; and by the pilot of one of the captured ships he sent a letter
to the governor of Tercera, offering to send the two gentlemen on shore
if his brother were delivered up, otherwise he would carry them
prisoners into England, which indeed he did, as the governor would not
deliver up his brother, saying the gentlemen might make that suit to the
king of Spain. We invited that Spanish pilot to supper with us, and the
Englishmen likewise, when he related to us the particulars of the fight,
much commending the order and manner in which the English fought, as
also their courteous behaviour to him: But, in the end, the English
merchant stole away in a French ship, without paying any ransom.
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