Being within shot of them, our Master commanded his Gunner to make his level and to shoot: which he did, but missed them all. At which, the foremost of them bore up apace, for he had the wind of us; and returned as good as we sent. So betwixt us, for a great time, was a most fierce encounter; and having the advantage of us by reason of the wind, about eleven or twelve o'clock they laid us aboard with one of their ships, which was of 300 tons or thereabouts. She had in her thirty-five pieces of ordnance, and about 250 men: the Captain whereof was one WALSINGHAM, who seemed, by his name, to be an Englishman; and was Admiral of the fleet, for so it signified by the flag in his maintop.

Having, as I said, boarded our ship, he entered on the larboard quarter: where his men, some with sabels, which we call falchions, some with hatchets, and some with half-pikes, stayed some half hour or thereabouts, tearing up our nail boards [deck planks] upon the poop, and the trap hatch: but we having a murtherer in the round house [Captain's cabin] kept the larboard side clear: whilst our other men with the ordnance and muskets played upon their ships. Yet for all this, they paid our gallery with small shot, in such sort that we stood in danger to yield.

But, at last, we shot them quite through and through, and they us likewise: but they being afraid they should have been sunk by us, bore ahead of our ship; and as he passed along we gave them a broadside, that they were forced to lay by the lee, and to mend their leaks.

This fight continued two hours by our [hour] glass, and better; and so near the shore, that the dwellers thereupon saw all the beginning and ending, and what danger we stood in. For upon the shore, stood a little house, wherein was likewise turned a glass all the time during the fight; which measured the hours as they passed.

And this was WALSINGHAM's part.

Now for Captain KELLEY'S ship, which came likewise up with his flag in the maintop, and another ship with his flag in the foretop: which ships were at least 300 tons a piece; and had in each of them twenty-five pieces of ordnance, and about 250 men.

So they laid us aboard, one on the starboard quarter, and the other on the larboard: where entering our ship thick

and threefold, with their scimitars, hatchets, half-pikes, and other weapons, put us in great danger both of the loss of our ship and our lives: for they performed much manhood, and many dangerous hazards.

Amongst which, there was one of their company that desperately went up into our maintop to fetch down our flag; which being spied by the Steward of our ship, he presently shot him with his musket that he fell headlong into the sea, leaving the flag behind him.

So these two ships fought us with great resolution, playing upon us with their ordnance and small shot for the space of an hour and a half; of whom we received some hurt, and likewise they of us. But when they saw they could not prevail, nor any way make us to yield; they bore up and passed from us, to lay their ships by the lee to stop their leaks for we had grievously torn and battered them with our great ordnance.

This was the second attempt they made upon us. Now for the third.

There came two more of Captain KELLEY'S ships, of 250 tons a piece, that in each of them had twenty-two pieces of ordnance; and at the least 200 men, as well provided as might be. Which was, as we thought, too great a number for us, being so few in our ship; but GOD, that was our friend, gave us such strength and success that they little prevailed against us.

For at their first coming up, notwithstanding all their multitude of men, we shot one of them quite through and through; and laid him likewise by the lee, as we had done the others before. But the other ship remaining, laid us aboard on the starboard side, and in that quarter they entered our ship with scimitars, falchions, half-pikes, and other weapons, running to and fro upon the deck, crying still, in the Turkish tongue, "Yield yourselves!" "Yield yourselves!" promising that we should be well used, and have part of our goods delivered back; with such like fair promises.

But we, giving no ear unto them, stood stiffly in our defence, choosing rather to die than to yield, as it is still the nature and condition of all Englishmen; and being thus resolved, some of our men plied our ordnance against them,

some played with the small shot, some with other weapons, as swords and half pikes and the like. In the midst of which skirmish, it so happened, by ill chance, that our ship was fired, and in great danger to be lost and cast away: had not the LORD, in His mercy, preserved us; and sent us means happily to quench it.

But now mark the accident! The fire being perceived by our enemies to burn outrageously, and thinking that our ship would have therewith been suddenly burned to the water: they left us to our fortunes, falling astern from us.

So we put to the shore under the little house, for some succour; where we let an anchor fall, thinking to ride there all night but we saw another ship bear upon us; whereupon we were sore frighted, and so forced to let our anchor slip, and so set sail to get better succour, putting into the road between the two little houses; where we lay five days, mending the bruises and leaks of our ship.

The losses we received in the aforesaid fight were six men and one boy; and there were hurt eight men and one boy more: but the LORD doth know what damage we put them to; and what number we slew in their ships.

The Master of our ship being at the helm was shot twice betwixt the legs. The Surgeon dressing the wounds of one of our men, a ball of wild-fire fell into his basin; which he suddenly cast into the sea, otherwise it had greatly endangered us.

The Turks were aboard, and sound their trumpets; yet, notwithstanding, our men assaulted them so fiercely that they forced them off: and the Boatswain, seeing them fly, most undauntedly with a whistle blowed them to the skirmish, if so they durst.

The Captains of three of their ships were Englishmen ; who took part with the Turks thus to rob and spoil upon the ocean. Their names were WALSINGHAM, KELLEY, and

SAMPSON.

Upon the 13th of January, there came aboard certain Spaniards, in the morning betimes; who, seeing our dead men, went ashore with us, and showed us where we might bury them. But as we were busy in making their graves, and covering the bodies with earth; there came sailing by a Flemish ship of 240 tons, which had in it some £5,000 or

£6,000 [= £25,000 in present value], which had been chased by those Men of War that had fought with us before. All which money they brought in a long boat to the shore, and left in the ship only the men, which were sixteen sailors and two boys; that afterwards, within two days, brought the said ship into the road, not anything at all endangered, GOD be praised!

Upon the 15th of the same month, when we came from the burying of our men, and had rested ourselves in our ship some two or three hours; as GOD would have it, the wind began to blow a strong gale, and by little and little grew to a terrible tempest: through which, from Sunday night [? 19th] till Friday [? 24th] in the evening, we lay in such extremity of weather, as rain, wind, lightning and thunder, as we thought we should never have got clear from the road where we lay. During which storm, there died one of our men that had been hurt in the fight: whose body we cast overboard into the sea, without any other burial.

So when the wind and sea a little calmed, we set up sail and came forward: but with three days, after we buried three men more in the sea.

And the same afternoon [? 27th] we arrived in the road of Callery [Cagliari], and lay at anchor: where again searching our ship, we found it rent and torn in four several places; one in the gun room, another between the decks, the third in the skereridge [? steerage], and the fourth in the Master's roundhouse.

So in Callery, we mended our ship; and hired certain men there to help us to stop her leaks: and having all things most fitting for our voyage homewards; upon the 30th of January, we committed our fortunes again unto the sea. And so leaving Callery, we came forward, with a Frenchman who was bound to a place called Oristano, some thirty leagues from Callery; where, after two days, we left his company; being the 1st of February.

And after that, putting forward still towards England, we are now, by the will of GOD, most safely arrived; and our ship, after so many overpassed dangers, received into the Thames, near London: to the great joy and comfort of the owners thereof.

GOD be praised!

ABRAHAM COWLEY.

DAVID's serenade to MICHAL, the daughter of King SAUL.

A

I.

WAKE, awake, my lyre!

[Davideis. A sacred poem of the Troubles of DAVID, Book III.? 1660.]

And tell thy silent master's humble tale,
In sounds that may prevail;

Sounds that gentle thoughts inspire.

Though so exalted she,

And I so lowly be,

Tell her, such different notes make all thy harmony!

II.

Hark, how the strings awake!

And though the moving hand approach not near;

Themselves with awful fear,

A kind of numerous trembling make.

Now all thy forces try!

Now all thy charms apply!

Revenge upon her ear, the conquests of her eye!