THE ACTIONS OF The Lowe Countries WRITTEN By Sr. Roger Williams KNIGHT LONDON Printed by Humfrey Lownes for Mathew Lownes 1618. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE SIR Francis Bacon Knight Lord Chancellor of ENGLAND Right Honourable THis part of Historie hauing lyen a long time by mee I haue thought good to publish to the world and that especially for these reasons First to incite other men of Armes to imitate in like sort their great Master Iulius Caesar who wrote exact Commentaries adorned of late with obseruations of a worthy man of our Nation of such militarie actions as happened vnder his commaund Secondly to preuent least such worthy paines should either perish or hereafter be set forth by others as their own a thing too much practised by some not of meanest note Lastly to make this a meane of drawing the residue into light which happely sleepeth in the custodie of some other man This doe I presume to present to your Honour as well in regard of the honourable estimation which still remaineth of the Authour as for the worthinesse which I conceiue to be in the Worke. For all of vs doe well discerne both the lustre of many excellent perfections in your own noble spirit and how you fauour men of valour learning or honest endeauour which vertues as they haue aduanced you to this height of honour so will they make your memorie eternally to flourish S. Stephens 1 Ian 1618. Your Honours in all seruice PE MANVVOODE To the Reader ALbeit in all Histories three things are especially required Order Poyse and Truth yet for diuers causes it hapneth that in many one of these doth faile For some haue written of times so anciently past that no means are extant either to direct or to correct them Many of these liuing in Artlesse ages haue stuffed their Stories with most senselesse fictions nothing better then country womens tales Of this sort was Hunibaldus who fableth that the French tooke their originall from Francio a Troian and is followed in his sotteries by Gregorie of Tours Rheginus Sigebert and diuers others of the same suite After this example Geoffry of Munmouth about 400 yeares since did first as some affirme draw the originall of the Britans from Brutus the Troian forging such races names reignes and passages of affaires as may more easily be conuinced to be false then supplied with any certaine truth Of the same streine is Wittikind who by his counterfeit Saxo hath drawen the Saxons and first Inhabitants of Germanie from the olde Macedonian Souldiers of Alexander the great So the Scots set vp Scota daughter to Pharao King of Aegypt for foundresse of their Nation Likewise the Irish hatched their Hiberus the Danes their Danus the Brabants their Brabo the Gothes their Gothus as founders both of their Nation and name a subiect wherein forgeries may range at large because the first times of Nations for the most part are as very small so altogether obscure Of this sort among the ancients were Herodotus Diodorus Siculus and Theopompus in whose Bookes Cicero saith many idle vntruthes are found euen so farre as the vaine veine of the Graecians durst aduenture to aduowe for truthes In how many places saith Iosephus is Hellanicus charged with falsities by Agesilaus and by Ephorus they by Timaeus Timaeus by many who followed Herodotus by all Others haue written of Countries farre distant either altogether vnknowen or by them neuer seene who writing vpon vulgar reports things either imagined or erroneously obserued are easily entangled with vntruthes Of this fault Eraâ—osthenes Possidonius and Patrocles the Geographer are branded by Strabo Hence also did rise the fables of the Arimaspes Gryphons Troglodites Amazons Satyrs Pigmies and of their cruell warres with Cranes of Nations of men with dogs heads with horse feete without heads without mouthes with one foote wherewith they couer themselues against Sun and raine and of diuers other monstrous kinds of men beasts fowles which now are discouered for vtopicall Aperies With these may Stephanus Arianus be ioyned of whom the one writeth that the French are a people of Italie the other placeth the Germanes neere to the Ionick sea So Strabo choppeth that the riuer Isâ—et or Danowe hath his spring neere to the Adriaticke sea and that the riuers Lapus and Vezer discharge themselues into the riuer Enis whereas the one runneth into the Rhine the other into the Ocean So are Tacitus Marcellus Orosius Blondus in diuers places of Germanie much mistaken And so Sabellicus Volaterrane and Conrade doe much confound the Alans and Almans the Hungarians and Hunnes the Danes and the Dace Austerane and Austrich placing the mount Saint Ottoly in Bauaria and the Riphaean mountaines in Polonia or Muscouia Others haue written of their owne countries and times but these againe are of diuers sorts For some busie themselues much in those things which the popular multitude doe applaud making wordie I cannot say worthy reports of Beare baitings lanching of shippes fleas mice owles maskes mayings c. And if they speake of any publicke affaires they discerne nothing but the out-side not vnlike to beggars who trauerse ouer many Countries from dore to dore and touch as many faire buildings but obserue nothing either of the persons or furniture or order within Such Historians doe daily and duely attend certaine Kings in India And whatsoeuer they doe whether eate drinke sleepe disport ease nature retyre to any woman In a word All they barely wright downe and nothing else Some others better furnished with iudgement doe strongly biasse in their affections and that chiesty by two meanes leuitie and partiality Of the first sort are they who affecting to write rather pleasingly then truely doe enterlace many ieasts conceits tales and other pleasing passages either omitting or defacing the solide truth Of this fault Trebellius is reprooued by Laberian and Vopiscus Tacitus by Tertullian and Orosius Orosius by Blondus To these also wee may adioyne Danudes Philostratus Guidius Câ—esias Hecaâ—aeus and diuers others who haue transformed the truth of many things into fabulous inuentions of their owne Of the second sort are they who vpon hate feare or fauour either to some persons or to their natiue countrey or to the religion which they professe or for some other partiall respect doe write Panegyrickes or Inuectiues rather then Histories So Salust writeth that the acts of the Graecians are much admired not because they exceede the Atchieuements of other men but because their writers hauing wit at will did much enlarge them aboue the truth Of this fault Blondus and Sabellicus are noted in their Histories of Venice Paulus Aemilius and Gaguine in their Histories of France and most others in the Histories of their owne Countries Who extoll depresse depraue immoderately making things seeme not as they are but as they would haue them no otherwise almost then Comedies and Tragedies are fashioned by their Authours Amongst those fewe who haue written with knowledge iudgement and sincerity the Authour of this
otherwise that it lay in him to giue the Dutchie of Luxenburgh to whom hee listed which might haue beene a good present to the French King being joyn'd with Mets in Loreine Duke D' alua remained quiet in the Kings state at Brussels with some tyrannous Spaniards about him who from the highest to the lowest gaped for the spoyles and confusion of the poore Netherlanders These God knows at that instant were better fed then taught in marshall discipline except a few of their Nobility men of war who were all at the deuotion of Duke d' Alua by means of the ignorance obstinacy of Count Egmond who was deceiued lulled asleep in his vaine glory by certaine treacherous tyrannous and vngrateful Spaniards Insomuch as they refused neither the tenth pennie nor any other demaunds that pleased Duke d' Alua to charge vpon them Duke d' Alua hauing intrapt the Counts of Egmond and Horne with diuers others of great qualitie sent for them to counsaile At their entrie into a chamber where he was the great Prouost arrested them of high treason taking from them their Rapiers and armes You may easily iudge their sentences when they were to be tryed by the Cardinall Granuill and his friends So for the boxe on the care and other follies Count Egmond lost his head with diuers others and principally the men of best quality whom they feared and mistrusted to haue any vogue with the popular or meanes to annoy them either with forces or Councell At this instant Count Charles Maunsfelt had with him a vigilant politicke companion which his father the olde Foxe had foysted into the seruice of Duke D' Alua onely to aduertise him and his sonne of their proceedings This espy-all ranne to Charles into a tennis-Court and brought him presently into his lodging where they mounted themselues speedily to recouer Luxenburgh which they did although Duke D' Alua sent diuers others on the spurre to bring them to him dead or aliue These mist them narowly For they had not passed the bridge of Namurs but the others were in the place within one houre Returning to Duke d' Alua he was in great choler for not intrapping Count Charles and not without reason For hauing him he might haue held him prisoner for the better assurance of his father Duke d' Alua dispatched present posts to the great Prouost of Arden who was altogether at his deuotion by reason of a Picke betwixt Count Maunsfelt and him By good espy-all Count Maunsfelt was aduertized of their practise which was that the Prouost should vse all diligence and meanes to intrappe the father or the sonne If both hee should doe the King and him great seruice Count Charles being aduertized of the match vsed all meanes possible to meet the Prouost at equall handes This Count was rather desperate then valiant in all his quarrels but politicke and full of wit in all his affaires By good espy-alls he met this Prouost hauing with him about twenty horsemen all or the most his owne seruants The Count had about twelue the most or all Captaines and Souldiers This encounter God knows was farre against the Prouosts wil considering the match For most men of iudgement in those affaires value sixe chosen men well mounted worth twenty ramassets as the brench tearme them The Count as of greatest courage beganne to speake as followeth Master Prouost I doe vnderstand Duke d' Alua commands you to bring my father or my selfe vnto him and that you gaue your word you would doe it All honest men ought to maintaine their words and promises especially great Officers of qualitie like your selfe I must confesse you ought to obey the Kings Lieuetenant but not to make promise of more than you are able to performe You know my father my selfe and you are neighbours children and kinsmen a farre of Wherefore for all your small picke you might haue vsed the Duke with lesse assurance But to giue him and all his proude Spaniards to vnderstand that a Netherlander carrieth as good resolution as any Spaniard and to terrifie such base fellowes as thou art from the like attempt there is for thee And withall strooke him with a pistoll in his bosome downe from his horse Himselfe and his company mastering the rest executed no more all yeelding to his mercy The Count told them vpon condition that some of you will tell Duke d' Alua that I wished him here with his Prouost I giue you all your liues and leaue to goe where you list Tell him also I am gone to the French King and from him to the Turke rather then to yeeld to his mercie The Count being in France was greatly fauoured well vsed by the French King and remained there vntill Don Iohn d' Austria came into the Lowe Countries to be Gouernour and Captaine Generall As I sayd before Count Peter Ernest would neuer hazard himselfe at the mercy of Duke d' Alua notwithstanding there passed courteous letters of dissimulation betwixt them Duke d' Alua all this while plaied gloria patri as pleased him thinking his worke at an end in the Lowe Countries sauing the finishing of two Citadels the one at Antwerpe and the other at Flushing In the meane time he the Cardinal others perswaded the King all they might to vndertake the conquest of England thinking thereby to oppresse religion in all other places Being resolued both in Spaine and Flanders he dispatched his great Captain and Marshall Chiapine Vitelly vnto her Maiesty with some fained message but by all likelyhood they had intelligence of our discountents For immediately after Vitellies retreit out of England the Earles of Northumberland and Westmerland were in armes in the North-countrie And the Duke of Norfolke was charged as faulty presently after At which time Duke d' Alua had ready in Zeland some ten regiments to embarke for England But by Gods prouidence our stirs were quieted before they could embarke Also God blinded his affaires in such sort that hee vndertooke to finish the Citadell of Antwerpe before that of Flushing to his vndoing as I will shew in this discourse Count Lodowicks entry into Frizeland and the defeat of the Count of Arenbergue I Can speake little touching the first iourny Count Lodowick made into Frizeland but I heard the Prince report that Count Lodowick marched into Frizeland with some two thousand and fiue hundred horsemen and seauen thousand footemen all Germanes And hauing intelligence with the Counts of Schowenburgh and his brother in law the Count Vanderbergue hee tooke the Castle of Wedle with diuers other places in Frizeland hauing ingaged Groining The Counts of Arenbergue and Meguen were dispatched from Duke d' Alua to stop his courses hauing with them the master of the Campe Don Gonsalvo de Bracamount with his Tertia of Sardinia and some companies of Wallons Geldrois and Almans with the two bands of Ordinance of the Counts about
that it was a place not worthy to be kept meaning not sufficient to withstand so great an enemy any long time If that bee true we were not very great Captains at that time for then without fellowe hee was accounted our chiefest souldier By this time the Prince had gotten a sure footing in Holland so as all places of any importance were his Duke d' Alua assieges Harlem where many disasters fell on both sides which siege may be called the tediousest dearest and painfullest of any in those daies DVke d' Alua seeing the people generally ready to reuolt with the lest shew the Prince could make resolued to gather his forces and to charge the Hollanders with all fury swearing to his Captaines and souldiers that the spoile of Holland shold be theirs vpon condition they would execute all they found Hauing prepared a mighty army with all necessaries hee dislodged out of Brussels towards Holland Beeing arriued at Newmegen hee passed the riuers of Wale and Rhyne in the dead of winter and against all reason marched from Arnam towards Vtrick His high Marshall or Master of his Campe generall was Chiapine Vitelly Don Iohn de Mandosa was Generall of his horsemen his Generall of the artillery Mounsieur d' Cressoneir his masters del Campe were Baptista de Mounte Dorkus Iulian Romero Iohn Francisco d' Baldeso Lanchio Auila and Mondragon There were with him also many other of Nobility and Gentlemen of quality as well Italians Almaines Burgonians and Netherlanders as also of Spanish Being arriued at Amsterdam he commanded his sonne Don Frederick Chiapine Vitelly and Mandosa to march with the vanguard and to engage the towne of Harlem In such sort that nothing could passe from it to Leyden or to any other place by land Hauing placed foure regiments of Almaines and Wallons well entrenched in the wood hard by the towne and in the waies towards Leiden Don Fredrick placed himselfe with a Spanish Tertio or Regiment well intrenched in a village and a strong house betwene the towne and the sea and so lodged the rest of his companies that the towne sallies were cutte off sauing on the one quarter which was meadowes marish towards the Meere In the towne were the most of the Princes best Captaines namely Mounsieur d' Saras Steuen Butch Balford Smith with diuerse others of the Scots French Almaines and Wallons Amongst whom were some 200 English in sundry Companies without any Ensigne of their owne The garrison in the whole might be some three thousand souldiers They caused also about sixe hundred Burgesses to carry armes besides two thousand and more of all sorts of people sufficient to supply the place of pioners of which were some three hundred women all vnder one Ensigne The womens Captain was a most stout dame named Captaine Margaret Kenalt Hauing diuided the towne into quarters and giuing charge of euery quarter vnto a principall chiefe they fell to working in great numbers on the weakest parts of the Citie and mended continually some part of the fortifications In such sort that within one month their towne was three times stronger then the first houre the enemy encamped before it They kept also two small sconces on the mouth of the water that ranne from the towne into the meere which assured the passage that waies by which meanes they receiued daily all manner of commodities that pleased the Prince the States of Holland to send them The Prince kept at Delfe in Holland He chose for his Lieutenant of the wars the Baron of Battenburgh for Generall of his horsemen and Marshall Mounsieur de Carlon for Admirall of the Meere for that seruice one Noris Brand. By reason of the Spanish long delaies in their resolutions about their martiall affaires the Prince dispatched away his chiefes with some fiue thousand souldiers and about sixty boyes and cromsters of which sixe were galliots and friggats This army arriued at the Cage within three leagues of Harlem a place inuironed with waters where because the Spanish could not attempt by reason the Prince was master vpon the waters the Baron Battenburgh furnished Harlem at his pleasure with all necessaries There stood in the mayne right against it on the Meere side a village named the Sase where hee landed and entrenched very strongly In that place he encamped with some six hundred horsemen and the most of his foote-men At the Cage there was no danger wherefore he anchored his shipping hard by the shore leauing for their guard six hundred souldiers with the Admirall and one Ashilers By this time Duke d' Alua arriued before the towne with his whole forces artillery and munition amounting in the whole neere to thirty thousand of which might be some thousand fiue hundred horsemen He needed no great cauallery by reason he was assured there would bee but few against him Also those grounds did not serue for great troupes of horsemen to fight in After viewing the strong seate of the Baron of Battenburgh and perceiuing no good could be done vpon his troupes to affront him hee aduanced Iohn Battisto del Mounte with fiue Cornets Italians who entrenched strongly with sixteen Companies of footmen in a village called Hellingham halfe the way betwixt both our companies Afterwards he began to make his approaches carefully sparing neither pioners nor cost to spare his souldiers Before hee planted his battry the towne made many braue sallies killed a great number with small losse to themselues Once they carried diuers Ensignes out of their enemies trenches nayled sundry peeces of battery After placing his battry and playing furiously he gaue two sharp assaults which were defended worthily by the besieged to the enemies great losse of whom a great number of quality were slaine and hurt and amongst others the braue master of the Campe Iulian Romero lost his eye with a hargabushado The enemy often possest the breach but beeing entred their halfe moone I meane the trench which the defendants made ouerthwart the breach within they were murdered like dogges The defendants had diuers fowlers and other peeces loaden with nailes and small shot which they placed on the corners of their halfe moone Those were discharged full against the enemies being entred vpon the breach Also they had placed a great number of small shot in houses both high and lowe full of Cannoners who flanked the halfe moone and besides the halfe moone was double manned with Musketiers Calliuers Duke d' Alua his losses were so great that perceiuing the braue resolution of the defendants hee gaue ouer his assaults and began to myne and to approach carefully with sape and other stratagems Sometimes he would mount Cages on masts made with plankes and such deuices of musket proofe In those hee would place diuers musketiers who by reason of their height did beate into the trenches of the halfe moone
The defendants good Cannoniers plagued those Cages in such sort that often the Cages birds and all fell downe and brake their necks in their owne trenches So at last no birds could be found to sing in Cages where fire-worke and Cannon-shot could annoy them His mynes tooke little effect Some the defendants found with counter-myne One myne beeing passed vnder a bulwarke before it was found and then discouered the defendants made such trenches round about it that the myne being fired and the enemies entered the trench plagued them like the halfe moone so as they were driuen to quitte their myne as before they had done their breach Another time they battered a new bulwarke and the defendants perceiuing they would lodge in it left rampiring against their battery and fell to myning their owne bulwark After making many trenches round about it and placing diuers barrells of powder in their myne the enemies offered to enter The defendants quitted the bulwark sufferd the enemies to enter in great numbers and beeing at the push of pike at a barrier of their trench they fired the myne blew slew and toke at least 1600 and withall sallied into their trenches and recouered their owne ground where their bulwarke stood which they entrenched kept Duke d' Alua his losses were so great that albeit his choler encreased yet the courage of his souldiers much quailed so that the wisest sort requested him to saue his men from such furious terrors and rather to spend a long time either to famish the towne or to procure the Princes forces to fight which he could not doe without meanes to fight by water Beeing in Amsterdam with the resolution of his Admirall Count Bossue and good intelligence with the principall Burgesses of the saide towne hee resolued to cut a passage from the Southerne sea into Harlem Meere which they did and passed some forty fiue sailes whereof most were greater then those of the Princes These they armed and double manned with the best sort of souldiers out of their Campe besides their mariners Anchoring close vnder a fort of theirs not farre from ours they resolued to besiege the two forts at the mouth of the water that came from the towne to the Meere Hauing those they were sure to stop that passage and to famish the town without giuing battel In short time they made a platform to beat thâ—se forts which would hold good if their shipping could stay where they were The Prince hearing their intent commanded the Baron of Battenburgh to prepare all his Nauie to attempt the Spanish fleete By this time Colonell Morgan was arriued with tenne English companies who by reason he was but newly landed stood on some poynts of contract with the Prince But the seruice required haste and the Prince commanded the Baron of Battenburgh to aduance his Nauie with all speede and to vse all diligence to succor the distressed skonces And albeit the English regiment stood on tearmes Colonell Morgan his owne band commanded by Rowland Yorke being arriued some moneth before their fellowes offered himselfe and so did his Lieutenant Captaine Bingham with diuers others to serue where the Prince would command them But their regiment refused to march without money To say troth they were promised to bee mustered and payd at their landing The Baron of Battenburgh wanting souldiers to man both his Nauie and his trenches at the Sase was forced to depart with the Nauie before towards Harlem God knoweth nothing well manned in respect of the Spanish The Spanish Admirall hauing intelligence was ready with his Nauie double manned wanting no necessaries For the faire and rich towne of Amsterdam had furnished them with all wants especially with store of Marriners Being approached within sight one of another we found the Spanish in good order of battaile keeping close together They aduanced towards vs triumphing with Drummes Trumpets and glistering armours with great courage so as the sight quailed the courage of our white-liuered Generall and cowardly Admirall In such sort that being approached neere ready to board each other our Generall and our Admirall shranke out of our first ranke backewards and aduancing their fellowes forwards both themselues and diuers others of our best vessels made all the sailes they could to fly leauing their poore companies engaged to the mercie of their enemies by whom God knowes they were soone discountenanced Our Admirall and Generall with our best â—aâ—les escaped to the Cage as I said before a place of ours where we kept garrison the rest of our Nauie made to the contrarie shore from Harlem Diuers escaped by reason they drew farre lesser water then the Spanish diuers were boarded and burned among others two Hoyes where Yorke and Captaine Morgans companie was Notwithstanding halfe our men escaped with leaping into the water and recouered the shoare Thus lost we our Sea-battaile principally for want of souldiers to man throughly our ships but partly with ill directions and cowardly executions of the Baron of Battenburgh and Admirall Norris Brand. For no Generall or Chiefe can excuse himselfe escaping out of an ouerthrow without staying with the last troupes that fight After this our two skonces were lost and Harlem engaged to be lost without succours by land which could not be without battaile Shortly after the towne beganne to fall to distresses hauing in it at the least one thousand sixe hundred mouths with no meanes to be rid of any of them but through the enemies Campe which they offered to passe often but alwaies they were returned into the towne or massacred in the Campe. The poore Prince perceiuing the distresse of the town sought all meanes to relieue it Hauing no other means he went to Cublick Banquets where he encouraged the Hollanders to take armes and aduenture themselues with his men of warre rather then suffer their distressed Countrimen to perish These poore Hollanders hauing ingaged themselues with promise resolued to meete on a day in the Campe of Sase Being arriued the Baron of Battenburgh and Mounsieur de Carlo Generall of his horsemen tooke resolution to try the fortune of warres with the enemie rather then to suffer the world to cry out that the towne was lost without blowes on their sides and thinking his name to be infamous as indeed it was for the Sea-fight he thought it better to be buried dead then aliue Hereupon hee dislodged from his trenches of Sase accompanied with some sixe thousand footemen and sixe hundred horsemen and hauing with him some thousand Mares Vpon most of the which he placed two shot a peece the rest were led with Boures loaden with pouder and other necessaries which the towne wanted greatly Resoluing to put those necessaries into the towne hee aduanced his forces Being arriued hard by Hellingham a place as I said before which the enemie kept at the breake of day the enemy taking the alarum the
battery within sixe score of the walles which did beate on the port towards the hauen Perceiuing those Pieces could not make any breach to content our Gouernors we dislodged them to beate on the bulwarkes which flanked that curtaine Hauing battered this parapat and made it fit as wee thought to be attempted with a small scalado resolution was taken to assault it the next night In the meane time so great a picke and iealousie grew betwixt Sir Humfrey and Saras that each would faine disgrace his fellow Notwithstanding both agreed to attempt the scalado After midnight we dislodged from our quarter some two thousand of our best men all in Camisadoes with scaling ladders God knows like ignorant souldiers else we would neuer haue attempted a scalado on such a troupe For lightly a scalado neuer takes place vnlesse it bee on a simple troupe or a negligent guarde hauing a rampier or fort to defend Notwithstanding ambition and courage so pushed vs on that Sir Humfrey and Saras being approached aduanced vp their ladders so did a great number of Gentlemen and souldiers on sundry ladders The enemie politickely kept close vntill many were ready to enter Then they discharged a voley of shot full in our faces killing many And withall their armed men aduanced to the push of the Pike In such sort that they dismounted the most without ladders At which terror we retyred without commandement vntill wee came vnder the dike where the enemies shot could not hurt vs. And not without reason For being on the bulwarke it was flanked from the curtain in such sort that none could abide it Neither could we ioyne with the enemie vnlesse he listed by reason of a dike betwixt both one which they had a draw-bridge at their commandement At this scalado Sir Humfrey and Saras serued very valiantly he that escaped best of both had sundry Hagabushadoes on their armours and Camisadoes I meane their shirts that couered their armours Many young Gentlemen and Officers performed also couragious seruice Diuers were slaine and hurt among others one Bourege was taken by the enemy whom they commended greatly for his valour but hee dyed afterwards of his hurts in their hands This attempt so quailed our courage that we despaired of the towne Notwithstanding resolution was taken to continue the siege vntill the Prince of Orange were aduertized how the world went Hereupon Saras Sir Humfrey and Rowland dispatched posts to the Prince both to aduertize him and to procure more meanes The Prince vnderstanding our case dispatched letters to the towns of Holland and to the Count De la Marke to desire them to doe their best endeauour to assist vs before Tergoose The Count sent his Lieutenant Bartelencie with some 2000 Neatherlanders and Almaines Being ioyned with vs they gaue some courage at the first but when their discipline and valour was tried we found them simpler men then our selues yea so rawe that they brought vs euery day into more disorders Neuerthelesse the sight of our numbers caused vs to besiege the towne round about Belike the enemie feared vs or wanted some necessaries And finding meanes to acquaint D. d' Alua with their wants he sent w th all speed his Colonell Mondragon with his regiment of Wallons and about seauen companies more of Wallons Spaniards who might be in all some 3000 strong This Colonell was expert valiant and vigilant Being arriued at Bergham vp Zoone and finding our forces masters of the seas making good guarde round about the Island where we were he was in great paine and knew not how to passe the water By good espy-alls and guides he found the Island easie to be entred at a low water from the banke of Brabant where the passage in the deepest place was not aboue fower foote and for more then halfe the way dry lands But at quarter floud all was couered with seas at the least sixe English miles So as his troupes must recouer the dike of the Iland from the place where they entred in lesse then three howers or else be ouerflown with the sea Also being ready to enter on our dike had our gouernour kept good guards with any valour his troups must needs haue bin defeated Also he could not bring many hands to fight in order the narrownes of the place where he marched was such But this Collonell remembring the streight commandement of his Generall fearing the towne to be in greater wants then indeed it was resolued to passe and landed without resistance Notwithstanding he lost in his passage neere two hundred Besides he and his troupes were so wet and weary that they remained all that night in the place where they landed which was about two great leagues from our Camp Then iudge you what would haue become of his troups had we been cōmanded by expert Gouernors charg'd them at their landing with half our numbers In reason we had defeated them The next morning Mondragon tooke his march towards Tergoose hauing intelligence with the towne And beeing in sight the towne sallied and entred into hotte skirmish with our guardes on the side from their succours In such sort that the most of our Campe made head towards them While wee were in hot skirmish with the garrison Mondragon passed his men through the towne pel mel with ours In such sort that they forced our guardes to runne and quite all our trenches euen to the fort at the head of the water towards the sea This fort was so little that it could not hould 300 of our men Wherefore our disorder was great in seeking meanes to escape into our nauy which anchored within a harquebush shot of the fort A great number were drowned besides those that were slain some yeelded vnto the enemy especially those who were in the fort Diuers officers were carried prisoners into the castle of Antwerp amongst others Cap. Tristan Vtran. Thus ended our ignorant poore siege And but for the skuts and small boats which came hard by the shore to receiue vs in all had been lost Our blowe was so great that Sir Humfrey and the most of our men not being acquainted with such disasters sought all meanes to returne into England Notwithstanding before we embarked Sir William Morgan arriued from the Prince with authority frō the Prince the States in Holland to make large offers to stay Sir Humfrey and his regiment for their seruice But all would not serue to stay either Sir Humfrey or any of his troupes Whilst our siege of Tergoose endured Vorst the Admirall and his seamen wan Ziricksee without blowes By that you may perceiue that Pacheco and his were not exceeding expert in quiting such a place in such manner as they did I Did heare also that Sir William Pelham was sent from England to view the seat of Flushing Being returned they said his report was