not manie among them that hated mee and as I supposed there was no small number among the rest of the great Armie which did beare mee good will by reason that they beheld me at such time as we fought to show forth my great valour and force In this manner Captaine Licio and I entered into league and frendship which we shewed by no small signes one vnto the other as after you shall heare Of him I learned manie things touching the customes and manners of the inhabitants of the Seas together with the names and prouinces kingdomes and signiories of the same and the names of the Lords and Gouernors thereof In such sort that in short space he made me as experient in them or rather more than the naturall Tonnyes themselues for that I could better discourse vppon them than they were able to doo Not long after our Campe brake vp and the Generall willed that each Captaine should depart and that within two months after all the Captaines should repaire againe vnto the Court for it was the Kings pleasure Wherewith my frend and I departed and all his Companie which to my iudgement were about ten thousand Tonnyes among the which there were not aboue ten Females and those were labouring Tonnyes such as among Souldiers are accustomed to wash and get their liuing There I saw the deuises that those Fishes vsed to finde out meate to sustaine themselues which is in this manner They scatter and spread themselues abroad on all sides in certain places each Companie holding the circuite of a league and more and if it fortune that two Companies doo chaunce to méete they turne their heads one against the other making forward to ioyne together and all the Fishes which they take in the midst betwéene them are sure to die and to bee torne in péeces with their téeth And in this manner doo they hunt twice or thrice euerie day as they chaunce to issue foorth Thus we filled our bellies with great store of swéete and sauerie fishes verefying the olde Prouerbe which saith that the great fishes deuoure the small for that if in our circuite we found anie greater fishes than our selues wee presently gaue them a pasport suffering them to passe away without anie brabling vnlesse they desired to remaine with vs helping vs to kill eate other Fishes according vnto the common saying Hee that taketh no paines for his liuing is not worthie to eate At one time among others we tooke certaine Cuttle fishes whereof the biggest among the rest I saued and kept for my slaue and made him my page to beare my sword by which meanes I had my mouth at libertie and not cumbred with the same and my Page turning one of his sinnes backward in manner of a ring carried it verie easely at his pleasure ietting and bragging among the rest In this manner wee trauelled for the space of eight Sunnes for that in the Sea the dayes are so called at the ende whereof wee drew néere vnto the place where my frend and those of his Regiment kept their wiues and children of whom wee were receiued with most great ioy and euerie one went home vnto his owne house leauing me in the Captaines lodging being after the sea manner verie stately We being entered into the Captaine Licioes house he sayd thus vnto his Wife Gentlewoman the gaynes which I bring you of this Voyage is to haue gotten for my frend this gentle Tonny which héere you sée The which purchase I make no small accompt of wherefore I pray you let him bee welcome vnto you and giue him as good entertainment as you were accustomed to doo vnto my brother for therein you shall doo mee a singular great pleasure because I honour and admire his vertues She was a verie faire Tonny with a verie good grace made him answere Sir assure your selfe it shall be done as you require and if anie default be found in me it shall not be for want of good will Whereat I made an humble reuerence and fell downe desiring her to giue mee her hands that I might kisse them which I spake some what softly so that as it chaunced they neither saw nor heard my folly But I said vnto my selfe what a foole am I to desire to kisse her hands that hath nothing but a tayle The Tonny gaue me a swéete kisse willing me to rise vp and so I was most curteously receiued of her and offering vnto her my seruice it was verie well accepted of and receiued so wise an answere of her againe as of so honourable a Gentlewoman might be giuen In this manner we remained there certaine dayes in great pleasure I being verie well vsed and intertained by those Gentlemen and wayted vppon by his seruants In the meane time I taught the Captaine to play at sence although I neuer had learned in all my life and yet I did it very nimbly with my sword which he praised very much as likewise a brother of his called Melo a verie braue Tonny Resting thus at mine ease one night beeing alone in my bed and thinking vpon the great fauour and frendship I had found in this fish my great frend desiring if occasion might bee offered to doo somewhat for him as part of a recompence of the great debt which in that behalfe I ought him at the last there came vnto my minde a great seruice that I might doo which in the morning I imparted vnto him which he tooke in good part because it was not to be disliked and which stood him in great stead as hereafter shall be showen The thing was thus that I séeing him to be so wel affectionate to armes told him that he should doo well to send to the place where our shipwracke happened and that there hee should finde manie swords speares ponyards and other manner of Armes and that they should bring away as manie as they could finde for that I was minded to take the charge vppon mee to learne our Companie the managing of them with much dexteritie which if I brought to passe his Companie should thereby be the most strong valiant aboue all others and which the King and all the Sea would most accompt of because that by that meanes it would be more worthie for strength than all the rest ioyned together whereby hee might obtaine much honour and profite This séemed vnto him to be the counsell of a verie good frend for the which he gaue me most heartie thankes and presently therevpon putting my counsell and aduice in effect hee sent in all hast his Brother Melo with sixe thousand Tonnyes vnto the place by me alleadged who verie shortly after with great diligence returned againe bringing with them an infinite number of swords and other weapons whereof diuers were all rustie which should séeme to haue laine in the sea since the time that the valiant Captaine Don Luigo de Moncada suffred shipwracke in that place The Armes beeing brought they were deuided amongst those
him thoough the accustomed stréetes but doo it before the prison gate which they beléeuing to be true had deliuered him to be executed In such maner that the King knew and perceiued his Generals fault and the more he looked into the matter the more he perceiued it to be true CHAP. VIII How the Captaines wife returned againe vnto the King and of the good answere she brought ALL this while we stayed that day and the next night in the wood not greatly in quiet and the next day after the Captaines wife with her Companie went againe vnto the palace and to auoid tediousnes the King by that time was in better quietnes receiuing her verie curteously and saying Good woman if all my subiects had so wise and discréete wiues peraduenture they should increase their honor and wealth and I accompt my selfe happie I say this for that in truth I séeing your discretion and wise reasons haue therewith appeased my anger and you thereby haue deliuered your husband his companie from my wrath and heauie displeasure and for because that since your being here I haue béen better informed than I was tell him that vpon my word he may come to the Court with all his frends without anie perill or danger But for auoyding of tumults and speaches at this present will him from me that he kéep house as a prisoner vntill I send him word vnto the contrarie and in the meane time I pray you come hither and sée vs because I take great pleasure to sée and behold your person good behauior and pleasant speach Whereat the Captaines wife kissed his taile giuing him heartie thankes for the great grace and fauour he shewed as she full well could doo it and so returned vnto vs with a most ioyfull answere although some of vs thought it not conuenient to be done saying it was but subtilly politikely done thereby to get vs into his hands In the end we agréed as loyall subiects to accomplish the commandement of our King trusting vnto 〈◊〉 I meane our mouthes when our loyaltie should bee brought in question Whereupon we presently remooued vnto the Citie and entred therein finding in the same man is frends which as then shewes themselues perceiuing our enterprise to be wel taken and effectuated but before they burst not make anie show thereof as the olde saying is When Fortune turneth and sendeth thée aduersitie then thy frends are shaken and 〈◊〉 from thée for aduersitie sheweth who be frends and who are foes Being entred we retired vnto one end of the Citie wherein least people were where stood houses great store but most part without inhabitants beeing the houses of such as wee had slaine there we lodged as néere as wee could together in the meane time giuing commission that not one of our band should walk abroad into the Citie that the Princes will might be fulfilled Meane time the Captaines wife went euerie day vnto the Court to visite the King as he had commaunded with whom she became a great frend but as farre as I could perceiue although all séemed cléere water yet the beautifull Luna paid for all for the going with her sister in these visitations and as it is a common saying Such pilgrimes such saints the King wan her fauour so well that in the ende he obtained her loue which I verely thinke she did not with the consent of her sister Which Captaine Licio knew verie well for that in a manner he deliuered it vnto me asking my counsell therein I told him that in my opinion the matter was not great specially because it would be a great helpe and the principall occasion of procuring our libertie And so it fell out for that the faire Gentlewoman Luna was so priuie with the King that within eight dayes after his royall coniunction fall out what would we were all pardoned and acquited and the King releasing her brother in law sent word that we should all come vnto the Court Beeing there Licio kissed the Kings taile which he offred him verie willingly and I did the like although with an euill will as béeing a man and to kisse in such a place Then the King said vnto vs Captaine I being informed of your loyaltie and not hearing anie thing vnto the contrarie therefore from henceforth I pardon you with all your companie frends and seruants which in the enterprise past did aid and assist you and because hereafter you shal be here attendant at our Court I giue vnto you all the houses with the goods therein of those that by the permission of God lost them together with their liues giuing you likewise the same office that our Captaine generall had and from henceforth I will that you exercise the same as one that knoweth well how to vse it Whereat we fell downe before him and our Captaine Licio went kissed his taile once againe giuing him great thankes for his liberall rewards saying that he trusted in God to doo such seruice in the said office that his Highnes should think it well bestowed The same day the King was informed of poore Lazarus the Tonny although at that time I was so rich so glad to sée them frends that me thought I neuer was better pleased The King among diuers questions asked how I found out the inuention of our armes I answered him to his content Then he asked with what number of fishes I and my companie durst incounter I answered the Whales excepted I could ouercome all the fishes in the sea Whereuppon he appointed next morning to sée vs all muster before him Next day Licio our Generall and I with all the rest of our armed companie went out where I found a very good inuention although the souldiers vse it here at this present I made them place themselues in order and so we passed before his Highnes making a ring which although the Coronell Villalua and his companie could do it better and in brauer manner yet in the sea they hauing not séene anie esquadrons made it séemed strange vnto them After that I made a battaile of our armed Tonnies together placing the fairest and best armed in the first rankes willing Melo with all the disarmed and with thirtie thousand other Tonnies to come forth and skirmish with vs who compassed vs about on al parts But we placing ours in good order and holding close together began to defend our selues so well and to strike and hurt them in such sort that all the sea had not béen sufficient to haue entred within vs. The king séeing that I had told him truth and that in such sort we could not be hurt called vnto Licio and said This your frend hath maruellous great skill in armes it séemeth vnto me that in this manner we might conquere and ouercome the whole seas It is most true as your Grace saith said our Captaine generall and as touching the good industrie of the strange Tonny my good frend I cannot beléeue or be perswaded otherwise
summe of money and withall to deliuer him one hundreth female Sturgeons one hundreth males which male Sturgeons because they are a daintie fish the king eate them at his owne table the females he kept for his pleasure After that our General went against the Porpeses which he ouercame brought vnder our subiection Wherewith the number of our armed Tonnies grew so great and puissant that we held manie kinde of fishes in subiection vnder vs all which became tributaries and gaue pledges as we said before Then our Captaine not being contenced with the victories past armed himselfe against the Cocodriles which are a kinde of most fierce fishes and liue sometime in the sea and sometime on the land with whom we had manie battailes and although wee lost some yet for the most part he bare away the victorie But it was no meruaile that we lost some because as I said before those kinde of fishes are verie fierce cruell great bodied with great téeth and long tuskes wherewith they tare in péeces as many of vs as they could reach into their pawes and yet for all their fiercenes we manie times put them to the worst vnles if were somtimes when they saw themselues ouer-pressed by our Tonnies then they forsooke the water and took the land and so they escaped Which our Captaine Licio perceiuing in the end left them after he had spoyled great numbers of them and hee himself likewise receiued great damage and lost the good Melo his brother which caused no smal gréefe throughout the whole Armie But our comfort was that he died like a valiant Tonnie for it was reported vnto vs for a truth that before they killed him he in person with his sword wherewith he was very nimble killed more than a thousand Cocodriles yet they had not killed him if it had not chanced that they flying and he after them he sodainly fell vpon the land there stayed by which meanes not being able to be seconded by his companie the enemie tare him in péeces In the end good Captaine Licio returned from the warres the most renowned fish that then liued in the seas bringing with him great rich spoyles which he gaue wholly vnto the King without taking anie thing for himselfe At his returne his Highnes receiued him with such countenance and entertainment as belonged vnto a fish that had done him so great seruice and honour and withall bestowed most liberall rewards vpon him as also vnto those that had followed him in such manner that euerie one found himselfe contented and pleased And the King to shew the greater fauour vnto Licio mourned for Melo his brother the space of eight dayes and so did we al. Your worship must vnderstand that the mourning among the fishes is that when they are sad and mourne during that time they speak not but onely by signes aske what they desire to haue And this is the manner that is obserued among them whē as their husbands wiues children or frends doe die they mourne in that sort as I said before and kéep it so straightly that it is holden for a great ignomie and that the greatest that may be found within the seas if whē they mourne they chance to speake vntill such time as the King sending vnto them willeth them to leaue mourning and then they speak as they did before I heard it reported among them that a Lord for the death of a Ladie whom he loued and kept as his frend mourned in his owne Countrey for the space of ten yeares and for all that the King could doo he might not cause him to leaue off mourning because that at such time as he sent him word to leaue off he sent word to beséech his Grace to cause him to bee killed rather than leaue off mourning which he could not do And which is more I was tolde wherein I tooke great pleasure to heare it that his seruants perceiuing his long silence some of them at a month others another month and other some at two months as they desired to speake forsooke his house so that in the end he had not one left and here with his mourning continued so long that although he had desired to leaue it hee knew not with whom to speake When they tolde me this I called to my remembrance diuers talkatiue men with whom I am verie well acquainted who neuer leaue talking but assoone as one tale is ended they begin againe And many times because they would not loose companie they cut off their tales in the middle and begin others and so continue vntill the very night come vpon them that they must néeds leaue company or els they would neuer haue done and the worst is that these men do not perceiue how much they offend God and the world herein and I thinke are little lesse then troublesome vnto the diuel himselfe and he that will be wise let him flie the companie of these fooles because like requireth like for their paines I wish they were vassalls vnto this Barron and that during their aboad with him his friend might die that I might be reuenged on them CHAP. X. How the King and Licio determined to marry Lazarus vnto the faire Ladie Luna and how they were married BVt returning vnto our matter the mourning and sorrow holden for the death of Melo being past the king sent word that with all spéede the number of armed Tonnies should bee new supplied and increased and that they should go séeke more armes which was presently done At which time it séemed good vnto the king to marry me to some one whom he thought good and therupon he dealt with Licio about the same vnto whom he committed the matter but he would willingly haue bene quit of the charge because he knew somewhat by her but for that it pleased the king he durst not otherwise doo so he brake the matter vnto me being not a little ashamed to do it saying that he sawe and knew I deserued more honour as my déedes witnessed but the king had expresly commanded that he should be the mariage maker In the end the matter being at that point it is my good fortune sayd I vnto my selfe a nayle is not good to play at tennis withall and a plague of such a ball as cannot be taken but at the second rebound and séeing it pleaseth God it shall be no otherwise and that it is for my profite and aduancement it is reason that I climbe from a priest vnto a king In the ende I did it and my mariage was solemnized with so great triumphs and feastings as if it had bene for a prince being honored with the degrée of a vicount that the king gaue me with her which if I had it here vpon earth would do me much more good than in the sea in the end from the base or meanest Tonny my name rose vnto a Signior In the manner my signory led a tryumphant life married very richly
Tonnnyes that séemed vnto vs to be the most nimble of best courage among them And then the Captaine on the one side his Brother on the other I as the chiefe Master of Defence taught such as desired to be expert in their weapon so that we imployed our whole time in learning them to manage their Armes and to defend themselues therewith Whereby in short space there were some among them that could giue the thrust the crosse blow and the reuerse as for the rest that dealt not in their weapons wee appointed them to hunt and séeke for victualls and the women wee learned to scowre our weapons by a fine inuention that I deuised which was that they should thrust them into the sand and draw them forth againe so long vntill they waxed bright In such manner that our companie being ioyned altogether hee that should behold that part of the sea would thinke he saw a great battaile in the water In the ende by this meanes there was almost not one of the Tonnies but began to be very expert in his weapon Hereupon we entred into counsell and in the same it was agréed that we should make a perpetuall league amitie with the cuttle fishes whereby they might come and liue among vs because with their large sinnes they might doo vs great seruice to beare our Armes and so it was done and they were glad of it because they saw we tooke them for our frends and maintained them the which as I said before might serue our turnes in that point without anie paine or trouble vnto them About this time the space of two moneths appointed by the Generall for the Captaines repaire vnto the Court began to draw néere at the end whereof the Captaine generall sent commandement that they should come thither Whereupon Licio began to make preparation for his iourney and betwéen him and I it was debated whether it should be good for me to goe with him to the court to do my humble dutie vnto the king that he might know me but we found it not conuenient considering the Generall séemed to beare me no great good wil and that he had expresly commanded me to returne vnto mine owne countrie for the which cause the matter being throughly debated in the presence of Melo brother vnto Captaine Licio a Tonny of singular good wit and of the no lesse wise Tonny his wife their aduice at the present was that I should stay there with her Whervpon he determined to go in all spéed and to take but few of his men with him being at the Court he would informe the king of me and of my great valor and vpon the Kings answere we should procéed This being agréed vpon among vs the good captaine Licio departed on his iourney with very néere a thousand Tonnies his brother Melo I with al the rest staying at home in our lodgings and at his departure from me taking me aside he said vnto me My verie frend I must of force let you vnderstand that I depart from hence with no small gréefe by reason of a dreame I had this last night I pray God it fall not out to be true but if to my euill fortune it should happen to be true I pray you that you will take it in good part and thinke vpon that which you haue giuen me in charge and hereof I pray you desire not to know anie farther at this present because it is neither cōuenient for you nor me I besought him much to declare the same vnto me and the rather because at his departure from his wife his brother the rest he gaue me a nod with his head although verie sadly leauing me verie sorrowfull and heauy He being gone I could not but thinke vpon the matter and diuers things ran in my minde touching the same among the rest I supposed this one to be it the peraduenture he vnto whom I was so much beholding might thinke that the beautie of his wife which most commonly is not matched with the greatest honestie would blinde me so much that I could not sée how the sea doth abhorre so great a wickednes But that good law is at this day much corrupted on the earth in the sea it is the like but it is no meruaile In this conceipt I continued long and in the end I deuised a meane whereby he might be assured of me and my loyaltie no way suspected which was thus that I and her brother in law being with her after some salutations and comforts offred vnto her on our parts thereby to put her out of the melancholy humor which we perceiued to be in her because of her husbands departure and the rather to behold him so sad and heauie although that he hid it both from her and me at his departure from vs I told Melo that I desired to be his guest if be thought it good because I could not be merrie being alway in companie of women rather than I should be troublesome vnto her I would leaue the house She was presently readie to make me an answere saying that if she found anie meanes of comfort she thought it would be by reason that I was in her house and at her commandement she knowing verie well the great loue and affection that her husband bare vnto me that at the time of his departure from her he gaue her not any greater charge than of the care that she was to haue of me althogh I suspected not what the cause was for our thoughts did rather disagrée In the end I thinking that it might be with the Tonny fishes as it was with me in the same case touching my wife Eluira and my master the Priest could neuer be in quiet but desired rather to be with her brother in law and whensoeuer I went to visite her I brought him alwaies with me CHAP. V. Lazarus telleth what happened vnto Captaine Licio his frend at the Court by meanes of the Captaine generall BEing sometimes hunting and sometimes exercising our weapons within eight dayes after my frends departure newes was brought vs which made vs the most sorrowfull fishes in the sea Being thus that when the Captaine generall vsed me so hardly as I told you before he willed me to depart out of the Army saying that those Tonnies which found themselues agréeued at me because of my offence committed against them would be reuenged and afterwards he had commaunded certaine Tonnies that finding me alone from al company they should presently kill me and for no other cause more than that it séemed vnto him as it was very true that I would be a witnes of his cowardlines for other cause there was none but only where desert is it ought to be recompenced but God preuented this mischiefe putting as I thinke into Licioes hart the fauor he shewed me Which being knowen vnto the Generall he bare him likewise most great hatred euill will affirming and swearing that that which