This being remedied, I set sayle in the morning, and ran south-west,
till we were cleere of Ushent; and then south south-west, till we were
some hundred leagues off, where wee met with a great hulke, of some five
or six hundred tunnes, well appointed, the which my company (as is
naturall to all mariners), presently would make a prize, and loaden with
Spaniard’s goods; and without speaking to her, wished that the gunner
might shoote at her, to cause her [Advise for shooting at
sea.] to amaine.[38] Which is a bad custome received and used of many
ignorant persons, presently to gun at all whatsoever they discover,
before they speake with them; being contrary to all discipline, and
many times is cause of dissention betwixt friends, and the breach of
amitie betwixt princes; the death of many, and sometimes losse of
shippes and all, making many obstinate, if not desperate; whereas in
using common courtesie, they would better bethinke themselves, and so
with ordinarie proceeding (justified by reason, and the custome of all
well disciplined people) might perhaps many times breede an increase of
amitie, a succour to necessity, and excuse divers inconveniencies and
sutes, which have impoverished many: for it hath chanced [Sidenote:
Sundry mischances for neglect thereof.] by this errour, that two English
ships, neither carrying flag for their perticular respects, to change
each with other a dozen payre of shott, with hurt to both, being after
too late to repent their follie. Yea a person of credit hath told mee,
that two English men of warre in the night, have layed each other aboord
willingly, with losse of many men and dammage to both, onely for the
fault of not speaking one to the other; which might seeme to carrie with
it some excuse, if they had beene neere the shore, or that the one had
beene a hull,[39] and the other under sayle, in feare shee should have
escaped, not knowing what shee was (though in the night it is no
wisedome to bourd with any ship), but in the maine sea, and both
desiring to joyne, was a sufficient declaration that both were seekers:
and therefore by day or night, he that can speake with the ship hee
seeth, is bound, upon payne to bee reputed voyd of good government, to
hayle her before hee shoote at her. Some man [Object.] may
say, that in the meanetime, shee might gaine the winde: in such causes,
and many others, necessity giveth [Answer.] exception to all
lawes; and experience teacheth what is fit to be done.
[Master Thomas Hampton.]
Master Thomas Hampton, once generall of a fleete of wafters, sent to
Rochell, anno 1585, with secret instructions, considering (and as a man
of experience), wisely understanding his place and affaires, in like
case shut his eare to the instigations and provocations of the common
sort, preferring the publique good of both kingdomes before his owne
reputation with the vulgar people: and as another Fabius Maximus,
_cunctando restituit rem, non ponendo rumores ante salutem_.[Sidenote:
The French and English fleete salute one another.] The French kings
fleete comming where he was, and to winde-ward of him, all his company
were in an uproare; for that hee would not shoote presently at them,
before they saw their intention: wherein had beene committed three great
faults: the first and principall, the breach of amitie betwixt the
princes and kingdomes: the second, the neglect of common curtesie, in
shooting before hee had spoken with them: and the third, in shooting
first, being to lee-wards of the other.
Besides, there was no losse of reputation, because the French kings
fleete was in his owne sea; and therefore for it to come to winde-ward,
or the other to go to lee-ward, was but that which in reason was
required, the kingdomes being in peace and amitie. For every prince is
to be acknowledged and respected in his jurisdiction, and where hee
pretendeth it to be his.
The French generall likewise seemed well to understand what he had in
hand; for though he were farre superiour in forces, yet used hee the
termes which were required; and comming within speech, hayled them, and
asked if there were peace or warre betwixt England and France: whereunto
answere being made that they knew of no other but peace, they saluted
each other after the maner of the sea, and then came to an anchor all
together, and as friends visited each other in their ships.
[The English carry up their flag in the French seas.]
One thing the French suffered (upon what occasion or ground I know not),
that the English alwayes carried their flag displayed; which in all
other partes and kingdomes is not permitted: at least, in our seas, if a
stranger fleete meete with any of his majesties ships, the forraigners
are bound to take in their flags, or his majesties ships to force them
to it, though thereof follow the breach of peace or whatsoever
discommodity. And whosoever should not be jealous in this point, hee is
not worthy to have the commaund of a cock-boat committed unto him: yea
no [The honour of his majesties ships.] stranger ought to open
his flag in any port of England, where there is any shipp or fort of his
majesties, upon penaltie to loose his flagg, and to pay for the powder
and shott spend upon him. Yea, such is the respect to his majesties
shippes in all places of his dominions, that no English ship displayeth
the flagge in their presence, but runneth the like daunger, except they
be in his majesties service; and then they are in predicament of the
kings ships. Which good discipline in other kingdomes is not in that
regard as it ought, but sometimes through ignorance, sometimes of
malice, neglect is made of that dutie and acknowledgement which is
required, to the cost and shame of the ignorant and malicious.
[Practised at the comming in of King Philip into England.]
In queen Maries raigne, king Philip of Spaine, comming to marry with the
queene, and meeting with the royall navie of England, the lord William
Haward, high admirall of England, would not consent, that the king in
the narrow seas should carrie his flagge displayed, untill he came into
the harbour of Plimouth.
[And in the passage of Dona Anna de Austria.]
I being of tender yeares, there came a fleete of Spaniards of above
fiftie sayle of shippes, bound for Flaunders, to fetch the queen, Donna
Anna de Austria, last wife to Philip the second of Spaine, which entred
betwixt the iland and the maine, without vayling their top-sayles, or
taking in of their flags: which my father, Sir John Hawkins, (admirall
of a fleete of her majesties shippes, then ryding in Catt-water),
perceiving, commanded his gunner to shoot at the flagge of the admirall,
that they might thereby see their error: which, notwithstanding, they
persevered arrogantly to keepe displayed; whereupon the gunner at the
next shott, lact[40] the admirall through and through, whereby the
Spaniards finding that the matter beganne to grow to earnest, tooke in
their flags and top-sayles, and so ranne to an anchor.
The generall presently sent his boat, with a principall personage to
expostulate the cause and reason of that proceeding; but my father would
not permit him to come into his ship, nor to heare his message; but by
another gentleman commanded him to returne, and to tell his generall,
that in as much as in the queenes port and chamber, he had neglected to
doe the acknowledgment and reverence which all owe unto her majestie
(especially her ships being present), and comming with so great a navie,
he could not but give suspition by such proceeding of malicious
intention, and therefore required him, that within twelve houres he
should depart the port, upon paine to be held as a common enemy, and to
proceed against him with force.
Which answere the generall understanding, presently imbarked himselfe in
the same boat, and came to the _Jesus of Lubecke_, and craved licence to
speake with my father; which at the first was denyed him, but upon the
second intreatie was admitted to enter the ship, and to parley. The
Spanish generall began to demand if there were warres betwixt England
and Spaine; who was answered, that his arrogant manner of proceeding,
usurping the queene his mistresses right, as much as in him lay, had
given sufficient cause for breach of the peace, and that he purposed
presently to give notice thereof to the queene and her counsell, and in
the meane time, that he might depart. Whereunto the Spanish generall
replyed, that he knew not any offence he had committed, and that he
would be glad to know wherein he had misbehaved himselfe. My father
seeing he pretended to escape by ignorance, beganne to put him in mind
of the custome of Spaine and Fraunce, and many other parts, and that he
could by no meanes be ignorant of that, which was common right to all
princes in their kingdomes; demanding, if a fleete of England should
come into any port of Spaine (the kings majesties ships being present),
if the English should carry their flags in the toppe, whether the
Spanish would not shoot them downe; and if they persevered, if they
would not beate them out of their port. The Spanish generall confessed
his fault, pleaded ignorance not malice, and submitted himselfe to the
penaltie my father would impose: but intreated, that their princes
(through them) might not come to have any jarre. My father a while (as
though offended), made himselfe hard to be intreated, but in the end,
all was shut up by his acknowledgement, and the auncient amitie renewed,
by feasting each other aboord and ashore.
[As also in her repassage.]
The self same fleete, at their returne from Flaunders, meeting with her
majesties shippes in the Channell, though sent to accompany the
aforesaid queene, was constrained during the time that they were with
the English, to vayle their flagges, and to acknowledge that which all
must doe that passe through the English seas.[41] But to our voyage.