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hope of our lyues dyd lye in wysdome, and boldnes of courage, we
purposed rather honestly to dye in battayle, than in flyenge to be
myserably destroyed by theim; and this to dooe we wer greatlye
incited and sturred withe the hope that we had in the nere commynge
and readye succour, which we looked to haue quickly of themperour.
And, being thus purposed and confyrmed, we withstode our enemyes
by great force of speares. So that when yt chaunced enye of theim to
come among vs and to medle with vs; we shortened their passage and
slewe theim among vs, which was not hard to dooe, forasmuch as they
are not muche accustomed to weare herneysse. And perceauynge this,
they drawynge backe, beganne agayne the use of their shotte as they
had done before, wher withall they dyd vs much harme, because we
were very nygh one to another, and that so greatly, that we were
dryuen to breake our ordre, and to saye the trouthe, we were sore
troubled; at which tyme, beholde, themperour came polytikly with a
compeignye of Allmaignes, whiche when our enemyes perceaued, they
left of noyeng and greuyng vs, and gaue vs a lytle leasour and space to
breathe our selfes. When themperour had set his armye in the largest
places that he could fynde amonge the lytle hilles (of the which, often
tymes we haue made mencyon) and our enemyes coulde not well
perceaue what was the nombre, because of the hilles which were betwene
theim; wherfore, to knowe this, they approched more nearer, but
seinge that it auayled nothing, fearynge that if they shuld haue stayd
to long viewyng of vs, the themperours men, beyng nere, woolde haue
medled with theim; and therfore, they drewe back, and strayte way
entred the toune, blowynge the retraicte, and so saued them seltes in the
toune in good ceason, lashinge oute, and shotynge of, in all the haste, theyr
greate gonnes and harquebusshes; then was themperour himselfe in great
daunger, for in the meane while that he was with the vaunt garde,
geuyng courage unto theim, that were in the formost brunt.
great Gonnes caryed away v. or vi. of them to whome he spake, and
tooke councel of; howbeit, he him selfe neuer chaunged colour, ne-
ther shewed eny token of feare in goyng forth with his purpose, as though
nothinge had chanced. These thinges thus dooen, and our enemyes
gone backe and we deliuered, themperour, with a small losse of his
Allmeignes, brought back the armye to the campe. As concernyng
the Knyghtes of the Rhodes which were in all, skase the nombre of an
hundred, there was viii. of theim that remayned slaine with the Gon-
nes, and xxx. that skaped being sore wounded. As for the Italyans,
whiche remayned among vs, I knowe not for a truthe, howe great the
nombre was, nether of theim that wer slaine, ner yet of those that
wer hurt and wounded, for because that I my selfe was sore wounded,
and for that the great grefe and peine of my woundes caused in me a
great maladye and disease, that yt was not possible for me to go vnto
one that coulde tell me the nombre. In this meane while that we were
thus tormented wyth the wynde, rayne, and enemyes, our shippes of
warre, rydyng alongest the coste, were woondrefully turmoyled; and
suche was the rage and crueltye of the storme, that there was nether
ancre ner gable, the whiche coulde holde theim from breakynge and
dashynge against the earthe, or from beatynge one against another, so

The

that the water entreynge, sanke theim in the depe. And our enemyes much more augmentynge this fortune (whiche seinge aswell our losses as also our other miseryes, bothe of our people and shippes in great nombre) went downe to our arryuage, to thentent to kyll theim, whom the tempest had spared; the which thing seinge, themperour dispatched. ii. M. Spanyardes that brought backe our enemyes, and delyuered the maryners from that perill and danger, whiche was to our smal aduauntage; for the maryners, seing the great daunger of the see, and thassuraunce of the lande, regarded none other thyng but the sauynge of theym selfes, and therfor conueighed theim selfes, oute of the daunger of the water, whiche was the cause that the oftener our shippes dyd beate against the bankes, and so were drouned in great nombre. Suche was this tempest, that xxx. shippes wer lost, which chaunce was so greueous when it was tolde the army, that in maner they wer vtterly put in despayre; for at their comminge foorth of the shippes, to thentent they woolde be the more lyght and hable to iourneye, they pestred not theim selfes with enye necessarye prouisyon, neyther tooke they with theim vytayles, but for ii. dayes onlye, the which wer gone and spent ii. jorneyes before; therfore, consydering a great part of the shippes perisshed, they feared that the rest shuld peryshe in lyke maner, so that, when nede shuld come, there shuld remayne none to cary theim awaye, in such sort that they looked for nothinge more sure then presente death. And scinge that we lacked artillary, and that, on theother side, it boted not, either to seke or hope for vytayles, so that they vtterlye dyspayred of the wynninge of the towne, and this confusyon and despayre endured all that daye and nyght foloynge.

Thre days after, the see somewhat assuaged, but yet not so, that it was possible to haue entreprised the goynge for enye vytayles; and themperour, in this necessite, coulde none otherwyse prouyde for his armye, but commaunded that the horses whyche he had caused to be brought with hym in the barques, to be kylled for the sustentacion of the poore souidyers, the which by the space of iii. dayes dyd eate none other meat; for the tempest, in brusynge and noyenge of the shyppes, had loste and drouned a great quantyte of meale, corn, and bysket, and other vytayles, as peason, beanes, wyne, oyle, and poudered fleshe, with thewhiche they were wel laden at their commyng foorth. And so, by this meanes, there was loste many horses, and a great nombre of artillarye, aswell of that which serued for the safegarde and defence of shippes, as also of that whiche we tooke out for the besegynge and assautynge of the toune, the greatest parte wherof our enemyes might haue fysshed for; and the some of the grayne that we loste was so muche, that skacely ther remayned ynough to serue vs in our journeye homeward, although we made great hast.

The Emperour then, consyderyng all his fortunes and losses, determyned to differre this assaute tyll the next sommer foloynge, or soner, yt he could bryng hys armye; and, therfore, commaunded that cuery man should get him to the see-syde; which thynge was much more casyer to be done, then was their landynge. And then was sene there a pyteous and lamentable syght; for the poore souldyers, beyng so feynt, as is aforcsayde, wette, and washed with water, from toppe

to too, beyng feble, by sufferynge so longe the great famyne; fynding the way, by which they shuld go, so slabby and slyppery, that many of them, lackyng strength, fell downe pyteously starke ded, or very nigh ded, without hauyng helpe or succour of eny man in the worlde; for the earth, by the reason of the former rayne, was so wette and slyppery, that it was not possible to fynde any place once to rest in; so that, yf any wold haue rested, or stande styll, he was constreigned to staye him selfe vpon his staffe. Neuertheles God alwayes ayded vs, for in thende (except it were a veray small nombre) we with good courage acheued wisely this our retraicte, in such sorte, that, for to come vnto the place where we shuld go aboorde, we passed lustely thorowe thre dytches of ronnynge water, wherin we went vp to the harde gyrdelles; and this retraicte, or fleying backe, endured the space of three dayes.

Nowe then, assone as we were all arryued harde by the shyppes, the emperour commaunded, that, while the Allmeignes and Italyans wente aborde, the Spanyardes (in whome he had a better opinion) shuld tary alande, for the resystence of the enemyes, yf any chaunced to folowe them, and to do asmuch as they myght, that euery man were set aborde: hewbeit, the former tempest had broken and destroyed so many of the lytle botes, by which our people shuld haue bene caryed, one after another, vnto the greate shippes, that it was not possible to boorde in so lytle time as ii. dayes; nether might the Spanyardes came awaye before all was done; and, the third day, then a great nombre of the Spanyardes beyng caryed and borded, the winde beganne to blowe, and the sce to swell, in such wise, that they had much adoe to brynge the rest aborde, but yet, at the last, it was dooen. The maryners foreseyng, or perceauyng the tempest, beganne to departe, and they that fyrst were laden, and gone, were moste happy, for the tempest, so encreasynge, would not suffre the other to come of the coste, but of force kept them in, to the great daunger of breakyng theyr shippes agaynste the rockes; so that a Rhodyan, hauynge his gables and ancres broken, was in great daunger to be dryuen in peces agaynste the stones of the bankes; but, by the great laboure of the slaues, at the laste they gate more into the see, and then the masters counceled, rather to put them selfes to the chaunce of the wether, then to remayne there in daunger; the other three, foloynge the purpose of this, dyd, in lyke maner, put them selfes to the fortune of the wether, and, by this meane, at the last arryued al foure at the toune of Buge; which thyng was not done without great laboure and perill, for the one of theim, losynge his rudder, escaped peryshynge very narowlye.

The Emperour, lookyng for the assuagynge of the tempest, dyd remayne, this mean tyme, harde by the shore, thynkynge that, if the rage dyd still contynue, that he woulde, with strength of men, tolle forth his shippes, with lytle botes, into the depth of the see; but forasmuche as he had proued often tymes, and myght not bryng it to passe, and also seynge the tempest contynue, he commaunded to set forward with the shippes, and to folowe the Rhodyans, leauynge behynde him, for the succoure of them that remayned, foure great

gallyes; that afterwarde, as we were informed, wer, by the rygoure and force of the tempest, brosed and beaten agaynst the rockes of the see-bankes, and a great nombre of oure people caste vpon the same bankes, which, beyng destytute of all hope and comforte, commended them selfes to God, purposyng to go towarde the towne of Argiers, to ask mercy of our enemyes, and to put theim selfes vndre raunsome; but the Numidoys, oure enemyes, without any pitie or compassion, slewe them, and destroyed them, before they came nere the toune. Such was thende of the Affricane warre, that what, for the troublesomenes of the tymes, and the great laboure which we had endured, we were desyrous of reste; notwithstandynge we obteyned not, for the place would not suffre it; forasmuche as the hauen of Buges had before it no maner of defence to kepe of the wynde and wether commyng from Europe, the which caused that we could not longe remayne there; for the see, beynge vexed and troubled with wynde, brake and brose d our shyppes, in such sorte that we were in no lesse perill then when we escaped at Argiers. Afterwarde, by good chaunce, ther was arryued a ship, laden with corne and other vytayles; the whiche, sone after she was come into the hauen, by the sore tempests and furye of the winde, euen before our eyes, was drouned and sonke; by the which tempeste, although we susteyned no hurte, yet I thought it mete to be spoken of, that ye may knowe what feare we were in. And, after that the see had thus tormented vs a great parte of the daye, at the laste came a myserable and cruel nyght, that vaxed us in such sorte, that we vtterly despayred; but, the day foloynge, the great rage and furye beinge a lytle assuaged and appeased, it began to be somewhat calme. And yer ferther, I had forgotten to tell you, that, durynge this greate tempest, by a wonderfull vyolence of the winde, the captaynes shyppe of the gallyes was caryed, whiche, in commyng to the hauen, had cast ouer boorde both mastes and sayles; whiche tempest vsed no lesse rygorousnes with the shippes of the Rhodyans; for, by a wondrefull violence, it toke vp a bote oute of the shippes, lyftynge it so high, that it had lyke, in the commynge downe, to haue fallen into one of the gallyes; so that it was none other lyke, but the saide tempest woolde haue executed his furye euen vpon all the rest of the shippes, as that dyd vpon theim that skaped from Argier.

And, after this great tempest, the see beyng some what appeased; on the which, because we durst not sayle, we were in daunger to haue perished for hungre; for, although Buges was oures, yet we had much adoe to get enye succour of theim; for the Mores (agaynst whome our people, dwellynge in the saide toune, haue alwayes warre) doe occupye, and holde all the countre and regions therabout; so that we coulde haue no maner of succoure ner aide of them, for lacke of corne and greyne, whiche alwayes was brought to theim out of Spayne. And for because that, a longe tyme before, ther cam no shippe out of Spayne that had brought theim enye grayne; and also, for that we arryued there, being many in nombre, therefore we coulde not be much ayded by theim.

And, after that themperour had consydered all these parylles and daungers, both he and all his people gaue them selues to prayer vnto

God, and receaved the holye sacrament, to pacefye the yre and wrath of Almighty God; and, after the chaungyng of the mone, the rage and fury of the wynde ceased, and the see waxed calme. In the whiche tyme of feare, and that the good occasion and conuenyent tyme of our departure shoulde not be loste, the captayne of the knightes of the Rhodes, hauyng communicacyon with themperour, obteyned to haue a certayne companye with him, with whome Fernand Gonzaga goyng, I my selfe also departed from the sayde place, and we arryued at the towne of Tunes: but themperour, by the councell of Andridore, captayne of hys nauye, dyd remayne tyll the tempest was more allayed. And, partyng from Tunes, we came to Dextran, which is in Sicyle; and anone after, we had made certayne oblacyons and offerynges to the Blessed Vyrgyne, we went to Pauoram; in the whiche place I bethought my self of certen business of myne owne, which I had put of tyll my retourne from Affrique; and yet, for all that, I made towarde Rome as fast as I coulde, where I was constreyned to tarye, for that my sores and woundes so sore vexed and tormented me; and to the entent that, in the meane tyme, I woolde not be found ydle, I was wyllynge to compile and gather this little treatyse of the iorneye made into Affrique; in the whiche, I make no mencion of the noble actes of the valyant capteynes, for that woolde conteygne to long a

matre.

Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.

A BREFE CHRONYCLE,
Concerning the

EXAMINACION AND DEATH

Of the blessed Martir of Christ,

SIR IOHAN OLDCASTELL, THE LORD COBHAM,

Collected together by

JOHAN BALE.*

In the latter time shall many be chosen, proued and purifyed by fyre, yet shall the ongodly lyue wickedly styll, and have no understanding. Dan. xii. 10. Imprinted at London, by Anthony Scoloker, and Wyllyam Seres, dwelling wythout Aldersgate.

Cum Gratia & Priuilegio ad Imprimendum solum.

This is printed from the first edition in octavo, containing seven sheets, in a black old English letter. In the title-page is a curious frontispiece cut in wood, representing Sir John Oldcastle, in a warlike posture, with his armour, See p. 202. Vol. I.