For no sooner was the English fleete past out of sight,
but that a Flemmish man of warre lighted vpon them, and (after a long,
and strong resistance) ouermastered them as well, at last in force,
as they did at first in number, tooke the Barge, sunk it, and
slaughtered all the Saylers, one onely boy, excepted, who in the
heate of the bickering, seeing which way the game would goe,
secretly stole aboord the Flemming, and closely hid himselfe
amongst the ballast. Ouer a while, this Pirate cast Anker in an
English harbor, where the boy, hearing his Countrimens voice,
that were come aboord, riseth from his new buriall, bewrayeth the
fact, & so wrought meanes, for their punishment, and his
owne deliuery.
Not long after, our Foy gallants, vnable to beare a low sayle,
in their fresh gale of fortune, began to skum the Seas, with their
often piracies, (auowing themselues vpon the Earle of Warwicke,
whose ragged staffe is yet to be seene, pourtrayed in many places
of their Church Steeple, and in diuers priuate houses) as also to
violate their dutie at land, by insolent disobedience, to the
Princes Officers, cutting off (amongst other pranckes) a Pursiuants
eares: whereat king Edward the fourth conceiued such indignation,
as hee sent Commissioners vnto Lostwithiel, (a towne thereby) who,
vnder pretence of vsing their seruice, in sea affaires, trained
thither the greatest number of the Burgesses; and no sooner come,
then laid hold on, and in hold, their goods were confiscated, one
Harrington executed, the chaine of their hauen remoued to Dartmouth,
& their wonted iolity transformed into a sudden misery: from which
they striued a long time, in vaine, to releeue themselues: but now
of late yeres doe more and more aspire to a great amendment of their
former defeats, though not to an equall height of their
first aboundance.
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