THe enimies lying (as it séemed) very surely entrenched in the Forte which they had made, which they called, Il Castel del Oro, and sufficiently manned with Soldiers, to withstand a farre greater force then our Englishe men were, they béeing in number sixe hundreth within the Forte, and our men but eyght hundreth abroade: which is a verie vnequall match (as they knowe well, which are skylfull, and haue bene exercised in those affayres) considering the ods of place, the one béeing vnder couert, well fortified, and hauing theyr Ordinaunce, placed at all aduauntage, the other naked, vtterly without Municion, or opportunity of placing any Ordinaunce, wherby to auoyde theyr enimies, béeing them selues continually subiect to their annoyaunce. The Lord Deputie, béeing (in so great disaduauntage) almost in dispayre of dooing any good, was soone recomforted with the happy arriuall of the Quéenes Shippes, The Swift sure, one of the Quéenes Maiestis ships, ariued at Smitherick xvii. daies before the rest of her fellows in which time, the enemy shot 30. shot a day, and neither could hit Ship nor man. which it is to be thought that the verie great and woonderfull prouidence of God (quite beside their expectation) sent thither so luckely for their succour. They béeing arriued, there were certayne great Péeces brought out of the Shippes, and a Trench made, & that great Ordinaunce planted about fowre hundreth paces from the enimies Forte, to batter it: which Ordinaunce was so well plyed all that day (béeing the ninth of Nouember) that they galled the enimie gréeuouslie, and beat them away from plying theyr Ordinaunce.

On the tenth day in the morning, they cast an other Trench for small shotte, within an hundreth, and thrée score paces of the Forte, and began a freshe batterie, and espying certayne Péeces within the Forte, that were lyke to annoy the Campe, planted theyr Ordinaunce against them, and dismounting two of theyr Demicanons, brake and defeated the rest, to the number of fouretéene or fiftéene great Péeces. And the same night made a third Trench for small shotte; within a hundreth and twenty foote of the Fort. Afterward perceyuing that the Spanish Musket shot was the hottest, and espying a house of • oordes, where they were bestowed: they beat that downe with the Ordinance, and scattered the Muskets. Which doone, the enimies finding them selues thus dismembred, and vtterlie dispoyled of theyr chéefe force, whereto they trusted: beganne to chaunge theyr countenaunce, and hung out theyr banners of Truce, quietly calling for Parle. Then issued out a braue Italian, who béeing demaunded by my Lord Deputie, who sent him thether? answered. The holy Father? Wyll you (sayd my Lord) aduenture in the seruice of a shaueling, an Antichrist, a murtherer bothe of soule & body, against such a Prince as my Mistresse is? You shall haue the iust reward of your seruice. And requiring him to bring foorth the chéefe of the Spaniardes, he asked the sayd Spaniarde, who sent him thether? He sayd he could not tell. Whether the King of Spaine? He sayd no: Whether with the Kinges knowledge? He aunswered no: But (sayd he) at Porto in Portugall, the Gouernor there cōmaunded mée, to goe to such a place, where I should receyue my chardge, which I dyd, but whether I should goe, or against whome I knew not, and so brought to this place as blindf •• ld, and (as I sée now) vtterly betrayed.

Then (quoth my Lord) if you be not sent by the King, you come as a runnagate, and must receyue the lyke hyer.

They desiring to depart with the honor of Soldiers, it was denied them. Then resolued they to surrender vp the Fort, to yéelde theyr money and Iewels, and other things of price, into the Lord Deputies handes, and them selues to his mercy: Whereof he accepting, receyued thrée of them pledges vntyll the next morning, when according to that conclusion, they returned, and the chéefe of them (whome it is néedlesse to name, they onely remayning a lyue) to the number of twenty were saued. The rest to the number of fiue hundreth and sixe were slaine, and seuentéene hanged. The poore English Soldiors that lacked hose & shooes, and were barely cloathed, by means of this medley, foūd to apparell them, Al modo Italiano. Wine and Bisket they met with good store, and other victuals for a good space: fowre thousand Armors, with many good Péeces, and (as they say) some reasonable share of Ecclesiasticall Italian Maister Iohn Cheek my Ladie Cheekes sonne. money. In all this conflict there were onely two hurt of our men, whereof the one was Maister Iohn Cheeke, who is thought vnlikely to recouer. Thus may we sée how God fighteth for vs, and subdueth our enemies, who by all mans reason and likelyhood were not to be ouerthrowne by ten times the nomber that our men were, in that vnreasonable inequalitie of defence and Furniture. For our men were in that opinion, that if they had béene within the Forte so well appointed of great and small shot as the enemies were, it would haue cost 10000, lyues before it would haue béene wonne. But by the good prouidence and assistaunce of God (notwithstanding their great aduantage) the Lord Deputie with his worthy endeuor by land, and our ships (through their fortunate ariuall) by water did so coupe them vp on euery side, that they could no way escape. They sayd that if our Ships had stayed but two dayes longer, out of that Harboroughe, they would haue béene gone. For at their first ariuall, there came syxe sayle of them, being of men in number about 800. who so soone as they beheld the barrennesse of the Countrey, and the brutishnes of the people, two of the greatest Shippes departed home againe, with about 300. men in them, and left the rest to taste of the good entertainement that they looked for there: which (thanks be to God) they found not so satisfiable to theyr wicked expectacion, as agreeable to their iust desarts, which would be incited by a blasphemous Antichristian Prelate, against a true zealous Christian Prince, wrongfully to inuade her rightfull inheritaunce and possessions, and to assist her disobedient and rebellious Subiects, against their most gracious renowmed Soueraigne. Wherein, although the Popes holines forsoothe followed the footesteps and example of his Predecessors, which haue béene euer sowers of sedition, raisers of Rebellion, maineteyners of disobedience, Authors of infinite bloudshedding, which is euen growne to be the Badge of their Catholike (or rather Cacolike) profession, and the true Cognisance of their holinesse: yet these Gallants should haue had more wit, to haue looked or they had l • apt, and sounded the depth, ere they had entred the shore of a forraine Princes dominion. But as theyr gréedynes of gaine, or superstitious deuocion towardes an infamous Idole, hath brought them to the Shipwracke of theyr lyues (at the least) so hath their vnaduised rashnes vtterly sunck, all excuse of theyr guiltines, and pittie of theyr miscarying. They confessed vnto my Lord Deputie, that the Pope theyr paymaister, whose Ensignes they spread on theyr Fort, with his Crownes, Miters, Croskeyes, and other lyke trumperie, promised to send them a greater power, for which cause they brought much Treasure with them, béeing appoynted to stay for that supplie, for which our Englishmen were not greatly sorie. It is reported that eyther they or other, were already comming at that tyme: for the fowretéenth of Nouember, there was escried a Pynnis, towardes the coast of Irelande: but I take it to be rather an opinion or imagination of some cōming, conceyued through that former report: then any true apparaunce of the verie persons approching. Howsoeuer it be, it is no great matter, for our Soldiers stay there, and certayne of our Ships this winter, to welcome them.

The Earle of Desmond, and his brother Iohn, were cōming towards the reskew of the Spaniards & Italians: but hearing how the Forte was taken, and what was become of theyr assistaunts, they thought it wisdome to beware by theyr exāple and to kéepe them selues out of such sharpe clawes, and so retyred them backe, & are fled into the Mountaynes. Our good coūtrymā of the Deuils owne dubbing, Doctor Saunders (an Apostata towards his Sauiour, an Archtraytor to his Soueraigne) is there in the countrey, but where, it is vnknowen. One of his mē was takē in the Fort, & a Préest of that order, who were hanged & quartered in the Forte. Thus much hath bene certified out of Ireland, of what was doone there before the fiftéene day of Nouember last past. For which ioyfull and happy newes, let vs render harty thankes vnto our almighty protector, attributing the whole prayse thereof vnto his omnipotencie, beséeching him to preserue our most gratious Princes, vnder whose prosperous gouernment we haue receyued bothe this & other infinite blessings at his hands: to strengthen our good Captaines and Soldiors, with force and power to ouercome our bodily foes, and vs al with his grace, to withstand the assaultes of the Deuill, and the tyranny of Antichrist his dearling (our spirituall enemy) & to serue our Redéemer in true feare and holynesse, and his true Ministers with due looue and reuerence, to be faithfull vnto him, loyall to her Maiestie, lyke minded and charitable one to an other, to the glorie of his name: vnto whome all glorie, power, and dominion belongeth.