Part 37

Witnesse Sir Richard Halkins, and the Captaines of his Squader, who a little after Christmas, comming to the Road, went to the Governour to cleere himselfe, and the Fleete of that absurd imputation layde to their charge. The twelfth day of Christmasse expired, they beganne to threaten me on still with moe Tortures, even till Candlemasse: In all which comfortlesse time, I was miserably afflicted with the beastly plague of gnawing Vermin, which lay crawling in lumps, within, without, and about my body: yea, hanging in clusters about my beard, my lips, my nostriles, and my eye-browes, almost inclosing my sight.

And for a greater satisfaction to their mercilesse mindes, the Governour caused Areta, his silver plate keeper, to gather and swipe the Vermine upon me twice in eight dayes, which tormented me to the death, beeing a perpetuall punishment; for mine armes being broake, my hands lucken and sticking fast to the palmes of both hands, [No payne so grievous, as a lame man to be still tormented with gnawing vermine.] by reason of the shrunke sinewes; I was unable to lift mine armes, or stir my fingers, much-lesse to avoyde the filthy Vermine: neyther could my legges and feete performe it beeing impotent in all. Yet I acknowledge the poore Infidell, some few times, and when opportunity served, would steale the keyes from Areta, and about mid-night would enter my Roome, with stickes and burning oyle, and sweeping them together in heapes, would burne the greatest part, to my great Releafe; or doubtlesse I had beene miserably eaten up, and devoured by them.

And now some eight dayes before Candlemasse, the slave informed me that an English Seminary Priest, borne in London, and belonging to the Bishops Colledge of Malaga; and a Scottish Cowper, named Alexander Ley, borne in Dunbar, and there married; were in Translating all my Bookes and Observations out of English, in the Spanish tongue, bringing every other day numbers of wrot Papers to the Governour, and for their paines had thirty duccats allowed, and that they were saying, I was an Arch-Hereticke to the Pope and the Virgin Mary.

Having redounded him concealed thankes, I was assured of their bloody Inquisition, preparing my selfe in God, with Faith, and Patience to Receive and gane-stand it: for my spirituall Resolution, was surely founded, being sightlesse of company, and humane faces, I had intirely the light of my Soule celebrate to God Almighty.

[A politick enquiry of a damnable inquisition.] And hereupon the second day after Candlemas, the Governour, the Inquisitor a Canonicall Priest, entered my Dungeon, accompanied with two Jesuites, one of which was Predicator, and Superiour of the Tiatinean Colledge of Malaga: Where being Chaire set, Candle-lighted, and doore locked; the Inquisitor after diverse frivolous questions, demaunded me if I was a Romane Catholicke, and acknowledged the Popes Supremacy. To whom I answered, I was neyther the one, nor did the other. And what power (sayd I,) have you to challenge me of my Religion, since it is a chiefe Article, of the former concluded peace, that none of our Kings subjects should be troubled by your Inquisition; but as you have murdered me for alledged Treason; so you meane to Martyre me for Religion.

And you Governour, as you have Tortured and hunger-starved this helplesse body, consumed with cold and vermine to the last of my life; the Almighty God who revealeth the secrets of all things (although I bee never relieved) will certainely discover it, to my Countrey and to the World. And is this the best of your good deeds? you repay to our mercifull King, who then being onely King of Scotland, in the time of your just over-throw of Eighty Eight, gave secourse to thousands of your Shipwracked people for many moneths; and in the end, caused transport them safely to their desired Ports. Leaving to the Worlds memory an eternall stampe of Christian Bounty, Mercy, and royall Charity, and your acquittance to him, is an imputation of Treachery to his Fleete, detayning and mis-regarding his Letters and Seales, and now imposing to a tormented Innocent, your lawlesse Inquisition.

To which the Governour answered, all that was true, but it was done more through feare then love, and therefore deserved the lesser thankes; but (interim) wee will follow the utter-most of our ends. And the Jesuite Predicator to confirme his words, sayd, there was no faith to be kept with Heretickes, which directly or indirectly is the sublime policy of Conquerours, which our mighty and invincible Nation evermore taketh notice of and observeth.

[A damnable Inquisitor applying false attributs to our blessed Lady.] Then the Inquisitor arrising, expressed himselfe thus: Behold the powerfull majesty of Gods mother, Commaunder of her Sonne, equall to the Father, Wife to the Holy Ghost, Queene of Heaven, Protector of Angels, and sole Gubernatrix of the earth, &c. How thou being first taken as a Spye, accused for Treachery, and innocently Tortured (as we acknowledge we were better informed lately from Madrile of the English intention) yet it was her power, her Divine power, which brought these judgements upon thee; in that thou hast wrot calumniously against her blessed miracles of Loretta: and against his Holinesse, the great Agent, and Christs Viccar on earth: Therefore thou hast justly fallen into our hands, by her speciall appointment; thy Bookes and papers, are miraculously Translated by her speciall providence with thy owne Countrey-men: wherefore thou maist clearely see, the impenetrable Misteries of our glorious Lady in punishing her offenders: and for a humble satisfaction, Repent thee of thy wickednesse, and be converted to the Holy mother Church. And after many such like exhortations of all the foure, the Inquisitor assigned me eight dayes for my Conversion: Saying, that hee, and the Tiatines would twice a day visite mee in that time, intreating me to be advised againe the next morning, of these doubts and difficulties that withstood my Conscience.

[A Sicophaniticall Oration from a jugling Jebusite.] Then in leaving mee, the Jesuite Predicator making a a Crosse upon my crossed breast, sayd, My sonne, beholde you deserve to be burnt quicke, but by the grace of our Lady of Loretta, whom you have blasphemed, wee will both save your Soule and Body: Spewing forth also this Fæminine Latine; Nam mansueta et misericordiosa est Ecclesia, O Ecclesia Romana! extra quem non est salus: They gone and I alone, all this night, was I instant with my God, imploring his Grace, to Rectifie my thoughts, illuminate my understanding, confirme my confidence, beatifie my memory, to sanctifie my knowledge, to expell the servile feare of Death, and to save my soule, from the intangling corruption of any private ends, illusions, or mundane Respects whatsoever.

The next morning, the three Ecclesiastickes returned, and being placed with Chaires and Candles, the Inquisitor made interrogation, of what difficulties, errors, or mis-beliefe I had. To whom ingenuously I answered I had none, neyther any difficulty, errour, nor mis-beliefe; but was confident in the promises of Jesus Christ, and assuredly believed his Revealed will in the Gospell, professed in the Reformed Catholicke Church; which being confirmed by Grace, I had the infallible assurance in my Soule, of the true Christian Faith.

To these words, he answered, thou art no Christian, but an absurd Hereticke, and without Conversion, a member of perdition. Whereupon I replied, Reverend Sir, the nature of Charity and Religion, doe not consist in opprobious speeches; wherefore if you would convert me (as you say) convince mee by Argument: if not, all your threatenings of fire, Death, nor Torments, shall make me shrinke from the truth of Gods Word in Sacred Scriptures. [The fury of a mad inquisitor to have almost slain me.] Whereupon the mad Inquisitor clapd mee on the face with his foote, abusing me with many Raylings, and if the jesuites had not intercepted him, he had stobbed me with a knife; where, when dismissed, I never saw him more.

The third day insuing (and having broake their promise) the two Jesuites returned, and after a frowning silence, the Superiour asked me of my Resolution: I told him I was Resolved already, unlesse hee could show me good Reasons in the contrary. Whereupon having past with me some few superficial Arguments of their seaven Sacraments, Intercession, Transubstantiation, Images, Purgatory, Miracles, Merit, &c. he begun to brag of their Church her Antiquity, Universality, and Uniformity. Auncient no (sayd I) for the Profession of my Faith, hath beene ever since the first time of the Apostles; And Christ had ever his owne Church (howsoever obscure) in the greatest time of your darknesse.

So Rome foure hundred yeares and upward, was the true Church; but afterward falling in apostacy by meanes of her corrupt leaders, wee have left her in nothing, but what shee hath left her former selfe. Universall no; although shee assumeth a Catholicke name, was not the Church in the East, a greater Church than yours in the West for hundreds of yeares, and I pray you what are now the Orientall Churches in Asia, (besides the Greeks) and the Æthiopian Affricans that doe not so much as know, or heare of your Pope, far lesse his profession.

With no small adoe, Boniface the third, obtained of Phocas the Emperour to be called universall Bishop: which was asisted afterward by Puppin the French King, and ratified by Paleologus, the father of Constantine who lost Constantinople: [The Romish Church falls short of true antiquity, universality, and uniformity.] And what long contraversies about this new power, was betweene your Popes, and the counsells of Carthage, Calcedon, Ephesus, Alexandria, and Nice. Uniformable no; some of your Priests give the Sacrament onely in Bread, for reall flesh and blood, some in Wine without Bread, and some in both.

The Bavarians in their owne language sing the Psalmes in prose at their Masses, and not else where done: The second Commandement goeth current amongst some of your Catholicks in France, yet not in Bretagne, nor Provance; so doth it in Austria and Bavaria, but not in Italy and Spaine.

It is most evident, what your former Popes have confirmed, the succeeding Popes have disanulled, and dayly doe, as their present lives, and your auncient Histories beare a true record.

And was there not at one time, three Popes in three severall places? and oftentimes two at once: One professing one Heresie, and another Atheisme: What mutinies and malice, are dayly among your Monasteries, each envying anothers priviledge, anothers preferment, anothers wealth: And your order (father) by all the other Monasticks, is hated and vilipended to death; besides diversities of Doctrine, betweene your professors and the Dominicans: and hundreds of like disunities you have both in ceremony and order which now I suspend: So I pray you (father) where your uniformity, much lesse your universality, and worst of all your antiquity.

Having thus concluded, the fiery fac'd Jesuits, with boisterous menacings left mee; and the eight day thereafter, being the last day of their Inquisition, they returned againe, in a more milder disposition: where after divers arguments on both sides, the two Jesuits with teares distilling from their eyes, solidly protested, they were sorry from their heart, for that terrible death I was to undergo, and above all the loosing of my soule: [The Jesuits last allurements for my conversion to their sect.] And falling downe on their knees, cryed, convert, convert, O deare brother! for our blessed Ladies sake convert: To whom I replyed, that neither death nor fire I feared; for I was resolved for both, yet thinking my selfe unworthy to suffer for Christ and the Gospells sake, considering my vildnesse and my owne unworthinesse: yet the Spirit of God assureth my faith, it is his divine pleasure it should be so that I must suffer. Wherefore if I should divert, trust mee not, for I would but dissemble with you (through feare, flattery, or force) to shunne present death.

Whereupon they called the Governour, and after their privy consulting, hee thus spoke; Deare brother, my greatest desire is, to have thee a good Christian, a Romane Catholick, to which if thy conscience will yeeld, I will shew thee as great courtesie, as thou hast receaved cruelty: for pitty it were, that such an invincible spirit, and endued with so many good parts, should perish in both worlds for ever. Plucke up thy heart, and let the love of our blessed Lady enter in thy soule: Let not thy former sufferings dismay thee, (for thy sores being yet greene and curable) I shall transport thee to a fine Chamber, and there thou shalst have all needfull things for the recovery of thy health and strength. Thy money and Patents shall be refounded, but thy hereticall Bookes are already burned: And lastly sayd he, I will send thee with my owne Servant to Court, Counsel, and King, with letters from the holy Inquisition, and from mee, faithfully promising thou shalt enjoy a Pension of three hundred Duccats a yeare.

But having satisfied his bewitching policy with a Christian constancy; they all three left mee in a thundering rage; vowing, I should that night have the first seale of my long sorrowes: And directing their course to the Bishop and Inquisitor (for the Governour had wrested the Inquisition upon mee, to free him of his former aspersion layd upon the English Fleet, and my tryall therefore, converting it all to matters of Religion) the Inquisition (I say) sat forthwith, [A condemnatory sentence to death by the Inquisition.] where first I was condemned to receave that night eleven strangling torments in my Dungeon: and then after Easter Holy dayes, I should be transported privatly to Grenada, and there about mid-night to be burnt body and bones into ashes, and my ashes to be flung into the ayre: Well, that same night the Scrivan, Sergeants, and the young English Priest entered my melancholly staunce: where the Priest in the English tongue urging mee all that he could (though little it was hee could doe) and unprevailing, I was disburdened of mine irones, unclothed to my skin, set on my knees and held up fast with their hands: where instantly setting my teeth asunder with iron Cadges, they filled my belly full of water, even gorgeing to my throat: Then with a garter they bound fast my throat, till the white of mine eye turned upward; and being laid on my side, I was by two Sergeants tumbled to and fro seven times through the roome; even till I was almost strangled: This done, they fastned a small cord about each one of my great toes, and hoysing me therewith to the roofe of a high loft (for the cords runne on two rings of iron fastned above) they cut the garter, and there I hung, with my head downward, in my tormented weight, till all the gushing water dissolved: This done, I was let downe from the loft, quite senslesse, lying a long time cold dead among their hands: whereof the Governour being informed, came running up stayres, crying, Is he dead, O fie villanes goe fetch me Wine, which they powred in my mouth, regayning thereby a slender sparke of breath.

[A Turkish slaves charity in the bowels of compassion.] These strangling torments ended, and I reclothed, and fast bolted againe they left mee lying on the cold floore praysing my God, and singing of a Psalme. The next morning the pittifull Turke visiting mee with bread and water, brought me also secretly in his shirt sleeve, two handfull of Rasins and figges, laying them on the floore amongst the crawling vermine, for having no use of armes nor hands, I was constrayned by hunger and impotency of time, to licke one up with another with my tongue: This charity of figs the slave did once every weeke or fortnight, or else I had long or then famished.

After which sorrowfull distresse, and inhumane usage, the eye-melting Turke taking displeasure, fell five dayes sicke, and bedfast: but the house Spaniards understanding his disease made him beleeve I was a Divell, a Sorcerer, a Nigromancer, and a blasphemous miscreant, against their Pope, their Lady, and their Church; giving him such a distast, that for thirty dayes, he never durst looke me in the face, being affraid of witchcraft.

All this time of his absence, one Ellinor the Cooke, an Indian Negro woman, attended mee, for she being a Christian drudge, had more liberty to visit mee, than the slavish Infidell: who certainly (under God) prolonged then my languishing life, conveighing me for foure weekes space, once a day some lesse or more nourishment, and in [The deceitfulness of female inconstancies.] her pocket a bottle glasse of Wine. Being no wayes semblable to the soule betraying teares of her Crocodilean sex which the Spanish Proverbe prettily avoucheth: las mugeres, engannan a los hombres, dellas lastimandoles, con sus lagrimas fingidas; dellas hallagandoles, con Palabras lesongeras: to wit, Women deceave men, some of them, grieving them with their fayned teares, and other fawning on them with flattering words. But;

Kind Ellenor though blacke by nature borne, Made bounty (not her beauty) to adorne Her new chang'd Pagan life (though vail'd by night Of Romish shades) to shine on mee more bright, Then Sun scorched Æthiope beames; Art-glancing spangles: Or that Ægyptian Bird, mans sight intangles With rarest colours: for her loving sight Though black as pitch, gave me transparent light: Food, and stolne-food, though little, yet enough; (The finer soile, the ebber tilles the Plough,) Second with Wine, a mutchkin, thrice a weeke Pack'd in her pocket, for it might not speeke: Thus Females have extreames, and two we see, Eyther too wicked, or too good they be; For being good no Creature can excell them, And being bad, no ill can paralell them: But sure this gift, from course of nature came, Rais'd up by Heaven to be my nursing Dame; For she a Savage bred, yet shew more Love And humane pitty, then desert could moove: Wherein shee stain'd the Spaniards; they did nought But what revenge, on slaughter'd sorrow wrought: Thus, they who turn'd her, went themselves astray, And shee though ignorant, trac'd the Christian way: For which great God reward her make her Soule As white within, as she without is foule; And if I might, as reason knowes I would Her love, and praise, my deeds should crowne with gold.

Now about the middle of Lent, Hazier, my former Friend, was appoynted to attend me agayne, suspecting Ellenors compassion; but as my miseries were multiplied, my Patience in God was redoubled: For men are rather killed with the impatience they have in adversity, then adversity it selfe: And of all men, that man is most [An impatient man in trouble is a triple torture.] unhappy, to whom God in his troubles hath not given Patience; for as the violent enemy of age is griefe, so is the mindes impatiency, the arch-corruptor of all our troubles: But indeede in the weakenesse of judgement, when men seeme lost by long affliction to themselves, then they are often and ever neerest to God: for who would have thought, that I who had seene so many sects and varieties of Religion, dispersed over the face of the earth, could have stucke fast to any religion at all; Travailers being reputed to be Ubique et omnibus parati. But I will tell thee Christian, it was the grace of God in me, and not mine: For as fire lying hid under ashes, and touch'd will flame; so I seeming to my selfe carelesse of Christianity, then God pricking my Conscience made tryall of my Faith: For Christ forbid, that every Shippe which coasteth the rockey shoare, should leave her ruines there.

This I speake not for any selfe-prayse, but to glorifie God, and to condemne the rash censures of opinion, and with Phocion, I mistrust my selfe, because of popular applause: Erubuit quasi peccasset quod placuerit: But now to abbreviate a thousand Circumstances of my Lamentable sufferings, which this Volume may not suffer to containe: By Gods great providence, about a fortnight before Easter, Anno 1621. there came a Spanish Cavaliere of Grenada to Malaga, whom the Governour one night invited to Supper, being of old acquaintance: where after Supper to intertayne Discourse, the Governour related and [Gods great mercy in my first discovery by a stranger.] disclosed to the stranger (God working thereby my discovery and deliverance) all the proceedings and causes of my first apprehending, my Confessions, Torments, starvings, their mistaking of the English Fleete, and finally the wresting of the Inquisition upon me, and their Condemnatory Sentence seeming also much to Lament my mis-fortunes, and praysing my Travailes and Deserts.

Now all this while, the Gentlemans servant, a Flandrish Fleming, standing at his Maisters backe, and adhering to all the Governours Relations, was astonished, to heare of a sakelesse Stranger, to have indured, and to indure such damnable Murther and Cruelty. Whereupon, the Discourse ending and mid-night past, the stranger returned to his Lodging; where the Fleming having bedded his Maister, and himselfe also in another Roome, he could not sleepe all that night, and if hee slumbered, still hee thought hee saw a man Torturing, and burning in the fire: which hee confessed to M. Wilds when morning came.

Well, he longed for day, and it being come, and hee cloathed, hee quietly left his Lodging, inquiring for an English Factor, and comming to the House of M. Richard Wilds, the chiefe English Consull: Hee told him all what hee heard the Governour tell his Master, but could not tell my name: only Maister Wilds conjectur'd it was I, because of the others report of a Traveller, and of his first and former acquaintance with me there.

[These are the English Factors which first wrought my reliefe.] Whereupon the Fleming being dismissed, he straight sent for the other English Factors, Mr. Richard Busbitche, Mr. John Corney, Mr. Hanger, Mr. Stanton, Mr. Cooke, Mr. Rowley, and Mr. Woodson: where advising with them, what was best to be done for my reliefe; they sent letters away immediatly with all post dilligence, to Sir Walter Aston, his Majesties Ambassadour lying at Madrile: Upon which hee mediating with the King and Counsell of Spaine, obtained a strait warrant to command the Governour of Malaga, to deliver mee over in the English hands: which being come, to their great disliking, I was released on Easter-satturday before midnight, and carryed uppon Hazier the slaves backe to Master Busbitches house, where I was carefully attended till day light.

Meanewhile (by great fortune) there being a Squader of his Majesties Ships lying in the Road, Sir Richard Halkins came earely a shoare, accompanied with a strong trayne, and receaved mee from the Merchants: Whence I was carryed on mens armes in a payre of blanquets, to [I durst not stay a shoare for feare of the Inquisition.] the Vangard his Majesties ship. And three dayes thereafter, I was transported to a ship bound for England, the Fleets victualler, named the goodwill of Harwich; by direction of the Generall Sir Robert Maunsell: where being well placed, and charge given by Sir Richard Halkins to the ships master William Westerdale, for his carefulnes toward the preservation of my life, which then was brought so low & miserable. The foresaid Merchants sent mee from shoare (besides the ships victuals) a sute of Spanish apparrell, twelve Hennes, a barrell of Wine, a basket full of Egges, two Roves of Figges and Rasins, two hundred Orenges and Lemmons, eight pounds of Sugar, a number of excellent good Bread, and two hundred Realls in Silver and Gold; besides two double Pistolls Sir Richard Halkins sent mee as a token of his love.