Chap. V Of the Indian Fleet That Departed From Cales, Anno Dom. 1625. And of Some Remarkable Passages in That Voiage
Upon the first of July in the afternoon, Don Carlos de Ybarra Admirall of the Galeons that then lay in the Baye of Cales gave order that a warning Peece should be shot off to warne all Passengers, Souldiers, and Mariners to betake themselves the next morning to their Ships. O what was it to see some of our Apostolicall company who had injoyed much liberty for a moneth in Cales, who had began to entangle their hearts with some young Nuns love, now hang down their heads, and act with sad and demure lookes loath to depart, and cry out, Bonum est nos hic esse, it is good for us to be here? and amongst them one Fryer John De Pacheco made the warning Peece to be a warning to him to hide himself (who could no more be found amongst his fellow Missioners) thinking it a part of hard cruelty to forsake a young Franciscan Nun to whom he had engaged and wholly devoted his heart. What was it to see others with weeping eyes piercing through the Iron grates the tender Virgins hearts, leaving and bequeathing unto them some pledges of their wanton love, and receiving from them some Cordialls against Sea-sicknesse, Caps, Shirts and Hand-kerchiefs, to eye them or weare them when Æolus or Neptune should most oppose them? The second of July in the morning early notice was given unto us, that one Fryer Pablo de Londres, an old crab faced English Fryer living in St. Lucar had got the Duke of Medina his letter and sent it to the Governour of Cales charging him to search for me & to stay me, signifying the King of Spains will and pleasure, that no English should passe to the India’s, having a Countrey of their own to convert; this did that old fryer to stop my passage, having before wrote unto me many letters to the same purpose, and got a letter from that father Master that was in England before, with the Count of Gondomar, alias Fryer Diego de la Fluente, then Provinciall of Castilia, and sent it unto mee, wherein that Superiour offered mee many kind offers of preferrement, if I would desist from my journey, and return to him to Castilia; but none of these letters could prevail with mee; nor the Governours searching stop mee; for immediately I was conveyed alone to our ship, and there closely hid in a barrell that was emptied of Bisquet to that purpose; so that when the Governour came a ship-board to enquire for an English man, Fryer Calvo having the father of liers in my stead about him, resolutely denyed mee, who would not be found, because not sought for in a barrells belly. This found our Apostles sport and talk that first day. Then went out the ships one by one crying A dios, A dios, and the Towne replying Buen viaie, buen viaie; when all were out and no hopes of enjoying more Cales pleasures and liberty, then began my young Fryers to wish themselves again a Land, some began presently to feed the fishes with their Nuns sweet dainties; others to wonder at the number of stately ships, which with eight Galeons that went to convey us beyond the Islands of Canaria were fourty one in all; some for one Port of the Indiaes, and some for another. To Puerto Rico went that year two ships; to Santo Domingo three, to Jamaica two, to Margarita one, to the Havana two, to Cartagena three, to Campeche two, to Honduras and Truxillo two, and to St. John de Ulhua, or Vera Crux sixteen; all laden with Wines, Figs, Raisins, Olives, Oyle, Cloth, Carsies, Linnen, Iron, and quick silver for the Mines, to fetch out the pure silver of Sacatecas from the earthen drosse from whence it is digged. The persons of most note that went that year, was first the Marquesse de Serralvo with his Lady, who went for Viceroy of Mexico, in stead of the Conde de Gelves then retired to a Cloister for feare of the common people, who the year before had mutinied against him; this Marquesse went in the ship called St. Andrew, and with him in the same ship went Don Martin de Carillo a Preist, and Inquisitor of the Inquisition of Valladolid; who was sent for Visiter Generall to Mexico, to examine the strife between the Conde de Gelves and the Arch-Bishop, and the mutiny that for their sakes had happened, with full Commission and Authority to imprison, banish, hang and execute all Delinquents. In the ship called Santa Gertrudis went Don John Nino de Toledo, who was sent to be President of Manila in Philippinas; and in the same ship with him went the whole Mission of thirty Jesuites sent to Philippinas; who had already got the favour of the President, and politickly sought to be passengers in the same ship, that so they might the more ingratiate themselves to him; for this cunning generation studies purposely how to insinuate themselves with Kings, Princes, Great men, Rulers, and Commanders. In the ship called St. Antony went my Dominican Mission of 27 Fryers. In the ship called Nostra Sennora de Regla went four and twenty Mercenarian Fryers bound for Mexico; part of those that afterwards drew their knives to slash and cut the Criolio’s of their Profession. Thus with the Convoy of eight Galeons for fear of Turkes and Hollanders (whom the Spanish Dons shake and tremble at) set forward our fleet with a pleasant and prosperous gale, with a quiet and milken sea, untill we came to the Golfe, called Golfo de Yeguas, or of kicking Mares, whose waves and swelling surges did so kick our ships, that wee thought they would have kicked our St. Anthonies gilded image out of our ship, and bereaved my Antonio Melendez of his gilt and painted idol, (to whom hee daily bowed and prayed against the mercilesse element,) and that all our ships galleries would have been torn from us with these spurnings and blowes of that outragious Golfe. But at last having overcome the danger of this Golfe, the eight Galeons took their leave of us, and left our Merchant ships now to shift for themselves. The departure of these Galeons was most solemnly performed on each side, saluting each other with their Ordnance, visiting each other with their Cock-boates, the Admirall of the Fleet feasting with a stately dinner in his ship, the Admirall of the Galeons; and the like performing most of the other ships to the severall Colonells and Captains and other their allied friends that were of the Roiall Fleet. Here it was worth noting to heare the sighes of many of our Indian Apostles, wishing they might return again in any of those Galeons to Spain; their zeal was now cold, and some endeavoured many waies for Calvo his licence to returne (which could not be granted) others imployed themselves most of that day in writing letters to their friends, and Sisters in Cales. Thus dinner being ended, and the two Admiralls solemnly taking their leaves, the warning piece being shot off for the Galeons to joyn together, and turne their course to Spain, we bad mutuall adieu, crying one to another Buen Viaie, Buen passage; we kept our course towards America, sailing before the wind constantly till we came to America; a thing worth noting in that voiage from Spain to the Indies; that after the Islands of Canaria are once left, there is one constant wind, continuing to America still the same without any opposition or contrariety of other winds; and this so prosperous and full on the sailes, that did it blow constantly, and were it not interrupted with many calmes, doubtlesse the voiage might be ended in a moneth or lesse. But such were the calmes that many times we had, that we got not to the sight of any land till the twentieth day of August; so that neer six weeks we sailed as on a river of fresh water, much delighting and sporting our selves in fishing many sorts fishes, but especially one, which by the Spaniards is called Dorado, the golden fish, for the skin and scales of it that glitter like gold; of this sort we found such abundance, that no sooner was the hooke with any small bait cast into the sea, when presently the Dorado was caught, so that we tooke them many times for pleasure, and cast them againe into the sea, being a fish fitter to be eaten fresh then salted. Many were the feasts and sports used in the ships, till wee discovered the first land, or Island called Desseada. The last day of July (being according to the Jesuites Order, and Romes appointment, the day of Ignatius their Patron and founder of their Religion) the gallant ship called Sta. Gertrudis (wherein went 30 Jesuites) for theirs and their Saints sake made to all the rest of the Fleet a most gallant shew, shee being trimmed round about with white linnen, her flags and top gallants representing some the Jesuites arms, others the picture of Ignatius himself, and this from the evening before, shooting off that night at least fifty Shot of Ordinance, besides four or five hundred squibs (the weather being very calme) and all her masts and tacklings hung with paper Lanthornes having burning lights within them; the waits ceased not from sounding, nor the Spaniards from singing all night. The daies solemne sport was likewise great, the Jesuites increasing the Spaniards joy with an open procession in the ship, singing their superstitious Hymnes and Anthemes to their supposed Saint, and all this seconded with roaring Ordnance, no powder being spared for the compleating of that daies joy and triumph. The fourth of August following, being the day which Rome doth dedicate to Dominick, the first founder of the Dominicans or Preachers Order, the ship wherein I was, named St. Anthony, strived to exceed Sta. Gertrudis, by the assistance of the 27 Dominicans that were in her. All was performed both by night and day; as formerly in Sta. Gertrudis, both with powder, squibs, lights, Waits and musick. And further did the Dominicans joy and triumph exced the Jesuites, in that they invited all the Jesuites, with Don John Nino de Toledo the President of Manila, with the Captaine of the ship of Sta. Gertrudis, to a stately dinner both of Fish and Flesh; which dinner being ended, for the afternoones sport they had prepared a Comedy out of famous Lope de Vega, to be acted by some Souldiers, Passengers and some of the younger sort of Fryers; which I confesse was as stately acted and set forth both in shewes and good apparell, in that narrow compasse of our ship, as might have been upon the best stage in the Court of Madrid. The Comedy being ended, and a banquet of sweet meates prepared for the closing up of that daies mirth, both ours, and Sta. Gertrudis Cock-boat carried backe our invited friends, bidding each other adieu with our Waits and chiefest Ordnance. Thus went we on our Sea Voiage without any storme, with pleasant gales, many calmes, dayly sports and pastimes till we discovered the first land called Desseada upon the twentieth day of August.