I am almost ashamed to write you the news which the Spaniards and Portuguese report, though some of them have shewn me letters affirming it to be true, of a bloody cross having been seen in the air in England; and that an English preacher, speaking irreverently of it from the pulpit, was struck dumb: On which miracle, as they term it the king of England sent to the pope, to have some cardinals and learned men brought to England, as intending that all the people of England should become Roman catholics. I pray you pardon me for writing of such nonsense, which I do that you may laugh; yet I assure you there are many Spaniards and Portuguese here who firmly believe it. I know not what more to write you at this time: But I hope to come to England in the next shipping that comes here; and I trust in God that I may find your worship in good health. RICHARD COCKS. SECTION XVI. _Ninth Voyage of the East India Company, in 1612, by Captain Edmund Marlow_.[68] We sailed from the Downs on the 10th February, 1612, in the good ship James, and crossed the equator on the 11th April.[69] The 27th of that month, at noon, we were in latitude, by observation, 19° 40' S. and in longitude, from the Lizard, 11° 24' W. We this day saw an island fourteen leagues from us in the S.E. which I formerly saw when I sailed with Sir Edward Michelburne. It is round like Corvo, and rises rugged, having a small peaked hill at its east end. Its lat. is 23° 30' S. and long. 10° 30' W. from the Lizard; and there is another island or two in sight, seven or eight leagues E.N.E. from this.[70] [Footnote 68: Purch. Pilg. I. 440.--The relation of this voyage in the Pilgrims is said to have been written by Mr John _Davy_, the master of the ship: Probably the same John _Davis_, or _Davies_, formerly mentioned as having frequently sailed as master to India in these early voyages, and from whose pen Purchas published a _Rutter_, or brief book of instructions for sailing to India. On the present occasion, this voyage has been considerably abbreviated, especially in the nautical remarks, which are now in a great degree obsolete and useless, and have been already sufficiently enlarged upon in the former voyages to India.--E.] [Footnote 69: From some indistinct notices, in the commencement of this voyage, the Dragon and Hosiander appear to have belonged to the _tenth_ voyage of the East India Company, and the Solomon to the _eleventh_ voyage; and that these three ships sailed from England at the same time with the James, which belonged to the _ninth_ voyage.--E.] [Footnote 70: This seemeth the island of Martin Vaz.--_Purch._ The island of Trinidad, or Martin Vaz, is only in lat. 20° 15' S. and long. 29° 32' W. from Greenwich.--E.]