God willed that of the four vessels in which we came, two escaped and grounded, where they went to pieces; and the enemy, seeing the means of safety which we were taking, gave us a good discharge of artillery, so that we were forced to cast ourselves afloat[55] [to make a desperate attempt], and we thought to end it there. They could not come to our assistance with the boats from the port of Dunkirk, as the enemy cannonaded them briskly. On the other hand, the sea and wind were very high; so that we were in the greatest peril of being all lost. However, we cast ourselves afloat[56] on timbers, and some soldiers were drowned, as was also a Scotch captain. I reached the shore in my shirt, without other description of clothing, and some soldiers of Medina (?) who were there came to help me. It was sad to see us enter the town once more, stripped naked; and for the other part we saw, as before our eyes, the Dutch making a thousand pieces of two hundred and seventy Spaniards who came in the ship which brought us to Dunkirk, without leaving more than three alive; for which they are now being paid out, as more than four hundred Dutchmen who have been taken since then have been beheaded. This I have wished to write to you. From the City of Antwerp, 4th October, 1589. _Sᵍᵈ._ FRANCISCO DE CUELLAR. ACADEMY OF HISTORY--COLLECTION SALAZAR, NO. 7, FOLIO 58. FOOTNOTES: [12] (1), (2), (3). V.m., initials representing _Vuestra merced_ = your worship, your honour, or sir, you. [13] _Alférez_ = ensign. [14] _Maesos de Campo_--an obsolete form for _Maestre de Campo_, an ancient military officer of superior rank, who commanded a certain number of troops. In the English _State Papers_ of that period the translation adopted for it is simply camp-master. [15] _Mayorazgos_--heirs to estates, by right of primogeniture. [16] _Agravios_ = offences, _insults_. [17] _Maesos de Campo._ See Note 5. [18] _Avieso_ = irregular, perverse. [19] _Auditor_ = a Judge appointed to assist military or naval officers with his advice in Law proceedings. [20] _Fiesta_ = feast. This is a curious use of the word. [21] _Hecho una sopa de agua_--an idiomatic expression, meaning "_wet through to the skin_." [22] _Arca_--coffer, _iron chest for money_. The dictionary of the Spanish Academy gives a definition of _Arca_, of which the following is a translation: "A large chest, with flat lid attached to it by hinges or hooks, so that it can be opened and shut, and which is fastened in front with a lock or padlock. It usually consists of plain wood without lining in the interior or covering outside." [23] _Wolves_ did not disappear from Ireland till the early part of the eighteenth century. There was a presentment for killing them, in the County of Cork, as late as the year 1710. [24] This might also be translated "that I might recover in it."