About 12 o’clock I was shot in the foot with a small shot, I supposed out of Van Ghent’s main top, which pressed me after a small time to go down to be dressed. I gave my Lord account of it, and resolved to go up again as soon as was dressed. In the mean time, when I went off the deck, sent up both Sir Charles[e] and Lieutenant Mayo[f] to stand by my Lord; and, as soon as I came down, remembring the flood was done, sent up to my Lord to desire him to command the ship to anchor by the stern, which was immediately done; and, after we had brought up, the ship athwart our hawse fell away, and being entangled with our rigging our men boarded and took her, cut her loose from us, and, at my Lord’s command, returned all aboard again. Upon which I, hearing the ship was loose, sent up to my Lord that the cable might be cut and the ship brought to sail before the wind, and loose our mainsail; which was presently done. Then my Lord sent me his thanks for my advice, and withall doubted not but to save the ship. At that time the surgeon was cutting off the shattered flesh and tendons of my toe; and immediately after we were boarded by the fatal fire ship that burnt us. * * * * * [a] The MS., which is a modern transcript, has “Sir Richard Haddock;” but he was not knighted until 1675, and therefore, for uniformity, the title is suppressed. [b] The blue squadron. [c] Earl of Sandwich. [d] Sir Joseph Jordan, Vice-Admiral of the Blue. See a defence of his conduct, as described in this letter, in Charnock’s _Biographia Navalis_. [e] Sir Charles Harbord, who served as a volunteer and perished. [f] Thomas Mayo. He was one of the few who escaped from the Royal James. CAPTAIN RICHARD HADDOCK TO HIS WIFE. On bord the R. Charles, this 29th May, 1673; 7 leagues of Oostend. MY DEAREST LOVE,