Fifty-two Stories of the British Navy, from Damme to Trafalgar.Miles, Alfred H. (Alfred Henry)
History
Fifty-two Stories of the British Navy, from Damme to Trafalgar.
Miles, Alfred H. (Alfred Henry)
Great Britain -- History, Naval -- Juvenile literature
"In the year of our Lord 1577, in the winter season, the galleys happily
coming to their accustomed harbourage, and being discharged of all their
masts, sails, and other such furnitures as unto galleys do appertain,
and all the masters and mariners of them being then nested in their own
homes, there remained in the prison of the said road two hundred three
score and eight Christian prisoners who had been taken by the Turks'
force, and were of fifteen sundry nations. Among which there were three
Englishmen, whereof one was named John Fox, of Woodbridge, in Suffolk,
the other William Wickney, of Portsmouth, in the county of Southampton,
and the third Robert Moore, of Harwich, in the county of Essex; which
John Fox, having been thirteen or fourteen years under their gentle
entreatance, and being too weary thereof, minding his escape, weighed
with himself by what means it might be brought to pass, and continually
pondering with himself thereof, took a good heart unto him, in the hope
that God would not be always scourging His children, and never ceasing
to pray Him to further His intended enterprise, if that it should
redound to His glory.
"Not far from the road, and somewhat from thence, at one side of the
city, there was a certain victualling house, which one Peter Vuticaro
had hired, paying also a certain fee unto the keeper of the road. This
Peter Vuticaro was a Spaniard born, and a Christian, and had been
prisoner above thirty years, and never practised any means to escape,
but kept himself quiet without touch or suspect of any conspiracy, until
that now this John Fox using much thither, they brake one to another
their minds, concerning the restraint of their liberty and imprisonment.
So that this John Fox, at length opening unto this Vuticaro the device
which he would fain put in practice, made privy one more to this their
intent; which three debated of this matter at such times as they could
compass to meet together; insomuch that, at seven weeks' end they had
sufficiently concluded how the matter should be, if it pleased God to
further them thereto; who, making five more privy to this their device,
whom they thought that they might safely trust, determined in three
nights after to accomplish their deliberate purpose. Whereupon the same
John Fox and Peter Vuticaro, and the other five appointed to meet all
together in the prison the next day, being the last day of December,
where this John Fox certified the rest of the prisoners what their
intent and device was, and how and when they minded to bring that
purpose to pass, who thereunto persuaded them without much ado to
further their device; which, the same John Fox seeing, delivered unto
them a sort of files, which he had gathered together for this purpose by
the means of Peter Vuticaro, charging them that every man should be
ready, discharged of his irons, by eight of the clock on the next day at
night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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