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
"There was not one of them that feared the shot which went thundering
round about their ears, nor yet were once scarred or touched with five
and forty shot which came from the castles. Here did God hold forth His
buckler, He shieldeth now this galley, and hath tried their faith to the
uttermost. Now cometh His special help; yea, even when man thinks them
past all help, then cometh He Himself down from Heaven with His mighty
power, then is His present remedy most ready. For they sail away, being
not once touched by the glance of a shot, and are quickly out of the
Turkish cannons' reach. Then might they see them coming down by heaps to
the water's side, in companies like unto swarms of bees, making show to
come after them with galleys, bustling themselves to dress up the
galleys, which would be a swift piece of work for them to do, for that
they had neither oars, masts, sails, nor anything else ready in any
galley. But yet they are carrying into them, some into one galley, and
some into another, so that, being such a confusion amongst them, without
any certain guide, it were a thing impossible to overtake the
Christians; beside that, there was no man that would take charge of a
galley, the weather was so rough, and there was such an amazedness
amongst them. And verily, I think their god was amazed thereat; it could
not be but that he must blush for shame, he can speak never a word for
dulness, much less can he help them in such an extremity. Well,
howsoever it is, he is very much to blame to suffer them to receive such
a gibe. But howsoever their god behaved himself, our God showed Himself
a God indeed, and that He was the only living God; for the seas were
swift under His faithful, which made the enemies aghast to behold them;
a skilfuller pilot leads them, and their mariners bestir them lustily;
but the Turks had neither mariners, pilot, nor any skilful master, that
was in readiness at this pinch.
"When the Christians were safe out of the enemy's coast, John Fox called
to them all, telling them to be thankful unto Almighty God for their
delivery, and most humbly to fall down upon their knees, beseeching Him
to aid them to their friends' land, and not to bring them into another
danger, since He had most mightily delivered them from so great a
thraldom and bondage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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