The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 14: America, Part IIIHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 14: America, Part III
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
secretly one euening late, the moone shining faire, I conueyed my selfe
away, and riding so for the space of two nights and two dayes, sometimes
in, and sometimes out, resting very little all that time, vpon the
second day at night I came to the towne of Vera Cruz, distant from the
port of S. Iohn de Vllua, where the ships rode, but only 5 leagues, and
here purposing to rest my selfe a day or two, I was no sooner alighted,
but within the space of one halfe houre after, I was by ill hap
arrested, and brought before Iustices there, being taken and suspected
to be a gentlemans sonne of Mexico, that was runne away from his father,
who in trueth was the man they sought for: So I being arrested, and
brought before the Iustices, there was a great hurly burly about the
matter, euery man charging me that I was the sonne of such a man
dwelling in Mexico, which I flatly denied, affirming that I knewe not
the man, yet would they not beleeue me, but vrged stil vpon me that I
was he that they sought for, and so I was conueied away to prison. And
as I was thus going to prison, to the further increase of my griefe, it
chanced that at that very instant there was a poore man in the presse
that was come to towne to sell hennes, who told the Iustices that they
did me wrong, and that in truth he knew very well that I was an
Englishman and no Spaniard. They then demanded of him how he knew that,
and threatned him that he said so, for that he was my companion, and
sought to conuey me away from my father, so that he also was threatned
to be laid in prison with me: he for the discharge of himselfe stood
stifly in it, that I was an Englishman, and one of captaine Hawkins men,
and that he had knowen me weare the S. Benito in the Blacke-friers at
Mexico, for 3 or 4 whole yeres together: which when they heard, they
forsooke him, and began to examine me a new, whether that speech of his
were true, yea or no, which when they perceiued that I could not denie,
and perceiuing that I was run from Mexico, and came thither of purpose
to conuey my selfe away with the fleete, I was presently committed to
prison with a sorrowfull heart, often wishing my selfe that that man
which knew me had at that time bene further off: howbeit he in
sinceritie had compassion of my distressed estate, thinking by his
speech, and knowing of me, to haue set me free from that present danger
which he sawe me in: howbeit, contrary to his expectation, I was thereby
brought into my extreme danger, and to the hazard of my life, yet there
was no remedy but patience perforce. And I was no sooner brought into
prison, but I had a great paire of bolts clapt on my legs, and thus I
remained in that prison for the space of 3 weekes where were also many
other prisoners which were thither committed for sundry crimes and
condemned to the gallies. During which time of imprisonment there, I
found amongst those my prison-fellowes some that had knowen me before in
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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