The legend of Captaine Iones relating his adventure to sea: his first landing, and strange combate with a mightie beare. His furious battell with his sixe and thirtie men against the armie of eleven kings, with their overthrow and deaths. His relieving of Kemper Castle. His strange and admirable sea-fight with sixe huge gallies of Spain, and nine thousand sonldiers [sic]. His taking prisoner, and hard usage. Lastly, his setting at liberty by the Kings command, and returne for England.

THE LEGEND OF CAPTAIN IONES . I Sing thy Armes ( Bellona , ) and the Mans Whose mighty deeds out-did great Tamberlans : Thy Trump ( dire goddess ) send , The Invocation . that I may thunder Some wondrous strain , to speak this man of wonder . When Fates decreed that Captain Iones should bee The life and death of men , they could not see A place more suiting to bring forth this mirror Of martiall spirits , this thunder crack of terror , Than some vast mountaines womb , His birth-place . whose rigged rocks Might forme him , and foreshew the hardie knocks Which he should give and take : Nor were they nice To thinke it base , that mountaines bring forth mice , Since , from a Brittish mount and Mars his stones , They sent this man of men , sterne Captain Iones . Wilde Mares milke nurst him on the mountaines gorse , Which gave him strength and stomack like a horse ; Goats flesh matur'd him , kill'd on craggie tops , Which taught him to mount Rampiers like those rocks . Ere eighteen Winters fully waxen were , This imp of Mars began to do and dare . With Reymond a stout brother of the sword He first attempted Sea , and went aboard , Two hundred strong , for the East Indies bound , Fame was the only prize he sought or found . Twice twenty dayes auspicious waves and winds Lull'd them : then AEolus and Neptune joynes To worke great Iones his fall . Envie and ire To see him more than man , made them conspire : Rough Boreas whistled to the dancing ship , The boistrous billows strove to over-skip The bounding vessell . In this great distaster His behavior in a storm at Sea . Reymond , the souldiers , mariners and master Lost heart and heed to rule ; then up-starts Iones , Calls fo● sixe Gispins , drinkes them off at once . Thus a●m'd at all points , yet as light as feather , He ascends , and drew , and pist against the weather ; And are we borne ( my hearts , quoth he ) to die ? Shall we descend ? Thy immortalitie Neptune thou must resigne , if I come thither : One Sea may not contain us both together . Nor waves nor winds could fright him with their motion , Who thought he could contain & pisse an Ocean . His fatall Smiter thrice aloft he shakes , And frownes ; the sea and ship and canvasse quakes : Then from the hatches he descends , and stept Into his Cabbin , dranke again , and slept . When these rough gods beheld him thus secure , And arm'd against them like a man pot-sure , They stint vaine stormes ; and so Monstrifera The name of his ship . ( So hight the Ship ) toucht about Florida , Upon a desart Island call'd Crotone , Where savage beasts and serpents live alone : Here Iones would needs to land , though Reymond swore Danger was in 't : he laught and leapt ashore . He goes ashore . Danger ( quoth he ) to them whom danger fright , My heart was fram'd to dare , my hands to fight . Some sixe and thirtie more put forth to ground , These for fresh food , he for aduenture bound ; They limit their returne when three houres ends , Which Reymond with the ship at Sea attends . These sea-sick souldiers , range hills , woods , and vallies , Seeking provant to fill their empty bellies ; Iones goes alone , where Fate prepar'd to meet him With such a prey as did unfriendly greet him ; * * His encounter with a Beare . A Beare as black as darknesse , and as fell As Tyger , vast as the black dog of hell , Runs at him open jaw'd , so fierce , so fast , That he no leasure had to draw for hast * * The name of his sword . Kyl-za-dog his good sword ; with fist he aym'd All arm'd a blow , which sure the Beare had brain'd , But that betweene her yawning teeth it dings , The gauntlet there stuck fast , his hands he wrings Unarm'd , unharm'd from thence ; her formost pawes The Beare on Iones his shoulder claps , and gnawes The gauntlet wedg'd betwene her teeth : Iones claspt her With both his armes , and strove by force to cast her . And here they try a plucke , and graspe , and tug , And foame ; but Iones who knew the Cornish hug , Heaues her a foot from footing , swings her round , And with a short turne hurles her on the ground ; Then came his good sword forth to act his part , Which pierc't skin , ribs , and riffe , and rove her heart . The head , his trophee , from the trunke he cuts , And with it back unto the shore hee struts , Where Reymond was appointed to attend His and the rests returne : but he ( false friend ) When they were once on shore and out of sight , Hoist sailes to sea , and tooke himselfe to flight . Here Iones found fraud in man , and deeply sweares Revenge on Reymonds head , The rest he cheares ; He joynes himselfe to the 36 souldiers . All safe return'd , but all in desperation To see themselves left there to desolation : Nor graine nor ground , but wilde , nor man , nor beast , But savage ; yet ( O strange ) here Iones doth feast His six and thirty daily , 't was with fishes His taking of fish with his halberts point . Tost from his halberts point into their dishes ; Wherewith he tooke them standing on the shore Out of the Ocean : whether t was the store Frequenting this unpeopled coast , or whether To see this wondrous man they shoald together And so astonied , yeeld themselves a prey To him from whom they durst not swim away . B●e't so , or so , I 'le not deside , but I Know Iones tels this for truth , who knowes no lye . Thus from his weapons point , nine moneths they fed Till fate Sir Richard Greenfield thither led , Who to America transports with Iones His six and thirty fish-fed Mermydons , To Insip , were they brought and left ; oh then 'T was time , had they had meat , to play the men . Their first encounter there with famine was , A dry and desart soile , nor graine nor grasse , Nor drinke , but water had they here , nor bread Capta'ne Iones encounters with the grea● Giant Asdriasdust . For thrice twelve moneths , but caves for house and bed . Such living as that Country could afford Bold Iones was forc't to win by dint of sword . Eleven fierce Kings possesse the fertile tract Of this great Coast , who all their powers compact To vanquish Iones : a brave attempt 't is true , Yet more than twice eleven fierce Kings could doe . Two thousand choise and doughty men they chose , To bid him battaile , arm'd with darts and bowes , And arrowes fadome long , well barb'd with bone Of some strange fish , which pierc't through steel & stone . And thus they came prepar'd . When they drew neer him , He brought his souldiers fo●th , and thus did cheare them ; My five and twenty friends ( for onely those Had fate and famine left ) these darts and bowes Are fit to deale with fearefull Crowes and Dawes , His oration to his 25. soldiers before their fight with the 2000. sent against him by the 11. American Kings . But us whose hearts of oake and empty mawes Hungers sharpe dart hath pierc't , ( and yet we stand To fright and foile our foes with sword in hand ) These weapons cannot conquer , nor the number , Were they two thousand such as Iohn a Cumber . Doth hunger bite you ? bite your foes as fast , Eat these men-eaters , ( souldiers ) kill and tast . Would you gaine glory ? kill by six and seaven ; If Crownes of Kings , then here behold eleven . And ●his he spake and drew . With stomack fierce They give the first assault , Now for a verse To speake great Iones his deeds , who headlong goes His cou●age in fig●t Amongst the thickest rancks , cuts , kils , and throwes , Some by the legs , some by the wast he makes Shorter , another by the lock he takes , Reapes off his head , wherwith he braines another , Then at one stroke kils father , sonne , and brother ; Few scap'd with life , but strangely happy those Which scap'd with losse of halfe a face or nose . Nor may I passe his men , who cut and slash Like those that fought for life , not Crownes or Cash . Want made them seeme ( which sure their foes dismayd ) The very sons of death whose parts they playd ; The Insips now no ayme can take aright , They thinke each foe they meet , a mighty Sprite ; And so they fly . Six kings he tooke , and kild ; 5. Kings and 1200. souldiers slaine . Five with eight hundred souldiers left the field ; Twelve hundred fell : for those that went off safe Their heeles and not their hearts the praise he gave . Vnto their fullest townes when he had kill'd them , He brought his ragged regiment and fill'd them . Here on the river of Mengog they find A Weare with fish of wondrous growth and kind , Strange herrings Where with a thousand herrings they were fed , All two foot long besides the taile and head . What became of the rich prizes . Here some may aske what came of all the wealth , ( For Iones brought nothing home besides himselfe ) This conquest gain'd ; Sure many pretious things Must neds attend the death of six such Kings . I answer briefly ; His heroick desire Ascends above earths excrements as fire : Nor can descend to Crownes . The souldiers found Much wealth , which in their home-returne was drownd ; Still fortune fovours Iones : amidst this river He spies a saile directly bearing thither ; He calls , and findes them English , homeward bound , Who for fresh water thrust into the sound . With these his men and he for England comes , Hee and his men come for England . Had England knowne it , all her guns and drums Had bin too little to expresse her joy , As when victorious Hector entred Troy ; Yet ere he can attaine his native coast AEneas like he must be tyr'd and tost With stormes , till meat and water wax'd so scant , That Iones dranke nought but pisse one weeke for want . At last when they had cast out all their goods , ( To save themselves ) into the furious flouds , The ship all bruis'd with sands , and stormes , and stones At Ipswich doth disburthen the sea of Iones . England salutes him with the generall joyes Of Court and country knights , squires , fooles , and boyes In every towne rejoyce at his arrivall , The townsmen where he comes their wives do swive all , And bid them think on Iones amidst this glee , In hope to get such roaring boyes as hee : Others this joy into a fury rapt To sing his prayse , though elegant and apt ; Yet mixt with fictions , which he scornes . T is knowne Iones fancies no additions but his owne ; Nor need we stir our braines for glorious stuffe To paint his praise , himselfe hath done enough , And hath prescirb'd that I shall write no more Than his good memory hath kept in store Of what he did . Perhaps he hath or can Doe more , but hides it like a modest man . His Brittish expedition makes mee hie From this vagary to his Chivalry . This Dukedomes confines pointing on the South , His raysing of the siege of Kemper Castle . Great Kemper Castle guards on Morligs mouth ; Which key of Brittayne ( like great Brittaynes Dover ) Was well nigh lost by siege till Iones went over , To dye or raise it ; T was begirt by land With fifteen thousand . Foure tall ships withstand All succours from the sea : Against this force Hee goes as boldly as an eyelesse horse , With one small Barke ( The Shit-sire 't was ) a hot one , And save a hundred men was with him not one : But these were Welsh blades , borne for hacks & hewing , And car'd not what they did so they were doing . Thus like some tempest these foure ships he frightens , His guns roare thunder whilst his powder lightens , And from his broad side poures a showre of haile , Which rakes them thorow & thorow , ribs , masts , & saile . Their shot replies , but they were rankt too high To touch the Pinnace , which beares up so nigh And playes so hot , that her opponents thinke Some Devill is grand Captain of the Pinke . One English Pirat with them , whilst he watches His time to shoot , spyes Iones upon the hatches , And cryes out , Ho , hoise Canvas all at once , And fly , or yeeld , Zounds it is Captaine Iones : The man swore reason , and t was quicky heard , For , not a Bullet like that name was feard ; They fly , he followes , but a partiall wind And wings of feare sav'd them , left him behind . To Kemper he returnes him , and supplies it With fiftie men , and victuals to suffice it Six moneths : The foes by land lose hope and heart To oppose this new supply , and so depart : Then on the Gate this title was ingraved , Iones rescued Kemper , and the Dukedome saved . Thus plum'd with Laurell , Iones for England came , Where George of Cumberland , rapt with his fame , Wooes him to be Vicegenerall of his fleet ; He is made Vicegeneral under G. of Cumberland , and fought against the Spanish Fleet. Which Iones vouchsaft , because he was to meet Men like himselfe , the doughty Dons of Spaine , Whose honour ( or lose all ) he vow'd to gaine . And better fate in this designe he wisht not Than to cope single with their great Don Quixot . Stay Muse , and blush , and sigh and sing no more , Here Iones his Mistris Fortune playd the whore . Yet , whilst thou loath'st her lightnesse to rehearse , Let indignation make thee chide in verse ; Ah deity ! and blindly to goe on so From thy deare minion Iones to Iohn D' Alonso , Whose out and inside is no better mettle Than an old drum , or a base Tinkers kettle . And tak'st thou him for Iones ? that glorious boy , Whom Venus selfe would kisse ( were Mars away . ) Well fickle goddesse , if thou be divine , I 'le sweare , heauen hath like earth , light feminine . T was thus . This fleet cut through the Westerne mayne , And so lay hovering on the coast of Spaine : Iones led the front ( as t was his custome still ) The first in fight , last to be kill'd or kill : His ship went swiftest too , as did his mind On honors wings : But ( oh ) an envious wind Fild all his sayles , and wrapt him in a mist From being seene , or seeing ere he wist . And thus he lost his traine , and cast about , And beat these seas five dayes to find them out , Till in his quest it was his fate to meet Don Iohn D' Alonso with the Spanish fleet . This Generall bid amaine , and Iones defi'd From Canons mouth . The Don againe repli'd " With foure for one . Ah Iones , had I my wish , " Some godhead should have turn'd thee to a fish , " To escape this dire assault ; thou shouldst not then " Be taken like a tame beast in thy den . Nine thousand souldiers was the force that fought This day with Iones , whom six huge gallies brought ; The stoutest boats to make a bold Bravado That were in Spaines invincible Armado : Iones first commands his men to take their victual , Hee souldier-like dranke much , and prayd a little ; Then tels them briefly , Here 's no place to fly , Come friends , let 's bravely live or bravely dye . By this the gallyes had inclos'd him round , And sought to board him ; but they quickly found The ship too hot to grapple with so soone , And so bore off againe , and payd her roome . Then each by turne present her the broad side , Which shee repayd with interest , and so ply'd , That where her bullets pierce , whole streames of bloud Spout through the gallies ribs , and dye the floud ; The foes disdaine thus long to stand in fight Gainst one , and so presse on with all their might ; And now the storme grew hot , and deepe in blood , " Mad rage had got the place where reason stood : Guns , drums , and trumpets stop the souldiers eares , From hearing cries and grones ; and fury reares This fatall combate to so strange a height , That higher powers expresse th' effects of fright . Great Neptune quakt and roar'd , clouds ran and pist , The winds fell downe , and Titan lurkt in mist. Then belch huge bullets forth , smoake , fire , and thunder : Their fury strikes the gods with feare and wonder . One gally which two hundred slaues did row , Affronts the ship in hope to buldge her prow . Iones gave her leave ; but when she once came nigh , Out burst his murdering shot ; here doom'd to dye Downe dropp'd the brave Viceroy of Saint Iago , Don Diego de Cordona and Gonzago . Stones , chaines , and bullets tare their passage out Through men and galley , which soone tack about In hope to get aloofe ; but Iones sent after Two lucky shots , which light twixt wind and water . " In crept the quaking billow , where it spyde " Those holes , in hope its fearfull head to hide ; " The galley like afeard , worse hurt , doth creepe " Into the trembling bowels of the deepe ; " And so shee sanke . Thus Diego whilst he try'd His force with Iones , with fifteene hundred dy'd . Now Iones all breathlesse sat to take his breath Upon a But of sacke , and dranke the death Of Don Iohn de Alonso , which his men Pledge in a rowse , and so they fight againe . Ninescore there were but threescore now remaine To do or suffer , for the rest were slaine . The Spanish force distract twixt hope and feare , Yet by their fellowes fall forewarnd , forbeare This hot assault , keepe distance , and at Iones Let fly their shot at randome all at once , Some halfe a Cable short and some flew ore The top saile , some the stern and rudder tore : One , all the rest in fatall fu●y past , And all to shivers rove the master mast , Downe fell the tackle , and the vessell lay An English prison and a Spanish prey . Starboard and L●rboard side , from poope to prow They all let drive and rak'd her through and through . All now but Iones and one man more were kild , Who cryd , Now fight and dye or live and yeeld . Io●es kild the first , the latter he besought him Upon his knees , whilst by the knees he caught him Begging for life , a bullet took away His head , which when t was off still seemd to pray ; Out flew the head and bullet both at once Betwene the manly thighs of Captaine Iones ; Who lookt behind him , Art thou gone ( quoth hee ) Still may they dye so that cry , Yeeld to mee . Now nought to him but bloud and death appeard , Death was his wish , captivitie hee feard ; Which to prevent * * This sword hee won from the great and fearful giant Nereapeny . Kil-za-dog forth he drew , And thus he spake ; Braue Cato , Cato flew . And when victorious Brutus could not stand , He fell , but by his owne victorious hand . Brutus , I am a Brute , and have thy spirit , Thy fortune and selfe death I will inherit . Thus sayd , his sword unto his side he plyes , His Genius deh●rts him from selfe-murder . Which his good Genius stayes and thus replyes ; Hold Iones , reserved for thy Countries good , Born to shed hostile not thy home-bred bloud , And know that selfe-death is the Cowards curse , For , he that dyes so , dyes for feare of worse ; The time will come when Irish bogs shall quake Under thy feet , whilst great Oneale doth shake . I may not on thy future deeds dilate , Thy sword must write what is involv'd in fate ; This know , in thy old age thou shalt impart Unto thy Countries youth thy martiall art , Teach them to manage armes , and how they must Make bright their swords , which peace hath wrapt in rust . Now Iones vouchsaf'd to live , not for himselfe But for his Countries good and Common-wealth , His scarlet cap he dons , with crimson plume , And he ascends the hatches all in fume . The Musketiers ambitiously desire To hit this mark , and all at once give fire : Some Bullets raze his plume , his haire , his nose , His velvet Ierkin , and his sattin hose , ( The scars may yet be seene ) yet drawes he breath Fearelesse and harmlesse in the jawes of death . The Spaniard now conjectur'd his intent , By seeking death t' avoid imprisonment , And so forbore to shoot , drew neare and sought To take the prey which they so deare had bought . Then Iones all raging throwes into the maine That sword which men and wolves and beares had slain , That sword which erst had drunke the bloud of Kings , Into the bowels of the deepe he dings . The Ocean thrild for feare , and gave it place , And greedy Neptune snatcht it for his mace . Then from the ship he leaps amongst his foes , And so undaunted to Don Iohn he goes , Who bid him Live , Don-like , but gave him breath , Only to breath in greater paines than death . This shock had sent to Styx six thousand men , How he was used being taken captive . Whose soules Don Iohn to satisfie againe Inflicts more servile punishments on Iones , Than countervailes six thousand deathes at once . He beds on boards , is fed with bits and knocks Ape like , barefoot with neither shooes nor socks , Haire-shirt , blew bonnet , made a seruile knaue , A lowsie , dusty , nasty gally slave . At last he brings Iones to the Spanish King , He is presented to the Sp. King And sayes : Great monarch , see this precious thing ; Six thousand of your bravest men he cost , Who to gaine him alive , their lives have lost . Nor thinke the bargaine deare , for here 's a man Can doe and say more than your Viceroyes can . This praise was given him by the crafty Don , For feare his losse seemd more than what he won ; And so it did in deede for Philip thought Iones inside by his outside dearely bought . To try he askes him whither bound , and whence He was , and Iones replies with little sense , Whether through feare or faining , he affords To all the King demands , not three wise words . He is cast into a prison . To try him further , in a Iaile they cast him , Which serv'd for nothing but to stinke and fast in . And here it was his destiny to light Upon a learned priest , a Iesuit : With him falls Iones to worke . The sacred word He disputed there with a Iesuit about Purgatory . His weapon was , for he had drown'd his sword . Their Question was of purgatory , where , And whether 't is at all , if so , 't is here ( Quoth Iones . ) For he halfe tir'd with paines would needs Goe straight to heaven : And thus the question breeds . Iones was no Schooleman , yet he bore a brain Which nere forgot what ere it could containe . Yet this old Priest so wrests the letters sense , Equivocates , denies plaine consequence , Sta●ts too and fro , and raiseth such confusions , That Iones chiefe ward was to denie conclusions : But , doe this subtill Schoolman what he can , Such was the vigour of this martiall man , Though he was no good disputant or Text-man , Nor knew to spell Amen , to serve a Sexton ; Yet truth , with confidence and his strong fist Doth first convince and then convert the Priest . Some talke of Garnets straw and Lipsius lasses , Whose miracles made manie Artists asses ; But here 's a miracle transcends them all , An Artist made wise by a Naturall . Now Englands Court rings all of Iones his fetters , Order taken in England for his ransome . And men of rank were soone sent ore with letters To ransome him for gold , or man for man , On anie termes . The King with many a Don Consults upon this point : One thought it fit To deale upon exchange ; some better wit Thought it more fit to keepe this second Drake , For so he term'd him wisely , and thus spake ; The point of his ransome debated in Spaine . Armies are Englands arme , Captains the hand Of this strong arme that rules by sea and land : And of this arme and hand I think in summe , This captive Captain is the very thumb . This speech was short and sound , but could not go so Without th' opposing of old Don Mendozo ; Who lov'd and favour'd Iones , but knew not why , ( Nature it seemes had wrought some sympathie ) Pardon ( quoth he ) ( dread Sovereigne ) Are we come To talke of armes and hands and Captain Thumb ? From East to West our Armes and armies raigne , And feare we now for one to re-obtaine So many Viceroyes in the Isle captiv'd , For us of light and almost life depriv'd ? Were Drake's and Candish spirit in this dragon , Let not their future times have this to brag on , That Englands Queene did prize one Captain more Than Spaines great Monarch did his twenty foure . His speech prevaild , and so they all attone , And twenty foure were askt and given for one , All which had led great armies to the field , And never knew , but once , what t was to yeeld . And thus was Iones dismist ; yet ere he goe The King , to grace him , made him kisse his toe . Long may'st thou live old man , and may thy tongue And memory , as thou grow'st old , wax yongue : Then wilt thou live in spite of time , and bee Times subject , and time thine t' imblazon thee . Pardon my forward Muse , striving to soare A pitch with thee at mid-day tyr'd , gives ore ; For , who can speake thee all ( thou mightie man ? ) Not Greeces Homer , nor Romes Mantuan . A touch of some other deed● of chivalry by him performed . Thy Irish warres , thy taking great Tyrone , Whole heards of Wolves kild there by thee alone , Thy severall single duells with fierce men And Beares , all slaine ; and that dry journey , when Thou drankst but what thou pist for thrice seven dayes , Which made thee dry ere since ; then th' amorous wayes The Queene of No-land us'd to make thee King Of her and hers , ( Oh ) manie a precious thing . Thy London widow next in love halfe drown'd , Which thou refus'dst with fortie thousand pound : Thy daunting Essex in his rash bravado , Raleigh's hard scaping of thy bastinado : Lastly , thy grace with thy great Queene Eliza , Who , hadst thou had the learning to suffice a Man , but to write and reade , had made thee able To sit in Councell at her highnesse Stable . These trophees of thy Fame , and myriads more Kept by thy fertile braine for time in store , I leave unsung , and wish they may be writ In golden lines by some more happy wit , Whose Genius till some Fury doth inspire , Let me sit downe in silence and admire . THE END .