A brave memorable and dangerous Sea-fight , foughten neere the Road of Tittawan in Barbary , where the George and Elizabeth ( a Ship of London ) under the Command of M r. Edmond Ellison , having but 19. peeces of Ordnance , was encompass'd and encountred by nine great Turkish Pyrat ships or men of Warre , they being in number of men at the least 60. to one ; and their Ordnance more than ten to one against the English , yet ( by Gods assistance ) they were encouraged to a resolute fight , and obtained a glorious victorie over their miscreant enemies , and a happy returne with men , ship , and goods to London .

Invocation . FIrst to begin , I 'le invocate and pray To Him that hath both heaven and earthly sway , That hee 'le direct my spirit and my quill , That Truth , and onely Truth from them distill : As falshood is mans credits greatest blot , Let not my lines with lyes the paper spot . Thus ( being arm'd with Truth and Fortitude , I send my verse amongst the multitude Of criticke censurers , whose best and worst Is to vent out their follies , or to burst . Th' yeere sixteene hundred thirty five , that 's past , Friday the 20. of November last , The ship nam'd George and Elsabeth , abode At Tittawan , at Anchor in the Road ; Our businesse and occasions at that place Caus'd us to anchor there some certaine space . Betimes w'arose , and as all Christians should , We fell to prayer , for mercies manifold Before extended , and to be extended , Imploring heavenly power , that had defended Us in all dangers ( though we oft transgresse ) Would quit our crimes and helpe us in distresse . Our prayse to God and prayers being done , Even with the mounting of the morning Sunne , Whose golden beames did guild the Oceans face , And Zephirus balmy breath the Ayre did grace , Both skves and seas seem'd calme in beauteous forme , When streight we spide an unexpected storme . Nine Warlike ships , with swelling sayles appear'd ; And towards us their course directly stear'd ; And by the reason that we did not know If they were Christians , Turks , or friend or foe , We to prevent the worst that might befall , Betooke our selves unto our tackling all : Some to the Capstane , some hold of the Cable , Some heave , some quoyle , ( it was no time to fable ) Some with Fish , Cat , and Boighroaps ( we know how ) Did bring and bend our Anchor at the bough . Both Topsailes out , the Maine and Foresaile fell , Our Spritsaile and our Mizzen were handed well ; Our Sheats , Tacks , Boleins , Braces , Tyes and Lifts , Martlines , and Halliers , ( all mann'd , all make shifts ) With Helme and Steeresman to doe each his best , T' avoyd destruction , and to purchase rest . Their Admirall , ( at least 500. tunnes ) Fenc'd with two tyre of Ordnance ( forty Gunnes ) Gave warning ( to the rest o th' cursed crew ) By shooting off a Peece , us to pursue . Nor was the Admirall himselfe inclinde To come too neere us , he was richly linde With gold and treasure , therefore he thought meet To charge the other eight ships of his Fleet To charge and chace us ; streight in little space They gave another Gunne for charge and chace . Thus neere and neerer they upon us come , Whilest we with Trumpets sound , and beaten Drum , T'wards Suttye , where we thought secure to be , But God did otherwayes for us foresee . By reason of the foulenesse of our ship , She was unapt those Rovers to outstrip ; And therefore force perforce , we all must stay , Fight , or give men , ship , goods and all away : Which upon short consideration then We did bethinke our selves that we were men , Not heathen Infidels , that Christ denide ; But those for whom our blest Redeemer dyde , For whom h'arose againe , and did ascend To bring us to those joyes that ne're shall end . And shall we give our selves away to those , That are the sonne of Gods malicious foes ? And shall we , for base feare be so un just To part with Ship and goods within our trust ? No surely , Bulke and Fraught much more did cost , Then cow'rdly to be given away or lost : Besides the slavery of our persons , and Our Ransoms begg'd from many a mizers hand , Who ( some of them ) as willing with 't doe part , As they would doe from bloud dropt from their heart , These things considered , we did hold it best , True Christians fortitude to manifest . Because they twice did shoot , and twice begun , Upon their second Gun we gave a Gun ; And so unto 't pell-mell straight wayes we went , Our shot and powder liberally we spent ; But they were much more bountifull than we , For every shot we sent , they gave us three . Then boord and boord on either side they layd us , Where we paid them , and ( as they could ) they paid us ; When ten men ( of the Turks ) at first were slaine , Which made them with all speed fall off againe And leave us , yet I something doe mistake , That Conflict more than ten did kill or shake . We being from the first two parted thus , Streight two more came , and fiercely boorded us ; Where all those villaines ( on the Ocean deepe ) Striv'd ( all we had ) to get , and we to keepe ; Where shot and shot flew free ; we gave and tooke , Till ( finding us too hot ) they us forsooke . The Ayre was fild with Drum and crying sounds Of thundring Ordnance ; And the noyse rebounds Downe from the verge of the rotundious skyes , That what with Guns , Drums , Clamors wounded crics , Confusion , horror , and the cowards feare , Grim Death himselfe began to domineere . The accursed blood ( from the base sonnes of Cain ) Gush'd , and began the greene-fac'd sea to staine , Thus six times boorded by those cruell men , We still sent some of them to Plutoes den , And in their fury they did mount our tops , Shot through our Sailes , and Masts , and cut our Roaps , Shatterd our ship , and would in shivers teare her , They had beene better they had ne're come neere her , For we were all resolv'd to fight and dye For God , Prince , Countrey , and our liberty . Their ships much rent with round and cros-bar shot , And steele in bundles ( which we spared not ) Their men hurt , and unknowne what number slaine , They all in generall the fight refraine . Their Admirall came hot within our reach , Whose shot and ours made now and then a breach , Untill at last , good fortune did affoord , We shot , and beat her Main-mast bye the Boord , Which made her leave the fight ; that lucky blow Did ease us gladly from our greatest foe . Encompast round with smouldring smoke and sire , Our enemies did finally retire . Thus ( by the power of God ) their force was foyld , Three of their ships went home torne , split and spoyld , The other six their course to Sea-ward bore , Having no minde to trouble us no more ; But as they made away ( our loves to show ) We gave them now and then a parting blow : For any man of judgement may conceive , We spent some powder at their taking leave . In this sharp conslict with those faithlesse Turkes , God shew'd his ' Mercy over all his workes . For though for one of us th 'had threescore men , And for one Gun of ours th 'had more than ten , Yet from the first to last of all the fight , We lost but three men which were slaine outright . And five or six men had some wounds or scarres To weare , as noble jewels of the warres ; Yet none of those that with us wounded were , We hope the use of one limb shall forbeare ; For which we give all Honour , Laud , and Praise Unto th' Almighty Ancient of all dayes . He is the God of Battels , and 't was He With his strong Arme , that got the victorie : The Lord of Hosts was onely our defence , And we were his unworthy Instruments . His power hath brought to passe most wondrous things , And with small meanes confounded mighty Kings : When Egypts Pharaoh did his name despise , He foyld him with an Hoast of Lice and Flyes , And ( 'gainst that King ) Gods souldiers in those warres , Were Hailstones , Scabs , and Frogs , and Grashoppers , For such contemptuous vermin he can make His Armies , to inforce great Kings to quake . Gedeon , with poore three hundred ( Truth recites ) Destroyd the mighty Hoast of Midianites . Iudg. 7. With Foxes , and the Jaw-bone of an Asse , Gods strength in Sampson brought great things to passe . With Shamgars slender goad , and Jaels Nayle , Iudg. 15. Iudg. 3 & 4. ( Against the proud ) th' Almighty can prevaile . All ea●thly force ( t' oppose his force ) is feeble , Goliahs braines were pierced with a pibble ; And surely , had the Lord not fought for us , We had not liv'd to tell our story thus . These Rabshakaes , that each occasion waits To rob and spoyle all Christians in the Straits , Whose barbarous and inhumane cruelty Is worse than Death ( for Death ends misery ) For such as dye under our Saviours Banner , ( Dye Conqu'rors ) 't is no matter in what manner . Would every man resolve thus , surely then Men would not give away ships , goods , and men To these Mahometan base Infidels , Whose spight gainst Christ and Christians so excels , Then would our resolution strike a feare And terror in these Hell-hounds of Argiere , Their hopes are numbers , threats and composition , A Trembling , cowardly and base submission ; And thus with Bug-beare looks , and scare-crow words , They oft win more than with Guns , Pikes , or swords . Had Weddell yeelded in the Persian Gulph , Rufrero had devour'd him like a Wolfe : Had Nichols yeelded like a fearefull mome , His ship with victory had ne're come home : Had Malam basely given himselfe away , He had bin captiv'd , and lost a glorious day . And e're this fight had Ellison given over , His credit he should ne're againe recover ; Then let men strive to doe as hath bin done By Weddell , Nichols , Malam , Ellison , Take faith , and hope , and courage in distresse , Trust in the Lord , and he 'le give good successe . We brag not ( I would have it understood ) 'T is not the arme of man , nor flesh and blood That can effect such mighty things as these , But onely he that rules heav'n , earth , and seas , He gives the courage , and the fortitude To few men , to withstand a multitude ; And yet to brag and boast there 's none more apt Than such as in a cowards skin are wrap'd : Such as dare not looke danger in the face , But seeke some skulking hole , or hiding place , Betweene the Decks , or in some Cable-Teire , To keepe their carkasse shot-free in their feare ; Who feare a Guns report , more than they doe The Hangman , Gallowse , and the Halter too . These , and none else but such as these will prate , And lyes and letters often shall relate The unknowne worthy Actions which they did , Remembring not to tell how they were hid I' th Cook-roome , or some Cabbin , or the Hold , As is before a little plainly told . We are not such , we therefore say againe , Gods be the glory ; all our force was vaine ; But yet we knew our cause was just and right , And so the Lord encourag'd us to fight . But some perhaps may say we are too free , And that good ships and men may taken be With multitudes of enemies combinde , And disadvantage of Sea , Sunne , and winde ; And that in such a case , good composition On reasonable termes , a forc'd condition Is better part with part , than to lose all , And into an assur'd destruction fall . All this is right ; but yet all this is wrong , If men doe not what doth to men belong : We know that ships , and men , as good as any , Have beene sunke , slaine , and taken , too too many ; But sure we thinke their detrimentall Fate Should not make men despairing , desperate ; But stand upon defence whil'st hope doth last , And ne're compound or yeeld , till hope is past . For certaine 't is , these Argeire dogs are such , With faith and troth they seldome doe keepe touch ; But contrary to humane kinde profession , Their composition turnes to base oppression : Besides , we know not what will Merchants say , When ( without leave ) we give their goods away . Therefore , as Merchants make account of men , Let men so serve them honestly agen ; If they pay us , we hold it right and just To serve , and to be worthy of their trust : But if there were such as would not depart With fraight and wages , fitting mens desert , Shall men turne ill 'cause they are ill inclin'd ? Or shall their being darke make others blinde ? If any such therebe , we hope they 'le mend ; Or if they mend not , they will one day end . So gracious God thy mercy we implore , To blesse all such as doe thy Name adore : And for thy glorious sonnes most boundlesse merit , Give Christians all , thy All-preserving spirit ; Encourage them to fight , and to withstand Thine enimies and theirs , let thy strong hand And their weake faith be strengthned still by thee , That in thy name they may victorious be . Snaffle , and curbe those rude unmanag'd jades That live by Theft , and spoyle of Merchants Trades . Thine are the Seas , O let the Seas be free For Traffique , and the honour be to thee ; And as these Turks with Satans guiles are wounded , Be they by thee conformed , or confounded . And if thou please in Mercies manifold , As there 's one shepherd , make us one sheepfold .

To make some things more plaine and obvious to the Reader , we desire him to take into consideration , that wee went to a place called Buttow , upon the Coast of Barbarie , where finding no goods to fraight our ship as we expected , but onely Wheat , which was sold for six shillings the bushell there , which , though it were deare , we desired to be fraighted with it , and to carry it to the Canaries ; but theMerchantsFactors there , would not give so great a price for so much of it as would fraight us ; but they adventured for so much as did a quarter lade us ; with the which Corne , and some gold and silver of the Merchants , we weighed Anchor from Buttow , and came to the Road at Tittawan , where the nine Argeire Pyraticall ships ( or men of warre ) did assault us , as is before related ; but when ( by Gods assistance ) we had gotten from our enimies , we made for the Canaries , there to sell our Corne , and to fraight our ship from thence for England : we being arrived at the Canaries , did find the people oppressed with an extreme famine , so that they look'd rather like the ghosts or Anatomics of dead carkasses than of living men or women . In briefe , they were so pyn'd and pinch'd with hunger , that many of them did drop downe dead daily in the streets , starv'd to death ; so that our small quantity of corne which wee brought from Buttow ( which cost but six shillings the Bushell ) we sold it at the Canaries for 33 s. the Bushell . So that if our Merchants Factors had fully fraighted us with Wheat at Buttow , we had made a profitable voyage with it at the Canaries , for they would have given almost any price for it .

Our Wheat being sold , wee could have no fraight at the Canaries , the season was so farre past , and therefore with such gold and silver as we had ( which was the Merchants ) we weighed from the Canaries , and ( by the favour of God ) wee after all these dangers arrived safely at London in April last , 1636.

To close up all , M r. Ellison had one of his men , named William Ling , who was a quarter Master . This Ling ( with two men more ) had the charge to ply two peeces of Ordnance in the Steerage . Ling having a Cabbin on the Decke over his head , had in his Cabbin some Barbarie gold and other good stuffe , which he had cramm'd into an old Boot . In the Steerage where Ling was , he did open a small Loope-hole , through which hee espyed a Turke that had broke open his Cabbin , and had made a booty of his Boot ; which Ling perceiving , not well pleased with , put to a charged Musket , presenting it through the aforesaid Loop-hole he shot the Turk thorough , who strait fell downe ; and after the fight Ling found him dead with the golden lynde Boot in his hand , a good Semiter by him , a great silver sealed Ring on his finger , which finger was so swelled that hee was faine to cut it off to have the Ring ; which having done , and pillaged the pillager naked , Ling gave him a cast of his office overboord , to feed Cods , Haddocks and Sharks .

I have named Captaine Iohn Weddell , and Master Edward Nichols , and Master Malam , in this former relation , which although two of them are dead , and the third onely remaining alive ( I meane Captaine John Weddell ) and though their persons and worth were knowne to many , yet there are more that knew them not ; for whose satisfaction I will give a memorable touch of their three severall noble and valiant Sea-fights , although some of them haue bin more at large related by mee many yeares agoe .

Mr. Edward Nichols was Master of the good ship called the Dolphin of London , of the Burthen of 240 tuns ( or thereabouts ) mann'd with 36 men and 2 boyes , 19 peeces of Ordnance , and 9 murtherers , being laden at Zant , and bound homeward for England , was set upon by six great Turkish men of warre , with 1500 men in them at least , and 140 odde Guns , and after a cruell and bloody fight ( which continued the space of five houres ) with three most terrible assaults , with the losse of eleven men and boyes who were killed , and five maymed and hurt , the ship was set on fire in the fight , which made the Pyrats forsake her ( having their ships sorely torne and rent with the Dolphins Ordnance ) three of their Captaines being fugitive or Renegade Englishmen ; namely , Captaine Kelley , Captaine Walsingham , and Captaine Sampson ; but lastly , it pleased God that by the mens industry the fire was quenched : This fight was fought the 12. of January , 1616. And when the ship was repaired , at a place called Callarie , she set saile homewards , and after all these dangers , arrived safe at London . The fame of which danger and deliverance came to the hearing of our Royall Prince Charles , who is now our gracious Soveraigne ; hee to honour and give applause to so worthy a designe , did come aboord of her , and viewed her hurts and dangerous breaches , where to the encouragement of others to imitate Master Nichols in resolution and noble valour , his Highnesse grac'd him to make him his servant , with the title of a Captaine .

Captaine Iohn Weddell on the first of February being Sunday , 1624. was homewards bound for England from the East-Indies : and in the Gulph of Persia , hee being generall Commander of the Fleet , which consisted of foure good ships ; namely , the Royall Iames , Admirall ; the Ionas , Vice-admirall ; the Starre , Rere-admirall , and the Eagle ; There was also ( to associate the English ) foure good Dutch ships , whose names were , The South Holland , Admirall ; the Bantam , Vice-admirall ; the Mawd of Dort , Rere-admirall , and the Weasop , under the Command of an experienc'd brave Sea-man named Albert Becker . These two Commanders were set upon by eight great ships or Galliows of the Portugales , and 32 Friggots , which were under the Command of Rufrero ( an inexorable and implacable enemie to Captaine Weddell . ) These two Fleets met and fought on the day aforesaid with furious opposition , fighting three dayes without intermission , at which time the Dutch Admirall Albert Becker was slaine , with 28 more that were killed in his ships , and the English lost much about the same number ; but ( as it was related by a French-man that was with the Portugals in the fight ) the enemie had of his men slaine 481 , besides many maymed and hurt ; they having 232 peeces of Ordnance , and 2100 men , besides 32 Friggots , against the English and Dutch ; yet were some of them sunke , many of them spoyld , and by the mercy and assistance of God , they were all foyld . So that after many dangers past , Captaine Weddell with ships and goods came richly welcome to London .

Concerning Captaine Richard Malam , his fight was inferiour to none of the former , and his deliverance was as remarkable as any : the story of it was never published , therefore I may erre in the time when , but I shall hit right upon the matter how it was ; and ( as I thinke it was in Anno 1621. or thereabouts , ) which if I faile , there are many yet living in Rederiffe and elsewhere to confute me .

This Richard Malam being Commander in a small ship of London named the William and Francis , or William and Iohn , having but eleven pceces of Ordnance , was ( neere the South Cape ) set upon and fiercely fought withall by eleven Tukish men of Warre ; the fight continued from the morning till the darknesse of the night made them come to a parley and truce till the next day-light , upon condition that Captaine Malam , and one Master Hughkinson of Dover ( who was Cape Merchant , and then in the fight ) should come aboord of the Turkish Admirall for pledges that Malams ship should not be stolne or slipp'd away in the night : In this hard exigent and condition they both went into a Boat which the Turke sent for them , for the ships were so torne in the fight , and many men slaine and hurt , that they were all willing to have a little ease till the morning . But as Malam and the Merchant went downe out of his ship into the Turkish Boat , he spake softly to his mate and some other of his men , that if they could they should convey the ship away in the night , whilest he was aboord of the enemie , and let him and the Merchant shift for themselves as they could .

The Boat carried Malam and Hughkinson aboord the Turke where they were well entertained , and their wounds drest ( for Malam had received a hurt , but I know not whether the other was hurt or not ) but the Turke contrary to a Turkish nature did deale very affable with them , applauding their valours , though they had done him much spoyle ; but in the morning , when they thought to have set them aboord their ship againe to renue the fight , the Turkes perceived the ship was gone , in a rage commanded that Malam and the Merchant should be both hanged at the yard Armes of his ship .

In this extremitie Captaine Malam told the Turke that his ship was so torne and rent with their Ordnance , that hee thought shee was sunke to the Seas bottome , and not conveyed away as hee suspected , all which the Turke would not beleeve , but commanded his men to make speed with the execution : Then Malam said to him , Sir , I have done you no wrong , but I have sustained a great losse by you ; I have lost in the Sea my men , my ship , my goods , with a great deale that did belong to other men , and shall I now lose my life ? If it must be so , I doe intreat you that wee may not dye thus ignominiously by the Halter ; but let us be fastened to the mast , and be shot to death with muskets .

The Turke presently condescended to his request ; but as they were making ready for death , there was a small Scottish ship came sayling about a point of land in ken of them : The Turkes being greedy for prey , deferr'd the execution , and made towards the Scottishman , which being a small Vessell of little resistance or defence , was presently at the Pyrats mercie , who did but halfe pillage her , and in a generous way did release both Captaine Malam and Hughkinson , putting them both into the Scottish Ship , which Ship ( being the Turkes prize ) hee gave to Malam ; but when shee brought him to London , hee gave her freely to the Scottishman againe : And thus was this fight and escape ; and for a further happinesse , after Captaine Malam had beene at home at Rederiffe some certaine dayes , his men brought the ship home , where shee arrived safe at London .

FINIS .