mistrusted
altogether, not being made partakers of those secrets, which the General
kept unto himself. Yet all of them that are living may be witnesses of
his words and protestations, which sparingly I have delivered.

Leaving the issue of this good hope unto God, who knoweth the truth
only, and can at His good pleasure bring the same to light, I will
hasten to the end of this tragedy, which must be knit up in the person
of our General. And as it was God's ordinance upon him, even so the
vehement persuasion and entreaty of his friends could nothing avail to
divert him of a wilful resolution of going through in his frigate;
which was overcharged upon the decks with fights, nettings, and small
artillery, too cumbersome for so small a boat that was to pass through
the ocean sea at that season of the year, when by course we might expect
much storm of foul weather. Whereof, indeed, we had enough.

But when he was entreated by the captain, master, and other his
well-willers of the _Hind_ not to venture in the frigate, this was his
answer: _I will not forsake my little company going homeward, with whom
I have passed so many storms and perils._ And in very truth he was urged
to be so over hard by hard reports given of him that he was afraid of
the sea; albeit this was rather rashness than advised resolution, to
prefer the wind of a vain report to the weight of his own life. Seeing
he would not bend to reason, he had provision out of the _Hind_, such
as was wanting aboard his frigate. And so we committed him to God's
protection, and set him aboard his pinnace, we being more than 300
leagues onward of our way home.

By that time we had brought the Islands of Azores south of us; yet we
then keeping much to the north, until we had got into the height and
elevation of England, we met with very foul weather and terrible seas,
breaking short and high, pyramid-wise. The reason whereof seemed to
proceed either of hilly grounds high and low within the sea, as we see
hills and vales upon the land, upon which the seas do mount and fall,
or else the cause proceedeth of diversity of winds, shifting often in
sundry points, all which having power to move the great ocean, which
again is not presently settled, so many seas do encounter together,
as there had been diversity of winds. Howsoever it cometh to pass, men
which all their lifetime had occupied the sea never saw more outrageous
seas, we had also upon our mainyard an apparition of a lit