custome with the Spaniard, that if a stranger be apprehended upon any suspition, he is never brought to open tryall, and common jaile, but clapped up in a dungeon, and there tortured, impoisoned, or starved to death. Such meritorious deeds accompany these onely

titular Christians.

"In end, by God's permission, the scourge of my fiery tryall opproaching; upon the forty seventh day after my first imprisonment, and five dayes before Christmas; about two of clock in the morning, I heard the noise of a coach in the fore streete, marvelling much what it might meane.

"Within a pretty while I heard the locks of my prison-doore in opening; whereupon bequeathing my soule to God, I humbly implored his gracious mercie and pardon for my sinnes: for neither in the former night, nor this could I get any sleep, such was the force of gnawing hunger, and the portending heavinesse of my presaging soule.

"Meanwhile the former nine sergeants, accompanied with the scrivan, entered the room without word speaking, and carrying mee thence, with irons and all, on their armes through the house to the street, they laid mee on my backe in the coach: where two of them sat up beside me, (the rest using great silence) went softly along by the coach side.

"Then Baptista the coachman, an Indian negro, droving out at the sea gate, the way of the shoare side, I was brought westward almost a league from the towne, to a vine-presse house, standing alone amongst vineyards, where they inclosed mee in a roome till daylight, for hither was the racke brought the night before, and privily placed in the end of a trance.

"And all this secresie was used, that neither English, French, or Flemings, should see or get any knowledge of my tryall, my grievous tortures, and dreadfull dispatch, because of their trecherous and cruel proceedings.

"At the breach of day the governour Don Francisco, and the Alcade, came forth in another coach: where when arrived, and I invited to their presence, I pleaded for a trench-man, being against their law to accuse or condemne a stranger, without a sufficient interpreter. The which they absolutely refused, neither would they suffer, or grant mee an appellation to Madrid.

"And now after long and new examinations, from morning to darke night, they finding my first and second confession so runne in one, that the governour swore, I had learned the art of memory: saying, further, is it possible hee can in such distresse, and so long a time, observe so strictly, in every manner, the points of his first confession, and I so often shifting him too and fro.

"Well, the governour's interrogation and my confession being mutually subscribed. he and Don Francesco besought me earnestly to acknowledg and confesse my guiltinesse in time: if not, he would deliver me in the alcades hands there present: saying moreover, thou art as yet in my power, and I may spare or pardon thee, providing thou wilt confesse thyselfe a spie, and a traytour against our nation. But, finding mee stand fast to the marke of my spotlesse inno

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cency, he, invective, and malicious hee, after many tremenduous threatnings, commanded the scrivan to draw up a warrant for the chiefe justice; and done, he set his hand to it, and taking me by the hand, delivered me and the warrant in the alcalde majors hands, to cause mee bee tortured, broken, and cruelly tormented.

"Whence being carried along on the sergeants armes, to the end of a trance or stone-gallery, where the pottaro or racke was placed, the encarnador, or tormentor, began to disburden me of my irons, which being very hard inbolted, he could not ram-verse the wedges for a long time: whereat the chief justice being offended, the malicious villaine with the hammer which hee had in his hand, stroake away above an inch of my left heele with the bolt. Whereupon I grievously groaning, being exceeding faint, and without my three ounces of bread, and a little water for three dayes together: the alcalde said, O traitor, all this is nothing but the earnest of a greater bargaine you have in hand.

Now the irons being dissolved, and my torments approaching, I fell prostrate on my knees crying to the heavens,

"O great and gracious God, it is truely knowne to thy allseeing eye, that I am innocent of these false and fearfull accusations, and since therefore it is thy good will and pleasure, that I must suffer, now by the scelerate hands of merciless men; Lord furnish mee with courage, strength, and patience, least by an impatient minde, and feeble spirit, I become my owne murtherer, in confessing myselfe guilty of death, to shún present punishment. And according to the multitude of thy mercies, O Lord, be mercifull to my sinfull soule, and that for Jesus thy Sonne and my Redeemer his sake.'

"After this, the alcade and scrivan being both chaire-set, the one to examining, the other to write downe my confession and tortures: I was by the executioner stripped to the skin, brought to the rack; and then mounted by him on the top of it: where eftsoones I was hung be the pareshoulders, with two small cords, which went under both my armes running on two rings of iron that were fixed in the wall above my head.

"Thus being hoysed, to the appointed height, the tormentor discended below, and drawing downe my legs, through the two sides of the three planked racke, hee tyed a cord about each of my ankles : and then ascending upon the racke, hee drew the cords upward, and bending forward with mainforce my two kneels against the two planks; the sinewes of my hams burst asunder, and the lids of my knees being crushed, and the cords made fast, I hung so demayned for a large houre.

"At last the encarnador, informing the governour that I had the marke of Jerusalem on my right arme, joyned with the name and crowne of King James, and done upon the holy grave; the corridigor came out of his adjoyning stance, and gave direction to teare asunder the name and crowne (as hee said) of that heretike king, an archenemy to the holy Catholic church: then the tormentor laying the right arme above the left, and the crown upmost, did cast a cord over both armes seven distant times: and then lying downe upon his backe,

and setting both his feete on my hollow-pinched belly, he charged and drew violently, with his hands, making my wombe support the force of his feet, till the seven several cords combined in one place of my arme (and cutting the crowne, sinewes, and flesh to the bare bones) did pull in my fingers close to the palme of my hands; the left hand of which is lame so still, and will be for ever.

"Now mine eyes began to startle, my mouth to foame and froath, and my teeth to chatter like to the doubling of drummers stickes. O strange inhumanity of men, monster manglers! I surpassing the limits of their national law; three score tortures being the tryall of treason, which I had and was to endure: yet thus to inflict a seaven-fold surplussage of more intollerable cruelties: and, notwithstanding of my shivering lips, in this fiery passion, my vehement groaning, and blood springing fonts, from armes, broaken sinewes, hammes, and knees; yea, and my depending weight on flesh-cutting cords, yet they stroake me on the face with cudgels, to abate and cease the thundring noise of my wrestling voice.

"At last, being loosed from these pinnacles of paine, I was hand-fast set on the floore, with this their incessant imploration: Confesse, confesse, confesse in time, for thine inevitable torments ensue : where finding nothing from me but still innocent, O I am innocent, O Jesus! the Lamb of God have mercy upon mee, and strengthen mee with patience to undergo this barbarous murder.

"Then by command of the justice, was my trembling body laid above, and along upon the face of the racke, with my head downeward, inclosed within a circled hole; my belly upmost, and my heeles upward toward the top of the racke, my legs and armes being drawne asunder, were fastned with pinnes and cords, to both sides of the outward plankes; for now was I to receive my maine torments.

"Now what a pottaro or rack is (for it stood by the wall of timber, the upmost end whereof is larger than a full stride; the lower end being narrow, and the three planks joyning together are made conformable to man's shoulders; in the downe-most end of the middle plancke there was a hole, wherein my head was laid in length it is longer than a man being interlaced with small cords from plancke to plancke, which divided my supported thighes from the middle plank : through the sides of which exteriour planks there were three distant holes in every one of them; the use whereof you shall presently heare.

"Now the alcalde giving commission, the excutioner layd first a cord over the calfe of my leg, then another on the middle of my thigh, and the third cord over the great of my arme; which was severally done on both sides of my body receiving the ends of the cords, from these sixe severall places through the holes made in the outward planks, which were fastened to pinnes, and the pinnes made fast with a device: for he was to charge on the outside of the planks, with as many pinnes as there were holes and cords; the cords being first laid meet to my skin: and on every one of these sixe parts of my body, I was to receive seven severall fortures: each torture consisting of three winding throwes of every pinne; which amounted to twenty one throwes in every one of these five parts.

"Then the tormentor having charged the first passage above my body (making fast by a device each torture as they were multiplyed) he went to an earthen jarre standing full of water, a little beneath my head: from whence carrying a pot full of water, in the bottome whereof there was an incised hole, which being stopped by his thumb, till it came to my mouth, he did not poure it in my bellie; the measure being a Spanish sombre, which is an English pottle: the first and second services I gladly received, such was the scorching drouth of my tormenting paine, and likewise, I had drunke none for three daies before.

"But afterward, at the third charge perceiving these measures of water to be inflicted upon me as tortures, O strangling tortures! I closed my lips againe-standing that eager credulity.

"Whereat the alcalde inraged, set my teeth asunder with a payre of iron cadges detaining them there, at every severall turne, both mainely and manually; whereupon my hunger clungd belly waxing great, grew drum-like imbolstered; for it being a suffocating paine, in regard of my head hanging downward, and the water re-ingorging itselfe, in my throat, with a strugling force, it strangled and swallowed up my breath from youling and groaning.

"And now to prevent my renewing griefe (for presently my heart faileth and forsaketh me) I will onely briefely avouch, that betweene each one of these seven circular charges I was aye re-examined, each examination continuing halfe an houre: each halfe houre a hell of infernall paine; and between each torment, a long distance of lifequelling time.

"Thus lay I five howers upon the racke, between foure a clock afternoone, and ten a clocke at night, having had inflicted upon mee sixtie severall torments: neverthelesse, they continued mee a large halfe houre (after all my torments) at the full bending, where my body being all begored with blood, and cut through in every part, to the crushed and bruised bones, 1 pittifully remained, still roaring, howling, foaming, bellowing, and gnashing my teeth, with insupporiable cryes, before the pinnes were undone, and my body loosed.

"True it is, it passeth the capacity of man, either sensibly to conceive, or I patiently to expresse the intollerable anxiety of mind, and affliction of body, in that dreadfull time I sustained.

"At last my head being by their armes advanced, and my body taken from the racke, the water regushed abundantly from my mouth; then they recloathing my broken, bloody, and cold trembling body being all this time starke naked, I fell twice in a sounding trance: which they againe refreshed with a little wine, and two warme eggs, not for charity done, but that I should be reserved to further punishment; and if it were not too truly known those sufferings to be of trueth, it would almost seem incredible to many, that a man being brought so low with starving hunger, and extreame cruelties, could haue subsisted any longer reserving life.

"And row at last they charged my broken legs, with my former eye-frighting irons, and done, I was lamentably carried on their armes to the coach, being after midnight, and secretly transported to my former dungeon without any knowledge to the towne, saue onely these

my lawless and mercilesse tormentors: where when come, I was laid with my head and my heeles alike high, on my former stones.

"The latter end of this woefull night, poor mourning Hazier, the Turke, was set to keepe me, and on the morrow the governour entred my roome, threatning me still with more tortures to confesse; and so caused hee every morning long before day, his coach to be rumbled at his gate, and about me where I lay a great noise of tongues, and opening of doores: and all this they did of purpose to affright and distract me, and to make me beleeve I was going to be racked againe, to make mee confesse an untrueth; and still thus they continued every day of five dayes till Christmas.

"Upon Christmas day Mariana, the ladies gentlewoman, got permission to visit me, and with her licence shee brought aboundance of teares, presenting me also with a dish of honey and sugar, some confections and reasons in a great plenty to my no small comfort, besides using many sweet speeches for consolations sake.

"Shee gone, and the next morning of saint Iohns day come, long ere day the towne was in armes, the bells ringing backward, the people shouting, and drums beate, whereon my soul was ouerjoyed, thinking that the Moores had seazed upon all: and in the afternoone the Turke comming to mee with bread and water, being by chance the second day, I asked him what the fray was? who reply'd, be of good courage, I hope in God and Mahomet, that you and I ere long shall be set at liberty, for your countreymen, the English armado, and mine the Moooes, are joyned together, and comming to sack Malaga: And this morning post came from Allagant to premonish the governour thereof: whereupon he and the towne have instantly pulled downe all the coppet shops, and dwelling houses that were builded without the shore side adjoyning to the townes wall: but yet said hee, it is no matter, the towne may easily be surprised, and I hope wee shall be merry in Algier, for there is above a hundred sayle seene comming hither; and therewith kissing my cheeke, he kindly left mee.

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Indeed, as for such news from Allagant; the detriment of twenty eight houses, the shoar-planted cannon, the suspition they had of the English, and the towne four dayes in armes, were all true, save onely the confederacy of the English with the Moores, that was false.

"Witnesse Sir Richard Halkins, and the captains of his squader, who a little after Christmas comming to the road, went to the governour to clear himselfe, and the fleet of that absurd imputation laid to their charge. The twelfth day of Christmas expired, they began to threaten me on still with more tortures, even till Candlemasse: in all which comfortlesse time, I was miserably afflicted with the beastly plague of gnawing vermin, which lay crawling in lumps, within, without, and about my body: yea, hanging in clusters about my beard, my lips, my nostrils, and my eyebrowes almost inclosing my sight.

"And for a greater satisfaction to their mercilesse mindes, the governour caused Areta, his siver plate keeper, to gather and sweep the vermine upon me twice in eight dayes, which tormented me to the death, being a perpetuall punishment; for mine armes being broke,