y needed. They were no sooner entered into the port but
immediately the king thereof sent a messenger to the ships to know what
they were. With which messenger the chief master of every ship
repaired to the king, and acquainted him not only with the state of
their ships in respect of merchandise, but with the late fight which
they had passed with the Spanish galleys, reporting every particular
circumstance in word as it fell out in action; whereof the said king
showed himself marvellous glad, entertaining them in the best sort, and
promising abundant relief of all their wants; making general
proclamation in the city, upon pain of death, that no man, of what
degree or state soever he were, should presume either to hinder them in
their affairs or to offer them any manner of injury in body or goods;
by virtue whereof they despatched all things in excellent good sort
with all favour and peaceableness. Only such prisoners and captives of
the Spaniards as were in the city, seeing the good usage which they
received, and hearing also what service they had performed against the
foresaid galleys, grudged exceedingly against them, and sought as much
as they could to practise some mischief against them. And one amongst
the rest, seeing an Englishman alone in a certain lane of the city,
came upon him suddenly, and with his knife thrust him in the side, yet
made no such great wound but that it was easily recovered. The English
company, hearing of it, acquainted the king of the fact; who
immediately sent both for the party that had received the wound and the
offender also, and caused an executioner, in the presence of himself
and the English, to chastise the slave even to death, which was
performed, to the end that no man should presume to commit the like
part or to do anything in contempt of his royal commandment.
The English, having received this good justice at the king's hands, and
all other things that they wanted or could crave for the furnishing of
their ships, took their leave of him, and of the rest of their friends
that were resident in Algiers, and put out to sea, looking to meet with
the second army of the Spanish king, which waited for them about the
mouth of the Strait of Gibraltar, which they were of necessity to pass.
But coming near to the said strait, it pleased God to raise, at that
instant, a very dark and misty fog, so that one ship could not discern
another if it were forty paces off, by means whereof, toget
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