and so up to the top of the
Hill, there to look, and could see towards Sheerenesse, to spy the Dutch
fleete, but could make [out] none but one vessel, they being all gone.
But here I was told, that, in all the late attempt, there was but one man
that they knew killed on shore: and that was a man that had laid himself
upon his belly upon one of the hills, on the other side of the River, to
see the action; and a bullet come, took the ground away just under his
belly, and ripped up his belly, and so was killed. Thence back to the
docke, and in my way saw how they are fain to take the deals of the
rope-house to supply other occasions, and how sillily the country troopers
look, that stand upon the passes there; and, methinks, as if they were
more willing to run away than to fight, and it is said that the country
soldiers did first run at Sheerenesse, but that then my Lord Douglas's men
did run also; but it is excused that there was no defence for them towards
the sea, that so the very beach did fly in their faces as the bullets
come, and annoyed them, they having, after all this preparation of the
officers of the ordnance, only done something towards the land, and
nothing at all towards the sea. The people here everywhere do speak very
badly of Sir Edward Spragge, as not behaving himself as he should have
done in that business, going away with the first, and that old Captain
Pyne, who, I am here told, and no sooner, is Master-Gunner of England, was
the last that staid there. Thence by barge, it raining hard, down to the
chaine; and in our way did see the sad wrackes of the poor "Royall Oake,"
"James," and "London;"

["The bottom of the 'Royal James' is got afloat, and those of the
'Loyal London' and 'Royal Oak' soon will be so. Many men are at work
to put Sheerness in a posture of defence, and a boom is being fitted
over the river by Upnor Castle, which with the good fortifications
will leave nothing to fear."--Calendar of State Papers, 1667, p.
285.]

and several other of our ships by us sunk, and several of the enemy's,
whereof three men-of-war that they could not get off, and so burned. We
did also see several dead bodies lie by the side of the water. I do not
see that Upnor Castle hath received any hurt by them, though they played
long against it; and they themselves shot till they had hardly a gun left
upon the carriages, so badly provided they were: they have now made two
batteries o