The Dolphin's danger: and Deliverance. Being a Ship of 220. Tun having in her but 36. Men and 2. Boys, who were on the 12. of january 1616. set upon by 6. Men of War of the Turks having at the least 1500. Men in them, who fought with them 5. hours and a half, yet to the glory of God and the honour of our English Nation, both Ship and goods safely brought up the River of Thames and delivered. Truly set forth by the appointment of M. Edward Nichols, being Master of the said Ship. With the names of all those that were slain on the English part, the manner how, and how many were maimed, and what they are that survive.  
LONDON. Printed for Henry Gosson, and are to be sold in Panier Alley. 1617.   

 depiction of a ship   

To the High and mighty Charles Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, York, and Albany, Earl of Chester, and Knight of the most noble order of the Garter.  
RIGHT Gracious Prince, (I your humble Vassal) being emboldened by your innated generous acceptation of all good endeavours, to present your Highness with this poor piece of a shadow of the substantial perils that I have escaped, which for my part had never been published, but that it was falsely printed without my knowledge; which for the regard I have to the truth and mine own Credit, I could do no less then contradict with a Refutation of falsehood. I humbly implore your Highness to bestow your gracious reading of the infallible verity of the truth, which if you vouchsafe, you shall therein see God's power manifested when man is at the weakest. So wishing your Highness all earthly and heavenly felicity, I remain.  
Your humble and obedient Servant. EDWARD NICNOLLS.   

A Toothless Satire upon him that made, or rather marred the former Book.  
RIch cloth of gold unto a Butcher brought,  
It shall be marred, not made, quite shamed, not framed:  
When worse stuff by a good Workman wrought,  
Becomes the owner, makes the maker famed.  
Rare Physic, as it is as abused, or used,  
As is the Doctor's ignorance, or skill:  
Such operation from it is infused,  
That it doth help, or hurt, or cure, or kill.  
Unto the stuff the fault we cannot put,  
Nor to the Physic, we the crime apply:  
The Bungling Tailor spoiled when he did cut,  
And want of skill did cause the patiented dye.  
Then let a botching patcher botch and mend,  
Let Mountebanks give Physic unto dogs:  
Let Cooper's on their hooples Tubs attend,  
And Miller's deal no further than their Cogs.  
For, when a witless Rook shall undertake,  
Of such exploits as these to make a Book:  
The ancient Provethe true, he seem to make  
God sends good meat, the Devil sends a Cook.  
Why, such a work as this deserves to have  
A Homers, or a Virgil's skill to grace in  
And not an ignorant intruding K ----  
Whose blindness did in every place misplace it.  
Some lies some truths together crammed and thrust,  
Quite out of Time, like mustard after meat:  
That 'tis a wonder such a fellow durst  
With wit so little, writ of things so great.  
Where thirty six men and two boys in fight,  
'Gainst fifteen hundred were six hours opposed:  
Boarded with multitudes; with main and might,  
Round with the foes, and fiery flames enclosed  
Where death was scorned and valour was beloved,  
Where victory was that, at which they aimed;  
Where noble Resolution was approved  
Where Fame adorns, the sound, dead, hurt and maimed,  
What subject could a pen more Ample find  
(If all were written in particular)  
From Thames, unto the farthest shore of Ind,  
Or from the artic toth' Antarctic star.  
Why should a fellow, being there in place,  
Remember not himself, or any other;  
But bury all their glory in disgrace,  
And each man's Acts in dark oblivion smother:  
O! 'tis a hell of hells, and shame of shames,  
Where men shall justly dare to fight and die:  
And writers will not register their names.  
When noming makes them live Immortally.  
To show how valiant men do spend their blood,  
It doth each worthy heart with courage strike,  
To Imitate the actions that are good,  
And by example to attemp the like.  
But when a man shall for a certain know,  
That with his life, his memory must fall:  
And no Records his worthiness shall show,  
These means will make stark Cowards of us all.  
Then these poor lines shall make these men survive,  
Unto the utmost end of time or fate:  
They lived and died, and dead, are still alive,  
In Name, in Pame, in Earthly, Heavenly state.  
And as for him that writ the Book before,  
Let him write better, or else writ no more.  
john Taylor.   

The Dolphin's danger and Deliverance: Being a Ship of London of 220. Tun, having in her but 36. men, and two Boys.  
THe Almighty Creator, (who only worketh wonders) confounding strong things by weak means, as David's Sling, Samgar's Goad, Sampsons' jaw-bone, Gedeons' Pitchers, the great Captain Sisera and Holofernes killed by two silly weak Women. All these and innumerable examples more there are both in divine and human Histories, which demonstrates that victory doth not consist in the Arm of flesh, but in the omnipotent Lord of Hosts, and God of Battles.  
The Consideration of which makes us with thankfulness to commemorate this our great Deliverance, from so imminent dangers, and sharp Assaults, as few, or none hath more cause to be thankful for the like, and not to attribute any thing to myself being the Master of the Ship, or with ostentation to puff up any of my Company, but giving the glory to whom glory belongs, I proceed.  
About the end of this last year, our affairs being accomplished at Zant, our Ship called the Dolphin of London, of the burden of 220. Tun, having in her 19 cast Pieces, and 5. Murderers 36. Men and two Boys, the masters name Edward Nichols, a man whose courage, industry, knowledge, and integrity, are manifested by his actions in former times, but now more particularly in this last and perilous adventure, we being laden weighed our Anchor, and set sail from Zant the first of january 1616. with a fair gale of wind at North and by East the 8. of january, we had sight of the Island of Sardaine, than the wind being come Westerly, we on the ninth day stood for Callery, we came close by two little watch Towers, who shot two shot near us to give warning to us, that they would speak with us, which night would not permit, for if we could have sent a shore to them, their intent was to have informed us of the Turks men of war, which after we met withal to our cost and peril and theirs to, for these towns were not above two Leagues off from the place where we made our fight. At night (being calm) we sailed towards Cape Pola, which small gale brought us near to the Cape the 11. day About 2. of the Clock after noon. Three Leagues Eastward of the aforesaid Cape, we descried a Satty, which is a small coasting Vessel, sent at that time for a scout or spy, belonging to the Turks men of War: who kept ●ight of us in the evening near the I'll of Serdine, which belongs to the King of Spain: The said Satty putting forth a light aloft, to give a sign to the rest of his associates that he had espied us, and the more to delude us, they let th● light suddenly fall, that we might imagine it to be the shooting of a Star.  
The 12. of january in the morning about 4. of the clock we had better sight of the Sattie, and we perceived that she stood in to get betwixt the shore and us, which made us doubt she had more fellows not far off, as not long after we found: the Mr. presently sent one to the top mast head who presently discovered 5. Ships more making towards us before the wind being then at west South west, which the Master with a prospective glass perceived to be the Turks men of war. The first of them booming by himself before the wind with all his sails abroad, without colours or Flag, yet at present boarding he put his flag out as we imagined: After him came 2. ships more of greater burden than the first, and next one more which put his Flag in the main top as we perceived afterward: then came the 5. and last much greater in bigness and force then any of the rest, all strongly prepared to offend and defend in any Godless desperate assault; our M. perceiving their readiness, made speedy preparation for the encounter with our Ordinance and small shot, and other defensive munition, first persuading his men with most Christian and manly Resolution by prayer first to recommend their souls, their bodies, and their actions to their God and Saviour, which being done they went to dinner, after which the Mr. again exhorted them in this manner. Countrymen and fellows, you see into what an exigent it hath pleased God to suffer us to fall into, let us remember that we are but men, and must die of necessity, when, where and how, is only in God's knowledge & appointment, but if it be his pleasure, that this must be the last of our days, his will be done, and let us for his glory, our soul's welfare, our Country's honour & the credit of ourselves, fight it valiantly to the last gasp: let us prefer a noble death before a slavish life, & if we die let us die to gain a better life, for mine own part qd. he, I will see that if we escape this danger, that if any be hurt & maimed in the fight they shall be carefully provided for their health and maintenance whilst they live afterward, therefore be resolute stand to it, here is no shrinking, but force perforce we must be men or slaves, die with me, or if you will not, I by God's grace will die with you.  
These cheerful words had been sufficient to put courage into faint heartless Cowards: but much more it emboldened us that were fearless before, for we all expected greedily to make proof of the success: at which the Master caused his Trumpets twice to hail them, but they not regarding us, scorned to answer us, than the M. went up the poop and waved his sword 3. or 4. times over his head, brandishing it with such dreadless resolution, as if the day had been ours already: then the Trumpets sounded a charge, which warlike noise inspired us with new courage, & being within shot of them our Mr. commanded his Gunner to make his level & to shoot, went close by his quarter that was nearest us, shot on purpose to miss him, as a warning what kind welcome they were to have at our hands at which the foremost ship came up to us apace, being almost becalmed, or with very little wind, returning us worse than we sent for their first shot killed us a man, so betwixt us for a good space was a most furious encounter, they having advantage of us by reason of the wind, presently laid us a board with one of their ships, this was near about eleven of the clock, than they sounded their Trumpets, and gave such a shout as if they had won the victory already. But God, that never leaves those that put their confidence in him, cheered our Master and Company with such manly fortitude, that presently our Trumpets sounded and answered them with a charge. (Which Trumpeter was presently slain, as shallbe after related,) and the Boatswain winding his whistle, that pellmell we fell to it, in such fierce manner that their great ordinance had torn our ship that we used our Gunes clear of the ports, for they had left us no port on the quarters but all open, but we not failing to pay them as well on their bow, to their great dismaying, for we had not left them one man alive from their mainmast forward; beside we dismounted their ordinance, & tore them so near the water that their chief Commanders were forced with their Cuttleaxes to beat their own men, to force them to make more haste to ungrapple from us than they did to board us.  
All this time the Master, Vigillently went to and frow encouraging his men, sometimes in the Gunner room, sometimes at the helm, sometimes on the port as occasion served, and where his presence was most needful. This first fight continued two hours, the ship was in burden, two hundred tons, or there about, and had in her 25. pieces of ordinance, and about 250. men, the Captain of her, we imagine was one Walsingham, which should be an English man by that name, and Admiral of himself for so it signifide by his Flag in his main top, they boarded us on our Larboard quarter, armed with falchions, hatchets, and half pikes, they stayed aboard us half an hour, tearing up our naileboords, upon the poop and the Trap-hatch, but we having a murderer in the round house kept the larbboord-side clear, whilst our men with the other ordinance, and muskets, and a murderer in our Trap-hatch, played upon them and their ship, yet for all this they paid our gallery with small shot that we were much endangered, but at last we shot her through and through, and they us likewise, that being fearful to be sunk she bore a head from us and lay by the lee to mend her leaks, this fight was so near the shore, that the inhabitants set up a glass and found it lasted two hours and a half, and this was the first encounter in which was killed five men and a little boy, the manner how they were slain shallbe at the end of the book.  
Now the Second encounter as we suppose was with Captain Kelleies Ship that came likewise up with his flag in the main top, and another Ship with his Flag in the fore top, which Ships were at least three hundred tun apiece or there about, and had in each of them twenty eight or thirty pieces of Ordinance, and about two hundred & fifty men, so they laid us aboard on the Starbord quarter, and the other on the Larbor, where entering our ship thick and threefold, with their semiters, hatchets, half pikes and other weapons, put us in great danger both of the loss of our Ship and our lives, for they performed much manhood and many dangerous hazards, amongst which there was one of their company, that desperately went up into our main top to fetch down our Flag, which being spied by the Steward of our Ship, presently shot him with his Musket that he fell tumbling upon our deck, and presently Cast overboard by their own men, as they did the rest, leaving the Flag behind him, so these two ships fought with us with great resolution, playing upon us with their Ordinance and small shot, for the space of an hour and a half, of whom we received some hurt, and likewise they of us, but when they could not prevail, nor any way make us to yield, they bore up and passed from us to lay their ships by the leeto stop their leaks, for we had grievously batterred them with our great Ordinance, and this was the second attempt they made upon us.  
Now for the third, there came one more of theirs ships of two hundred tun that had 30. pieces of Ordinance, and at the least two hundred and 50. men all well provided as might be, which was as we thought too great a number for us, being so few in our ship, but God that was our friend gave us such strength and success that they little prevailed against us, for at their first coming up, notwithstanding all their multitude of men, we shot her quite thorough and through, we entertained her with two minion and three sacre, on our starboard side, than she fell to our Larboard side, and then we welcomed her with a sacre in our bow, two minion and, one demiculuerin, which made her forsake us and lie by the lee, as the others did before: but the other ship remaining, greater than the rest, in burden 500 tons with 650. men, laid us aboard on the Starbord side, and in that quarter they entered our ship, with their Semiters, Falchions, half Pikes, and other weapons, running to and fro upon the deck crying still in the Turkish tongue, and some English, yield yourselves, promising we should be well used, and one third part of our goods delivered back, with such like fair promises; at which one of our company told, the Master of the large offer of the Turks, persuading him to yield, but the Master replied, away villain, I will never give them part or quarter, whilst I have quarters to my body. Who being thus resolved, some of our men plied our Ordinance against them, some played with the small shot, some with other weapons, as sword's and half Pikes and such like, in midst of which skirmish, it so happened by ill chance that they seeing that we would not yield to composition fired our ship in three places in the masters cabin, the gallery, with wild fire balls cast into the hold and so left us, besides our guns and theirs fired the Carpenter's cabin, that we and the ship was fired, and in great danger to be lost and cast away, had not the Lord in his mercy preserved us, and sent us means happily to quench it, but now mark the accident, the fire being perceived by our enemies to burn outrageously, and thinking that our Ship would have therewith been suddenly burned to the water, they left us to our fortunes, falling a stern from us, and so we put to the shore under a Tower, for some succour, where we let an Anchor fall thinking to ride there all that night, which we had no sooner done, but we saw the great ship that parted from us, in our judgement bear upon us, and at that time the ship that never boarded us shot a piece of ordinance, while we were preparing for another encounter and so we were forced to weigh our Anchor, and set sail to get better succour, and the enemy being weary of our company hoist out their boats to mend their leaks, whereupon we put into the road between the two little towers, where we sent our maimed gunner a shore to one of those towers, to make shot at the enemy if need were, where we lay five days, mending the bruises and leaks of our ship: the losses we received in the aforesaid fight, were six Men and one Boy, which were killed outright, and there were hurt eight men and one Boy more: but the Lord doth know what damage we put them to, and what number we slew in their ships.  
There is one thing more worthy of remembrance of our Chirurgeon whose name was Robert Grove, who as he was dressing one of our men in the hold of our Ship, a Ball of Wildfire fell into his Basin which he thinking to cast over board it fell upon the deck, which had greatly endangered us but that he resolutely fell upon it and rolling in it smothered it out with his body. The Turks trumpeters were aboard and sounded their Trumpets, yet notwithstanding, our men assaulted them so fiercely, that they forced them off, and the Boswaine (seeing them fly) most undauntedly with a whistle blourd them to the skirmish, if so they durst. The Captains of three of their Ships were Englishmen, as we think, who took part with the Turks thus to rob and spoil upon the Ocean, their names were Walsingham, Kelley, and Samson.  
Upon the 13. of january there came aboard certain Spaniards in the morning betimes to witness what hurts we had received, who seeing our men dead, went a shore with us, and showed us where we might bury them, but as we wore busy in making their graves, and covering the bodies with earth, there came sailing by a Flemish Ship of twelvescore tun, which the enemy in the dark thought had been us, and so let her pass, which had in her five or six thousand pounds, which had been chased with those men of war that had fought with us before, all which money they brought in a long boat to this shore, and left in the ship only three men, which were two Sailors and one Soldier, that afterwards within two days brought the said ship into the Road of Callery, not any thing at all endangered, God be praised.  
Upon the 15. of the same Month when we came from the burying of our men, & had rested ourselves in our Ship some two or 3. hours, as God would have it, the wind began to blow a strong gale, and by little & little grew to be a terrible tempest, through which from Sunday night till Friday in the evening. we lay in such extremity of weather, as rain, wind, lightning and thunder, that we thought we should never have got clear from the Road where we lay: during which storm and tempest there died one of our men, that had been hurt in the fight, whose body wecast overboard, into the Sea, without any other burial, and so when the wind and sea a little calmed, we set up sail and came forward: but within three days after we buried 3. men more in the sea, and the same afternoon we arrived in the Road of Callery, and lay at anchor, where again searching our Ship, we found it rend and torn in many several places, so in Callery we mended our Ship, and hired certain men there to help us to stop her leaks, and fish her Masts, and having all things fitting for our Voyage homewards, upon the 30. day of january we committed ourselves again unto the Sea, so leaving Callery we came forward with a Frenchman, who was bound to a place Orestone, some thirty Leagues from Callery, where after two days we left his company being the first day of February, and after that putting forwards still towards England, we are now by God's assistance safely arrived at London, to the contentation of our Owners, and the comfort of ourselves that (by the Almighty's protection) have escaped so many dangers. God be praised.  
FINIS.   



WAlter Penrose, the first man killed, being shot in the belly.  
2 Thomas Shepherd quarter master, his head shot off.  
3 William Sw●…te, Trumpeter, as he sounded in the fight had one arm shot off, yet he sounded till another great shot struck off his other arm, with his Trumpet and all, then after he was killed with a shot thorough the body.  
4 William Rassell, quarter master, had me arm first shot off, afterward he was shot through and killed.  
5 john Sands, the crown of his head shot off.  
6 Benjamin Cornellius, a boy, shot in the throat, killed.  
7 David Fause, masters mate, shot in the groin, killed.   These men were killed outright and buries a shore.  
These 4 men died within 4 or 5 days, after were cast into the sea. 

8 Io: Blackatar, quarter Mr. his leg maimed & burnt blind, yet he laboured to quench the ship being fired.  
9 Thomas Worger, a youth, the Master's servant, his shoulder blade shot off and lived three days.  
10 William james, Trumpeter, burnt with wild fire, that he flamed like a fiery man all over, than john Roff Purser cast water on him, to quench him, he lived 5 days in great pain: in the fight an arrow came betwixt the masters legs at the helm and ran into the said james his leg which the Maisterpuld out.  
11 john Prestin, a youth, killed with a musket.    
These following, were maimed and hurt, and are living. 

Robert May masters mate, shot in the thigh,  
though Wright, gunner, with shot & splintars hurt in 12. places.  
Thomas Daviell, burnt with powder, and lost an eye.  
Roger Gi●…er, wounded in the head with splinters.  
Robert Downes, the masters boy, shot in the belly, lives.    
These men are alive unhurt. 

Edward Nichols Master, shot with a small shot, that tore his hose and stockings through, and gave his leg a scar, and 4 times shot through the hose. Fra. Constable Boat swain, john Ro●he Purser. William Lucas Carpenter. The. Hob Gunners mate, Wil Moor quarter Gunner. Wil Coll●… Steward Rob. groan Chirurgeon. john Adiney Couper. Christo. Austen Cockson. Hum●. Lee, Boatsons' mate. Wil Renfree quar: M. Will. Chalicom, Isake Watlington, Trumperters. Thee: Anderson, Tho. Spurden Nicho. Wilkinson, Henry Low, Cornelius Scot, Philip a welshman, Sailors the rest were passengers.