Page:An English Garner Ingatherings from Our History and Literature (Volume 1 1877).pdf/217

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there was no time misspent, no man idle, nor any man's labour ill-bestowed or in vain. So that in short time this galley was ready trimmed up. Whereinto every man leaped with haste, hoisting up the sails lustily: yielding themselves to His mercy in whose hands are both wind and weather.

Now is this galley afloat, and out of the safety of the road. Now have the two castles full power upon the galley. Now is there no remedy but sink. How can it be avoided? The cannons let fly from both sides; and the galley is even in the midst, and between them both. What man can devise to save it? There is no man, but would think it must needs be sunk.

There was not one of them that feared the shots; which went thundering round about their ears: nor yet were once scarred or touched with five and forty shots which came from the castles. Here did GOD hold forth His buckler! He shieldeth now this galley, and hath tried their faith to the uttermost. Now cometh His special help, yea, even when man thinks them past all help, then cometh He himself down from heaven with His mighty power; then is His present remedy, most ready pressed. For they sail away, being not once touched with the glance of a shot, and are quickly out of the Turkish cannons' reach.

Then might they see them coming down by heaps to the waterside, in companies like unto swarms of bees, making show to come after them with galleys: in bustling themselves to dress up the galleys; which would be a swift piece of work for them to do, for that they had neither oars, masts, sails, cables, nor anything else ready in any galley. But yet they are carrying them into them, some into one galley and some into another; so that, being such a confusion amongst them, without any certain guide, it were a thing impossible to overtake them. Besides that, there was no man that would take charge of a galley; the weather was so rough, and there was such an amazedness amongst them. And verily I think their god was amazed thereat, it could not be but he must blush for shame; he can speak never a word for dulness, much less can he help them in such an extremity. Well, howsoever it is, he is very much to blame to suffer them to receive such a gibe. But howsoever their god behaved himself, our GOD showed Himself a GOD indeed, and that