Sir WALTER RALEIGH.
The recapture of the Island of Sark.
[History of the World.]
But what strength cannot do; man's wit—being the
most forcible engine—hath often effected: of which
I will give you an example in a place of our own.
The island of Sark—joining to Guernsey, and of
that government—was in Queen MARY'S time
surprised by the French; and could never have been recovered
again by strong hand: having cattle and corn enough upon I
the place to feed so many men as will serve to defend it; and
being every way so inaccessible, that it might be held against
the Great Turk. Yet by the industry of a gentleman of the
Netherlands; it was in this sort regained. He anchored in
the road with one ship of small burden; and pretending the
death of his merchant [supercargo], besought the French being
some thirty in number, that they might bury their merchant
in hallowed ground, and in the chapel of that isle—offering
a present to the French of such commodities as they had
aboard—whereto (with condition that they should not come
ashore with any weapon, no, not so much as with a knife) the
Frenchmen yielded. Then did the Flemings put a coffin into
their boat: not filled with a dead carcase; but with swords,
targets [shields] and harquebusses. The French received
them at their landing; and searching every one of them so
narrowly as they could not hide a penknife; gave them leave
to draw their coffin up the rocks, with great difficulty. Some
part of the French took the Flemish boat, and rowed aboard
their ship; to fetch the commodities promised and what else
they pleased: but being entered, they were taken and bound.
The Flemings on land, when they had carried their coffin
into the chapel, shut the door to them; and taking their
weapons out of the coffin, set upon the French. They ran
to the cliff and cried to their company aboard the Flemings to
come to their succour: but finding the boat charged with
Flemings; yielded themselves and the place.
Thus a fox's tail doth sometimes help well to piece out the lion's skin, that else would be too short.
