"What think you of the Pope?" said Father JOHN. I answered "I knew him not." They, hereupon, shaking their heads; told me "they were sorry for me:" and so departed.
Whilst thus I lay at Xerez, the Captain of the fort [at Punthal], Don FRANCISCO BUSTAMENTE, was brought in prisoner for his life, because he delivered up the castle; but whether he died for it or not, I cannot tell.
Duke of MEDINA, Duke of MACADA, Duke FERDINANDO GIRON, Marquis DE ALQUENEZES &c. My day of trial being come; I was brought from prison into the town of Xerez, by two drums [drummers] and a hundred shot [musketeers], before three Dukes, four Condes or Earls, four Marquises; besides other great persons. The town having in it, at least, five thousand soldiers.
At my first appearing before the Lords; my sword lying before them on a table, the Duke of MEDINA asked me, "if I knew that weapon." It was reached to me. I took it and embraced it with mine arms; and, with tears in mine eyes, kissed the pummel of it. He then demanded, "how many men I had killed with that weapon?" I told him, "If I had killed one, I had not been there now before that princely assembly: for when I had him at my foot, begging for mercy, I gave him life: yet he, then very poorly, did me a mischief." Then they asked Don JOHN (my prisoner) "what wounds I gave him?" he said "None." Upon this he was rebuked and told "That if upon our first encounter, he had run me through; it had been a fair and noble triumph: but so to wound me, being in the hands of others, they held it base."
Then said the Duke of MEDINA to me, "Come on! Englishman! what ship came you in?" I told him "The Convertine." "Who was your Captain?" "Captain PORTAR." "What ordnance carried your ship?" I said "Forty pieces." But the Lords looking all this while on a paper, which they held in their hands; the Duke of MEDINA said, "In their note, there were but thirty-eight."
In that paper—as after I was informed by my two Irish interpreters—there was set down the number of our ships; their burden, men, munition, victuals, captains, &c., as perfect as we ourselves had them in England.
"Of what strength," quoth another Duke, "is the fort at Plymouth?" I answered, "Very strong." What ordnance in it? "Fifty," said I. "That is not so," said he, "there
