A
DISCOVERY
OF THE
BARMVDAS,
OTHERWISE CALLED
THE ILE OF DIVELS.
I being in ship called the seauenture, with Sir Thomas Gates,
our Gouernour, Sir George Sommers, and Captaine Newport,
three most worthy honoured Gentlemen, (whose valour and
fortitude the world must needes take notice off, and that in most
honourable designes) bound for Virginia, in the height of thirty
degrees of northerly latitude, or thereabouts: we were taken with
a most sharpe and cruell storme vpon the fiue and twentieth day
of Iuly, Anno 1609, which did not only separate vs from the
residue of our fleete, (which were eight in number) but with the
violent working of the Seas, our ship became so shaken, torne,
and leaked, that shee receiued so much water, as couered two
tire of hogsheads aboue the ballast; that our men stoode vp to
the middles with buckets, baricos, and kettles, to baile out the
water, and continually pumped for three dayes and three nights
together, without any intermission; and yet the water seemed
rather to increase, then to diminish: in so much that all our men,
being vtterly spent, tyred, and disabled for longer labour, were
euen resolued, without any hope of their liues, to shut vp the
hatches, and to haue committed themselues to the mercy of the
sea, (which is said to be mercilesse) or rather to the mercy of their
mighty God and redeemer, (whose mercies exceed all his works)
seeing no helpe, nor hope, in the apprehension of mans reason,
