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State of England and to the advantage and … State of England and to the advantage and strengthening of the dutch<br />
ffleete which had not happened if the<br />
sayd persons had not gone away as aforesayd with the longe boate,<br />
but then the Captaine might safely have put his resolution into act<br />
of fyreing or sinkeing the sayd shipp and thereby prevented the Enymies<br />
surprizall of her and yet have put him selfe and all his Companye<br />
safely on shoare in the sayd longe boate and two other smale boates<br />
And further to these articles hee cannot depose/
To the 9th hee saith the ''hercules'' the tyme arlate was of the<br />
burthen of fower hundred and fifty tonne and upwards and had then<br />
in her thirty fower gunnes and great store of provisions which<br />
shee had newly taken in at Portsmouth And in his this deponents<br />
Judgment and estimate shee and her tackle and furniture and gunnes and<br />
provisions were then well worth fower thousand pounds sterling<br />
or rather more And further hee cannot depose
To the 10th hee saith the ''hercules'' the tyme arlate was a hyred<br />
shipp lett by her Owners to freight to the state of England for<br />
[?their] service as a shipp as a shipp of warr, And hee verily beleeveth that<br />
had shee bin burnt or sunke in the states service, and not come<br />
to the hands of the Enymie by such meanes as shee did, the State<br />
would have made her Owners satisfaction for her And<br />
further hee cannot depose/
Repeated before doctor Godolphin/
Sam way. [SIGNATURE, RH SIDE]
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The 7th day of Aprill 1658/ [CENTRE HEADING]
Examined on the sayd allegation./
'''dt Smith 4us'''
'''John ffitzharbert''' of the parish of Stepney and<br />
County of Middlesex gentleman aged sixty one yeares or thereabouts<br />
a wittnesse sworne and examined saith and deposeth as<br />
followeth videlicet./
To the 1: 2 and 3 articles of the sayd allegation hee saith that hee this deponent<br />
was Cooke of the ''hercules'' in question and thereby knoweth<br />
that in the moneths of September October November and december one thousand sixe hundred and fifty two the ''her=''<br />
''cules'' arlate was and served as a shipp of warr in the imediate service of<br />
this State or Commonwealth of England And the arlate Zachary Browne was<br />
then Captaine and Commander in cheife of her and soe reputed, and (as hee beleeveth)<br />
soe constituted by authority of some of the Officers of this Commonwealth,<br />
And hee saith the sayd Browne lyeing with his sayd shipp at Portsmouth<br />
there to victuall her and having victualed her, receaved an order there in the<br />
moneth of November aforesayd, requiring him to Conduct the sayd shipp<br />
from Portsmouth to the downes where as it was sayd the Generall of the English ffleeete then was And in obedience thereto the sayd Browne<br />
and his Company (whereof this deponent was one) sett sayle with<br />
thet was one) sett sayle with<br />
the +
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