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the sayd shipp from Porstmouth toward the … the sayd shipp from Porstmouth toward the downes on or about the [XXXX GUTTER]<br />
last of November 1652, and being in his course thitherward upon the first<br />
of december next after, and the weather being thicke and foggie, hee happened<br />
to come neere the dutch ffleete of warr which then lay neere dungenesse<br />
and having discovered what danger the foggie weather had brought him<br />
into, the sayd Captaine caused the Luffe of his sayd shipp ''hercules'' to be<br />
sprung, and edged toward the shoare, thereby to gett the weather gage of the<br />
dutch fleete or of soe many of them as hee could, and was engaged with<br />
two of the sayd ffleete who discharged broad sides at him and hee at them<br />
and the sayd Captaine stood first to the Eastward of the Nesse, and afterwards<br />
endeavoured to gett under Sangate Castle with his shipp for her better<br />
security, and in soe doeing, accidentally, rann her a ground about a<br />
myle or lesse from shoare, And further to those articles hee cannot depose
To the 4th 5th 6th 7th and 8th articles hee saith that the sayd shipp being soe<br />
accidentally runne on ground, the sayd captaine commanded all his company<br />
to keepe aboard the shipp, and plye their gunnes, and defend her against<br />
the enymye as longe as they could, and declared that his intens was<br />
when hee had defended her as long as hee could that rather then shee<br />
should fall into the hands of the enymie his intente was to destroy her<br />
either by fyreing or sinkeing her, and then hee and the company would make<br />
to shoare in the long boate and the two other boates belonging to the sayd<br />
shipp, but divers of the Company videlicet this deponent and most of<br />
the persons arlate and others in all to the number of forty or fifty persons,<br />
(contrary to the sayd Captaines Command) gott into the longe boate<br />
intending to desert and forsake the shipp and goe to shoare, which the sayd<br />
Captaine seeing callled out to them, and standing with Cap in hands,<br />
sayd as followeth or the like in effect videlicet, Gentlemen I desyre you<br />
to come aboard againe, wee have halfe an howers tyme to sp[XX GUTTER]<br />
wherein wee may doe something to destroy the shipp (meaning<br />
the ''hercules''), that shee may not become a prize to the enymye,<br />
and if you doe not, I shall reaceave disgrace, and you will loose<br />
your wages, therefore I pray you come aboard againe, whereupon<br />
hee this deponent and some others that were gotten into the longe boate<br />
did come out of her and went aboard the shipp againe as the Captaine<br />
desyred them, and the arlate Robert Everard Martyn Coxeman<br />
Thomas [XXXer] John Price Mathew Killman John<br />
Rowland Robert Catlyn Stephen Earle William Stoakes (and divers<br />
others whose names hee remembreth not) contrary to the sayd Captaines<br />
Commands and notwithsatnding his entreaties aforesayd, did<br />
continue in the longe boate and refused to come aboard, and went<br />
ashoare with the sayd long boate, by which meanes the Captaine<br />
and those that stayed behinde with him aboard (being more by<br />
fower or five then the two smale boates of the shipp which were left<br />
could beare to shoare) were deprived of the benefitt of putting<br />
their designe in act of fyreing or sinkeing the sayd shipp for that<br />
if they should have soe done the other persons aforesayd being gone<br />
awaysons aforesayd being gone<br />
away +
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