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Nov. 6.

3. The Adventure, a merchantman, hyred and fitted 1653. as a stable for Whitelocke's horfes, which were in her, with provisions for them; the yeoman of the ftable, the coachmen, postillions, groomes, lacquays, and others, were on board of her.

4. The Fortune, a merchantman, hyred; she carryed the baggage and provisions; and in her went his steward, and fome gentlemen, those of the kitchen, buttery, and and other inferior fervants.

5. A ftout private man of warre, commaunded by captain Welch, a bold fighting seaman; he had eighty men of his own temper, about tenn great gunnes, and fufficient ftore of finalle fhott, and of armes and weapons on board her.

6. A catch of the ftates, appointed to waite on Whitelocke, and to be in readines to carry intelligence, or doe other service as he fhould commaund her.

As foon as Whitelocke came on board the Phoenix, he defired captain Fofter to fend for the captains and officers of the other ships to come on board him; and they being come, Whitelocke fpake to them on the deckes, to this effect.

"GENTLEMEN,

"It hath pleased God to bring us togither att this time, "in order to a voyage to the north; and the councell of "state have thought fitt to intruft me with the commaund "of these ships, and confequently of you and your men "under you, as I fuppofe you understand by the orders of your generalls att fea; and I take the liberty to tell you, O 2

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"that

1653.

Nov. 6.

you know,

"that I expect the fame obedience to my orders, as if your
generalls gave them: but withall, I fhall lett
that my commaunds will not be rigid or fupercilious, butt
"with love and kindness, as to my countrymen, friends,
"and fellow feamen.

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"I confesse my want of knowledge in sea affayres; yett "this is not my first voyage; and I shall be glad to have "my lacke of experience fupplyed by yours, and be will

66

ing to be informed by the meanest marriner; and shall "give a due regard to the advice of you who are the officers, "and of fo much ability and experience as you are, and "whose reason may fatisfy mine in our debates and coun"fells.

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"Our voyage (my noble countrymen) is not like to be "without daungers; I hope your fpirits will be the more rayfed the perils of this season, of storms and tempefts, "are no strangers to you; no more are those of our ennemies, the Dutch and Danes, whom you have mett with "before this time, and were wont to wish to see them. I "affure myselfe they are now more defired than feared by ་་ you.

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"I fhall freely adventure my life with you; and if we "looke up to God, pray for his protection and blessing, "and trust in him, willing chearfully to ferve our countrey, we fhall have no cause to feare our ennemies, or to doubt, "butt that God will goe along with us, and bleffe us in our way; and bring us back agayne in fafety to our na❝tive countrey and relations.

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"I fhall from time to time acquaint you with my orders by captain Fofter; from whom, I pray you to receive 66 them,

"them, and to obferve them; and fo, my countreymen, 1653. "God fend us a good voyage."

The feamen caft up their caps and fhouted, and seemed well pleased.

Then Whitelocke ledde the officers into his cabbin, and advised with them as a councell of warre about the voyage; and the wind being then fayre, weft and by north, they agreed, that it was fitt to weigh anchor and to fett fayle presently and Whitelocke ordered the fame to be done accordingly.

Uppon advice, he likewife ordered the Phoenix to carry her flagge in the main top, after the order of the fea, Whitelocke being on board her, an ambaffador extraordinary, and commaunder in chiefe of the fhips with him.

He also ordered their fayling to be in this manner: the Phoenix to be in the vanne, the Adventure and Fortune after her, the Elizabeth in the reare, captain Welch on the one flanke, and the Catch on the other, to scout out, and to discover ennemies; and they and the Elizabeth to keep in the merchantmen (who were flowe faylers,, and apt to lagge) within their company.

Nov. 6.

Other orders he gave about their firing, anchoring, weighing, fayling, and the like; that the Phoenix fhould carry the lanthorne; that every morning each ship should come up to Whitelocke, that he might be informed of their condition, and then to fall into their order againe ; and he appointed his captain Fofter to receive all orders from Whitelocke, and to give them to the rest of the officers of the fleet.

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1653. He ordered prayers to be constantly twice a-day, morning and evening, uppon the deckes in fayre weather, other Nov. 6. times in the fteerage roome. He ordered none to take

tobacco butt behind the maine maft, where a tubbe of water was fett to blow their coales into it, and to prevent the daunger of fire; divers other orders he made for regulating the feamen and his company.

The wind being fayre, and a fresh gayle, and all the fhips having weighed anchor, they hoyfed fayle, and committed themselves to the protection of him who commaunds the waves, and affords his preservation there, as well as on drye land, to them that truft in him.

By the evening they had fayled as farre as the Boay in the Nowre, in the Thames-mouth; which is placed there to give warning to fhips to avoyde the Nowre fands; and, is of late, the more taken notice of, by that sharpe feafight between the English and Dutch in this place, where the gallant fea commaunder, Deane, with many other brave Englishmen, loft their lives in defence of their

countrey.

It is in the fight of Queenborough-caftle, in the Ifle of Shepey, fo called from the abundance of sheep fedde there, The caftle was built by E. 3. (as he writes in his patent) "to the terror of his ennemyes, and folace of his friends ;" unto which caftle he adjoyned a towne or borough, and, in honor of his queen, called it Queenborough.

After the evening fermon, the wind, which had bin very fayre all that day, chopt about to the north, and was quite contrary to his courfe; fo that Whitelocke caufed them there to lett fall their anchors.

Att

Nov. 7.

Att the Boay in the Nowre, God was pleafed to com- 1653. maund Whitelocke's ftay, to make him pertaker of a greater mercy, the earlier notice of his wife's being brought tobed; who, the fame day that her husband fett fayle to goe from her, was delivered of a fon a hard time to be hurryed away from her!

Her friends, with her, prcfently procured two bold watermen to undertake to carry letters of this good news to Whitelocke, hoping to overtake him; they rowed all night by the fhoares fide, till they came over against the fhips; butt by reason of the largenes, and roughnes of the water, could not come to them with their wherry; therefore, the watermen made fires on the fhoare, the custome of giving notice that an expreffe was come: the marryners, ufed to fuch fires, fent out a boate, and fetched the watermen on board the Phoenix. Some of the gentlemen hearing the good newes, knocked haftily att Whitelocke's cabbin doore, caufed him to awake with fome doubt, leaft any thing might be amiffe; and, agayne, with a hope, that an expreffe might be come to stay his. voyage for a time, that he might fee his wife and friends agayne by this opportunity butt the letters were from his brother Willion and Mr. Cokaine; and, in them, the good newes of his wife's fafe delivery of a fon did exceedingly comfort him, and caused him to confider, and thankefully acknowledge the circumstances of this mercy and providence.

1. That God was not pleafed to permit him to be with his wife when he was in extreamity, which was fo much, defired; and yett was pleafed to give her a fafe delivery,. to fhow that God is better then all relations, and only to be depended on, as a ready help in time of trouble.

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