Voyagers Tales | Page 9

His mighty power, then is His present remedy most ready. For
they sail away, being not once touched by the glance of a shot, and are
quickly out of the Turkish cannons' reach. Then might they see them
coming down by heaps to the water's side, in companies like unto
swarms of bees, making show to come after them with galleys, bustling
themselves to dress up the galleys, which would be a swift piece of
work for them to do, for that they had neither oars, masts, sails, nor
anything else ready in any galley. But yet they are carrying into them,
some into one galley, and some into another, so that, being such a
confusion amongst them, without any certain guide, it were a thing
impossible to overtake the Christians; beside that, there was no man
that would take charge of a galley, the weather was so rough, and there
was such an amazedness amongst them. And verily, I think their god
was amazed thereat; it could not be but that he must blush for shame,
he can speak never a word for dulness, much less can he help them in
such an extremity. Well, howsoever it is, he is very much to blame to
suffer them to receive such a gibe. But howsoever their god behaved
himself, our God showed Himself a God indeed, and that He was the
only living God; for the seas were swift under His faithful, which made
the enemies aghast to behold them; a skilfuller pilot leads them, and
their mariners bestir them lustily; but the Turks had neither mariners,
pilot, nor any skilful master, that was in readiness at this pinch.

When the Christians were safe out of the enemy's coast, John Fox
called to them all, telling them to be thankful unto Almighty God for
their delivery, and most humbly to fall down upon their knees,
beseeching Him to aid them to their friends' land, and not to bring them
into another danger, since He had most mightily delivered them from
so great a thraldom and bondage.
Thus when every man had made his petition, they fell straightway to
their labour with the oars, in helping one another when they were
wearied, and with great labour striving to come to some Christian land,
as near as they could guess by the stars. But the winds were so contrary,
one while driving them this way, another while that way, so that they
were now in a new maze, thinking that God had forsaken them and left
them to a greater danger. And forasmuch as there were no victuals now
left in the galley, it might have been a cause to them (if they had been
the Israelites), to have murmured against their God; but they knew how
that their God, who had delivered Egypt, was such a loving and
merciful God, as that He would not suffer them to be confounded in
whom He had wrought so great a wonder, but what calamity soever
they sustained, they knew it was but for their further trial, and also (in
putting them in mind of their further misery), to cause them not to
triumph and glory in themselves therefor. Having, I say, no victuals in
the galley, it might seem one misery continually to fall upon another's
neck; but to be brief the famine grew to be so great that in twenty-eight
days, wherein they were on the sea, there died eight persons, to the
astonishment of all the rest.
So it fell out that upon the twenty-ninth day after they set from
Alexandria, they fell on the isle of Candia, and landed at Gallipoli,
where they were made much of by the abbot and monks there, who
caused them to stay there while they were well refreshed and eased.
They kept there the sword wherewith John Fox had killed the keeper,
esteeming it as a most precious relic, and hung it up for a monument.
When they thought good, having leave to depart from thence, they
sailed along the coast till they arrived at Tarento, where they sold their
galley, and divided it, every man having a part thereof. The Turks on
receiving so shameful a foil at their hands, pursued the Christians, and
scoured the seas, where they could imagine that they had bent their
course. And the Christians had departed from thence on the one day in

the morning and seven galleys of the Turks came thither that night, as it
was certified by those who followed Fox and his company, fearing lest
they should have been met with. And then they came afoot to Naples,
where they departed asunder, every man taking him to his next way
home. From whence John Fox took his journey unto Rome, where he
was well entertained