MarginaliaAn. 1556. May.to haue gone into Kent for fullyng earth, but by the way being foule weather, was driuen vpon a sande, where presently the boate sanke and was full of water: so that the men were forced to holde them selues by the mast of the boate, and al things that would swim did swim out of her. Amongest which, Crow saw hys Testament in the water, and caught it and put it in his bosome. Now it was ebbing water, so that wythin one houre the boate was dry, MarginaliaCrowes boat brokē vpon the sand.but broken, so as they could not saue her: but they went thē selues vpon the sand (being. x. myles at the least from þ^e land) and there made their prayers together, that God would sēd some shyp that way to saue them (being two men and one Boy in all): for they might not tary vppon the sand but halfe an houre, but it would be floud. In þ^e which tyme they found their chest wherein was mony to the summe of. v. pound. vj. shillilngs. viij. pence, the which money the man that was with the sayd Crow (whose name I know not) tooke and gaue it to Crow who was owner thereof, MarginaliaCrow taketh his Testament and casteth his money away.and he cast it into the sea saying: if the Lord will saue our lyues, he wyll prouide vs a lyuyng. And so they went vpon the mast there hangyng by the armes and legs for the space of. x. houres, MarginaliaThe boy beaten with sea, and drowned.in the which time the boy was so weery, and beaten with the Sea, that he fell of and was drowned.

And when the water was gone agayne, and the sand dry, Crow sayd to his man: It were best for vs to take downe our mastes, and when the floud commeth wee wyll sit vpon them, and so it may please God to bryng vs to some shyp that may take vs vp. Which thyng they dyd, and so at. x. of the clocke in the nyght of the same Tewsday, the floud dyd beare vp the mast wherupon they sat. And vpon the Wedensday in the night the man dyed,MarginaliaCrowes man dead vpon the maste. beyng ouercome with hunger and watching. So there was none left but this Crow, MarginaliaGregor. Crow driuen vpon the seas sitting vpon a Maste.who driuing vp and downe in the sea, calling vpon God as he could, and might not sleepe for feare that the sea would haue beaten hym of.

So at the length I my selfe (sayth Thomas Morse) being laden to Antwarpe with my Crayer, going from Lee vpō Fryday, hauyng within my Crayer, of Marriners and Marchants, to the number of. xlvj. persons, and so comming to the Foreland, MarginaliaGods prouidence to be noted.þ^e wynd was not very good, so that I was constrayned to go somwhat out of my way, beyng in the after noone about. vj. of the clocke, where at þ^e last we saw a thing a farre of, appearing vnto vs lyke a small Boy, that Fishermen doe vse to lay with their hookes.

When we saw it, some sayd, let vs haue some fishe. And I sayd to hym that was at the helme: keepe your course away, for we shall but hinder the fisherman, and haue no fish neither, and so at my commaundement he dyd. But at length he at the helme standing hygher then all we dyd, sayd: Me thinke Master, it is a man. MarginaliaGod a marueilous helper in tyme of neede.But yet they being in doubt that it was but a Fishers Boy, returned the ship from hym againe to keepe their course. Crow beholdyng the shyp to turne from hym, beyng then in vtter despayre, and ready now to perish with watching, famine, and moreouer myserably beaten with the seas, at last tooke hys Marryners cap from hys head, and holdyng vp the same with hys arme, as hye as he could, thought by shaking it as well as hee might, to geue them some token of better sight. Wherupon the Styremā more sensibly perceiuing a thing to moue, aduertised vs agayne, declaring how he did see playnly a mans arme: and with that wee all behelde hym well, and so came to hym, and tooke hym vp.MarginaliaCrow with the Testament preserued on the sea. And as soone as we had hym in our shyp, hee began to put hys hand in hys bosome: and one asked hym if hee had mony there. No sayd he, I haue a booke here, I thinke it be wet: and so drew out hys Testament which we then dried. But the Sea had so beaten hym, that his eyes, nose and mouth was almost closed with salt, that the heate of his face, and the weather had made. So we made a fire and shifted him wyth dry clothes, and gaue

hym Aqua composita to drinke, and such meate as was in the shyp, and then let hym sleepe.

The next day whē we awaked hym about viij. of the clocke in the morning, & his bloud began somewhat to appeare in his flesh (for when we toke him vp his flesh was euen as though it had bee sodden, or as a drowned mans is) and then wee talked wyth hym of all the matter before rehearsed. And so sayling to Antwarpe, the Marchauntes which saw the thyng published the same in Antwerpe, and because it was wonderfull, the people there both men and wemen came to the shyp to see hym many of them, and some gaue him a petycoate, some a shert, some hosen, and some money, alwayes notyng how he cast away his money, and kept his booke. And many of the women wept when they heard and saw him. And Master gouernour of the Englishe nation there, had hym before hym, and talked wyth him of all the matter: and pitying his case commaunded the Officer of the English house to go with him to the free oste houses amongst the English Marchauntes, and I with them and at three houses there was geuen him. vj. pound. x. shillinges. MarginaliaThe sūme of his money cast in to the sea restored to him agayne.And so from thence he went wyth me to Roane, where the people also came to hym to see him, maruayling at the great workes of God.

And thus mnch concerning this poore man with his new testament preserued in the sea (which Testamēt the Popes Clergy condemneth on the land) ye haue heard, as I receaued by the relation of the party aboue named, who was the doer thereof, and yet aliue dwelling in Lee, well knowen to all marchantes of London. In which story this by the way vnderstand good reader (which rightly may bee supposed) that if this poore man thus found and preserued in the Sea with a new testament in his bosome, had had in steede of that, a pyxe wyth a consecrated hoste about him, no doubt it had ben roong ere this tyme, all Christendome ouer for a miracle, so farre as the Pope hath any land. But to let þ^e Pope with his false miracles go, let vs returne agayne to our matter begun, & adioyne an other history of much lyke condition, testified lykewyse by the information of the said Thomas Morse aboue mentioned, to the intent to make knowen the worthy actes of the Almighty, that he may bee magnified in all his wonderous workes. The story is thus declared, which happened an. 1565. about Michaelmas.

MarginaliaAn other like story of three men that feared God, by Gods prouidence preserued on the seas.THere was a shyp (sayth the sayd Thomas Morse) whereof I had a part, goyng toward the Bay for salt, wyth two shippes of Brickelsey, which were altogether going for salte, as before is sayd. At what tyme they were wythin ten myle of the north Foreland, otherwyse called Tennet, the wynde dyd come so cōtrary to our ship, that they were forced to go cleane out of the way, and the other two shyppes kept theyr course still, vntill our shippe was almost out of sight of them. And then they saw a thyng dryuing vppon the sea, and hoysed out their boate and went vnto it: and it was three men sitting vpō a peece of their ship, which had sitten so two dayes and two nightes. MarginaliaThree sitting vpon a peece of their shippe two dayes and two nightes in the sea.There had bene in their ship eight men more, which were drowned, being all French men, dwelling in a place in Fraunce called Olloronne. They had bene at Danswicke and lost their ship about Orford Nas, as myght be learned by their wordes. They were men that feared God: the one of thē was owner of the shyp. Their exercise, while they were in our shyp, was, that after their commyng in they gaue thankes for their deliueraunce: both mornyng and euenyng they exercised prayer, and also before and after meate, and when they came into Fraunce, our shyps went to the same place, where these men dwelled and one of them did sell vnto our men their shyps ladyng of salt, and did vse them ve-