1 THe first of September our worthy Generall Sir Iohn Norreis, landing with new forces out of Englande at Penpole receaued letters pre­sently from Mareshall D'Aumond and Sir Thomas Baskeruil, who com­maunded in his absence the eng­lish troopes being then before the castle of Morlayx, in what tearmes they stoode expecting e­uery day to bee fought with all by the enemy Duke Mer­curie who was aduaunced for the same purpose within three leagues of them, and did but onely attend the com­ming of Mounser Boifdolphin, with some french horse to ioyne with them, but this their temporizinges in the ende cost them the castle, for immediately the very nexte day after she generalls landing with greate expedition, 2 to wit the second of September, he put himselfe vpon the way to Morlayx, 5 and vpon the fifte of the same moneth a­riued there, being fourteene leagues distant.

His comming was generally ioyed at by all the Britons but especially by the inhabitants of Morlaix whose good, or ill estate depended on his comming, for both the castle a cruell neighbour held against them, and the Duke Mer­curie was at hande to reskew the defendants who in assurance of reliefe from him acquitted themselues manfully. Namely the gouernour himselfe Monser Rochempoul, she Count Magnion, and Monser Rostin, with diuers other gallants: but the generall so amated the enemy that the Duke Mercurie not onely stayed from marching nearer vnto vs, 10 but the 10. of the same retired with all his forces both French and Spanish, assuring himselfe that he could expect of Sir Iohn Norris nothing but blowes, 12 They of the castle acquainted therewith: within 2. dayes after the Dukes retreict yealded vp the castle. So that onely his [Page] presence without the hazard of any of her Maiesties sub­iects, both enforced the Duke to retire, and the castle to yealde.

22 This castle thus rendered, we staied there 10 dayes in respect that the Marshall wanted money for the satisfy­ing of his people, whereof at the last he was fournished by those of the towne of Morlaix. Then Monsiur de Lyscot a wonderfull braue man and the barron of Molac were sent before with some harquebuziers, to the ende they might block vp the fort of Croyzon by Brest, and preserue the quarters about, who were further assisted with 400 men out of our shipps by sir Martin Fourbyssher who com­manded the English shippings. 24 And presentlie the army dislodged to a place called Iuez thence too a village called La Fou, 26. 27 next to Chastrau-lyn the nexte daie to Lacornan a village thrée leagues from Quinper-Corentin which was held by the enimy.

The same night the Marshall with 400 french and Sir Ihon Norris with as many English marched to Quinpar-Corantin, and on a suddaine surprised the suburbes & pos­cessed them with smale resistance. The town was willing to yéeld but that the garrison would not suffer them. 30 But Sir Ihon Norries whose mind was still to do some exploit against the Spagniardes at the forte of Croyzon, leauing this towne inuested by the Marshall and thrée of our En­glish regiments, [...]maunded by his brother sir Henry Norris our Lieutena [...] Generall, himselfe onely with his owne regiment, and his owne companie of horse, mar­ched towards the fort,and lodged that night at Croyzon. 1 And the next day sate downe before the forte. Thrée daies were spent in vnshipping; 2. 3. 4. and bringing vp the artillerie, which were 14 péecis (whereof the Marshall furnished but 2 culueringes) and in making of approches, which was greatly hindered by the want of Gabions Pioners, and o­ther [Page] prouisions for the making of platformes, which wée hoped by promise to haue had in a redines sent vs from the gouerner of Brest but our Generall could procure al­most nothing from thence but with manie difficulties by reason of the weather,

5 The 5 of this moneth we had newes that the Marshall and sir Henrie Noreis had Quimper yelded vnto them.

6 The 6 of this monthe the ennemie made a sallie out vpon our trenches but were verie brauelie beaten home againe with the losse of 7 or 8 of their men, but yet this their losse was very vnfortunatelie answered by the death of Captaine Anthonie wingfield our Sergeant Maior ge­nerall being shot with a Cannon out of the fort, as hee stoode by the gabions with his rapier drawen the which with the shot was beaten through his bowels. This man with great reputation had long time serued her Maiestie both in the wars of the lowe Countries, Portugall, and France: and at his last going into Britaine, so disposed of his estate as if he were neuer to returne; and the same daie or the daie before his death, tooke such order for his debtes as if he had a presage of his ende.

7 The next daie the Marshall D'Aumonde and sir Henrie Norries with our English regiments, came to vs from Quimper and were quartered at Croyzon and thereabouts. 8. 9 10. 11 After whose comming 4 daies were spent in mounting of the artillerie; planting of our ordinance and making of platformes for them to plaie. On the 12 the ennemie made a sallie vppon the french trenches, 12 who hauing not the lea­sure to arme them selues lost betwéene 30 and 40 men and as manie hurte, and from thence they aduaunced themselues towardes our trenches, where we lost in their defence ten or twelue men but we did put them again in possession of their trenches.

Hauing now all things reddie for the batterie, I will [Page] as well as I can describe vnto you the forte.

You shall vnderstand that more then 2 partes of the fort was defended by the water, the rest was made so ex­ceeding strong as either by arte or charge could be don.

On the south front therof on each corner were too excée­ding strong bastions that on the west side was 17 passes in the fronte, that on the east 10 passes: the courtaine be­twéene both was 37 foote thicke at the toppe; and within these they had made a verie large intrenchmente, and the bastions were exceeding well flanked from the rocke by the water side planting both on the flankers and bastion some great ordinance. We lay entrenched within thrée or fower paces of their counterscarp: the french men on the East side and we on the west side, the batterie lay in y ^e mid­dest betwéene the trenches. 23 These things thus prouidentlie ordered by the Marshall and our Generall; on the 23 our artilerie began to plaie, and continued some 700 canno­nodos but did so little harme by reason of the strength of the place as scarce anie shew of a breach appeared, only we did beat awaie their parrapete and some of their flan­kers wherevpon some hundred men commanded by Captaine Lyster, were sent to vewe and see it they could holde the counterscarp. Then manie of our braue men and gallants thirsting after honor: desirous to do somewhat far­ther hauing possessed themselues of the ennimies counterscarp, which onelb they were commaunded to attempte vndertooke the bréech which they performed so well as that notwithstanding the vnaccessablenes of the place, and the gerat resistance the ennimie made. Yet the most parte of them attained to the verie top thereof which they helde for a while but were afterwardes repulsed. This enterprise was with wonderfull great resolution and valure secon­ded by sir Thomas Basqueruille, who likewise got so farre as the point of the breach.

[Page]There were lost in this attempt many braue men namely,

• Captaine Barker.
• Captaine Prudder.
• Captaine Iackson, Serieant Maior of Ostend. who had no charge there.
• Haynes. Ensigne to sir Henrie Noreys.
• Corporall Essix,
• M. Throgmorton, and some 16 or 18 sodiors.

• Captaine Audley.
• Captaine Bartley.
• Captaine Coutch.
• Captaine Goodwins Lieutenant.
• Captaine Williams Lieutenant.
• Captaine Buckes. Lieutenant,
• And other priuate men.

• Sir Thomas Knowles.
• Captaine Ashendon.
• Captaine Bishop.
• Lieutenant Larkeley.
• Captaine Lopeley.
• Master Waineman, and diuers others.

You are to vnderstand that this attempte was onely made by the Englishmen on the bastion of the west side, for the Frenche men neuer attempted anie thinge a­gainst their Bastion, aleaging that it was not Assalt­able.

24 The Mareshall and our Generall seeing the little ef­fect that our artillery wrought, deuised to make a mine on one of the bulwarkes, namelie on the east bastion to­wardes the french trenches in perfecting thereof some 17 or 18 daies were spente.

30 But on the 30 being an exdéeding wette morning whereby our powder and matche were not fitte for seruice the ennemie againe founde thereby opportunitie to fall out vppon the frenche trenches, and killed betweene 20 and 30 of them at the least, among whom was Monsieur Lyscot a verie braue gentleman one of the Marshalls of the Campe, who was abandoned by the frenche and their trenches wholie possessed by the ennimie, but our Englishe men did presentlie repossesse them of their trenches and killed seme of the Spagniardes. Our nation lost an ex­céeding great frende of this Monsiear Lyscot hee excée­dinglie loued our Generall as if he had ben his owne fa­ther, and generally fauoured all english men and gaue vs the reputation to be verie braue soldiors.

By the 7 of Noueember our mine was reasonable well perfected and a determination held againe to begin the batterie with a resolution that so soone as the myne should be blowne vp which was made towardes the bul­warke by the French trenches, that the frenchmen should assaile that parte and the english men their Bastion, and that others with scaling ladders should make attemptes in euerie corner so that the defendents should be on eue­rie parte assailed. But the Mareshall beeing that daie sicke sente in the morning for our Generall and shewed [Page] him his letters from the Gouournor of Rennes and from diuers others by which hee was aduertised that Don Ioan de l'Auquilar generall of the Spagniards was mar­ching towards Croyzon with all his spanish forces to res­kew the fort and was alreadie aduaunced to La-cornan a village within fiue leagues of vs, and there fore aduised our generall to desloge to Croyzon thinking it not fit to hazard anie men hauing so strong an enemie at hand ready to ioyne battel with them. But sir I. Norreis hauing his courage nothing daunted with the approch of the en­nemie, his harte seruing him both to winne the forte by assault and to encounter his ennemie in the field, shew­ing what a dishonor and disreputation it were to haban­don the seege, and also what little cause the ennemie should haue to aduaunce himselfe farther if the forte were gotten, his comming being onely to reskewe it. He so much importuned the Mareschall that he gaue him wholie the ordering of that daies seruice. Immediatlie our Gennerall gaue order to the Cannoniers for the batterie and caused the artillerie to plaie. Euery man was assigned his charge, some to the assault, other with scalodos to at­tempt, to enter, and by 12 of the clocke he caused fire to be set to the mine, which albeit it did not so much as was looked for, yet it made the accesse so easie vnto the French as that a man might haue ridden vp vpon horsebacke, and our men namely: Captaine Latham, Captaine Smith, and Captaine Iohn Norreis, with diuers other gallant gentle­men gaue vpon the other bulwarke, and continued the assault without loosing onepase of the highth vntill halfe an houre past foure, and in the end firste entered the same, and seised vpon three ensignes that were there, and put e­uery man they found in the fort sauing one alferez to the sword, some of the Spaniards lept from the rocke to the [Page] water, but our Marriners with their small boales mette with them and slew them: some thrée or foure others be­ing taken escaped with their liues, no man was found, slayne Au sang Froyd.

Sir Thomas Baskeruill serued this day with greate va­lure and industrie to the admiration of all men. Our sea men and Mariners this day acquitted themselues won­derfull brauely: and were exceeding forwarde in all at­temptes, as maye well appeare by that valiant Knight Sir Martin Fourbisher, who in the assault receauing a hurt, is thereof now dead.

The chiefest of the French men, namely such gentil­men as seruing a horsebacke, did put themselues that daye a foote, did exceeding gallantly, namely Mounser Roumege, Vn Maistre du Camp, a man of great courage, and who most intirely loued our generall was slain, vpon the rampear, and his ensigne by him, who if they had bin well seconded vndoubtedly they had caried it first, and had got the reputation of the first entrie. As for the rest I hold them nothing worthy of comendations in this action.

• Captaine Edge once Captaine of our generalls gard.
• Lieutenant Flud.
• Captaine Smiths Lieutenant.
• Ensigne to Captaine Brett.
• VIII. Gent. of our generals owne company.
• Manie other gentlemen and betwene 20. or 30. priuate men

• Sir Thomas Baskeruille.
• Sir Martin Fourbisher who is now dead.
• Captaine Iohn Norreis
• Captaine Brett.
• Captaine Smith.

[Page]The victory beeing thus gotten by the greate vertue and admirable industery of our generall, the forte being appointed to be raised, we disloged the next day to Croy­zon, to ioyne with she rest of our troupes, 8 to attend there what the enemy durste doo, who within two dayes after, founde reason to retyre themselues fiue leagues further from vs.

Thus haue I finished I assure you truly, although not largely: all that was most remarcable in this dayes ser­uice.

It may bee I giue not namely to euery man the ho­nour he deserued, but therein I excuse my selfe with my shortnesse in writing, and also my selfe being herein an actor, my eye was not at leisure to note euery mans de­sert. There was founde in the fort 29. barrels of powder, some mach, and very few small shotte: and of meate, bis­cuit, wine and beefe reasonable good stoare. I must a lit­tle commend the defendants for an enemy, deserueth his iust praise, especially the chiefe ommander. Hee neuer in all these attempts shewed himselfe daunted, hee made sundry sallies, but moste vpon the French, to his greate aduantage and reputation. He lost before this last daies seruice 60. men, some at his salies, some with our cannon, and some at our first attempte vppon the breach, also this very laste day our cannon playing incessantly vppon the mayne courtaine, betweene the two bastions flew fiftie of his men. This laste assaulte continewed almoste fiue howers without intermission, they neuer quailed vntill hee was slaine, which was a small time before the entrie, and then the greater parte being slaine the reste ouer­tired and hurte, weare forced by our gallantes to re­tyre, and so there were slaine of Spagniards in this forte [Page] almost 400. I note another signe of his greate resoluti­on, for if hee founde any willing onely to speake of yeal­ding, he woulde cause him to bee bound to some stake or post, and exposed him to the breach, leauing his armes at libertie to fight for his defence. I hope no man will mis­like if I commende the valour of the enemy which was conquered, for the greater is the honour of them that were the conquerors. This their vaine resolution might well haue serued their turnes, if they had not dealte with our generall who was as resolute as they, and there in ouer­macht them. For the next day, Don Ioan de l'Aquilar sen­ding a trumpet for the redeeming of prisoners, our gene­rall sente him answere that their ransomes were payed, and that hee was nowe as ready and at leasure to fighte with him. This victory achiued, he sente the three Spa­nish ensignes into Englande, and presented them to her Maiesty, who as a most sacred and grasious prince, most highly esteemed, and louingly accepted them. God of his infinit mercy send her dayly so to triumph ouer her enemies, and that it will please him to protect our generall for her greater seruices.