who was coming, upon seeing his almiranta, to see if he could assist it.  But when the enemy saw the two ships close together, and heard no noise of guns, he tacked about, and hitherto nothing has been known of his whereabouts.  It is believed that his flagship was badly injured and battered, since it did not wait, although victorious by having sent our flagship to the bottom.  However, we may give credit to some who said that when they were in the water, they saw the crew of the enemy casting lances at our men who were swimming, whom they could overtake.

Our almiranta, after its recent success, set sail to return to Manila, where they thought that our flagship was calmly lying at anchor.  They arrived at Mariveles and there they heard of the misfortune our people had suffered.  The admiral sent a messenger to the governor of this city to procure his orders, and to tell him that he was waiting there.  He was ordered to follow instantly and pursue the enemy as far as Malaca, or wherever else he might hear that he was.  Immediately he received another order to cruise among those islands—­when, if he should not find the enemy, he was to return.  This he did after sending the survivors of the enemy to this city.  The admiral himself came later to the city, and the governor ordered him to be arrested, but afterward set him at liberty.  I do not know what justification there was for either act.  After all this, the governor, with perfect justice, notwithstanding the word that Admiral Joan de Alcega had pledged to them, ordered all the prisoners to be garroted. [28] This sentence was fulfilled and executed upon thirteen of them because the rest were boys.  The latter, who are not young children, are divided among the monasteries, with I know not what end in view.  Twelve [of those executed] died good Catholics and converts, and with many tears, so that the religious were obliged to administer the most holy sacrament of the eucharist to them.  The Confraternity of La Sancta Misericordia buried them with great charity.  The only one who refused conversion was the English admiral [Lambert Biezman], the most stubborn fellow [29] and the most obstinate heretic I have ever seen in my life.

According to the reports received, a total of one hundred and thirty-seven men were killed or drowned.

Copy of the commission which was found in the iron box

(This is a faithful and exact copy of a letter and patent, written lengthwise on white parchment in large letters, and illuminated with letters of gold.  The first line is covered with a pendent seal of red wax, the size of a consecrated wafer.  This document appears to have been issued by Mauricio de Nashau, who styles himself “Prince of Orange,” as commission for the captain or second in command of a certain armed fleet, and is countersigned by J. Melander; its tenor is as follows. [30])