Ternatans.  However night put an end to battle, and each side retiring to safety, our men finished landing and mounting their artillery, in the position and manner counseled by Pablo de Lima, who ever since then has been general of artillery in the fort of Tydore.  The king of that island wished to join our troops, as was shown by certain actions, and by his promises to Alferez Duenas; but he doubted the fortune of the Castilians, as if he had not had many experiences of it.  Now the occasion persuaded him and fidelity bound him, but he still hesitated.  The doubt of that king is believed to have hurt the outcome of the affair.  Sarmiento, after having mounted the artillery and securely fortified himself, and after having taken some captives (from whom he learned the food supply and arms of the besieged), commenced to hem in the enemy, and to bombard them furiously.  However he did not scare them, for they answered boldly.  It became necessary to seize the high places, from which, as from commanding eminences—­which were leveled later—­our men harassed the enemy.  Had they persevered in this, it would have sufficed to end the war.  But to such an extent did sickness reign in our camp, that no better medicine was found than that of absence, and deferring this undertaking to another time.  The assistance from Tydore was of no consequence.  They proved lukewarm friends, and all the rest was spiritless.  Heaven knows the other reasons.  There must have been some stronger ones; for, in reality, the camp was raised, and after embarking returned to Manila, without having had any greater effect than to increase the confidence of the enemy.

Then only the English nation disturbed Spanish dominion in that orient.  Consequently King Filipo desired not only to forbid it with arms near at hand, but also to furnish an example, by their punishment, to all the northern nations, so that they should not undertake the invasions that we see.  A beginning was made in this work in the year one thousand five hundred and eighty-eight, as is related in the following discourse.

[The beheading of Mary Stuart, the English confederation with Holland, and the building, disaster, and defeat of the “invincible armada” follow.  The narrative continues:]

The Hollanders or Zealanders, confederated with Queen Isabel [i.e., Elizabeth of England], being witnesses of that event [i.e., the defeat of the armada], were encouraged to aspire to greater efforts, in disobedience to their religion and to their sovereign, to usurp the eastern riches—­mines, spices, drugs, and silks—­as is seen by their reckless voyages, in which they have been emulous of the recent examples set by the English, and by the more ancient ones left us by Colon, Alburquerque, Magallanes, Gama, and Cortes, as we shall see later....