In this excerpt from A true reportory of the wracke,
and redemption of Sir Thomas Gates Knight, William Strachey describes the great storm that in
1609 wrecked the ship Sea Venture and eventually washed it up on the island of Bermuda. The Sea Venture was the
flagship of a resupply fleet en route to Jamestown and carried on it the Virginia colony's new
governor, Sir Thomas Gates,
and Admiral Sir George Somers.
Addressed to an unknown "Lady," Strachey's account is believed to have been important
source material for William Shakespeare's play The Tempest (ca. 1610–1611). Strachey's account was not published until 1625 but likely
circulated years before that.
For foure and twenty houres the storme in a restlesse tumult,
had blowne so exceedingly, as we could not apprehend in our imaginations any
possibility of greater violence, yet did wee still finde it, not onely more terrible,
but more constant, fury added to fury, and one storme urging a second more outragious
then the former; whether it so wrought upon our feares, or indeede met with new
forces: Sometimes strikes in our Ship amongst women, and passengers, not used to such
hurly and discomforts, made us looke one upon the other with troubled hearts, and
panting bosomes: our clamours dround in the windes, and the windes in thunder.
Prayers might well be in the heart and lips, but drowned in the outcries of the
Officers: nothing heard that could give comfort, nothing seene that might incourage
hope. It is impossible for me, had I the voyce of Stentor, and
expression of as many tongues, as his throate of voyces, to expresse the outcries and
miseries, not languishing, but wasting his spirits, and art constant to his owne
principles, not prevailing. Our sailes wound up lay without their use, and if at any
time wee bore but a Hollocke, or halfe forecourse, to guide her before the Sea, six
and sometimes eight men were not inough to hold the whipstaffe in the steerage, and
the tiller below in the Gunner roome, by which may be imagined the strength of the
storme: In which, the Sea swelled above the Clouds, and gave battell unto Heaven. It
could not be said to raine, the waters like whole Rivers did flood in the ayre. And
this I did still observe, that whereas upon the Land, when a storme hath powred it
selfe forth once in drifts of raine, the winde as beaten downe, and vanquished
therewith, not long after indureth: here the glut of water (as if throatling the
winde ere while) was no sooner a little emptied and qualified, but instantly the
windes (as having gotten their mouthes now free, and at liberty) spake more loud, and
grew more tumultuous, and malignant: What shall I say? Windes and Seas were as mad,
as fury and rage could make them; for mine owne part, I had bin in some stormes
before, as well upon the coast of Barbary and Algeere, in the Levant, and once more
distresfull in the Adriatique gulfe, in a bottome of Candy, so
as I may well say. Ego quid sit ater Adriæ novi sinus, & quid
albus Peccet Iapex. Yet all that I had ever suffered gathered together, might
not hold comparison with this: there was not a moment in which the sodaine splitting,
or instant over-setting of the Shippe was not expected.
Howbeit this was not all; It pleased God to bring a greater affliction yet upon us;
for in the beginning of the storme we had received likewise a mighty leake. And the
Ship in every joynt almost, having spued out her Okam, before we were aware (a
casualty more desperate then any other that a Voyage by Sea draweth with it) was
growne five foote suddenly deepe with water
— page 1736 —
above her ballast, and we almost drowned within, whilest we
sat looking when to perish from above. This imparting no lesse terrour then danger,
ranne through the whole Ship with much fright and amazement, startled and turned the
bloud, and tooke downe the braves of the most hardy Marriner of them all, insomuch as
he that before happily felt not the sorrow of others, now began to sorrow for
himselfe, when he saw such a pond of water so suddenly broken in, and which he knew
could not (without present avoiding) but instantly sinke him. So as joyning (onely
for his owne sake, not yet worth the saving) in the publique safety; there might be
seene Master, Masters Mate, Boateswaine, Quarter Master. Coopers, Carpenters, and who
not, with candels in their hands, creeping along the ribs viewing the sides,
searching every corner, and listening in every place, if they could heare the water
runne, Many a weeping leake was this way found, and hastily stopt, and at length one
in the Gunner roome made up with I know not how many peeces of Beefe: but all was to
no purpose, the Leake (if it were but one) which drunke in our greatest Seas, and
tooke in our destruction fastest, could not then be found, nor ever was, by any
labour, counsell, or search. The waters still increasing, and the Pumpes going, which
at length choaked with bringing up whole and continuall Bisket (and indeede all we
had, tenne thousand weight) it was conceived, as most likely, that the Leake might be
sprung in the Breadroome, whereupon the Carpenter went downe, and ript up all the
roome, but could not finde it so.
I am not able to give unto your Ladiship every mans thought in this perplexity, to
which we were now brought; but to me, this Leakage appeared as a wound given to men
that were before dead. The Lord knoweth, I had as little hope, as desire of life in
the storme, & in this, it went beyond my will; because beyond my reason, why we
should labour to preserve life; yet we did, either because so deare are a few
lingring houres of life in all mankinde, or that our Christian
knowledges taught us, how much we owed to the rites of Nature, as bound, not to be
false to our selves, or to neglect the meanes of our owne preservation; the most
despairefull things amongst men, being matters of no wonder nor moment with him, who
is the rich Fountaine and admirable Essence of all mercy.
Our Governour, upon the tuesday morning (at what time, by such who had bin below in
the hold, the Leake was first discovered) had caused the whole Company, about one
hundred and forty, besides women, to be equally divided into three parts, and opening
the Ship in three places (under the forecastle, in the waste, and hard by the
Bitacke) appointed each man where to attend; and thereunto every many came duely upon
his watch, tooke the Bucket, or Pumpe for one houre, and rested another. Then men
might be seene to labour, I may well say, for life, and the better sort, even our
Governour, and Admirall themselves, not refusing their turne, and to spell each the
other, to give example to other. The common sort stripped naked, as men in Gallies,
the easier both to hold out, and to shrinke from under the salt water, which
continually leapt in among them, kept their eyes waking, and their thoughts and hands
working, with tyred bodies, and wasted spirits, three dayes and foure nights
destitute of outward comfort, and desperate of any deliverance, testifying how
mutually willing they were, yet by labour to keepe each other from drowning, albeit
each one drowned whilest he laboured.
[…]
During all this time, the heavens look'd so blacke upon us, that it was not possible
the ele-
— page 1737 —
vation of the Pole might be observed: nor a Starre by night,
nor Sunne beame by day was to be seene. Onely upon the thursday night Sir George Summers being upon the watch, had an apparition of a
little round light, like a faint Starre, trembling, and streaming along with a
sparkeling blaze, halfe the height upon the Maine Mast, and shooting sometimes from
Shroud to Shroud, tempting to settle as it were upon any of the foure Shrouds: and
for three or foure houres together, or rather more, halfe the night it kept with us,
running sometimes along the Maineyard to the very end, and then returning. At which,
Sir George Summers called divers about him, and shewed them
the same, who observed it with much wonder, and carefulnesse: but upon a sodaine,
towards the morning watch, they lost sight of it, and knew not what way it made. The
superstitious Sea-men make many constructions of this Sea-fire, which nevertheless is
usuall in stormes […]
[…] and from tuesday noone till friday noone, we bailed and pumped two thousand
tunne, and yet doe what we could, when our Ship held least in her, after tuesday
night second watch, shee bore ten foote deepe, at which stay our extreame working
kept her one eight glasses, forbearance whereof had instantly sunke us, and it being
now Friday, the fourth morning, it wanted little, but that there had bin a generall
determination, to have shut up hatches, and commending our sinfull soules to God,
committed the Shippe to the mercy of the Sea: surely, that night we must have done
it, and that night had we then perished: but see the goodnesse and sweet introduction
of better hope, by our mercifull God given unto us. Sir George
Summers, when no man dreamed of such happinesse, had discovered, and cried
Land. Indeede the morning now three quarters spent, had wonne a little cleerenesse
from the dayes before, and it being better surveyed, the vary trees were seene to
move with the winde upon the shoare side: whereupon our Governour commanded the
Helme-man to beare up, the Boateswaine sounding at the first, found it thirteene
fathome, & when we stood a little in seven fatham; and presently heaving his lead
the third time, had ground at foure fathome, and by this, we had got her within a
mile under the South-east point of the land, where we had somewhat smooth water. But
having no hope to save her by comming to an anker in the same, we were inforced to
runne her ashoare, as neere the land as we could, which brought us within three
quarters of a mile of shoare, and by the mercy of God unto us, making out our Boates,
we had ere night brought all our men, women, and children, about the number of one
hundred and fifty, safe into the Iland.
