Admiral Cavendish's Distress on Board the Canterbury

Come all ye valiant seamen of courage stout and bold,
That value more your honour more than misers do their gold ;
When we receive our orders we are obliged to go
O'er the main to proud Spain, let the wind blow high or low.

It is the valiant Canterbury, as I to you shall tell,
Since Providence has sav'd my life in such a manner well,
And all our whole ship's company as well as I do know,
When we were in despair in the Bay of Biscay, oh !

The eighteenth of September from Spithead we set sail,
With the Romney in our company, blest with a pleasant gale,
And so we kept together to the Bay of Biscay, oh !
Till anon the storm came on and the wind began to blow.

Then seeing of the storm come on the Romney bore away
And left the Canterbury, for she could no longer stay.
And when they came to Gibraltar they told the people so,
That they thought we were lost in the Bay of Biscay, oh !

But as Providence would have it, it was not quite so bad;
But first we lost our mizen-mast, and along with it a flag,
The next we lost our main-mast, two of our guns also,
And five men were drownded then in the Bay of Biscay, oh !

When the main-mast went away it gave a dismal stroke,
And in the larboard-quarter a great hole thro' it broke,
Whereby the sea came roaring which made our gun-room flow,
And we rowl'd and we shoal'd in the Bay of Biscay, oh !

Then our fore-mast went away at four o'clock at night,
Our men [were] in our fore-top, which put us in a fright,
Poor souls we could not save them but overboard did go :
They were lost with the mast in the Bay of Biscay, oh !

It being dark and dismal besides a dreadful night,
One man upon the fore castle was killed out right,
With a ring upon his finger in pieces broke also,
There he lay till next day when we overboard him throw.

We stove our barge and long boat and hove them overboard,
Because we had no tackle or else we might have lower'd.
What with the sea roaring in which made our chests to flow,
And we rowl'd and we shoal'd in the Bay of Biscay, oh !

We lay in that condition full seven or eight days,
Till our furnace tumbled down, which put us in a maze
For we could get no victuals dress'd as I am very sure,
We did eat all raw meat till we came to Gibraltar.

As for our admiral and captain, they are stout hearts of gold,
Besides our three lieutenants of courage stout and bold,
And all our whole ship's company we made a gallant show,
Altho' we were in despair in the Bay of Biscay, oh !

The storm being quite over we got up jury-masts,
And steer'd away to Gibraltar, to which we came at last,
And when we came to Gibraltar on shore the yawl did go,
For to tell what befel in the Bay of Biscay, oh !

Within a day or two after we came into the mole.
The people all came flocking down, our ship to behold :
They said it was the strangest thing that ever they did know,
We ne'er repine but drink wine and drown all woe.

As for oatmeal and peas, we ne'er got any of that :
Our purser H——s put 'em in his pocket to make his guts fat.
But when we did come home, boys, we paid him off his score,
Tho' [he] knew 'twas our due, it help'd to increase [his store].