and their almiranta to ours. Fire was set to the other ship, and it
was burned. Thus the battle was ended with but slight loss to us,
and some wounded. I confess that this victory has been given me by
reason of the prayers of your Paternity and those reverend fathers,
whom I thank for their care in this, and assure them that I shall
consider the same in what pertains to my office, by aiding whatever
may be of pleasure to your Paternity. May our Lord preserve you,
as I desire. From this vessel "San Juan Baptista," April 24, 1610.

_Don Juan de Silva_."

And inasmuch as he makes mention of our Lady and St. Mark, I must not
neglect to report a matter that seems worthy of consideration. At the
beginning when the war was discussed, the governor had a dream. In it,
he saw a venerable man, who told him that he would obtain a glorious
victory on St. Mark's day. Although it seemed too late to go to
attack the enemy, as it was thought that he had already gone with
his ships full of plunder--which meant to go with shouts of victory,
yet on this account the governor hastened to sail before the day of
the holy evangelist, with the intent of punishing the enemy. However,
he could not prepare the fleet as was necessary before April 21. Making
an attempt to attack the Dutch on Friday, the twenty-third, they could
not, for the reason above stated, of losing their anchors. Consequently
the time went by until the twenty-fourth, for us, Saturday, the day
of our Lady. The governor had had her image put on the royal standard
and implored her aid by that verse, _Mostrate esse Matrem_ [_i.e._,
"Show thyself to be our Mother"]. This day was for those who came
from Maluco the twenty-fifth of April, or St. Mark's day, as it was
also for those from Japon. It is an extraordinary thing to find this
conflict in the days when they unite, namely, those who sail east