History of Protestantism in the Netherlands - James Aitken Wylie

January, 1574), on its way to raise the siege of
Middelburg, when it sighted near Romerswael,
drawn up in battle array, the ships of the Sea
Beggars. The two fleets closed in conflict. After
the first broadside, ship grappled with ship, and the
Dutch leaping on board the Spanish vessels, a
hand-to-hand combat with battle-axes, daggers, and
pistols, was commenced on the deck of each
galley. The admiral's ship ran foul of a sand-bank,
and was then set fire to by the Zealanders; the other
commander, Romers, hastened to his relief, but
only to have the flames communicated to his own
ship. Seeing his galley about to sink, Romers
jumped overboard and saved his life by swimming
ashore. The other ships of the Spanish fleet fared
no better The Zealanders burnt some, they sunk
others, and the rest they seized. The victory was
decisive. Twelve hundred Spaniards, including the
Admiral De Glimes, perished in the flames of the
burning vessels, or fell in the fierce struggles that
raged on their decks. Requesens himself, from the
dyke of Zacherlo, had witnessed, without being
able to avert, the destruction of his fleet, which he
had constructed at great expense, and on which he
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