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There was, besides many other ladies with the Queen, Isabella, apparelled after the English fashion, though with a little touch of the Spanish. Before that Ricaredo came, there came another, who told the Queen that Ricaredo was come. Isabella hearing the name of Ricaredo, began to change colour, and seemed to be somewhat troubled, and in that very instant did fear and hope both the evil and good success of his coming.

Ricaredo was tall of stature, a gentleman, and well proportioned, and for that he came armed, with his gorget, corselet, and pouldrons all Milan work, richly gilded and engraven, it became him extremely well, and did please the eyes of the beholders. He had no casque on his head, but a broad-brimmed hat of a lion colour, with a great large feather, diversified with a few different colours, a broad short sword by his side, a very rich girdle and hangers, and his breeches somewhat large and full, like unto those of the Swizzers.

Being thus accoutred, what with the goodliness of his presence and stateliness of his gait, some were so taken therewith that they compared him to Mars, the god of war; and others, taken with the beauty of his countenance, compared him to Venus, who for to put a jest upon Mars had put this disguise upon him. In conclusion, he came before the Queen, and humbling himself on his knee he said unto her:

“Most renowned and redoubted Sovereign, in the strength of your good fortune, and in the consecution of my desire, after that our General, the Lord of Lansac, was dead of an apoplexy, I succeeding in his place, thanks be rendered therefor to your Majesty, I lighted by chance on two Turkish galleys, which went towing away that great ship which I have now brought home, and lies not far off, safe in the road. I did set upon them; your soldiers fought, as they always use to do, very manfully. We sunk both the Turkish vessels, and in one of ours I gave, in your Majesty’s royal name, liberty to the Christians which escaped out of the hands of the Turks. Only I brought along with me one man and a woman, both Spaniards, who out of their own liking and election were wonderfully desirous to come with me into our Island, that they might see the greatness of your Majesty’s person and Court. That ship which is now yours is a Portugal, one of those great carracks which come from the East Indies, the which by a storm came to fall into the power of the Turks, who with little trouble, or, to say better, none at all, made her to yield herself unto them; and as I am informed by some of those Portugals that came in her, she is worth above a million in gold and spice, and other rich merchandise of pearls and diamonds which are in her. Whereof nothing hath hitherto been touched, neither did the Turks come to finger anything therein, because Heaven hath dedicated it wholly unto you, and I have commanded it to be kept and reserved whole and entire for your Majesty. With one jewel only that your Majesty shall be pleased to bestow upon me, I shall remain indebted for ten such other ships. That jewel your Majesty hath already promised me, which is my good Isabella. With her I shall rest rich and rewarded, not only for this service that I have done your Majesty, but for many others which I mean to do, for to pay some part of that great if not infinite worth which in this jewel your Majesty offereth me.”