a.d. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1591. 



them : they were all sent backe againe to their countreys, 

 to witnes and recount the worthy achievements of their 

 invincible and dreadfull Navy : Of which the number of 

 Souldiers, the fearefull burthen of their shippes, the 

 commanders names of every squadron, with all other 

 their magasines of provisions, were put in print, as an 

 Army and Navy unresistable, and disdaining prevention. 

 With all which so great and terrible an ostentation, they 

 did not in all their sailing round about England, so much 

 as sinke or take one shippe, Barke, Pinnesse, or Cockbote 

 of ours : or ever burnt so much as one sheepecote of 

 this land. Whenas on the contrarie, Sir Francis Drake, 

 with onely 800. souldiers not long before, landed in 

 their Indies, and forced Sant-lago, Santo Domingo, 

 Cartagena, and the forts of Florida. 



And after that, Sir John Norris marched from Peniche 

 in Portugall, with a handfull of souldiers, to the gates 

 of Lisbone, being above 40 English miles. Where the 

 Earle of Essex himselfe and other valiant Gentlemen 

 braved the Citie of Lisbone, encamped at the very gates ; 

 from whence, after many dayes abode, finding neither 

 promised partie, nor provision to batter ; they made 

 retrait by land, in despight of all their Garrisons, both 

 of horse & foote. In this sort I have a little digressed 

 from my first purpose, onely by the necessarie comparison 

 of theirs and our actions : the one covetous of honour 

 without vaunt of ostentation ; the other so greedy to 

 purchase the opinion of their owne affaires, and by false 

 rumors to resist the blasts of their owne dishonours, 

 as they will not onely not blush to spread all manner 

 of untruthes : but even for the least advantage, be it 

 but for the taking of one poore adventurer of the 

 English, will celebrate the victory with bonefires in every 

 towne, alwayes spending more in faggots, then the pur- 

 chase was worth they obtained. When as we never 

 thought it worth the consumption of two billets, when 

 we have taken eight or ten of their Indian shippes at 

 one time, and twentie of the Brasill fleete. Such is 



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