THE VOYAGERS 



such sums of money for eggs in moonshine/ The pilots 



of these nations are now forbidden, on pain of death, 



to explore to the North West, lest they ' should beat the 



bush, and other men catch the birds.' The enterprise is 



reserved for the English, who have most to gain by it. 



And Gilbert concludes with a declaration of the antique Gilbert's 



Roman faith which inspired his life — ' He is not worthy ^^^^ ' 



to live at all, that for fear or danger of death shunneth 



his Country's service and his own honour ; seeing death 



is inevitable, and the fame of virtue immortal.' 



The influence of Gilbert's Discourse was seen imme- ^^^ ^^^^^ 

 diately in the voyages of Frobisher and Davis. After a ;^;^^f^^ 

 vain attempt to stir up the Muscovy Company (as the Frobisher. 

 Merchant Adventurers were now called) to Western 

 enterprise, Queen Elizabeth granted, in 1575, a licence 

 to Martin Frobisher ; the Court and the City stood in with 

 the adventure, which was largely financed and controlled 

 by Michael Lock, a London merchant of scientific 

 tastes; and in 1576, with two small barks of twenty-five 

 tons and a pinnace, Frobisher set sail. The pinnace was 

 wrecked, and the barks separated, but Frobisher in the 

 Gabriel reached Meta Incognita, or Cumberland's Island, 

 made acquaintance with the Esquimaux, and partly 

 explored the inlet to which he gave its optimistic name 

 of Frobisher's Straits. The expedition was without 

 substantial results in discovery or profit, and but for an 

 accident, would hardly have been repeated. One of the 

 company chanced to pick up and bring home a piece 

 of shining black stone, which the assayers of London 

 tested and pronounced to be rich in gold. So Frobisher 

 was despatched again next year, his small fleet reinforced 

 with a vessel of two hundred tons' burthen, lent by the 



27 



