THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



discovery/ he concludes, returning to his fixed idea, 

 * is most apparent ; for which, if there were no other 

 cause, we are all bound to labour with purse and 

 mind, for the discovery of this notable passage.' 



During the reign of Elizabeth, and for many years 

 The after, this scheme for the evangelisation of the heathen 



evangeUcal j^^j ^^ history. It was a stock weapon in the argu- 

 mentative armoury or determmed explorers, many or 

 whom allude to the religious mission of England in 

 cursory fashion, or plead for it like sharp Christian 

 attorneys, with none of the fire and sincerity that 

 shine in the eloquence of Davis. ^ Hakluyt, who had 

 the same object at heart, writing in 1584, was troubled 

 by his inability to answer the Papist adversary. 'The 

 Papists,' he says, ' confirm themselves, and draw others 

 to their side, showing that they are the true Catholic 

 Church because they have been the only converters of 

 many millions of infidels to Christianity. Yea, I myself 

 have been demanded of them, how many infidels have 

 been by us converted? Whereunto, albeit I alleged the 

 example of the ministers which were sent from Geneva 

 with Villegagnon into Brazil, and these that went with 

 John Ribault into Florida, as also those of our nation 

 that went with Frobisher, Sir Francis Drake, and 

 Fenton ; yet in very deed I was not able to name any 

 one infidel by them converted.'^ Hakluyt was indeed 



1 The too familiar compound of avarice, self-righteousness, and 

 hypocrisy may be tasted in Sir George Peckham's treatise of The 

 Western Planting in vol. viii. of this edition of Hakluyt. 



2 From A Discourse of. Western Plantings written by M. Richard 

 Hakluyt, 1584. This valuable discourse was first printed, from the 

 MS. in the possession of Sir Thomas Phillipps, by the Maine 

 Historical Society in 1877. 



32 



Catholic 

 Missions. 



