RICHARD HAKLUYT 



other part of Europe.' And, with a touch of learned 

 rhetoric very unusual in his writing, he invokes the 

 example of the Romans and Carthaginians, and of those 

 ' small, weak, and unreasonable creatures,' the bees, who 

 are led out by their captains to seek themselves a new 

 dwelling-place. He lent a hand in all schemes that 

 might lead to colonisation, and was one of the Company 

 of Merchants to whom Raleigh assigned his Virginian 

 patent in 1588. After the premature death of Sir 

 Humphrey Gilbert the man who more than any other 

 took upon himself the toil, and earned the credit, of 

 establishing England's first colony, was Richard Hakluyt. 

 There is no touch of the fanatic about him, for all 

 his zeal. His reflections and advice on every subject His practical 

 that he handles are shrewd, cool and practical. He desires, 

 for instance, the evangelisation of the Indies, but he 

 will be no party to hasty methods. 'The means,' he 

 says, ' to send such as shall labour effectually in this 

 business is, by planting one or two colonies of our nation 

 upon that firm,' {i.e. mainland) 'where they may remain 

 in safety and first learn the language of the people near 

 adjoining (the gift of tongues being now taken away), 

 and by little and little acquaint themselves with their 

 manner, and so with discretion and mildness distill into 

 their purged minds the sweet and lively liquor of the 

 gospel.' He keeps an open eye for all the material 

 advantages that may attend the . possession of a distant 

 colony. Chief of these is ' the advancing of navigation, His zeal for 

 the very walls of this our Island.' Complaints have long ^^^^^^ ^^^' 

 been rife, he says, of the decay of our navy; and the 

 means taken to encourage our people to a sea-faring life 

 have met with very partial success. Queen Elizabeth, 



87 



