THE PORTUGAL VOYAGE ad. 



1589. 

 to confirme them in their humour, with assurance that 

 they foresaw before our going out what would become 

 thereof. 



Be ye not therefore too credulous in beleeving every 

 report : for you see there have bene many more be- 

 holders of these things that have passed, then actors in 

 the same ; who by their experience, not having the 

 knowledge of the ordinarie wants of the warre, have 

 thought, that to lie hard, not to have their meat well 

 dressed, to drinke sometimes water, to watch much, or 

 to see men die and be slaine, was a miserable thing; 

 and not having so given their mindes to the service, 

 as they are any thing instructed thereby, doe for want 

 of better matter discourse ordinarily of these things : 

 whereas the journey (if they had with that judgement 

 seene into it, which their places required) hath given 

 them far more honorable purpose and argument of 

 discourse. 



These mens discontentments and mislikings before our 

 comming home have made mee labour thus much to 

 instruct you in the certaintie of every thing, because I 

 would not willingly have you miscaried in the judgements 

 of them, wherein you shall give me leave somewhat to 

 dilate upon a question, which I onely touched in the A worthy 

 beginning of my letter, namely, whether it bee more fj£J? 

 expedient for our estate to maintain an offensive war 

 against the king of Spaine in the Low countries, or as 

 in this journey, to offend him in his neerer territories, 

 seeing the grounds of arguing thereof are taken from the 

 experience which the actions of this journey have given 

 us. 



There is no good subject that wil make question, 

 whether it be behoofeful for us. to hold friendship with 

 these neighbours of ours or no, aswell in respect of the 

 infinite proportion of their shipping, which must stand 

 either with us or against us ; as of the commoditie of 

 their harbors, especially that of Vlishing, by the favour 

 whereof our Navie may continually keepe the Narrow 



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