A.D. 



1583. 



j4 fight be- 

 twixt our 2 

 English ships 

 y three 

 Spanish ships. 



They victual 

 at Spirito 

 Sa?ito. 



John Drake 

 proceedeth on 

 to the river of 

 Plate. 



RichardFaire- 

 weather re- 

 may net h in the 

 river of Plate. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



The three ships in which the sicke men and women 

 were, went to Brasil, and there they found within the port 

 of S. Vincent the two ships before mentioned. 



They woulde have had the English men to have gone 

 out of the harbour, and thereupon they fell to fight, and 

 because that these three ships were weake with the 

 storme, and the men that they had were the worst in all 

 the fleete, the Englishmen easily put them to the worst, 

 and sunke one of them, and might have sunke another, if 

 the Englishmen would : but they minded not the de- 

 struction of any man: for that is the greatest vertue that 

 can be in a man, that when hee may doe hurt, yet he will 

 not doe it. So the Englishmen went from this port to 

 Spirito Santo, where they had victuals for their mer- 

 chandise, and so they went backe for England, without 

 doing of any harme in the Countrey. 



The cause why these English shippes under the con- 

 duct of M. Fenton went not to the streits, I know not : 

 but some say that they were put backe by foule w^eather : 

 other some say that it was for feare of the kings ships. 



But the pinnesse of these two ships went from them, 

 in which was Captaine John Drake: the cause why they 

 parted I know not, but the pinnesse came into the river 

 of Plate, and within five leagues of Scale Island, not farre 

 from the place where the Earle of Cumberlands shippes 

 did take in fresh water, shee was cast away upon a ledge 

 of rockes : but the men were saved in their boat, which 

 were in number 18, who went ashore on the Northside, 

 and went a dayes journey into the land, and met with the 

 Savages which are no men-eaters, but take all the Chris- 

 tians that they can, and make them slaves. 



But the Englishmen fought with them and the Savages 

 slew five of them, and tooke 13 alive, which were with 

 the Savages about 1 5 moneths. But the Master of the 

 pinnesse, whose name was Richard Faireweather being not 

 willing to indure the misery that hee was in, and having 

 knowledge that there was a towne of Christians on the 

 other side of the river, he in a night called John Drake, 



94 



