A.D. 



1572-87. 



Three ships 

 sent after 

 captaine 

 Drake. 



A rich prize 

 taken by sir 

 Francis Drake 

 at Cape S. 

 Francisco 

 situate one 

 degree to ye 

 north of the 

 Equinoctial. 



[III. 793-] 



Read Nuno 

 da Sylva con- 

 cerning this 

 treasure. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



ships should be sunke, they might save the men. But 

 it was a day & a halfe before these things could be made 

 ready, & in the end going foorth they found ye English 

 ship still becalmed, & the calme was such, that the 

 Spaniards could not come at them. The same night, 

 the wind blowing a fresh gale, the Spaniards returned 

 into the harbour, and captaine Drake set forward to 

 Panama. The cause of the Spaniards returne was, for 

 that they had no Ordinance, nor victuals to tarry any 

 longer out. Then the Viceroy caused sixe pieces of 

 Ordinance to bee made, neither could hee make any 

 more, in regard of the shortnesse of time : so with these 

 pieces of Ordinance, and three shippes, and two hundred 

 and fifty men in them hee sent after captaine Drake ; who 

 after hee had winde stayed no where, nor tooke any ships 

 at all, notwithstanding hee met with many comming from 

 Panama laden with merchandize, but still hee inquired 

 after the shippe that was gone to Panama before him : of 

 which ship he had sight about the cape of Sant Francisco, 

 the Master wherof was a Biskaine, called Juan de Anton : 

 who seeing this ship of the Englishmens, thought that 

 the Viceroy of Peru had sent him some message, and 

 therefore strooke all his sailes : but so soone as hee might 

 discerne the shippe somewhat better, hee would then faine 

 have gone his way, for hee knew that it was none of that 

 coast, and then hee began to hoise his sailes, but could by 

 no meanes get from Captaine Drake because hee was 

 within the reach of his great Ordinance, for the Spaniards 

 not having so much as a rapier to defend themselves, 

 were soone constrained to yeelde. There were in this 

 shippe above eight hundred and fifty thousand pezos 

 of silver, and forty thousand pezos of gold, all which 

 silver and golde was customed ; but what store of treasure 

 they had besides uncustomed I knowe not, for many 

 times they cary almost as much more as they pay custome 

 for ; otherwise the king would take it from them, if they 

 should be knowen to have any great summe ; wherefore 

 every shippe carieth his bill of custome, that the king may 



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