TO SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM 



used. And that the trueth and evidence heerof may- 

 better appeare, these are the very words of Popiliniere in 

 his booke called L' Admiral de France, and printed at 

 Paris. Fol. 73. pag. 1,2. The occasion of his speech is 

 the commendation of the Rhodians, who being (as we are) 

 Islanders, were excellent in navigation, whereupon he 

 woondereth much that the English should not surpasse in 

 that qualitie, in this sort : Ce qui m'a fait autresfois 

 rechercher les occasions, qui empeschent, que les Anglois, 

 qui ont d'esprit, de moyens, & valeur assez, pour s'aquerir 

 un grand honneur parmi tous les Chrestiens, ne se font 

 plus valoir sur I'element qui leur est, & doit estre plus 

 naturel qu'a autres peuples : qui leur doivent ceder en la 

 structure, accommodement & police de navires ; comme 

 j'ay veu en plusieurs endroits parmi eux. Thus both 

 hearing, and reading the obloquie of our nation, and 

 finding few or none of our owne men able to replie 

 heerin : and further, not seeing any man to have care to 

 recommend to the world, the industrious labors, and 

 painefull travels of our countrey men : for stopping the 

 mouthes of the reprochers, my selfe being the last winter 

 returned from France with the honorable the Lady 

 Sheffield, for her passing good behavior highly esteemed 

 in all the French court, determined notwithstanding all 

 difficulties, to undertake the burden of that worke wherin 

 all others pretended either ignorance, or lacke of leasure, 

 or want of sufficient argument, whereas (to speake truely) 

 the huge toile, and the small profit to insue, were the 

 chiefe causes of the refusall. I call the worke a burden, 

 in consideration that these voyages lay so dispersed, scat- 

 tered, and hidden in severall hucksters hands, that I now 

 woonder at my selfe, to see how I was able to endure the 

 delayes, curiosity, and backwardnesse of many from whom 

 I was to receive my originals : so that I have just cause to 

 make that complaint of the maliciousnes of divers in our 

 time, which Plinie made of the men of his age : At nos 

 elaborata iis abscondere atque supprimere cupimus, & 

 fraudare vitam etiam alienis bonis, &c. 



Plinius. lib. 

 2 5 . cap. I . 

 Naturalis 



histor'ice. 



