A. D. 1595. 209 



and the prince of Orange were encouraged to fend out feven (hips, un- 

 der Barents again, with all forts of merchandize, and with money to 

 trade with, hoping to get through Waygat's ftraits. Their fmalleft fhip 

 was direded to return with the news of the other fix fhips having doubled 

 cape Tabin, which was counted the extreme point of Tartary, or, at 

 leafl, when they fhould be gone far enough to fleer to the fouthward, 

 without being in danger from the ice ; but finding the fame obftruc- 

 tions in the ftrait, and yet more at the farther end of it, from the moun- 

 tains of ice at the entrance of the Tartarian fea, they returned to Hol- 

 land after they had been four months and an half on that voyage. 



The Hollanders finding from their firfl attempt that it was apparent- 

 ly impradicable to fail to China and India by the north-eafl, at length 

 determined this year to force their way thither by the Cape of Good 

 Hope, which they performed with wonderful courage and fuccefs. Four 

 fhips failed from Holland in April 1 595, and returned home (all but 

 their biggeft and mofl leaky fhip, which they burnt) in twenty-nine 

 months, flufhed with fuccefs and big with hopes, though, by reafon of 

 the oppofition of the Portuguefe and Javanefe, it did not fully anfwer 

 expe6lation in point of prefent gain. This firfl: undertaking was fet on 

 foot by nine merchants of Amllerdam, with a capital of only 70,000 

 guilders. 



From the arrival of the Dutch in India the Portuguefe juftly date the 

 ruin of their affairs in that country. Yet Dr. Gemelli Careri affigns 

 another very probable caufe of the decline of the Portuguefe in Eaft- 

 India, viz. their conqueft of Brafil ; for finding much more profit by 

 that rich colony, they flighted Eafl-India, and negleded to fend fuffi- 

 cient fupplies for preferving what they already poflefled there. This is 

 fo certain, fays Gemelli, that the king of Portugal was feveral times 

 in the mind of abfolutely abandoning Eaft-India, had not the million- 

 -aries made him fenfible, that if he did fo, all the chriftians of thofe 

 countries would again fall into idolatry and mahometanifm. To fay 

 the truth, one may venture to pronounce, that the original caufe of 

 their ruin in India was the too great number of their conquefis there, 

 too far afunder to be effectually fuccoured, whilfl they were engaged in 

 •war againft the Dutch in Europe, as well as in India and Brafil. 



1596. — King Philip II of Spain again making great preparations 

 againfl England, Queen Elizabeth wifely determined by all means to 

 prevent his attempts on her coafts ; and as the beft means for that pur- 

 pofe would be to attack and annoy him in his own ports, for that end 

 ihe fent out 126 fhips of war, feventeen whereof were her own fhips, 

 the remainder being, as ufual, hired ones. They carried 7360 land- 

 foldiers ; and were joined by a Dutch fquadron of twenty-four fhips ; 

 all being under the command of the earl of Effex and the lord admiral 

 Howard. The gallant and fuccefsful attack and facking of the famous 



Vol. II. D d 



