THE SPANISH MENACE 



offended many people by his rough speech, he was one of the most able 

 men of his age, and in his private as well as his public capacity was one 

 of the most glorious of Elizabeth's band of seamen. 



The Elizabethan Privateers. 



Although their exploits belong rather to the merchantmen-at-arms, 

 Elizabeth made such good use of her privateers that it is necessary to 

 make some mention of them, especially of William Parker of Plymouth. 

 He gathered round him quite a little fleet, which was manned not only 

 by his brother seamen, but by a number of west country gentry. He 

 began by capturing and pillaging St. Vincent, C.V., and proceeding to 

 the West Indies he had an extraordinarily successful career, capturing 

 both towns and ships, and proving himself a leader of very marked 

 ability. Parker was undoubtedly the gentleman of his profession and 

 time, and in his exploits there are no stories of wanton destruction or 

 cruelty to his discredit, which is more than can be said of many far more 

 distinguished contemporaries. 



Drake's Last Cruise. 



The last cruise of Sir Francis Drake, undertaken in conjunction with 

 Sir John Hawkyns, was against the West Indies and Spanish Main, and 

 set out in 1595, some twenty-five vessels including half a dozen of the 

 Queen's ships. They planned to land at Nombre de Dios, and march- 

 ing across the Panama Isthmus to seize the Pacific treasure. Just before 

 they sailed, however, these plans were altered on account of news that 

 they received that a treasure-ship had put into Puerto Rico damaged and 

 was well worth attacking. Time was wasted in an unsuccessful attack 

 in the Canaries, and contriving to cut off a straggler the Spaniards 

 learned the plans of the British by torturing her master. By the time 

 they reached the Islands, therefore, the British found that everything 

 was ready for them. Sir John Hawkyns died at the beginning of the 

 operations, and the repulse of our attack on San Juan further dispirited 

 the adventurers. They burned a number of towns in Central America, 

 and finally captured Nombre de Dios with considerable booty, only to 

 learn that their passage across the Isthmus was expected and that 

 defences had been erected along the path. After a very feeble effort 

 the troops returned to the squadron, and the disappointment appears 

 to have been too much for Drake, who, worn out and dispirited, grew 

 melancholy and died on January 28th, 1596. Monson appears to 

 suspect poison, but although Drake was never particularly popular with 

 his followers, there does not seem to be any basis for this suspicion. His 

 body was enclosed in a leaden casket and buried at sea in Nombre de 

 Dios Bay. The expedition returned at once to England, having 

 achieved practically nothing as recompense for the death of two of the 

 finest sea captains of the age. Their characters will ever remain a 

 subject of dispute, for great seaman as he was and undoubtedly wonder- 

 fully patriotic, Drake was certainly of a violent temper, and by his 

 bragging apt to alienate the sympathies of his subordinates, who con- 

 sidered that they were entitled to at least as much credit as he was. 



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