Chap. I* 
2 His Character being now Sufficiently eftabliihed, he 
found enow ready to venture Part of their Fortunes in a 
Voyage he propofed ; for which, having made all Things 
read y r he failed May the 24th, 1572. in the Pafca of Ply- 
mouth, which was of no greater Burden than Seventy Ton, 
having for his Confort the Swan , of Two hundred and 
fifty Ton, commanded by his Brother John Drake , with 
Seventy-three Men and Boys, and Provifions for a Year.^ 
Such was the Preparation he made for attacking theKing of 
Spain in the Weft Indies , which he believed he had a Right 
to do, in order to make Reprifals for what he had fuffered 
by his SubjeCts. In this Voyage he hacked the famous 
Town of Nombre de Dios , and foon after faw, from an high 
Tree, the South Seas ; which Sight inflamed him with a 
violent Defire of carrying an Englijh Ship thither, an At- 
tempt never made, perhaps never thought of, before that 
Time. In this Expedition he acquired immenfe Riches 
for his Owners, as well as himfelf ; being a Man of fuch 
Generality, that he fcorned to take even thofe Advantages, 
which any other Man would have confidered as his Right ; 
of which we have a very remarkable Inftance in his Beha- 
viour, on a Prefent made him by a Captain or Prince of 
the Free Indians inhabiting the Ifthmus of Darien , who, 
in Return for a Cutlafs prefented him by Captain Drake , 
gave him Four large Wedges of Gold, which he threw 
into the common Stock : “ My Owners, faid he, gave me 
46 that Cutlafs ; and it is but juft they ffiould have their Shares 
“ of its Produce.” His Return to England was as fortunate 
as his foreign Expedition ; for, in Twenty-three Days, he 
failed from the Capes of Florida , to the files of Scilly ; 
and, arriving at Plymouth on Sunday Auguft the 9th, 1573 * 
in Sermon-time, the News of Captain Drake’s Return be- 
ing carried into the Church, there remained few or no Peo- 
ple with the Preacher, all running out to obferve the Blef- 
fing of God upon the dangerous Adventures of the Cap- 
tain, who had fpent One Year, Two Months, and fome 
odd Days, in this Voyage. The Wealth he had thus ac- 
quired, he generoufly fpent in his Country’s Service, equip- 
ping no lefs than Three Frigates at his own Expence, 
which he commanded in Perfon, and with which he con- 
tributed greatly to the Reduction of the rebellious Irijh , 
under the Condud of that worthy Nobleman Walter Earl 
of EJfex . After his Death, he chofe for his Patron Sir 
Chnftopher Hatton , at that time Vicechamberlain to the 
Queen, and afterwards Chancellor of England : By his In- 
tereft, notwithftanding great Oppofition, Captain Drake 
obtained the Queen’s Commiffion for that Voyage, which 
he had fo long meditated. 
3. He was no fooner thus provided, than his Friends 
contributed largely towards this glorious Expedition ; and 
Captain Drake , on his Side, applied with equal Diligence 
to the getting every thing ready for accompliffiing his Un- 
dertaking ; and, with this View, equipped Five Ships, 
viz. the Pelican^ called by him afterwards the Hind , Admiral, 
Burden an hundred Tons, Francis Drake Captain Ge- 
neral ; the Elizabeth , Vice-admiral, Eighty Tons, John 
Winter Captain; the Marigold, a Bark, of Thirty Tons, 
John Thomas Captain; the Swan , a Fly-boat, of Fifty 
Tons, Captain John Chejter ; and the Chriftopher , a Pin- 
nace of Fifteen Tons, Captain Thomas Moon. Thefe Ships 
he manned with One hundred and Sixty-four able Men, 
and furniffied them with fuch plentiful Provifion of all 
Things neceffary, as fo long and dangerous a Voyage 
feemed to require, withal flowing certain Pinnaces aboard 
In Pieces, to be fet up as Occafion required ; neither did he 
omit to make Provifion alfo for Ornament and Delight, 
carrying for this Purpofe with him expert Muficians, rich 
Furniture, all the Veffels for his Table, and many belong- 
ing to his Cook-room, being of Silver, with divers Utenfils 
of all forts of curious Workmanffiip, whereby the Civility 
and Magnificence , of his native Country might, among all 
Nations, whither he ffiould come, be the more admired. 
Thefe are Circumftances which ffiew how much this Gen- 
tleman had the Honour of this Nation at Heart, and with 
what generous Principles he was endowed ; for which, 
however, fome Writers have not fcrupled to tax him with 
V anity j fo eafy a Thing it is, for Men of little Minds to 
Elaft the nobleft Purpofes by their own bafe Suggeftions ! 
All Things being thus adjufted, Captain Drake failed out 
17 
of Plymouth Sound November the 5th, 1577. about Five 
in the Afternoon • but by a fearful Storm, wherein they 
fuftained fome Damage, he was forced to put back again * 
when, having, in few Days, fupplied all Defers on the 
13 th of December y the fame Year, with more favourable 
Winds, he once more hoifted his Sails, and put to Sea i 
Fie avoided, as much as he could, falling in too early with 
the Land ; and, the Wind favouring his Defign, they made 
none, till the 25th of the fame Month they fell in with Cape 
Cautin , on the Coaft of Barbary , and, on the 27th, came 
to the Hie of Magadan , lying One Mile Diftance from 
the Main, between which and the file they found a very 
fafe and convenient Flarbour. Here the Admiral directed 
a Pinnace to be built, having brought, as we obferved, the 
Hulks of Four ready framed from England. While they 
were upon this Work, fome of the Inhabitants came to the 
Water-fide, ffiewing Flags of Peace : Upon which the 
Admiral fent out his Boat to know their Minds : One of 
his Men flayed as a Pledge amongft them, and Two of 
their Company were brought a Shipboard. They told 
him by Signs, that the next Day they would furniffi his 
Ships with good Provifions, which Civility he rewarded with 
Linen Cloth, Shoes, and a Javelin, Things very accepta- 
ble to them ; and fo they departed. The next Day they 
came as they had promifed, and one of the Men, whole 
Name was Fry , leaping out of the Boat amongft them, 
thinking to have leaped into the Arms of Friends, made 
himfelf the Prifoner of thofe perfidious Wretches, who, 
threatening to flab him if he made any Refiftance, prefently 
mounted him a Horfeback, and carried him up into their 
Country; from whence, however, after Examination, he 
was fent fafely back into hi*s own. 
4. The Pinnace being finiffied, they fet Sail December the 
30th, and January the 17th they arrived at Cape Blanco , 
where they found a Ship at Anchor within the Cape, hav- 
ing only Two Mariners in her : The Ship they took, and 
carried her into the Harbour, where they flayed Four Days ; 
in which time the Admiral muftered his Men affiore, to 
prepare them for Land as well as Sea Service. Here they 
took of the Fiffiermen fuch Neceftaries as they wanted, 
and alfo one of their Barks of about Forty Ton, leaving 
behind them a little Bark of their own. They left this 
Harbour January the 2 2d, carrying along with them one 
of the Portuguefe Caravels, which was bound to the files 
of Cape de Verd for Salt ; the Mailer of the. Caravel af- 
fured the Admiral, that in one of the Cape de Verd 
Hands, called Mayo , there was good Store of dried Ca- 
britos, or Goats, which were every Year made ready for 
fuch Ships of the King’s as called there. They came to 
this Place January the 27th ; but the Inhabitants would 
drive no Trade with them, the King’s Orders having po- 
fitively forbid it : Yet the next Day they went to take a 
View of the Ifland, the Admiral fending out a Company 
of Men for that Purpofe. They marched towards the 
chief Place of the He, and, having travelled through the 
Mountains for Three Days, they came thither before Day- 
break : They found that the Inhabitants were all run away, 
but, as for the Country, by the manuring, it appeared to 
be more fruitful, than the other Part of the Hand. They 
.refted themlelves here awhile, and banqueted upon deli- 
cious Grapes, which were in their Prime even at that Sea- 
fon of the Year which is the Depth of Winter with us in 
England. This Hand is ftored with Goats, wild Hens, 
and Salt, which Nature makes ready to the Inhabitants 
Elands : It is brought together in great Quantities upon 
the Land by the flowing of the Sea, and the Heat of the 
Sun kerns it. The People have no more to do, but to 
gather it into Heaps, and fell it to their Neighbours, which 
they do, and reap great Profit from it. They found here 
alfo Cocoa-trees, which bear no Leaves nor Branches but at 
the Top ; the Fruit grows in Clutters, and each Cocoa is 
as big as a Man’s Head : Having fatisfied themfelves with 
thefe Fruits, they marched farther into the Hand, and 
faw great Store of Cabritos ; but they could take none of 
them, though, if they had pleafed, they might have fur- 
niffied themfelves with fome that were old, dead, and 
dried, which the People had laid out on purpofe for them ; 
but, not caring for the Refufe of the Hand, they returned 
to their Ships, with an Account of what they had feen. 
5. January 
Sir Francis Drake. 
