Chap. III. of the ENGLISH in AMERICA. 
fet what follows in a clear Light. She encouraged Pri- 
vateers immediately after her coming to the Crown, as 
the moft effectual Means of raifing a Fleet in a fhiort time; 
but when fhe found this End anfwered, fhe brought that 
Practice under due Regulations. She was extremely care- 
ful in giving all poffible Encouragement for Difcoveries, 
and it was v/ith this View that fhe promoted, as we fhall 
fee hereafter, feveral Enterprizes for finding out a Paflage 
to the Eafi- Indies^ by the North-eaft and by the North- 
weft. The Rujfia Trade fhe encouraged ; and her Con- 
duct in refpeft to that Nation was fuch as raifed her Credit 
in thofe Parts of the World, to the higheft Degree that 
can be imagined. The King of Sweden was fo charmed 
with what Fame reported of the Queen, that he put 
himfelf into the Number of thofe who were Suitors to her 
for Marriage. The King of Denmark afked her Leave to 
tranfport Corn through the narrow Seas, which, to fhew 
her Dominion over them, fhe once refufed ; and the Hanfe- 
fowns having prefumed to fend a Fleet through them 
without her Leave, fhe feized and confifcated their Ships ; 
as for the Dutch, they more than once offered to fubmit 
themfelves to her Government, and in the moft public 
manner acknowledged that they owed the Recovery of 
their Liberty to her Succour and Proteftion ; but fhe was 
wife enough to forefee, that as they grew in Power they 
might alter their Notions, and fhe took care to provide 
againfl this, by procuring the Keys of Holland and Zea- 
land to be put into her Hands, by which Means fhe was 
able to lock up their Commerce, and naval Force, at her 
Pleafure. 
She kept France in great Avfe, even when it was govern- 
ed by Henry IV, the wifeft, braveft, and bell Monarch 
of the Houfe of Bourbon. She ruined the naval Power of 
Spain, then the moft formidable in Europe, and under 
the Dire6lion of a Prince whofe Abilities were equal to 
every thing but his Ambition : She encouraged Expe- 
ditions to the Weft Indies, as long as they proved bene- 
ficial to her Subjecfts ; and when they appeared to be no 
longer fo, fhe very prudently reftrained them. It was 
under her Reign, that the Englijh firft attempted the 
Paffage into the South Seas by the Streights of Magellan ; 
which proved of great Confequence, not only in that 
Part of the World, but alfb in opening a Way to the 
Eaft Indies, as we have already fhewn in the former 
Parts of this Work, to which thofe Paffages properly 
belonged. 
She brought, by affording the Means of employing 
them, the building of Ships into Ufe, and by Degrees 
to great Perfeblion, which was of infinite Benefit to the 
Nation, and at the fame time delivered us from the 
heavy Inconvenience of hiring Veffels from Foreigners 
whenever the public Occafions demanded a large Fleet ; 
but moft of thefe Things (though incident to my Pur- 
pofe) have been already infifted on by others, and there- 
fore I am content barely to mention them, that I may 
have room to mention fome other Things of no lefs Im- 
portance, though not fo much attended to. We have 
fhewn how wretched a Situation Things were in at the 
Beginning of her Reign, and how fuddenly and how 
cffecftually fhe changed the Face of our Affairs ; and we 
have in fome meafure pointed out the manner in which 
this was done ; but there remain fome other Points wor- 
thy the Reader’s Confideration, which I fhall next handle 
with all imaginable Brevity. 
Queen Elizabeth taught all her Subje6ls Induftry and 
Application by her perfonalCoridud; ; fhe was conftantly 
attentive to every Branch of her Government ; knew 
exablly what was done, what might be done, and what 
was omitted ; fhe underftood moft Things herfelf, 
and what fhe did not underftand, flie committed to the 
Infpe<ftion of fuch as were reputed to be beft acquainted 
with them ; fhe was flow in refolving, and quick in 
Execution ; fhe heard all that could be faid for, or againfl. 
Sir Francis Drake, before fhe went on board his Ship, or 
gave him any public Marks of her Favour ; but after- 
wards fhe would never permit his Condufl to be 
cenfured. 
She was fparing in her Honours, becaufe flie was re- 
folved to ufe them as Rewards ; and fire knew that in 
order to this it -was requifite they fhould not become 
VoL. II. Numb. 84. 
ai 7 
cheap ; fhe never employed any but capable Minifters ; 
for fhe had Men for Shew, and Men for Service ; and in 
nothing demonftrated her great Capacity more than in 
her Choice of Servants. Secretary Walfingham, and after 
him Secretary Cecil, had the Department of the Marine, 
and both underftood it well, fo that whoever applied to 
them, was to make out the Reafon and Probability, as 
well as the Profitablenefs, of his Projebl. This produced 
the many excellent Pieces which are preferved mllackluit, 
particularly Siv Hutftphrey Gilberf sD’f cowrit of the North- 
weft Paffage, Sir George Peacham's Benefits of weftern 
Planting, with Mr. Harriots Account of Virginia, and 
many fuch Things. By this Means a Spirit of ufeful 
Knowledge was promoted and kept up; , all Things were 
thoroughly fifted before Encouragement was given, and 
due Regard had to what fucceeded, to what did not, and 
to the Reafon and Caufes of both. 
She took fome Share of moft Expeditions of Confe- 
quence, as well to keep up the Spirits of thofe concerned, 
as, in Cafe any good Prizes were made, that the Public 
might have its Part, in which we find her alv/ays ftridt, and 
fometimes a little fevere : But, with all her Frugality and 
good Management in this Refpedl, flie found War an 
expenfive and ruinous Thing, which demanded conftant 
and great Supplies, bringing in but fiowly and inconfider- 
ably. She was the better able to difeern this, becaufe flie 
took care to have the Treafury-Books as regularly kept 
as thofe of a Merchant, whence fhe was very well able 
to tell how far her Revenues anfwered her Expences, in 
what Articles her Exceffes were incurred, and even the 
Lofs and Gain on particular Expeditions : As forinftance, 
that of Cadiz, or Cales, reputed the moft fortunate in her 
long Reign, which neverthelefs coft fixty-four thoufand 
Pounds more than it brought in. The Balance, in this 
Refpe6l, was always againfl her, notwithftanding the vaft 
Sound her Prizes made in the World ; for, according to a 
Minute of an Account made up by the famous Lord- 
Treafurer Burleigh, from the thirtieth to the thirty-fourth 
Year of her Government, it appears, that the bare Ex- 
pence of the Navy amounted to two hundred feventy-five 
thoufand, feven hundred and fixty-one Pounds, and all re- 
ceived by Prizes within thofe Years, which were the moft 
profperous in that Refpebl of the whole SpanijhWl2cr, came 
to no more than fixty-four thoufand and forty-four Pounds. 
Yet, confidering what Mifchief was done the Enemy, 
how much his Commerce was embarrafled, his Merchants 
ruined, his Credit leffened, and his Power decreafed, 
there was no great Caufe to repine ; and, in truth, we 
no where find the Queen did fo, but fhe always endea- 
voured to put her Nobility upon fuch Enterprizes, as well 
to keep them employed, as to throw a Part of the Ex- 
pence upon fuch as fhe judged were much more able to 
afford it than the common People. 
But there was another great and ufeful Effedl which 
flowed from this affiduous Care in the Queen, and this 
generous Condud: in her Nobility, and that was, the efta- 
blifliing a juft Regard for Public Spirit. It was the Mode 
in her Days, to do every thing with a View to the Wel- 
fare of the State, and it was impoffible for any Man to 
make a Figure at Court, or to appear with Diftindion 
in his County whofe Adions as well as Words did not 
difeover fomewhat of the Patriot. Some of the Nobi- 
lity ferved in Holland, to learn the Trade of War, at the 
fame time that they contributed to break the Power of 
Spain, and to raife the Englijh Reputation for Courage, 
Steadinefs, and other Military Virtues. The Earl of 
EJfex, and other Men of ^Quality, ferved the Queen at 
Sea in various Expeditions of great Importance. Others 
again, fuch as the Earl of Cumberland, embarked in par- 
ticular Enterprizes at their own Expence ; and by this 
Means, after the formidable Invafion in 1 588, the King 
of Spain found himfelf fufficiently employed at home, and 
perceived, when it v/as too late, that he had wafted the 
Blood and Treafure of all his Kingdoms to raife up two 
new Powers in Europe, viz. England and Holland, which 
neither he nor his Succeffors would be able to cope with. 
But the Queen and her Minifters, when the Dangers of 
War were thus removed or kept at a Diftance, knew 
how to divert the fame Spirit to other good and falutary 
K k k ■ Purpofes. 
