Chaa III. E N G L I S H A M E R I C A, li 9 
failed in November i6oi, and off the South Cape had 
the Misfortune in a violent Guff of Wind to lofe their 
Pinnace with all her Men but three; fteering their Courfe 
from thence to the IQands of Cape V erd^ they landed one 
hundred Men, and took one of them called St. Vincent^ 
with a Town of the fame Name ; and^ after having given 
the Spoil of it to the Soldiersj fet fire to the Placei 
Hence they haled over to the Coaft of the Continent, 
and coming to la Rancheria, or the Pearl Fifliery, in the 
fmall Ifland Cubagua^ they there found the Governor of 
Cumana^ with a fmall Company of Soldiers. This did 
not difcourage them from landing, and though at firft 
they were received with great Warmth, they got at laft 
the better of them, and took the Place with feveral Pri- 
foners. Barks, and Boats, all which they ranfomed for 
the Value of five hundred Pounds, which was paid them 
in Pearls. 
They failed from thence diredlly for Cape de la V da., 
where they took a great Portugueze Ship of 250 Tons, 
coming from Angola and Congo., and bound for Cartha- 
gena ; v/hich, having little ot Value in her, except thiee 
hundred and feventy Negroes, they ranfomed for 500/. 
After this they went to the Ifland of Cabecas, where they 
embarked one hundred and fifty of their Men in two 
fmall Pinnaces and two Shallops, and failed to the Bafti- 
mentos, where they landed, and picking up fome Ne- 
groes for their Guides, with their Boats and Pinnaces, 
they entered the River of Puerto Bello the 7th of Febru- 
ary 1602; it being Moon-light the W^'atch difcovered 
them at their very firfl: Entrance into the Haven, and 
haled them by the ftrong Caftle of St. Philip ; in which 
were thirty-five Brafs Guns, and Soldiers enough to ma- 
nage them. Having fome on Board who fpoke the Spa- 
nijh Tongue, they pretended they were Spaniards coming 
from Carthagena. 
The Officer of the CafUe bid them come to Anchor, 
which they did, but about an Hour after Captain Par- 
ker gave them the flip with his two Boats and above thirty 
Men, leaving the Pinnaces at Anchor before the Caftle. 
With this Force he went direflly to the Suburb of Friana, 
and, though the Alarm was given, landed his thirty Men, 
and fetting it on fire left it burning, and marched into the 
great and rich Town of Bello. As foon as he entered, 
he marched direftly to the King’s Treafury, where he 
found a Guard of Soldiers drawn up to receive him, 
with two Brafs Field-pieces on their Carriages ; the Fight 
was long and obftinate, and Parker had loft the beft Part 
of his Men, v/hen Captain Fugars and Captain Loriman, 
who commanded the Pinnaces, hearing the Noife, caiue 
timely to his Relief, with one hundred and twenty Men. 
This Aftiftance foon turned the Scale, and the Spaniards 
began to think of fecuring themfelves by Flight ; a good 
Number of them got into the King’s Houfe, which they 
defended very refolutely for four or five Plours ; but at 
length the Englijh became Mafters of that, as well as of 
the whole Town. They found but ten thoufand Ducats 
in the Treafury, though there were often fix Millions in 
it ; and if they had been feven Days fooner they would 
have found one hundred and twenty thoufand, which 
had been embarked in two Frigates for Carthagena. 
The Spoil of the Town, which in Money, Plate, and 
Merchandize, was confiderable, was by Captain Parker, 
given to the Soldiers. But two Frigates, which he took 
farther up the River, he carried away with him ; after 
having kept Poffeffion of the Town two Days, Captain 
Parker generoufly fpared it with its Churches, Buildings, 
and Forts, from burning ; and releafed the Prifoners, 
among whom were Don Pedro Melandez, the Governor, 
the King’s Secretary, and feveral Perfons of Quality, 
without Ranfom ; fatisfied with the Honour of having 
taken with a handful of Men, in fo little Time, and 
with fo inconfiderable a Lofs, one of the fineft Towns the 
King of Spain had in the JVefi Indies. His Reafon for 
this was to give the Spaniards an Example of civil and 
generous Deportment towards their Enemies ; and the 
Governor he releafed, becaufe he had fought fo bravely, 
having received eleven Wounds in the Addon. 
The Town had at this Time two Churches, fix or feven 
fine Streets, thi'ee fmaU Forts on one Side, befides the 
great Caftle of St. Philip ’, all which they might have 
demolifliedj and have left the whole a Heap ot Ruins i 
During their Stay in Town they had not the leaftDifturb- 
ance from any Forces of the Spaniards, nor any Alarm 
given ; only as they were failing away the Enemy began 
to appear, but it was only to exchange a few Bullets^ 
and to take leave of each other from the Mouths of 
their great Guns. Thus Captain Parker returned fafely 
home with much Honour, and not without reafonable 
Profit ; and not only oitr own, hut Spani/h Writers, fpeak 
of his Expedition in very honourable Terms. 
The next Year fome ot the Virginia Company refolved 
to fit out a Veffel for that Country, and accordingly 
made Choice of Captain Bartholomew Gofnold for their 
Commander, who had been formerly there. Pie failed 
from Falmouth on the 26th of March 1602, in a fmall 
Veffel, and no more than thirty-two Perfons on Board, 
of v/hom it v/as propofed that twelve Ihould ftay behind 
and form a Settlement, in cafe he fliould meet with any 
Place which he fliould judge convenient for that Purpofe. 
This Captain Gofnold was an excellent Mariner, and there- 
fore he did not go the former Courfe, but a much fliort- 
er one ; and on the i ith of May he arrived in the Lati- 
tude of 42 Degrees and fome few Minutes, among the 
Hands, forming the North Side of Mafjdchufed S'Bd.y in 
New England ; where, not finding the Conveniencies he 
defired, he fet fail again ; and when he thought he had 
got clear of the Land, he fell upon the Bay ot Cod, now 
Part of New England. He v/ent afliore on a fmall un- 
inhabited Ifland, which he called Elizabeth Ifland, and on 
another Ifland, which he named iWhnVffij Vineyard, where 
the Natives had left fome Marks of their Habitations. 
Here fome of his Company fowed Englifh Corn, and 
fav/ it come up very kindly ; he built a little Fort 
for his, and his Mens, Security, and Trade from thence 
v/ith the Savages, to whom Europeans were no Strangers ; 
for the Commander of the firft Body of them that came 
to trade was dreffed with Waiftcoat, Breeches, Shoes, 
Stockings, Hat, and all Accoutrements befitting an 
man ; but his Attendants had only Deer-Skins about 
their Shoulders, and Seal-Skins about their Waifts ; their 
Hair was very long, and tied up v/ith a Knot behind ; 
they were painted all over, but their natural fwartliy Co- 
lour was eafy enough to be difcerned. 
On the North-weft Side of Elizabeth* s If and the Cap- 
tain found a Lake of frefli Water, about a League in 
Circumference, and very near the Sea ; in the Midft of 
v/hich was another little Ifland of about an Acre of 
Ground ; and this they pitched upon as the moft commo- 
dious Place for building their Fort above-mentioned, 
and they begun it accordingly. About this Lake they 
found an infinite Number ot Tortoifes, with leveral Sorts 
of Fifli and Fowl ; fo that thofe who propofed to fettle 
there had a fair Profpefl: of having Provifions enough. 
They vifited the main Land adjoining to this Ifland, 
which they found, in all Refpeds, as charming as Mea- 
dows, Groves, Brooks, and Rivers could make it. They 
had fome Communication with the Indians of the luain 
Land, who came and bartered with them for fome of 
their Fairopean Rarities, and there was nothing hardly 
but what was fo to thefe People. The Commodities they 
gave in exchange for Knives and other Toys, were Bea- 
vers, Lucains, Martens, Otters, Foxes, Conies, Seals, 
Deer, and Skins. The A.ffairs of this Plantation miglit 
have gone on very well, had all the Planters been unani- 
mous and eafy in their Settlement here ; but they were 
intent upon their private Interefts, and contrived to make 
only a profitable Voyage. The Captain laboured againft 
it, but to no purpofe ; fo having gotten a large Cargo 
of Saffafras, Cedar- wood, Furs, and other good Com- 
modities, they fet fail for England.. They left their little 
Fort on the 1 8th of June, and they arrived at Plymouth 
the 23d Day of July following, A. D. 1602. 
What the Confequences were of this Voyage and Dif- 
covery will appear in the next Sedtion ; and therefore we 
fhall pafs on to the laft Voyage, which we are concerned 
to take Notice of here ; and that was made in the fame 
Year 1602, by one Captain Mace of Weymouth, fitted 
out by Sir Walter Raleigh ; and as the fhort Amcount we 
have 
