_Reception of Sir Francis Drake in England, and same Notices of his
remaining Actions_.
The fame of his return from this wonderful voyage round the world soon
spread over England, and all strove to express their sense of the
worthiness of Captain Drake, by praises and other testimonies of regard.
Several collections were made of poems, epigrams, and songs, celebrating
him and his ship in the highest strains. Yet, in the midst of almost
universal applause, some endeavoured to censure his conduct, and to
place this great exploit in a wrong light. These persons alleged, that
his circumnavigation of the globe served only to amuse the minds of the
vulgar, while the main purpose of the voyage had been plunder, of which
they pretended he had acquired sufficient to exempt the nation from
taxes for seven years. They also set forth, as war had not been
proclaimed against Spain, that it was dangerous to own such an
adventurer, lest the nation might be made to pay dearly for his prizes:
For, as the merchants had great effects in Spain, their goods might
possibly be seized to make good his depredations.
The Spanish ambassador also assailed him with very warm memorials,
styling him the Master Thief of the Unknown World. The friends and
patrons of Drake, finding themselves wounded through his sides, took all
manner of pains to vindicate his conduct, alleging that he had the
queen's commission and authority to justify him in making reprisals;
that by so much wealth as he had brought home the nation would be
enriched; that the Spaniards had already done us much injury; and, if
the king of Spain were disposed to seize the effects of our merchants,
the public ought to receive this treasure as an equivalent; which, were
it returned, would break the spirit of our brave tars, who otherwise
were more likely to humble the pride of the Spaniards.
In the mean time, matters remained long in suspense, during which Drake
must have suffered considerable anxiety, lest, after all his toils
abroad, he might be deemed a pirate at home. The queen long delayed to
declare her sentiments, perhaps wishing to see what effects her conduct
might have with the court of Spain, which was probably withheld from
precipitating hostilities, by the hope of being able to recover this
great treasure. To keep up this hope, she artfully consented to part
with some small sums to Mendoza, the Spanish ambassador. At length,
matters coming to a crisis, she threw off the veil, and giving notice to
Captain Drake of her intentions, she visited him on the 4th April, 1581,
on board his ship, then at Deptford, where she was magnificently
entertained; and, after dinner, she was graciously pleased to confer the
honour of knighthood on Captain Drake, telling him that his actions did
him more honour than the title she had conferred. A prodigious crowd
attended the queen on this occasion, so that the bridge laid from the
ship to the shore broke down with their weight, and more than 200
persons fell into the Thames, yet no one was drowned, or even materially
hurt. After this public approbation from the sovereign, all ranks of
people redoubled their congratulations, and henceforward the reputation
of Sir Francis Drake continually increased, so that he became a kind of
oracle in maritime affairs, both to the nation and the court.--Here,
strictly speaking, we ought to conclude our account of this illustrious
navigator; yet it may not be amiss to give a short sketch of his
succeeding actions.
The war with Spain still continuing, he went out in 1585, general by sea
and land, of an expedition to the West Indies, where he took the cities
of St Jago, St Domingo, and Carthagena, and the fort and town of St
Augustine; returning from this expedition with great glory and
advantage, the profits amounting to £60,000, after defraying all
charges, of which £20,000 were divided among the seamen, and £40,000
came clear to the undertakers or adventurers. In 1587, he had the
command of another fleet, with which he sailed to the bay of Cadiz, and
thence to the Tagus, where he destroyed 10,000 tons of shipping, which
the king of Spain had collected for the purpose of invading England. He
likewise brought home the St Philip, a very rich prize, said by the
writers of these times to have been the first carack ever taken and
brought home to England.
In the glorious year 1588, by commission from the queen, Sir Francis
Drake was appointed vice-admiral of the fleet of England, then fitted
out for opposing the _invincible_ Spanish Armada. In this arduous
service, on which the independence and existence of England depended, he
performed even more than his former actions gave reason to expect. In
the very beginning of the fight, he captured two very large ships of
war, one commanded by the Spanish vice-admiral Oquendas, and the other
by Don Pedro de Valdez. This latter officer defended his ship with great
gallantry for a long time; and at length, on surrendering, and
delivering his sword to Sir Francis, he addressed him to the following
effect: "That they had all resolved to have died fighting, if they had
not fallen into his hands, whose valour and fortune were so great, that
Mars and Neptune seemed to aid him in all his enterprises." To requite
these Spanish compliments with solid English kindness, Sir Francis
lodged Don Valdez in his own cabin, and entertained him at his table.
Drake's crew were recompensed by the plunder of the Spanish ship, in
which were found 55,000 ducats in gold, which they joyfully shared. Sir
Francis performed many other signal services on this memorable occasion
against the Armada, and particularly distinguished himself by advising
the employment of fire-ships, which some have alleged he then invented.
He was next year admiral of a great fleet, sent to Portugal for the
purpose of restoring Don Antonio to the throne of that kingdom. This
expedition, though it did not succeed in its grand object, occasioned
considerable damage to Spain, on which it retorted the compliment of an
invasion, and by which it was rendered unable to repeat another attempt
of the same nature. On the whole, therefore, Sir Francis spoiled no less
than three Spanish invasions. In 1595, he went upon another conjunct
expedition against the Spanish West Indies, in which he performed signal
services; but aiming at still greater, and being unsuccessful, he died
in the harbour of Porto Bello, on the 28th of January, 1596, as is said,
of a broken heart, occasioned by his disappointment. His body, being put
into a leaden coffin, was committed to the deep, under a general
discharge of all the artillery of the fleet. In his person, though of
low stature, Sir Francis Drake was well made, with a fresh and fair
complexion, having large lively eyes, light-brown hair, and an open
cheerful countenance. He was naturally eloquent, gracefully expressing
what he clearly conceived. He was thoroughly versant, not only in the
practical part of his profession, but in all the sciences connected with
it, being able to discharge all the offices necessary in a ship as
occasion required, even that of the surgeon. In his conduct as a naval
commander he was skilful and valiant, just to his owners, kind to his
seamen, loyal to his sovereign, and merciful to his enemies after
victory. His many glorious exploits justly entitle him to high fame; and
he died, at fifty-five, in the ardent pursuit of glory, in the cause of
his queen and country.
* * * * *
The fame of this Voyage round the World, with the wealth brought home by
Sir Francis Drake, and the desire of rivalling him in riches and
reputation, inspired numbers of young men of all ranks with the
inclination of trying their fortunes at sea. Men of rank and fortune
fitted out ships at their own expence, manning them with their
dependants. Others, in lower situations, hazarded their persons as
subaltern officers in these ships, or in men-of-war belonging to the
queen. This spirit grew to such a height, that honest John Stowe informs
us that there were many youths, from eighteen to twenty years of age,
towards the close of Queen Elizabeth's reign, who were capable of taking
charge of any ship, and navigating to most parts of the world.
So alarmed were the Spaniards by the courage and conduct of Sir Francis,
and his maritime skill, that they ordered that no draughts or discourses
should be published of their discoveries in America, lest they might
fall into his hands. What most surprised them was, that he should find
his way so easily through the Straits of Magellan, which they had
hitherto been unable to perform. They therefore resolved immediately to
have these straits completely explored and discovered, by means of ships
fitted out in Peru. For this purpose, Don Pedro Sarmiento, who was
thought the best seaman in the Spanish service, was sent from Lima, and
actually passed from the South Sea into the Atlantic, and thence to
Spain. He there proposed to plant a colony in the straits, and to
fortify them in such a manner as might prevent all other nations from
passing through them. This project was so well relished by Philip II
that a fleet of twenty-three ships was fitted out, with 3,500 men, under
the command of Don Diego Floris de Valdez; and Sarmiento, with 500
veterans, was appointed to form a settlement in the straits.
This fleet was extremely unfortunate, insomuch that it was between two
and three years before Sarmiento arrived with his people in the straits
of Magellan. On the north side, and near the eastern entrance, he built
a town and fort, which he named Nombre de Jesus, and in which he left a
garrison of 150 men. Fifteen leagues farther on, at the narrowest part
of the straits, and in lat. 53° 18' S.[39] he established his principal
settlement, which he named _Ciudad del Rey Felippe_, or the City of King
Philip. This was a regularly fortified square fortress, having four
bastions; and is said to have been in all respects one of the
best-contrived settlements ever made by the Spaniards in America. At
this place Sarmiento left a garrison of 400 men and thirty women, with
provisions for eight months, and then returned into the Atlantic. These
transactions took place in the years 1584, 5, and 6. Sarmiento, after
several fruitless attempts to succour and relieve his colony, was taken
by an English vessel, and sent prisoner to London.
[Footnote 39: The Narrows of the Hope are eighteen leagues of Castile,
or about forty-eight English miles from Cape Virgin, the northern cape
at the eastern mouth of the straits, in lat. 52° 5' S. long. 69° W. from
Greenwich.--E.]
The Spanish garrison, having consumed all their provisions, died mostly
of hunger, perhaps aided by the scurvy, in their new city. Twenty-three
men quitted it, endeavouring to find their way by land to the Spanish
settlements, but are supposed to have all perished by the way, as they
were never more heard of. Sarmiento fell into discredit with the king of
Spain, for deceiving him as to the breadth of the straits, which he
asserted did not exceed a mile over; whereas the king was certainly
informed that they were a league broad, and therefore incapable of being
shut up by any fortifications. However this may be, even supposing the
report of Sarmiento true, and that his fortress could have commanded the
straits, even this could have proved of little or no service to Spain,
as another passage into the South Sea was discovered soon afterwards,
without the necessity of going near these straits.