The _Repentance_ being put in perfection, and riding at Detford, the
queenes majestie passing by her, to her pallace of Greenwych, commanded
her bargemen to row round about her, and viewing her from post to
stemme, disliked nothing but her name, and said, that shee would
christen her anew, and that henceforth shee should be called the
_Daintie_; which name she brooked as well for her proportion and grace,
as for the many happie voyages shee made in her majesties service;
having taken (for her majestie) a great Bysten,[9] of five hundred
tunnes, loaden with iron and other commodities, under the conduct of Sir
Martin Furbusher; a caracke bound for the East Indies, under my fathers
charge, and the principall cause of taking the great caracke, brought to
Dartmouth by Sir John Borrow, and the Earl of Cumberlands shippes, anno
1592, with others of moment in her other voyages.[10] To us, shee never
brought but cost, trouble, and care. Therefore my father resolved to
sell her, though with some losse, which he imparted with me: and for
that I had ever a particular love unto her, and a desire shee should
continue ours, I offered to ease him of the charge and care of her, and
to take her, with all her furniture at the price he had before taken her
of me; with resolution to put in execution the voyage for which shee was
first builded; although it lay six months and more in suspence, partly,
upon the pretended voyage for Nombrededios and Panama, which then was
fresh a foote; and partly, upon the caracke at Dartmouth, in which I was
imployed as a commissioner; but this businesse being ended, and the
other pretence waxing colde, the fift of March I resolved, and beganne
to goe forward with the journey, so often talked of, and so much
desired.
[Considerations for pretended voyages.]
And having made an estimate of the charge of victualls, munition,
imprests,[11] sea-store, and necessaries for the sayd ship; consorting
another of an hundred tunnes, which I waited for daily from the Straites
of Giberalter, with a pynace of sixtie tunnes, all mine owne: and for a
competent number of men for them; as also of all sorts of marchandises
for trade and traffique in all places where wee should come; I began to
wage men, to buy all manner of victualls and provisions, and to lade her
with them, and with all sorts of commodities (which I could call to
minde) fitting; and dispatched order to my servant in Plimouth, to put
in a readinesse my pynace;[12] as also to take [Provisions
better provided at Plimouth, then at London.] up certaine provisions,
which are better cheape in those parts then in London, as beefe, porke,
bisket, and sider. And with the diligence I used, and my fathers
furtherance, at the end of one moneth, I was ready to set sayle for
Plimouth, to joyne with the rest of my shippes and provisions. But the
expecting of the coming of the lord high admirall, Sir Robert Cecill,
principall secretary to her majestie, and Sir Walter Rawley, with
others, to honour my shippe and me with their presence and farewell,
detayned me some dayes; and the rayne and untemperate weather deprived
me of the favour, which I was in hope to have received at their hands.
Whereupon, being loath to loose more time, and the winde serving
according to my wish, the eight of April, 1593, I caused the pilot to
set sayle from Blackwall, and to vayle[13] down to Gravesend, whether
that night I purposed to come.
Having taken my unhappy last leave of my father Sir John Hawkins, I
tooke my barge, and rowed down the river, and coming to Barking, wee
might see my ship at an anchor in the midst of the channell, where ships
are not wont to more themselves: this bred in me some alteration. And
coming aboord her, one and other began to recount the perill they had
past of losse of ship and goods, which was not little; for the winde
being at east north-east, when they set sayle, and vered out southerly,
it forced them for the doubling of a point to bring their tacke aboard,
and looffing up; the winde freshing, sodenly the shipp began to make a
little hele; and for that shee was very deepe loaden, and her ports
open, the water began to enter in at them, which no bodie having regard
[Note.] unto, thinking themselves safe in the river, it augmented in
such maner as the waight of the water began to presse downe the side,
more then the winde: at length when it was seene and the shete flowne,
shee could hardly be brought upright. But God was pleased that with the
diligence and travell of the company, shee was freed of that danger;
which may be a gentle warning[14] to all such as take charge of
shipping, even before they set sayle, eyther in river or harbour, or
other part, to have an eye to their ports, and to see those shut and
callked, which may cause danger; for avoyding the many mishaps which
dayly chance for the neglect thereof, and have beene most lamentable
spectacles and examples unto us: experiments in the _Great Harry_,
admirall[15] of England, which was over-set and suncke at Portsmouth,
with her captaine, Carew, and the most part of his company drowned in a
goodly summers day, with a little flawe of winde; for that her ports
were all open, and making a small hele, by them entred their
destruction; where if they had beene shut, no wind could have hurt her,
especially in that place.
In the river of Thames, Master Thomas Candish had a small ship over-set
through the same negligence. And one of the fleete of Syr Francis Drake,
in Santo Domingo harbour, turned her keele upward likewise, upon the
same occasion; with many others, which we never have knowledge of.
And when this commeth to passe, many times negligence is cloaked with
the fury of the winde: which is a double fault; for the truth being
knowne, others would bee warned to shun the like neglects; for it is a
very bad ship whose masts crackt not asunder, whose sayles and tackling
flie not in peeces, before she over-set, especially if shee be English
built. And that which over-setteth the ship is the waight of the water
that presseth down the side, which as it entreth more and more,
increaseth the waight, and the impossibilitie of the remedie: for, the
water not entring, with easing of the sheate, or striking the sayles, or
putting the ship before the winde or sea, or other diligences, as
occasion is offered (and all expert mariners know) remedie is easily
found.[16]
With this mischaunce the mariners were so daunted, that they would not
proceede with the ship any further, except shee was lighted, which
indeede was needelesse, for many reasons which I gave: but mariners are
like to a stiffe necked horse, which taking the bridle betwixt his
teeth, forceth his rider to what him list, mauger his will; so they
having once concluded, and resolved, are with great difficultie brought
to yeelde to the raynes of reason; and to colour their negligence, they
added cost, trouble, and delay. In fine, seeing no other remedie, I
dispatched that night a servant of mine to give account to my father of
that which had past, and to bring mee presently some barke of London, to
goe along with me to Plimouth; which not finding, he brought me a hoye,
in which I loaded some sixe or eight tunnes, to give content to the
company; and so set sayle the 13th of Aprill, and the next day wee put
in at Harwich, for that the winde was contrary, and from thence departed
the 18th of the sayd moneth in the morning.
When wee were cleere of the sands, the winde veered to the south-west,
and so we were forced to put into Margat Roade, whether came presently
after us a fleete of Hollanders of above an hundreth sayle, bound for
Rochell, to loade salt; and in their companie a dozen shippes of warre;
their wafters very good ships and well appointed in all respects. All
which came alongst by our ship, and saluted us, as is the custome of the
sea, some with three, others with five, others with more peeces of
ordinance.
The next morning the winde vering easterly, I set sayle, and the
Hollanders with me, and they with the flood in hand, went out at the
North-sands-head, and I through the Gulls to shorten my way, and to set
my pilate ashore.
Comming neere the South-fore-land, the winde began to vere to the
south-east and by south, so as we could not double the point of the
land, and being close abourd the shore, and puting our ship to stay,
what with the chapping sea, and what with the tide upon the bowe, shee
mist staying, and put us in some danger, before we could flatt
[Note.] about; therefore for doubling the point of any land
better is ever a short bourd, then to put all in perill.[17]
Being tacked about, wee thought to anchor in the Downes, but the sayles
set, we made a small bourd, and after casting about agayne, doubled the
foreland, and ran alongst the coast till we came to the Isle of Wight:
where being becalmed, wee sent ashore Master Thomson, of Harwich, our
pilot, not being able before to set him on shore for the perversnes of
the winde.
Being cleere of the Wight, the winde vered southerly, and before we came
to Port-land, to the west, south-west, but with the helpe of the ebbe
wee recovered Port-land-roade, where we anchored all that night; and the
next morning with the ebbe, wee set sayle againe, the winde at west
south-west; purposing to beare it up, all the ebbe, and to stop the
flood being under sayle.