every man a bit of bread and a draught of drinke either Beere or Wine mingled with water at the least the one halfe or a quantitie mingled with Beere that the pores of the bodie may be full when the vapours of the Sea ascend vp The morning draught should be ever of the best and choysest of that in the ship Pure wine I hold to be more hurtfull then the other is profitable In this others will be of a contrary opinion but I thinke partiall If not then leaue I the remedies thereof to those Physitions and Surgeons who haue experience And I wish that some learned man would write of it for it is the plague of the Sea and the spoyle of Mariners doubtlesse it would be a meritorious Worke with God and man and most beneficiall for our Countrie for in twentie yeares since that I haue vsed the Sea I dare take vpon me to giue accompt of ten thousand men consumed with this disease That which I haue seene most fruitfull for this sicknesse is sower Oranges and Lemmons and a water which amongst others for my particular provision I carryed to the Sea called Doctor Stevens his Water of which for that his vertue was not then well knowne vnto me I carryed but little and it tooke end quickly but gaue health to those that vsed it The oyle of Vitry is beneficiall for this disease taking two drops of it and mingled in a draught of water with a little Sugar It taketh away the thirst and helpeth to clense and comfort the stomacke But the principall of all is the ayre of the Land for the Sea is naturall for fishes and the Land for men And the oftner a man can haue his people to land not hindering his voyage the better it is and the profitablest course that he can take to refresh them SECT XVII HAving stood to the westwards some hundreth leagues and more the wind continuing with vs contrarie and the sicknesse so fervent that every day there dyed more or lesse my Companie in generall began to dismay and to desire to returne homewards which I laboured to hinder by good reasons and perswasions As that to the West Indies we had not aboue eight hundreth leagues to the Ilands of Azores little lesse and before we come to the Ilands of Cape de Verde that we should meete with the Breze for every night we might see the reach goe contrary to the winde which wee sayled by verifying the old Proverbe amongst Mariners That he hath need of a long Mast that will sayle by the Reach and that the neerest land and speediest refreshing wee could looke for was the coast of Brasill and that standing towards it with the winde we had we shortned our way for the Indies and that to put all the sicke men together in one Shippe and to send her home was to make her their graue For we could spare but few sound men who were also subiect to fall sicke and the misery notwithstanding remedilesse with which they were convinced and remained satisfied So leaving all to their choyse with the consideration of what I perswaded they resolved with me to continue our course till that God was pleased to looke vpon vs with his Fatherly eyes of mercie As we approached neerer and neerer the coast of Brasill the wind began to vere to the East-wardes and about the middle of October to be large and good for vs and about the 18. of October we were thwart of Cape Saint Augustine which lyeth in sixe degrees to the Southwards of the lyne and the 21. in the height of Farnambuca but some fourescore leagues from the Coast the twentie foure in the height of Bayea de todos Santos neere the end of October betwixt 17. and 18. degrees we were in 16. fathomes sounding of the great Sholes which lye alongst the Coast betwixt the Bay of todos Santos and the Port of Santos alias ura senora de Vitoria which are very perilous But the divine Providence hath ordayned great flockes of small Birds like Snytes to liue vpon the Rockes and broken lands of these Sholes and are met with ordinarily twentie leagues before a man come in danger of them It shall not be amisse here to recount the Accidents which befell vs during this contrary winde and the curiosities to be observed in all this time Day and night we had continually a fayre gale of winde and a smooth Sea without any alteration one day the Carpenters having Calked the Decke of our Shippe which the Sunne with his extreame heate had opened craved licence to heate a little Pitch in the Cook-roome which I would not consent vnto by any meanes for that my Cook-roomes were vnder the Decke knowing the danger vntill the Master vndertooke that no danger should come thereof But he recommended the charge to another who had a better name then experience He suffered the Pitch to rise and to runne into the fire which caused so furious a flame as amazed him and forced all to flie his heate one of my Company with a double payre of Gloues tooke off the Pitch-pot but the fire forced him to let slip his hold-fast before he could set it on the Hearth and so overturned it and as the Pitch began to runne so the fire to enlarge it selfe that in a moment a great part of the Shippe was on a light fire I being in my Cabin presently imagined what the matter was and for all the hast I could make before I came the fire was aboue the Decke for remedie whereof I commanded all my Companie to cast their Ruggegownes into the Sea with Ropes fastened vnto them These I had provided for my people to watch in for in many hott Countries the nights are fresh and colde and devided one Gowne to two men a Starboord and a Larboord man so that he which watched had ever the Gowne for they which watched not were either in their Cabins or vnder the Decke and so needed them not The Gownes being well soked every man that could tooke one and assaulted the fire and although some were singed others scalded and many burned God was pleased that the fire was quenched which I thought impossible And doubtlesse I never saw my selfe in greater perill in all the dayes of my life Let all men take example by vs not to suffer in any case Pitch to be heate in the Ship except it be with a shott heate in the fire which cannot breed daunger nor to permit fire to be kindled but vpon meere necessitie for the inconvenience thereof is for the most part remedilesse With drinking of Tobacco it is said that the Roebucke was burned in the range of Dartmouth The Primrose of London was fired with a Candle at Tilbery-hope and nothing saved but her Kele And another Ship bound for Barbary at Wapping The Iesus of Lubecke had her Gunner-roome set on fire with a Match and had
we might discry the hull of a Ship beaten vpon the Beach It was of the Spanish Fleete that went to inhabite there in Anno 1582. vnder the charge of Pedro Sarmiento who at his returne was taken Prisoner and brought into England In this Bay the Spaniards made their principall habitation and called it the Cittie of Saint Philip and left it peopled But the cold barrennes of the Countrie and the malice of the Indians wiâ—h whom they badly agreed made speedie end of them as also of those whom they left in the middle of the Straites three leagues from Cape Froward to the East-wards in another habitation We continued our course alongst this reach for all the Straites is as a River altering his course sometimes vpon one poynt sometimes vpon another which is some eight Leagues long and lyeth West North-west From this we entred into a goodly Bay which runneth vp into the land Northerly many Leagues and at first entrance a man may see no other thing but as it were a maine Sea From the end of this first reach you must direct your course West South-west and some foureteene or fifteene leagues lyeth one of the narrowest places of all the Straites This leadeth vnto another reach that lyeth west and by north some six leagues Here in the middle of the reach the wind tooke vs by the north-west and so we were forced to anchor some two or three dayes In which time we went a shore with our Boates and found neere the middle of this reach on the Star-boord side a reasonable good place to ground and trimme a small Ship where it higheth some nine or ten foote water Here we saw certaine Hogges but they were so farre from vs that wee could not discerne if they were of those of the Countrie or brought by the Spaniards these were all the Beasts which we saw in all the time we were in the Straites In two tydes we turned through this reach and so recovered the Ilands of Pengwins they lye from this reach foure leagues South-west and by west Till you come to this place care is to be taken of not comming too neere to any poynt of the Land for being for the most part sandie they haue sholding off them and are somewhat what dangerous These Ilands haue beene set forth by some to be three we could discover but two And they are no more except that part of the Mayne which lyeth over against them be an Iland which carrieth little likelihood and I cannot determine it A man may sayle betwixt the two Ilands or betwixt them and the Land on the laâ—boord side from which land to the bigger Iland is as it were a bridge or ledge on which is foure or fiue fathome water and to him that commeth neere it not knowing thereof may iustly cause feare for it sheweth to be shold water with his rypling like vnto a race Betwixt the former reach and these Ilands runneth vp a goodly Bay into the Country to the North-wards It causeth a great indraught and aboue these Ilands runneth a great tide from the mouth of the Straites to these Ilands the land on the larboord-side is low land and sandy for the most part and without doubt Ilands for it hath many openings into the Sea and forcible indraughts by them and that on the starboord side is all high mountaynous land from end to end but no wood on eyther side Before wee passed these Ilands vnder the lee of the bigger Iland we anchored the wind being at North-east with intent to refresh our selues with the fowles of these Ilands They are of divers sorts and in great plentie as Pengwins wilde Ducks Gulles and Gannets of the principall we purposed to make provision and those were the Pengwins which in Welsh as I haue beene enformed signifieth a white head From which derivation and many other Welsh denominations given by the Indians or their predecessors some doe inferre that America was first peopled with Welsh-men and Motezanna King or rather Emperour of Mexico did recount vnto the Spaniards at their first comming that his Auncestors came from a farre Countrie and were white people Which conferred which an auncient Cronicle that I haue read many yeares since may bee coniectured to bee a Prince of Wales who many hundreth yeares since with certaine shippes sayled to the westwards with intent to make new discoveries Hee was never after heard of The Pengwin is in all proportion like vnto a Goose and hath no feathers but a certaine doune vpon all parts of his body and therefore cannot flie but avayleth himselfe in all occasions with his feete running as fast as most men He liveth in the Sea and on the Land feedeth on fish in the Sea and as a Goose on the shore vpon grasse They harbour themselues vnder the ground in burrowes as the Connies and in them hatch their young All parts of the Iland where they haunted were vndermined saue onely one valley which it seemeth they reserved for their foode for it was as green as any Medowe in the moneth of Aprill with a most fine short grasse The flesh of these Pengwins is much of the savour of a certaine fowle taken in the Ilands of Lundey and Silley which wee call Puffins by the tast it is easily discerned that they feede on fish They are very fatt and in dressing must be flead as the Byter they are reasonable meate rosted baked or sodden but best rosted We saltâ—d some dozen or 16. hogsheads which served vs whilest they lasted in steede of powdred beefe The hunting of them as we may well terme it was a great recreation to my Company and worth the sight for in determining to catch them necessarily was required good store of people every one with a cudgell in his hand to compasse them round about to bring them as it were into a ring if they chanced to breake out then was the sport for the ground being vndermined at vnawares it fayled and as they ran after them one fell here another there another offering to strike at one lifting vp his hand sunke vpp to the arme pits in the earth another leaping to avoyd one hole fell into another And after the first slaughter in seeing vs on the shore they shunned vs and procured to recover the Sea yea many times seeing themselues persecuted they would tumble downe from such high rocks mountaines as it seemed impossible to escape with life Yet as soone as they came to the beach presently wee should see them runne into the Sea as though they had no hurt Where one goeth the other followeth like sheepe after the Bel-wether but in getting them once within the ring close together few escaped saue such as by chance hid themselues in the borrowes and ordinarily there was no droue which yeelded vs not a thousand and more the maner of killing them which the hunters vsed being in a cluster together was with their cudgels to
of ours but one small Pynace nor any man of name saue onely Captaine Cocke who dyed with honour amidst his Company The greatest dammage that as I remember they caused to any of our Shippes was to the Swallow of her Maiestie which I had in that action vnder my Charge with an Arrow of fire shott into her Beake-head which we saw not because of the sayle till it had burned a hole in the Rose as bigge as a mans head the Arrow falling out and driving alongst by the Shippes side made vs doubt of it which after we discovered SECT XL. IN many occasions notwithstanding it is most preiudiciall to dissemble the reprehension and punishment of murmurings and mutterings when they carry a likelihood to grow to a mutenie seeme to leane to a faction or that a person of regard or merite favoureth the intention or contradicteth the Iustice c. and others of like qualitie The prudent Governour is to cut off this Hydra's head in the beginning and by prevention to provide remedie with expedition and this sometimes with absolute authoritie although the best be ever to proceed by Counsell if necessitie and occasion require not the contrary for passion many times over-ruleth but that which is sentenced and executed by consent is iustified although sometimes erronious March 29. 1594. SECT XLI FRom Cape Desire some foure leagues North-west lye foure Ilands which are very small and the middlemost of them is oâ— the fashion of a Sugar-loafe We were no sooner cleare of Cape Desire and his ledge of Rockes which lie a great way off into the Sea but the wind tooke vs contrary by the North-west and so we stood off into the Sea two dayes and two nights to the Westwards In all the Straites it ebbeth and floweth more or lesse and in many places it higheth very little water but in some Bayes where are great indraughts it higheth eight or ten foote and doubtlesse further in more If a man be furnished with wood and water and the winde good he may keepe the mayne Sea and goe round about the Straites to the Southwards and it is the shorter way for besides the experience which we made that all the South part of the Straites is but Ilands many times having the Sea open I remember that Sir Francis Drake told me that having short the Straites a storme tooke him first at North-west and after vered about to the South-west which continued with him many dayes with that extremitie that he could not open any Sayle and that at the end of the storme he found himselfe in fiftie degrees which was sufficient testimony and proofe that he was beaten round about the Straites for the least height of the Straites is in fiftie two degrees and fiftie minutes in which stand the two entrances or mouths And moreover he sayd that standing about when the winde changed he was not well able to double the Southermost Iland and so anchored vnder the lee of it and going a-shore carried a Compasse with him and seeking out the Southermost part of the Iland cast himselfe downe vpon the vttermost poynt groveling and so reached out his bodie over it Presently he imbarked and then recounted vnto his people that he had beene vpon the Southermost knowne land in the world and more â—urther to the Southwards vpon it then any of them yea or any man as yet knowne These testimonies may suffice for this truth vnto all but such as are incredulous will beleeue nothing but what they see for my part I am of opinion that the Straite is navigable all the yeare long although the best time be in November December and Ianuary and then the winds more favourable which other times are variable as â—n all narrow Seas Being some fiftie leagues a Sea-boord the Straites the winde vering to the West-wards we cast about to the North-wards and lying the coast along shaped our course for the Iland Mocha About the fifteenth of Aprill we were thwart of Baldivia which was then in the hands of the Spaniards but since the Indians in Anno 1599. dispossessed them of it and the Conception which are two of the most principall places they had in that Kingdome and both Ports Baldivia had its name of a Spanish Captaine so called whom afterwards the Indians tooke Prisoner and it is said they required of him the reason why he came to molest them and to take their Country from them having no title nor right therevnto he answered to get Gold which the barbarous vnderstanding caused Gold to be molten and powred downe his throat saying Gold was thy desire glut thee with it It standeth in fortie degrees hath a pleasant River and navigable for a Ship of good burden may goe as high vp as the Cittie and is a goodly wood Country Here our Beefe beganne to take end and was then as good as the day wee departed from England it was preserved in Pickell which though it be more chargeable yet the profit payeth the charge in that it is made durable contrary to the opinion of many which hold it impossible that Beefe should be kept good passing the Equinoctiall lyne And of our Porke I eate in the house of Don Beltran de Castro in Lyma neere foure yeares old very good preserved after the same manner notwithstanding it had lost his Pickle long before Some degrees before a man come to Baldivia to the South-wards as Spaniards haue told me lyeth the Iland Chule not easily to be discerned from the mayne for he that passeth by it cannot but thinke it to be the mayne It is said to be inhabited by the Spaniards but badly yet rich of gold The 19. of Aprill being Easter-euen we anchored vnder the Iland Mocha It lyeth in 39. degrees it may be some foure leagues over and is a high mountainous hill but round about the foote thereof some halfe league from the Sea-shore it is Champion ground well inhabited and manured From the Straites to this Iland we found that either the coast is set out more westerly then it is or that we had a great current which put vs to the west-wards for we had not sight of land in three dayes after Our reckoning was to see it but for that we coasted not the land I cannot determine whether it was caused by the current or lying of the land But Spaniards which haue sayled alongst it haue told me that it is a bold and safe coast and reasonable sounding of it In this Iland of Mocha we had communication and contratation with the inhabitants but with great vigilancie and care for they and all the people of Chily are mortall enemies to the Spaniards and held vs to be of them and so esteemed Sir Francis Drake when he was in this Iland which was the first land also that he touched on this coast They vsed him with so fine a trechery that they possessed themselues of all the Oares in his Boate saving two and
neglect thereof and haue beene most lamentable spectacles and examples vnto vs Experiments in the great Harry Admirall of England which was over-set and suncke at Ports-mouth 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 haue 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 vpward likewise vpon the same occasion with many others which wee never haue 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 shee over-set especially if shee be English built And that which over-setteth the Ship is the waight of the water that presseth downe the side which as it entreth more and more increaseth the waight and the impossibilitie of the remedie For the water not entring with casing 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 With this mischaunce the Mariners were so daunted that they would not proceede with the Ship any further except shee were lighted which indeede was needelesse for many reasons which I gaue but Mariners are like to a stiffe necked Horse which taking the bridle betwixt his teeth forceth his Rider to what him list maâ—ger his will so they hauing 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 giue account to my Father of that which had past and to bring mee presently some Barke of London to goe along with mee to Plymouth which not finding he brought me a Hoye in which I loaded some sixe or eight tunns to giue content to the company and so set sayle the 13. of Aprill and the next day wee put in at Harwich for that the winde was contrary and from thence departed the 18. of the sayd Moneth in the morning When wee were cleere of the Sands the winde vered to the South-west and so we were forced to put into Margat Roade whether came presently after vs a Fleete of Hollanders of aboue an hundreth Sayle bound for Rochell to loade salt and in their companie a dozen ships of Warre their wasters very good ships and well appointed in all respects All which came alongst by our ship and â—â—â—ured vs as is the custome of the Sea some with three others with fiue 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 Pilates shore Comming neere the South-sore-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 putting our ship to slay what with the chapping Sea and what with the Tide vpon the Bowe shee mist staying and put vs in some daunger before wee could flact about therefore for doubling the point of any land better is ever a short bourd then to put all in perill Being tacked about wee thought to anchor in the Downes but the sayles set we made a small bourd and after casting about againe doubled the foreland and ran alongst the Coast till we came to the I le of Wight where being becalmed wee sent a shore 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 wee came to Port-land to the west South-west but with the helpe of the ebbe wee recovered Port-land ronde 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 vp all the ebbe and to stop the flood being vnder sayle SECT III. THe Fleete of Flemings which had beene in our company before came towring into the road which certainly was a thing worth the notiâ—g to behold the good order the Masters observed in guard of their fleete The Admirall headmost the râ—st of the men of Warre spread alongst to wind-ward all saving the vice-Admirall and her consort which were lee-most and stern-most of all and except the Admirall which was the first that came to an Anchor None of the other men of warre anchored before all the Fleete was in safetie and then they placed themselues round about the Fleete the Vice-Admirall Seamost and Leemost which we haue taught vnto most Nations and they obserue it now a dayes better then we to our shame that being the Authors and reformers of the best Discipline and Lawes in Sea causes are become those which doe now worst execute them And I cannot gather whence this contempt hath growne except of the neglect of Discipline or rather in giuing commands for favour to those which want experience of what is committed to their charge Or that there hath beene little curiositie in our countrey in writing of the Discipline of the Sea which is not lesse necessary for vs then that of the Law And I am of opinion that the want of experience is much more tollerable in a Generall by Land then in a Gouernour by Sea For in the field the Lieutenant Generall the Sergeant Maior and the Coronels supply what is wanting in the Generall for that they all command and ever there is place for Counsell which in the Sea by many accidents is denied and the head is he that manageth all in whom alone if there be defect all is badly governed for by ignorance how can errors be iudged or reformed And therefore I wish all to take vpon them that which they vnderstand and refuse the contrary As Sir Henry Palmer a wise and valiant Gentleman a great commander and of much experience in Sea causes being appoynted by the Queenes Maiesties Counsell to goe for Generall of a Fleete for the coast of Spaine Anno 1583. submitting himselfe to their Lordships pleasure excused the charge saying that his trayning vp had beene in the narrow Seas and that of the other he had little experience And therefore was in dutie bound to intreate their Honours to make choice of some other person that was
ten dayes sayling as the contagion which their distemperature is wont to cause and with it to breede Calenturas which wee call burning Fevers These Ilands are sayd to be first discovered by a French-man called Iohn de Betancourt about the yeare 1405. They are now a Kingdome subiect to Spaine SECT XIII BEing cleare of the Ilands wee directed our course for Cape Blauce and two howres before Sunne set we had sight of a Carvell some League in the winde of vs which seemed to come from Gynea or the Ilands of Cape de Verde and for that hee which had the sery-watch neglected to look out being too lee-ward of the Ilands and so out of hope of sight of any shipp for the little trade and contrariety of the winde that though a man will from few places hee can recover the Ilands comming from the south-wards wee had the winde of her and perhaps the possession also whereof men of Warre are to haue particular care for in an houre and place vnlookt for many times chance accidents contrary to the ordinary course and custome and to haue younkers in the top continually is most convenient and necessary not onely for descrying of sayles and land but also for any sudden gust or occasion that may be offered Seeing my selfe past hope of returning backe without some extraordinary accident I began to set order in my Companie and victuals And for thaâ— to the south-wards of the Canaries is for the most part an idle Navigation I devised to keepe my people occupied as well to continue them in health for that too much case in hott Countries is neither profitable nor healthfull as also to divert them from remembrance of their home and from play which breedeth many inconveniences and other bad thoughts and workes which idlenes is cause of and so shifting my company as the custome is into Starboord and Larboord men the halfe to watch and worke whilest the others slept and take rest I limited the three dayes of the weeke which appertayned to each to be imployed in this manner the one for the vse and clensing of their Armes the other for roomeging making of Sayles Nettings Decking and Defences for our Shippes and the third for clensing their bodies mending and making their apparell and necessaries which though it came to be practised but once in seaven dayes for that the Sabboth is ever to be reserved for God alone with the ordinary Obligation which each person had besides was many times of force to be omitted And thus wee entertained our time with a fayre Wind and in few dayes had sight of the Land of Barbary some dozen Leagues to the Northwards of Cape Blacke Before we came to the Cape wee tooke in our Sayles and made preparation of Hookes and Lines to Fish For in all that Coast is great abundance of sundry kinds of Fish but especially of Porgus which wee call Breames many Portingalls and Spaniards goe yearely thither to fish as our Country-men to the New-found-land and within Cape Blacke haue good Harbour for reasonable shipping where they dry their Fish paying a certaine easie tribute to the Kings Collector In two houres wee tooke store of Fish for that day and the next but longer it would not keepe good and with this refreshing set Sayle againe and directed our course betwixt the Ilands of Cape de Verd and the Maine These Ilands are held to be scituate in one of the most vnhealthiest Climates of the world and therefore it is wisedome to shunne the sight of them how much more to make abode in them In two times that I haue beene in them either cost vs the one halfe of our people with Fevers and Fluxes of sundry kinds some shaking some burning some partaking of both some possest with frensie others with sloath and in one of them it cost me six moneths sicknesse with no small hazard of life which I attribute to the distemperature of the ayre for being within foureteene degrees of the Equinoctiall lyne the Sunne hath great force all the yeare and the more for that often they passe two three and foure yeares without rayne and many times the earth burneth in that manner as a man well shodd cannot endure to goe where the Sunne shineth With which extreame heate the bodie fatigated greedily desireth refreshing and longeth the comming of the Breze which is the North-east winde that seldome fayleth in the after-noone at foure of the clocke or sooner which comming cold and fresh and finding the poores of the body open and for the most part naked penetrateth the very bones and so causeth sudden distemperature and sundry manners of sicknesse as the Subiects are divers wherevpon they worke Departing out of the Calmes of the Ilands and comming into the fresh Brese it causeth the like and I haue seene within two dayes after that we haue partaked of the fresh ayre of two thousand men aboue a hundreth and fiftie haue beene crazed in their health The Inhabitants of these Ilands vse a remedie for this which at my first being amongst them seemed vnto me ridiculous but since time and experience hath taught to be grounded vpon reason And is that vpon their heads they weare a Night-capp vpon it a Moutero and a Hat over that and on their bodies a sute of thicke Cloth and vpon it a Gowne furr'd or lyned with Cotton or Bayes to defend them from the heate in that manner as the Inhabitants oâ— cold Countries to guard themselues from the extreamitie of the colde Which doubtlesse is the best diligence that any man can vse and whosoever prooveth it shall find himselfe lesse annoyed with the heate then if he were thinly Cloathed for that where the cold ayre commeth it peirceth not so subtilly The Mâ—one also in this Climate as in the coast of Guyne and in all hott Countries hath forcible operation in the body of man and therefore as the Plannet most preiudiciall to his health is to be shunned as also not to sleepe in the open Ayre or with any Scuttle or Window open whereby the one or the other may enter to hurt For a person of credit told me that one night in a river of Guyne leaving his Window open in the side of his Cabin the Moone shining vpon his shoulder left him with such an extraordinary paine and furious burning in it as in aboue twentie houres he was like to runne madde but in fine with force of Medicines and cures after long torment he was eased Some I haue heard say and others write that there is a Starre which never seperateth it selfe from the Moone but a small distance which is of all Starres the most beneficiall to man For where this Starre entreth with the Moone it maketh voyde her hurtfull enfluence and where not it is most perilous Which if it be so is a notable secret of the divine Providence and a speciall cause amongst infinite others to moue vs to
water and with his tayle thresheth vpon the head of the Whale till hee force him to giue way which the Sword fish perceiving receiveth him vpon his sword and wounding him in the belly forceth him to mount vp againe besides that he cannot abide long vnder water but must of force rise vpp to breath and when in such maner they torment him that the sight is sometimes heard aboue three leagues distance and I dare affirme that I haue heard the blowes of the Thresher two leagues off as the report of a peece of Ordinance the Whales roaring being heard much farther It also happeneth sundry times that a great part of the water of the Sea round about them with the blood of the Whale changeth his colour The best remedy the Whale hath in this extremitie to helpe himselfe is to get him to land which hee procureth as soone as hee discoverth his adversaries and getting the shore there can fight but one with him and for either of them hand to hand he is too good The Whale is a fish not good to be eaten hee is almost all fat but esteemed for his trayne and many goe to the New-found-land Greene-land and other parts onely to fish for them which is in this maner when they which seeke the Whale discover him they compasse him round about with Pynaces or Shalops In the head of every Boat is placed a man with a harping Iron and a long Lyne the one end of it fastned to the harping iron and the other end to the head of the Boat In which it lyeth finely coyled and for that he cannot keepe long vnder water he sheweth which way he goeth when rising neere any of the Boats within reach he that is neerest darteth his harping Iron at him The Whale finding himselfe to be wounded swimmeth to the bottome and draweth the Pynace after him which the Fisher men presently forsake casting themselues into the Sea for that many times he draweth the Boat vnder water those that are next procure to take them vp For this cause all such as goe for that kinde of Fishing are experimented in swimming When one harping Iron is fastned in the Whale it is easily discerned which way he directeth his course and so ere long they fasten another and another in him When he hath three or foure Boats dragging after him with their waight his bleeding and fury he becommeth so over-mastred that the rest of the Pynaces with their presence and terror driue him to the place where they would haue him nature instigating him to covet the shore Being once hurt there is little need to force him to land Once on the shore they presently cut great peeces of him and in great Cauldrons seeth them The vppermost in the Cauldrons is the fatt which they skimme off and put it into Hogsheads and Pipes This is that they call Whales oyle or Traine oyle accompted the best sort of Traine oyle It is hard to be beleeved what quantitie is gathered of one Whale Of the tongue I haue beene enformed haue many Pipes beene filled The fynnes are also esteemed for many and sundry vses as is his spawne for divers purposes This wee corruptly call Parmacittie of the Latine word Sperma Ceti And the precious Amber-greece some thinke also to be found in his bowells or voyded by him but not in all seas yea they maintaine for certaine that the same is ingendred by eating an hearbe which groweth in the Sea This hearbe is not in all Seas say they and therefore where it wanteth the Whales giue not this fruit In the coast of the East Indies in many partes is great quantitie In the coastes of Guyne of Barbary of the Florida in the Ilands of Cape de Verde and the Canaries Amber-greece hath beene many times found and sometimes on the coast of Spaine and England Wherevpon it is presumed that all thâ—se Seas haue not the hearbe growing in them The cause why the Whale should eate this hearbe I haue not heard nor read It may be surmised that it is as that of the Becunia and other Beasts which breed the Beazer stone who feeding in the valleyes and mountaines where are many venemous Serpents and hearbes when they find themselues touched with any poyson forthwith they runne for remedie to an hearbe which the Spaniards call Contra yerva that is to say contrary to poyson which having eaten they are presently cured but the substance of the hearbe converteth it selfe into a medicinable stone So it may be that the Whale feeding of many sorts of fishes and some of them as is knowne venemous when he findeth himselfe touched with this hearbe he cureth himselfe and not being able to digest it nature converteth it into this substance provoketh it out or dyeth with it in his belly and being light the Sea bringeth it to the Coast. All these are imaginations yet instruments to mooue vs to the glorifying of the great and vniversall Creatour of all whose secret wisedome and wonderfull workes are incomprehensible But the more approved generation of the Amber greece and which carrieth likliest probabilitie is that it is a liquor which issueth out of certaine Fountaines in sundry Seas and being of a light and thicke substance participating of the ayre suddenly becommeth hard as the yellow Amber of which they make Beads which is also a liquor of a Fountaine in the Germayne Sea In the bottome it is soft and white and partaking of the ayre becommeth hard and stonie Also the Corrall in the Sea is soft but comming into the ayre becommeth a stone Those who are of this former opinion thinke the reason why the Amber greece is sometimes found in the Whale to be for that he swalloweth it as other things which he findeth swimming vpon the water and not able digest it it remaineth with him till his death Another manner of fishing and catching the Whale I cannot omit vsed by the Indians in Florida worthy to be considered in as much as the barbarous people haue found out so great a secret by the industry and diligence of one man to kill so great and huge a Monster it is in this manner The Indian discovering a Whale procureth two round billets of wood sharpneth both at one end and so binding them together with a cord casteth himselfe with them into the Sea and swimmeth towards the Whale if he come to him the Whale escapeth not for he placeth himselfe vpon his necke and although the Whale goeth to the bottome he must of â—orce rise presently to breath for which nature hath given him two great holes in the toppe of his head by which every time that he breatheth he spouteth out a great quantitie of water the Indian forsaketh not his holde but riseth with him and thrusteth in a Logg into one of his Spowters and with the other knocketh it in so fast that by no meanes the Whale can get it out That fastned at another opportunitie he thrusteth
night from the sight of the Compasse and haue another before them whereby they see what they doe and are ever witnesses of the good or bad Steeridge of all men that take the Helme This I haue seene neglected in our best Shippes yet nothing more necessary to be reformed For a good Helme-man may be overcome with an imagination and so mis-take one poynt for another or the Compasse may erre which by another is discerned The inconveniences which hereof may ensue all experimented Sea-men may easily conceiue and by vs take warning to avoyd the like SECT XXIIII THe next day about tenne of the Clocke wee were thwart of Cape Blanco which is low sandie Land and perilous for foure Leagues into the Sea thwart it lye banks of sand which haue little water on them on a sudden we found our selues amongst them in lesse then three fathome water but with our Boat and Shalope we went sounding and so got cleare of them The next day following we discovered the Ilands where wee purposed to refresh our selues They are two and some call them Saint Iames his Ilands and others Saint Annes They lie in two and twentie degrees and a halfe to the South-wards of the lyne and towards the evening being the fifth of November we anchored betwixt them and the Mayne in six fathome water where wee found our other Shippes All which being well Moored we presently began to set vp Tents and Booths for our sicke men to carry them a shore and to vse our best diligence to cure them For which intent our three Surgeans with their servants and adherents had two Boates to wayte continually vpon them to fetch whatsoever was needfull from the Shippes to procure refreshing and to Fish either with Netts or Hookes and Lynes Of these implements wee had in aboundance and it yeelded vs some refreshing For the first dayes the most of those which had health occupied themselues in romeging our Ship in bringing a shore of emptie Caske in filling of them and in felling and cutting of Wood which being many workes and few hands went slowly forwards Neere these Ilands are two great Rockes or small Ilands adioyning In them we found great store of young Gannetts in their nests which we reserved for the sicke and being boyled with pickled Porke well watered and mingled with Oatmeale made reasonable Pottage and was good refreshing and sustenance for them This provision fayled vs not till our departure from them Vpon one of these Rocks also we found great store of the hearbe Purslane which boyled and made into Sallets with oyle and vineger refreshed the sicke stomackes and gaue appetite With the ayre of the shore and good cherishing many recovered speedily Some died away quickly and others continued at a stand We found here some store of fruits a kind of Cherry that groweth vpon a tree like a Plum-tree red of colour with a stone in it but different in making to ours for it is not altogether round and dented about they haue a pleasing taste In one of the Ilands we found Palmito trees great and high and in the toppe a certaine fruit like Cocos but no bigger then a Wallnut We found also a fruit growing vpon trees in codds like Beanes both in the codd and the fruit Some of my Company proved of them and they caused vomits and purging as any medicine taken out of the Apothecaries shop according to the quantitie received They haue hudds as our Beanes which shaled off the kernell parteth it selfe in two and in the middle is a thin skinne like that of an Onion said to be hurtfull and to cause exceeding vomits and therefore to be cast away Monardus writing of the nature and propertie of this fruit as of others of the Indies for that it is found in other parts also calleth them Havas purgativas and sayth that they are to be prepared by peeling them first and then taking away the skinne in the middle and after beaten into powder to take the quantitie of fiue or sixe either with Wine or Sugar Thus they are good against Fevers and to purge grosse humors against the Collicke and payne of the ioynts in taking them a man may not sleepe but is to vse the dyet vsuall as in a day of purging One other fruit we found very pleasant in taste in fashion of an Artechoque but lesse on the outside of colour redd within white and compassed about with prickles our people called them Prick-peares no Conserue is better They grow vpon the leaues of a certaine roote that is like vnto that which we call semper viva and many are wont to hang them vp in their houses but their leaues are longer and narrower and full of Prickes on either side The fruit groweth vpon the side of the leafe and is one of the best fruites that I haue eaten in the Indies In ripening presently the Birds or Vermine are feeding on them a generall rule to know what fruit is wholsome and good in the Indies and other parts Finding them to be eaten of the Beasts or Fowles a man may boldly eate of them The water of these Ilands is not good the one for being a standing water and full of venemous Wormes and Serpents which is neare a Butt-shot from the Sea shore where we found a great Tree fallen and in the roote of it the names of sundry Portingalls Frenchmen and others and amongst them Abraham Cockes with the time of their being in this Island The other though a running water yet passing by the rootes of certaine trees which haue a smell as that of Garlique taketh a certaine contagious sent of them Here two of our men dyed with swelling of their bellies The accident we could not attribute to any other cause then to this suspitious water It is little and falleth into the sand and soketh through it into the Sea and therefore we made a well of a Pipe and placed it vnder the rocke from which it falleth and out of it filled our Caske but we could not fill aboue two Tunnes in a night and a day SECT XXV SO after our people began to gather their strength wee manned our Boates and went over to the Mayne where presently we found a great Ryver of fresh and sweete water and a mightie Marish Countrie which in the Winter seemeth to be continually over-flowne with this River and others which fall from the mountaynous Country adiacent We rowed some leagues vp the Ryver and found that the further vp we went the deeper was the River but no fruit more then she sweate of our bodies for the labour of our handes At our returne wee loaded our Boate with Water and afterwardes from hence wee made our Store SECT XXVI THe sicknesse having wasted more then the one halfe of my people we determined to take out the victualls of the Hawke and to burne her which wee put in execution And being occupied
our light horseman for with haling her vp to step into her out of the boate he split her asunder and so wee were forced to cut her off which was no small heartes griefe vnto me â—or that I knew and all my company felt and many times lamented the losse of her The storme tooke end and wee shaped our course for the Iland of Saint Maries which lyeth in thirtie seaven Degrees and forty minuts and before you come vnto the Iland some two leagues in the trade way lyeth a rocke which a farre off seemeth to be a Shippe vnder sayle This Iland is little and low but fertill and well peopled with Indians and some fewe Spaniards in it Some ten leagues to the North-wards of this Iland lyeth the Citty Conception with a good Port from this wee coasted alongst till wee came in thirty three degrees and forty minutes In which height lay the Ilands of Ivan Fernandes betwixt threescore and fourescore Leagues from the shore plentifull of fish and good for refreshing I purposed for many reasons not to discover my selfe vpon this coast till wee were past Lyma otherwise called Cividad de los Reyes for that it was entered by the Spaniard the day of the three Kings but my Company vrged me so farre that except I should seeme in all things to over-beare them in not condiscending to that which in the opinion of all but my selfe seemed profitable and best I could not but yeelde vnto though it carried a false colour as the ende prooued for it was our perdition This all my Company knoweth to be true whereof some are yet living and can giue testimonie But the Mariner is ordinarily so carried away with the desire of Pillage as sometimes for very appearances of small moment hee looseth his voyage and many times himselfe And so the greedines of spoyle onely hoped for in shippes of trade which goe too and fro in this coast blinded them from forecasting the perill whereinto wee exposed our voyage in discovering our selues before wee past the coast of Callaâ— which is the Port of Lyma To be short wee haled the coast aboord and that Evening we discovered the Port of Balparizo which serveth the Citty of Saint Iago standing some twenty leagues into the Countrey when presently we descried foure shippes at an Anchor wherevpon wee manned and armed our boate which rowed towards the Shippes they seeing vs turning in and fearing that which was ran a shore with that little they could saue and leaft vs the rest whereof we were Masters in a moment and had the rifling of all the storâ—houses on the shoare This night I set a good guard in all the shippes longing to see the light of the next morning to put all things in order which appearing I began to survay them and found nothing of moment saue fiue hundreth Botozios of Wine two or three thousand of Hennes and some refreshing of Bread Bacon dried Beefe Waxe Candles and other necessaries The rest of their lading was plankes Spares and Tymber for Lyma and the valleyes which is a rich trade for it hath no Tymber but that which is brought to it from other places They had also many Packes of Indian Mantles but of no value vnto vs with much Tallow and Manteca de Puerco and aboundance of great new Chests in which wee had thought to be some great masse of wealth but opening them found nothing but Apples therein all which was good Marchandize in Lyma but to vs of small accompt The Marchandize on shore in their Store-houses was the like and therefore in the same predicament The owners of the Shippes gaue vs to vnderstand that at a reasonable price they would redeeme their Shippes and loading which I harkened vnto and so admitted certaine persons which might treat of the matter and concluded with them for a small price rather then to burne them saving for the greatest which I carryed with me more to giue satisfaction to my people then for any other respect because they would not be perswaded but that there was much Gold hidden in her otherwise shee would haue yeelded vs more then the other three Being in this treatie one morning at the breake of day came another Shippe touring into the Harbour and standing into the shore but was becalmed Against her we manned a couple of Boates and tooke her before many houres In this Shippe we had some good quantitie of Gold which shee had gathered in Baldivia and the Conception from whence shee came Of this Shippe was Pilot and part owner Alonso Perezbueno whom we kept for our Pilot on this coast till moved with compassion for that he was a man charged with wife and children we set him a shore betwixt Santa and Truxillo Out of this Shippe we had also store of good Bacon and some provision of Bread Hennes and other Victuall And for that shee had brought vs so good a portion and her owner continued with vs the better to animate him to play the honest man though we trusted him no further then we saw him for we presently discovered him to be a cunning fellow and for that his other partner had lost the greatest part of Gold and seemed to be an honest man as after he prooved by his thankefulnesse in Lyma we gaue them the ship and the greatest part of her loading freely Here we supplied our want of Anchors though not according to that which was requisite in regard of the burden of our Shippe for in the South Sea the greatest Anchor for a Shippe of sixe or eight hundreth Tunnes is not a thousand waight partly because it is little subiect to stormes and partly because those they had till our comming were all brought out of the North sea by land for they make no Anchors in those Countries And the first Artillerie they had was also brought over land which was small the carriage and passage â—â—om Nombre de Bios or Porto Velo to Panama being most difficult and steepe vp hill and downe hill they are all carried vpon Negroes backes But some yeares beâ—ore my imprisonment they fell to making of Artillery and since they forge Anchors also Wee furnished our Shippe also with a shift of Sayles of Cotton cloth which are farre better in that Sea then any of our double Sayles for that in all the Navigation of that Sea they haue little rayne and few stormes but where rayne and stormes are ordinary they are not good for with the wett they grow so stiffe that they cannot be handled SECT XLIII I Concluded the ransome of the Shippes with an auncient Captaine and of Noble blood who had his daughter there ready to be imbarked to goe to Lyma to serue Donia Teruza de Castro the Vice-royes wife and sister to Don Beliran de Castro Her apparell and his with divers other things which they had imbarked in the greatest Shippe we restored for the good office
North-wardes of the lyne and being thwart of it wee descried a small shippe which wee chased all that day and night and the next morning our Pinnace came to bourd her but being a shippe of advise and full of passengers and our shippe not able to fetch her vp they entreated our people badly and freed themselues though the feare they conceived caused them to cast all the dispatches of the King as also of particulars into the sea with a great part of their loading to bee lighter and better of sayle for the shippes of the South Sea loade themselues like lighters or sand barges presuming vpon the securitie from stormes SECT LII BEing out of hope to fetch vp this shippe wee stoode in with the Cape where the Land beginneth to trend about to the East-wards The Cape is high land and all covered over with Trees and so is the land over the Cape and all the coast from this Cape to Panama is full of wood from the Staites of Magelan to this cape of San Francisco In all the coast from head-land to head-land the courses lye betwixt the North and north and by west and sometimes more westerly and that but seldome It is a bolde Coast and subiect to little foule weather or alteration of windes for the Brese which is the sowtherly wind bloweth continually from Balparizo to Cape San Francisco except it be a great chance Trending about the Cape wee haled in East North-east to fetch the Bay of Atacames which lyeth some seaven Leagues from the Cape In the mid way some three leagues from the shore lyâ—th a banke of sand whereof a man must haue a care for in some parts of it there is but little water The tenth of Iune wee came to an anchor in the Bay of Atacames which on the wester part hath a round hammock It seemeth an Iland and in high springes I iudge that the sea goeth round about it To the East-wards it hath a high sandie cliffe and in the middest of the Bay a faire birth from the shore lyeth a bigge black Rocke aboue water from this Rocke to the sandie cliffe is a drowned Marsh ground caused by his lownesse And a great River which is broad but of no depth Manning our boate and running to the shore we found presently in the westerne bight of the Bay a deepe River whose indraught was so great that we could not benefit our selues of it being brackish except at a low water which hindred our dispatch yet in fiue dayes wee filled all our emptie Caske supplied our want of wood and grounded and put in order our Pinnace Here for that our Indians served vs to no other vse but to consume our victuals we eased our selues of them gaue them hookes and lines which they craved and some bread for a few dayes and replanted them in a farre better countrey then their owne which fell out luckely for the Spaniards of the shippe which wee chased thwart of Cape San Francisco for victuals growing short with her having many mouthes shee was forced to put a shore fiftie of her passengers neere the Cape wherof more then the one halfe dyed with famine and continual wading through Rivers and waters the rest by chance meeting with the Indians which wee had put ashore with their fishing guide and industry were refreshed susteyned and brought to habitation SECT LIII OVr necessary busines being ended wee purposed the fifteenth day of May in the morning to set sayle but the foureteenth in the Evening we had sight of a shippe some three leagues to Sea wards and through the importunitie of my Captaine and Companie I condiscended that our Pinnas should giue her chase which I should not haue done for it was our destruction I gaue them precise order that if they stood not in againe at night they should seeke mee at Cape San Francisco for the next morning I purposed to set sayle without delay and so seeing that our Pinnas slowed her comming at nine of the clocke in the morning wee weyed our Anchors and stoode for the Cape where wee beate off and on two dayes and our Pinnas not appearing wee stood againe into the Bay where wee descried her turning in without a maine Mast which standing off to the Sea close by with much winde and a chapping Sea bearing a taunt-sayle where a little was too much being to small purpose sodainely they bare it by the bourd and standing in with the shore the winde or rather God blinding them for our punishment they knewe not the land and making themselues to bee to wind-wards of the Bay bare vp and were put into the Bay of San Mathew It is a goodly Harbour and hath a great fresh River which higheth fifteene or sixteene foote water and is a good countrey and well peopled with Indidians they haue store of Gold and Emeralds heere the Spaniards from Guayaquill made an habitation whilst I was prisoner in Lyma by the Indians consent but after not able to suffer the insolencies of their guests and being a people of stoâ—acke and presumption they suffered themselues to bee perswaded and led by a Molato This leader many yeares before had fled vnto them from the Spaniards him they had long time held in reputation of their Captaine Generall and was admitted also vnto a chiefe Office by the Spaniardes to gaine him vnto them But now the Indians vniting themselues together presuming that by the helpe of this Molato they should force the Spaniards out of the Countrey put their resolution in execution droue their Enemies into the woods and sâ—ue as many as they could lay hands on some they killed few escaped with life and those who had that good happe suffered extreame misery before they came to Quito the place of neerest habitation of Spaniards To this Bay assoone as our people in the Pynnas saw their errour they brought their tackes abourd and turned and tyded it vp as they could Assoone as we came to Anchor I procured to remedie that was amisse in two daies we dispatched all we had to doe and the next morning we resolued to set sayle and to leaue the coast of Peru and Quito The day appearing we began to weigh our Anchors and being a Pike ready to cut sayle one out of the toppe descryed the Spanish Armado comming about the Cape which by the course it kept presently gaue vs to vnderstand who they were though my company as is the custome of Sea men made them to be the Fleete bound for Panama loden with treasure and importuned that in all hast we should cut sayle stand with them which I contradicted for that I was assured that no shipping would stirre vppon the coast till they had securitie of our departure except some Armado that might be sent to seeke vs and that it was not the time of the yeare to carry the treasure to Panama And besides in Riding still at an Anchor they euer came neerer vnto vs for they
batâ—ell by land In a Vanguard rereward maine battell and wings c. In every particular shippe the souldiers are set all vpon the deckes their forecastle they account their head Front or Vangard of their company that abast the Maâ—t the rereward and the waâ—te the mayne battell wherein they place their principall force and on which they principally relye which they call their placa de armas or place of Armes which taken their hope is lost The Gunners fight not but with their great Artillery the Marriners attend only to the tackling of the shippe and handling of the sayles and are vnarmed and subiect to all misfortunes not permitted to shelter themselues but to be still alofâ— whether it be necessary or needlesse So ordinarily those which first fayle are the Marriners and Saylers of which they haue greatest neede They vse few close fights or fireworkes and all this proceedeth as I iudge of errour in placing land Captaines for Governours and Commanders by Sea where they seldome vnderstand what is to be done or commanded Some that haue beene our prisoners haue perfited themselues of that they haue seene amongst vs and others disguised vnder colour of treaties for ransoming of prisoners for bringing of presents and other Imbassages haue noted our forme of shipping our manner of defences and discipline Sithence which espiall in such actions as they haue beene imployed in they seeke to imitate our gouerment and reformed discipline at Sea which doubtlesse is the best and most proper that is at this day knowne or practised in the whole world if the execution be answerable to that which is knowne and receiued for true and good amongst vs. In the Captaine for so the Spaniards call their Admirall was an English Gunner who to gaine grace with those vnder whom hee serued preferred himselfe and offered to sinke our shippe with the first shott he made who by the Spaniards relation being travesing of a peece in the bowe to make his shott had his head carryed away with the first or second shott made out of our shippe It slew also two or three of those which stood next him Which may be a good and gentle warning for all those who mooued either with couetousnesse or with desire of reuenge or in hope of worldly promotion or other respect whatsoeuer doe willingly and voluntarily serue the enemie against their owne nation nulla causa insta videri potest adversus patriam arma capiendi And if we consider the end of those who haue thus erred wee shall finde them for the most part lamentable and most miserable At the least those whom I haue knowne haue liued to be pointed at with detestation and ended their liues in beggery voyde of reputation SECT LIX THE fight continued so hott on both sides that the Artillery and Muskets neuer ceased playing Our contraries towards the euening determined the third time to lay vs abourd with resolution to take vs or to hazard all The order they set downe for the execution hereof was that the Captaine or Admirall should bring himselfe vppon our weather bowe and so fall abourd of vs vpon our broade side And that the Viceadmirall should lay his Admirall abourd vppon his weather quarter and so enter his men into her that from her they might enter vs or doe as occasion should minister The Captaine of the Viceadmirall being more hardy then considerate and presuming with his shippe and company to get the price and chiefe honour wayted not the time to put in execution the direction giuen but presently came abourd to wind wards vppon our broad side Which doubtlesse was the great and especiall providence of Almightie God for the discouraging of our enemies and animating of vs. For although shee was as long or rather longer then our shippe being rarely built and vtterly without fights or defence what with our Muskets and what with our fire-works we cleered her deckes in a moment so that scarce any person appeared And doubtlesse if we had entred but a dozen men we might haue enforced them to haue rendred vnto vs or taken her but our company being few and the principall of them slaine or hurt we durst not neither was it wisedome to aduenture the separation of those which remained and so held that for the best and soundest resolution to keepe our forces together in defence of our owne The Viceadmirall seeing himselfe in great distresse called to his Admirall for succour who presently laid him abourd and entred a hundreth of his men and so cleered themselues of vs. In this bourding the Viceadmirall had at the least thirtie and sixe men hurt and slaine and amongst them his Pilote shot through the body so as he dyed presently And the Admirall also receiued some losse which wrought in them a new resolution only with their Artillery to batter vs and so with time to force vs to surrender or to sinke vs which they put in execution and placing themselues within a Musket shott of our weather quarter and sometimes on our broad side lay continually beating vpon vs without intermission which was doubtlesse the best and securest determination they could take for they being rare shippes and without any manner of close fights in bourding with vs their men were all open vnto vs and we vnder couert and shelter For on all parts our shippe was Musket free and the great Artillery of force must cease on either side the shippes beiâ—g once grapled together except we resolued to sacrifice our selues together in fire For it is impossible if the great Ordinance play the shippes being bourded but that they must set fire on the shippe they shoote at and then no surety can be had to free himselfe as experience daily confirmeth For a peece of Artillery most properly resembleth a thunderclap which breaking vpwards or on the side hurteth not for that the fire hath scope to dispence it selfe without finding resistance till the violence which forceth it taketh end and so it mounts to its center but breaking downe right or stooping downwards and finding resistance or impediment before the violence that forceth it take end being so subtill and penetrable a substance passeth and pierceth so wonderfully as it leaueth the effect of his execution in all points answerable to his leuell and nighnesse For if the clouds be nigh the earth as some are higher some lower and breake down-wards the violence wherewith the fire breaketh out is such and of so strange an execution that men haue beene found dead without any outward signe in their flesh and yet all their bones burnt to dust So the blade of the sword hath beene found broken all to peeces in the scabard and the scabard whole without blemish And a cristall glasse all shiuered in peeces his couer and case remaining sound which commeth to passe for that in the flesh in the scabard and in the case the fire being so subtile of nature findeth easie passage without
better acquainted and experimented in those Seas that her Maiestie and their Lordships might be the better served His modestie and discretion is doubtlesse to be had in remembrance and great estimation For the ambition of many which covet the command of Fleetes and places of government not knowing their Compasse nor how nor what to command doe purchase to themselues shame and losse to those that employ them Being required in a Commander at Sea a sharpe wit a good vnderstanding experience in shipping practise in mannagement of Sea busines knowledge in Navigation and in command I hold it much better to deserue it and not to haue it then to haue it not deserving it SECT IV. THe fruits and inconveniences of the latter we daily partake of to our losse and dishonor As in the Fleete that went for Burdieux Anno 1592. which had six Gallant Ships for Wasters At their going out of Plimouth the Vice-admirall that should haue beene starnmost of all was the headmost and the Admirall the light and he that did execute the office of the Vice-admirall lanching off into the Sea drew after him the greater part of the Fleete and night comming on and both bearing lights caused a separation so that the head had a quarter of the bodie and the Fleete three quarters and he that should goe before came behinde Whereof ensued that the three parts meeting with a few Spanish Men of Warre wanting their head were a prey vnto them For the Vice-admirall and other Wasters that should be the Shepheards to guard and keepe their flocke and to carry them in safetie before them were headmost and they the Men who made most hast to flie from the Wolfe Whereas if they had done as they ought in place of losse and infamie they had gained honor and reward This I haue beene enformed of by the Spanish and English which were present in the occasion And a ship of mine being one of the Starnmost freed her selfe for that shee was in warlike manner with her false Netting many Pendents and Streamers and at least 16. or 18. Peeces of Artillery the enemie thinking her to be a Waster or Ship of warre not one of them durst lay her aboord and this the Master and company vaunted of at their returne In the same Voyage in the river of Burdieux as is credibly reported if the six Wasters had kept together they had not onely not received domage but gotten much Honour and Reputation For the Admirall of the Spanish Armado was a Flemish Shippe of not aboue 130. Tunnes and the rest Flie-boates and small shipping for the most part And although they were 22. Sayle in all what manner of Ships they were and how furnished and appoynted is well knowne with the difference In the Fleete of her Maiestie vnder the charge of my Father Sir Iohn Hawkins Anno 1590. vpon the coast of Spaine the Vice-admirall being a head one morning where his place was to be a Sterne lost vs the taking of eight men of Warre loaden with Munition Victuals and Provisions for the supplie of the Souldiers in Britaine and although they were seaven or eight Leagues from the Shore when our Vice-admirall began to fight with them yet for that the rest of our Fleete were some foure some fiue Leagues and some more distant from them when we beganne to giue chase the Spaniards recovered into the Harbour of Monge before our Admirall could come vp to giue direction yet well beaten with losse of aboue two hundreth men as they themselues conâ—essed to me after And doubtlesse if the winde had not over-blowne and that to follow them I was forced to shut all my lower ports the ship I vndertooke doubtles had never endured to come to the Port but being doubble Fli-boates and all good of Sayle they bare for their liues and we what we could to follow and fetch them vp In this poynt at the I le of Flores Sir Richard Greenfield got eternall honour and reputation of great valour and of an experimented Souldier chusing rather to sacrifice his life and to passe all danger whatsoeuer then to sayle in his Obligation by gathering together those which had remained a shore in that place though with the hazard of his ship and companie And rather we ought to imbrace an honourable death then to liue with infamie and dishonour by fayling in dutie and I account that he and his Country got much honor in that occasion for one ship and of the second sort of her Maiesties sustained the force of all the Fleete of Spaine and gaue them to vnderstand that they be impregnible for having bought deerely the boording of her divers and sundry times and with many ioyntly and with a continuall fight of 14. or 16. houres at length leaving her without any Mast standing and like a Logge in the Seas shee made notwithstanding a most honourable composition of life and libertie for aboue two hundreth and sixtie men as by the Pay-booke appeareth which her Maiestie of her free grace commanded in recompence of their service to be given to every one his six moneths wages All which may worthily be written in our Chronicles in letters of Gold in memory for all Posterities some to beware and others by their example in the like occasions to imitate the true valour of our Nation in these Ages In point of Providence which Captaine Vavisor in the foresight gaue also good proofe of his valour in casting about vpon the whole Fleete notwithstanding the greatnesse and multitude of the Spanish Armadâ— to yeeld that succour which he was able Although some doe say and I consent with them that the besâ— valour is to obey and to follow the head seeme that good or bad which is commanded For God himselfe telleth vs that obedience is better then sacrifice Yet in some occasions where there is difficultie or impossibilitie to know what is commanded many times it is great discretion and obligation iudiciously to take hold of the occasion to yeeld succour to his associats without putting himselfe in manifest dangâ—râ— But to our Voyage SECT V. BEing cleare of the race of Portland the Wind began to suffle with fogge and misling rayne and forced vs to a short sayle which continued with vs three dayes the Wind never vering one poynt nor the fogge suffering vs to see the Coast. The third day in the fogge we met with a Barke of Dartmouth which came from Rochell and demanding of them if they had made any land answered that they had onely seene the Edie stone that morning which lyeth thwart of the sound of Plimouth and that Dartmouth as they thought bare off vs North North-east which seemed strange vnto vs for we made account that wee were thwart of Exmouth within two houres after the Weather beganne to cleare vp and we found our selues thwart of the Berry and might see the small Barke bearing into Torbay having over-shot her port which error
Shipps being all deepe loaden began to feele the Tempest so that wee not able to lye by it neither a hull nor a try and so with an easie Sayle bare vp before the Wind with intent to put into Falmouth but God was pleased that comming within tenne leagues of Sylly the wind vered to the North-east and so we went on in our Voyage Thwart of the Flees of Bayon wee met with a small Ship of Master Waltre of London called the Elizabeth which came out of Plimouth some eyght dayes after vs of whom wee enformed our selues of some particularities and wrote certaine Letters to our Friends making Relation of what had past till that day and so tooke our farewell each of the other The like we did with a small Carvell of Plimouth which wee meet in the height of the Rocke in Portingall From thence wee directed our course to the Ilands of Madera and about the end of Iune in the sight of the Ilands we descryed a Sayle some three leagues to the East-wards and a league to Wind-ward of vs which by her manner of working and making gaue vs to vnderstand that shee was one of the Kings Frigarts For shee was long and snugg and spread a large Clewe and standing to the West-wards and weâ— to the East-wards to recover her Wake when we east about shee beganne to â—eco shete and to goe away lasking and within two glasses iâ— was plainely seene that shee went from vs and so we followed on our course and shee seeing that presently stroke her Topsayles which our Pynace perceiving and being within shot continued the Chase till I shot off a Peece and called her away which fault many runne into thinking to get thereby and sometimes loose themselues by being too bold to venture from their Fleete for it was impossible for vs being to leeward to take her or to succour our owne shee being a Ship of about two hundreth Tunnes And Pynaces to meddle with Ships is to buy Repentance at too deare a rate For their office is to wayte vpon their Fleete in calmes with their Oares to follow a Chase and in occasions to Anchor neere the shore when the greater Ships cannot without perill Aboue all to be readie and obedient at every call Yet will I not that any wrest my meaning neither say I that a Pynace or small Ship armed may not take a great Ship vnarmed for daily experience teacheth vs the contrary The Madera Ilands are two the greater called La madera and the other Porto Santo of great fertilitie and rich in Sugar Conserves Wine and sweet Wood whereof they take their name Other commodities they yeeld but these are the principall The chiefe Towne and Port is on the Souther side of the Madera well fortified they are subiect to the Kingdome of Portingall the Inhabitants and Garrison all Portingalles The third of Iuly we past along the Ilands of Canaria which haue the name of a Kingdome and containe these seaven Ilands Grand Canaria Tenerifa Palma Gomera Lancerota Forteventura and Fierro These Ilands haue abundance of Wine Sugar Conserues Orcall Pitch Iron and other Commodities and store of Cattell and Corne but that a certaine Worme called Gorgoshâ— breedeth in it which eateth out the substance leaving the huske in manner whole The head Iland where the Iustice which they call Audiencia is resident and whither all sutes haue their appealation and finall sentence is the Grand Canaria although the Tenerifa is held for the better and richer Iland and to haue the best Sugar and the Wine of the Palma is reputed for the best The Pitch of these Ilands melteth not with the Sunne and therefore is proper for the higher workes of Shipping Betwixt Forteventura and Lancerota is a goodly found fit for a meeting place for any Fleete Where is good Anchoring and aboundance of many sorts of Fish There is water to be had in most of these Ilands but with great vigilance For the naturalls of them are venturous and hardie and many times clime vp and downe the steepe Rockes and broken hills which seeme impossible which I would hardly haue beleeved had I not seene it and that with the greatest art and agilitie that may be Their Armes for the most part are Launces of nine or ten foote with a head of a foote and halfe long like vnto Boare-Speares saue that the head is somewhat more broad Two things are famous in these Ilands the Pike of Tenerifa which is the highest Land in my iudgement that I haue seene and men of credit haue told they haue seene it more then fortie leagues off It is like vnto a Sugar loafe and continually covered with Snow and placed in the middest of a goodly vallie most fertile and temperate round about it Out of which going vp the pike the colde is so great that it is insufferable and going downe to the Townes of the Iland the heate seemeth most extreame till they approach neere the coast The other is a Tree in the Iland Fierro which some write and affirme with the dropping of his leaues to giue water for the suâ—tenance of the whole Iland which I haue not seene although I haue beene on shoare on the Iland but those which haue seene it haue recounted this misterie differently to that which is written in this maner That this Tree is placed in the bottome of a Valley ever florishing with broad leaues and that round about it are a multitude of goodly high Pynes which over-top it and as it seemeth were planted by the divine providence to preserue it from Sunne and Wind. Out of this Valley ordinarily rise every day great vapours and exhalations which by reason that the Sunne is hindered to worke his operation with the height of the Mountaines towards the South-east convert themselues into moysture and so bedewe all the Trees of the Valley and from those which over-top this Tree drops downe the dewe vpon his leaues and so from his leaues into a round Well of Stone which the Naturals of the land haue made to receiue the water of which the people and cattle haue great releife but sometimes it raineth and then the Inhabitants doe reserue water for many dayes to come in their Cisterns and Tynaxes which is that they drinke of and wherewith they principally sustaine themselues The Citty of the Grand Canaria and chiefe Port is on the west side of the Iland the head Towne and Port of Tenerifa is towards the south part and the Port and Towne of the Palma and Gomera on the East side In Gomera some three Leagues south-ward from the Towne is a great River of water but all these Ilands are perilous to land in for the seege caused by the Ocean sea which alwayes is forcible and requireth great circumspection whosoever hath not vrgent cause is either to goe to the East-wards or to the west-wards of all these Ilands as well to avoyd the calmes which hinder sometimes eight or
which time I lived in a great perplexitie for that I knew our owne weaknesse and what they might doe vnto vs if that they had knowne so much For any man that putteth himselfe into the enemies Port had need of Argus eyes and the wind in a bagge especially where the enemie is strong and the tydes of any force For with either ebbe or flood those who are on the shore may thrust vpon him inventions of fire and with swimming or other devises may cut his Cables A common practise in all hott Countries The like may be effected with Raffes Cannoas Boates or Pynaces to annoy and assault him and if this had beene practised against vs or taken effect our Shippes must of force haue yeelded themselues for they had no other people in them but sicke men but many times opinion and feare preserveth the Shippes and not the people in them Wherefore it is the part of a provident Governour to consider well the daungers that may befall him before he put himselfe into such places So shall he ever be provided for prevention In Saint Iohn de Vlua in the New-Spaine when the Spanyards dishonoured their Nation with that foule act of periury and breach of faith given to my Father Sir Iohn Hawkins notorious to the whole world the Spanyards fired two great Shippes with intention to burne my Fathers Admirall which he prevented by towing them with his Boates another way The great Armado of Spaine sent to conquer England Anno 1588. was with that selfe same industry overthrowne for the setting on â—ire of six or seaven shippes whereof two were mine and letting them drive with the flood forced them to cut their Cables and to put to Sea to seeke a new way to Spaine In which the greatest part of their best Shippes and men were lost and perished For that my people should not bâ— dismayed I dispatched presently my Light-horsman with onely foure men and part of the refreshing advising them that with the first calme or slent of wind they should come off The next night the wind comming off the shore wee set sayle and with our Boates and Barkes founded as we went It flowed vpon the Barre not aboue foure foote water and once in foure and twentie houres as in some parts of the West Indies at full Sea there is not vpon the barre aboue 17. or 18. foote water The harbour runneth to the South-westwards He that will come into it is to open the harbours mouth a good quarter of a league before he beare with it and be bolder of the wester side for of the Easterland lyeth a great ledge of Rockes for the most part vnder water which sometimes breake not but with small shipping a man may goe betwixt them and the poynt Comming aboord of our Shippes there was great ioy amongst my Company and many with the sight of the Oranges and Lemmons seemed to recover heart This is a wonderfull secret of the power and wisedome of God that hath hiddeâ— so great and vnknowne vertue in this fruit to be a certaine remedie for this infirmitie I presently caused them all to be reparted amongst our sicke men which were so many that there came not aboue three or foure to a share but God was pleased to send vs a prosperous winde the next day so much to our comfort that not any one dyed before we came to the Ilands where we pretended to refresh our selues And although our fresh water had fayled vs many dayes before we saw the shore by reason of our long Navigation without touching any land and the excessiue drinking of the â—icke and diseased which could not be excused yet with an invention I had in my Shippe I easily drew out of the water of the Sea sufficient quantitie of fresh water to sustaine my people with little expence of fewell for with foure Billets I stilled a Hogshead of water and therewith dressed the meat for the sicke and whole The water so distilled we found to be wholesome and nourishing SECT XXII THe Coast from Santos to Cape Frio lyeth west and by South Southerly So we directed our course West South-west The night comming on and directions given to our other Shippes we sett the watch having a fayre fresh gale of wind and large My selfe with the Master of our Ship having watched the night past thought now to giue Nature that which shee had beene deprived of and so recommended the care of Steeridge to one of his Mates who with the like travell past being drowsie or with the confidence which he had of him at the Helme had not that watchfull care which was required he at the Helme steered West and West and by South and brought vs in a little time close vpon the shore doubtlesse he had cast vs all away had not God extraordinarily delivered vs for the Master being in his dead sleepe was suddenly awaked and with such a fright that he could not be in quiet wherevpon waking his youth which ordinarily slept in his Cabin by him asked him how the watch went on who answered that it could not be aboue an houre since he layd himselfe to rest He replyed that his heart was so vnquiet that he could not by any meanes sleepe and so taking his Gowne came forth vpon the Decke and presently discovered the Land hard by vs. And for that it was sandie and low those who had their eyes continually fixed on it were dazeled with the reflection of the Starres being a fayre night and so were hindered from the true discovery thereof But he comming out of the darke had his sight more forcible to discerne the difference of the Sea and the shore So that forthwith he commaunded him at the Helme to put it close a starbourd and tacking our Ship wee edged off and sounding found scant three fathome water whereby we saw evidently the miraculous mercie of our God that if he had not watched over vs as hee doth continually over his doubtlesse we had perished without remedie To whom be all glory and prayse everlastingly world without end Immediatly we shot off a Peece to giue warning to our other Shippes who having kept their direct course and far to wind-wards and Sea-wards because we carried no light for that we were within sight of the shore could not heare the report and the next morning were out of sight SECT XXIII IN this poynt of Steeridge the Spaniards and Portingalls doe exceede all that I haue seene I meane for their care which is chiefest in Navigation And I wish in this and in all their workes of Discipline and reformation we should follow their examples as also those of any other Nation In every Ship of moment vpon the halfe decke or quarter decke they haue a chayre or seat out of which whilst they Navigate the Pilot or his Adiutants which are the same officers which in our Shippes we terme the Master and his Mates never depart day nor
in this Worke we saw a Shippe turning to Windwards to succour her selfe of the Ilands but having discryed vs put off to Sea-wards Two dayes after the wind changing we saw her againe running alongst the coast and the Daintie not being in case to goe after her for many reasons we manned the Fancie and sent her after her who about the setting of the Sunne â—etched her vp and spake with her when finding her to be a great Fly-boat of at least three or foure hundreth Tunnes with 18. Peeces of Artillery would haue returned but the wind freshing in put her to Leewards and standing in to succour her selfe of the land had sight of another small Barke which after a short chase shee tooke but had nothing of moment in her for that she had bin vpon the great Sholes of Abreoios in 18. degrees and there throwne all they had by the board to saue their liues This and the other chase were the cause that the Fancie could not beat it vp in many dayes but before we had put all in a readinesse the wind changing shee came vnto vs and made Relation of that which had past and how they had given the small Barke to the Portingalls and brought with them onely her Pilot and a Marchant called Pedro de escalante of Potosi SECT XXVII IN this Coast the Portingalls by industrie of the Indians haue wrought many feats At Cape Frio they tooke a great French Ship in the night the most of her company being on the shore with Cannoas which they haue in this Coast so great that they carry seventie and eightie men in one of them And in Isla grand I saw one that was aboue threescore foote long of one tree as are all that I haue seene in Brasill with provisions in them for twentie or thirtie dayes At the Iland of San-sebastian neere Saint Vincent the Indians killed about eightie of master Candish his men and tooke his Boat which was the overthrow of his Voyage There commeth not any Ship vpon this Coast whereof these Cannoas giue not notice presently to every place And wee were certified in Isla grand that they had sent an Indian from the River of Ienero through all the Mountaines and Marishes to take a view of vs and accordingly made a Relation of our Shippes Boates and the number of men which we might haue But to prevent the like danger that might come vpon vs being carelesse and negligent I determined one night in the darkest and quietest of it to see what watch our Company kept on the shore man'd our Light-horsman and Boat armed them with Bowes and Targetts and got a shore some good distance from the places where were our Boothes and sought to come vpon them vndiscovered wee vsed all our best endevours to take them at vnawares yet comming within fortie paces we were discovered the whole and the sicke came forth to oppose themselues against vs. Which wee seeing gaue them the Hubbub after the manner of the Indians and assaulted them and they vs but being a close darke night they could not discerne vs presently vpon the Hubbub From our Shippe the Gunner shott a peece of Ordinance over our heads according to the order given him and thereof we tooke occasion to retyre vnto our Boates and within a little space came to the Boothes and landing places as though wee came from our Shippes to ayde them They began to recount vnto vs how that at the wester poynt of the Iland out of certaine Cannoas had landed a multitude of Indians which with a great out-cry came vpon thâ—m and â—ssaulted them fiercely but finding better resistance then they looked for and seeing themselues discovered by the Shippes tooke themselues to their heeles and returned to their Cannoas in which they imbarked themselues and departed One affirmed he saw the Cannoas another their long hayre a third their Bowes a fourth that it could not be but that some of them had their payments And it was worth the sight to behold those which had not moved out of their beds in many Moneths vnlesse by the helpe of others gotten some a bow-shoot off into the Woods others into the toppes of Trees and those which had any strength ioyned together to fight for their liues In fine the Booths and Tents were left desolate To colour our businesse the better after we had spent some houre in seeking out and ioyning the Companie together in comforting animating and commending them I left them an extraordinary Guard for that night and so departed to our Shippes with such an opinion of the assault given by the Indians that many so possessed through all the Voyage would not be perswaded to the contrary Which impression wrought such effect in most of my Companie that in all places where the Indians might annoy vs they were after most carefull and vigilant as was convenient In these Ilands it heigheth and falleth some fiue or six foot water and but once in two and twentie houres as in all this Coast and in many parts of the West Indies as also in the coast of Perew and Chely saving where are great Bayes or indraughts and there the tydes keepe their ordinary course of twice in foure and twentie houres In the lesser of these Ilands is a Caue for a small Ship to ride in Land-lockt and shee may moore her selfe to the trees of either side this we called Palmito Iland for the aboundance it hath of the greater sort of Palmito trees the other hath none at all A man may goe betwixt the Ilands with his Ship but the better course is out at one end In these Ilands are many Scorpions Snakes and Adders with other venemous Vermine They haue Parotts and a certaine kinde of fowle like vnto Phesants somewhat bigger and seeme to be of their nature Here we spent aboue a moneth in curing of our sicke men supplying our wants of Wood and Water and in other necessary workes And the tenth of December all things put in order we set sayle for Cape Frio having onely six men sicke with purpose there to set ashore our two Prisoners before named and anchoring vnder the Cape we sent our Boat a shore but they could not finde any convenient place to land them in and so returned the Wind being Southerly and not good to goe on our voyage we succoured our selues within Isla Grand which lyeth some dozen or foureteene Leagues from the Cape betwixt the West and by South and West South-west the rather to set our Prisoners a shore In the mid way betwixt the Cape and this Iland lyeth the River Ienero a very good Harbour fortified with a Garrison and a place well peopled The Isla Grand is some eight or ten Leagues long and causeth a goodly Harbour for Shipping It is full of great sandie Bayes and in the most of them is store of good water within this Iland are many other smaller Ilands which cause divers
sounds and creekes and amongst these little Ilands one for the pleasant scituation and fertilitie thereof called Placentia This is peopled all the rest desert on this Iland our Prisoners desired to be put ashore and promised to send vs some refreshing Whereto we condescended and sent them a shore with two Boates well man'd and armed who sound few Inhabitants in the Iland for our people saw not aboue foure or fiue houses notwithstanding our Boats returned loaden with Plantynes Pinias Potatoes Sugar-canes and some Hennes Amongst which they brought a kind of little Plantyne greene and round which were the best of any that I haue seene With our people came a Portingall who said that the Iland was his he seemed to be a Mistecho who are those that are of a Spanish and an Indian brood poorely apparelled and miserable we feasted him and gaue him some trisles and he according to his abilitie answered our courtesie with such as he had The wind continuing contrary we emptied all the water wee could come by which we had silled in Saint Iames his Iland and filled our Caske with the water of this Isla Grand It is a wildernesse covered with Trees and Shrubbes so thicke as it hath no passage through except a man make it by force And it was strange to heare the howling and cryes of wilde Beastes in these Woods day and night which we could not come at to see by any meanes some like Lyons others like Beares others like Hoggs and of such and so many diversities as was admirable Heere our Nets profited vs much for in the sandy Bayes they tooke vs store of fish Vpon the shore at full Sea-marke we found in many places certaine shels like those of Mother of Pearles which are brought out of the East Indies to make standing cups called Caracoles of so great curiositie as might moue all the beholders to magnifie the maker of them And were it not for the brittlenes of them by reason of their exceeding thinnes doubtles they were to bee esteemed farre aboue the others for more excellent workemanship I haue not seene in shels The 18. of December wee set sayle the wind at North-east and directed our course for the Straites of Magalianes The twenty two of this moneth at the going too of the Sunne we descryed a Portingall ship and gaue her chase and comming within hayling of her shee rendred her selfe without any resistance shee was of an hundred Tuns bound for Angola to load Negroes to be carried and sold in the River of Plate It is a trade of great profit much vsed for that the Negroes are carried from the head of the river of Plate to Patosi to labour in the Mynes It is a bad Negro who is not worth there fiue or six hundreth peeces every peece of tenne Ryals which they receiue in Ryals of Plate for there is no other Marchandize in those partes Some haue told me that of late they haue found out the trade and benefit of Cochanillia but the River suffereth not vessels of burthen for if they drawe aboue eight or seaven foote water they cannot goe further then the mouth of the River and the first habitation is aboue a hundred and twenty leagues vp whereunto many Barkes trade yearely and carry all kinde of Marchandize serving for Patosi and Paraquay the money which is thence returned is distributed in all the Coast of Brasill The loading of this Ship was meale of Cassavi which the Portingals call Furina de Paw It served for Marchandize in Angola for the Portingals foode in the ship and to nourish the Negroes which they should carry to the river of Plate This meale is made of a certaine roote which the Indians call Yuca much like vnto Potatoes Of it are two kindes the one sweete and good to be eaten either rosted or sodden as Potatoes and the other of which they make their bread called Cassavi deadly poyson if the liquor or iuyce bee not throughly pressed out So prepared it is the bread of Brasill and many parts of the Indies which they make in this maner first they pare the roote and then vpon a rough stone they grate it as small us they can and after that it is grated small they put it into a bag or poke and betwixt two Stones with great waight they presse out the iuyce or poyson and after keepe it in some bag till it haue no iuyce nor moysture left Of this they make two sorts of bread the one finer and the other courser but bake them after one maner They place a great broad smooth stone vpon other foure which serue in steede of a Trevet and make a quicke fire vnder it and so strawe the flower or meale a foote long and halfe a foot broad To make it to incorporate they sprinkle now and then a little water and then another rowe of meale and another sprinkling till it be to their minde That which is to be spent presently they make a finger thicke and sometimes more thicke but that which they make for store is not aboue halfe a finger thicke but so hard that if it fall on the ground it will not breake easily Being newly baked it is reasonable good but after fewe dayes it is not to be eaten except it be soaked in water In some partes they suffer the meale to become fenâ—ed before they make it into bread and hold it for the best saying that it giveth a better tast but I am not of that opinion In other parts they mingle it with a fruite called Agnanepes which are round and being ripe are gray and as big as an hazell nâ—t and grow in a cod like pease but that it is all curiously wrought first they parch them vpon a stone and after beate them into powder and then mingle them with the fine flower of Cassavi and bake them into bread these are their spice-cakes which they call Xanxaw The Agnanapes are pleasant giue the bread a yellowish colour and an Aromaticall savour in taste The finer of this bread being well baked keepeth long time three or foure yeares In Brasill since the Portingalls taught the Indians the vse of Sugar they eate this meale mingled with remels of Sugar or Malasses and in this manner the Portingalls themselues feed of it But we found a better manner of dressing this Farina in making Pancakes and frying them with butter or oyle and sometimes with Mantâ—ca de Puerco when strewing a little Sugar vpon them it was meate that our company desired aboue any that was in the Shippe The Indians also accustome to make their drinke of this meale and in three severall manners First is chewing it in their mouths and after mingling it with water after a loathsome manner yet the commonest drinke that they haue and that held best which is chewed by an old woman The second manner of their drinke is baking it till it be halfe burned then they beate
never suspected that any thing could make them forsake vs So we much lamented them The storme ceasing and being out of all hope we set sayle and went on our course During this storme certaine great fowles as big as Swannes soared aboue vs and the winde calming setled themselues in the Sea and fed vpon the sweepings of our Ship which I perceiving and desirous to see of them because they seemed farre greater then in truth they were I caused a hooke and lyne to be brought me and with a peece of a Pilchard I bayted the hook a foot from it tyed a peece of corke that it might not sinke deepe and threw it into the Sea which our ship driving with the Sea in a little time was a good space from vs and one of the Fowles being hungry presently seized vpon it and the hooke in his vpper beake It is like to a Faulcons bill but that the poynt is more crooked in that maner as by no meanes he could cleare himselfe except that the lyne brake or the hooke righted Plucking him towards the ship with the waving of his wings he eased the waight of his body and being brought to the sterne of our ship two of our Company went downe by the Ladder of the poope and seized on his necke and wings but such were the blowes he gaue them with his Pinnions as both left their hand-fast being beaten blacke and blew we cast a snare about his necke and so tryced him into the Ship By the same manner of Fishing we caught so many of them as refreshed and recreated all my people for that day Their bodies were great but of little flesh and tender in taste answerable to the food whereon they feed They were of two colours some white some gray they had three ioynts in each wing and from the poynt of one wing to the poynt of the other both stretched out was aboue two fathomes The wind continued good with vs till we came to 49. degrees and 30. minuts where it tooke vs Westerly being as we made our accompt some fiftie leagues from the shore Betwixt 49. and 48. degrees is Port Saint Iulian a good Harbour and in which a man may graue his Ship though shee draw fifteene or sixteene foote water But care is to be had of the people called Pentagones They are treacherous and of great stature so the most giue them the name of Gyants The second of February about nine of the Clocke in the morning we discryed land which bare South-west of vs which wee looked not for so timely and comming neerer and neerer vnto it by the lying wee could not coniecture what land it should be for we were next of any thing in 48. degrees and no Platt nor Sea-card which we had made mention of any land which lay in that manner neere about that height In fine wee brought our Lar-bord tacke aboord and stood to the North-east-wardes all that day and night and the Winde continuing Westerly and a fayre gale wee continued our course alongst the coast the day and night following In which time wee made accompt we discovered well neere three-score leagues off the coast It is bold and made small shew of dangers The land is a goodly Champion Country and peopled we saw many fires but could not come to speake with the people for the time of the yeare was farre spent to shoot the Straites and the want of our Pynace disabled vs for finding a Port or Roade not being discretion with a ship of charge and in an vnknowne coast to come neere the shore before it was sounded which were causes together with the change of the winde good for vs to passe the Straite that hindered the further discovery of this Land with its secrets This I haue sorrowed for many times since for that it had likelihood to be an excellent Countrie It hath great Rivers of fresh waters for the out-shoot of them colours the Sea in many places as we ran alongst it It is not mountaynous but much of the disposition of England and as temperate The things we noted principally on the coast are these following the westermost poynt of the land with which we first fell is the end of the land to the West-wardes as we found afterwards If a man bring this poynt South-west it riseth in three mounts or round hillockes bringing it more Westerly they shoot themselues all into one and bringing it Easterly it riseth in two hillocks This we called poynâ— Tremountaine Some twelue or foureteene leagues from this poynt to the East-wardes fayre by the shore lyeth a low flat Iland of some two leagues long we named it Fayre Iland â—or it was all over as greene and smooth as any Meddow in the spring of the yeare Some three or foure leagues Easterly from this Iland is a goodly opening as of a great River or an arme of the Sea with a goodly low Countrie adiacent And eight or tenne leagues from this opening some three leagues from the shore lyeth a bigge Rocke which at the first wee had thought to be a Shippe vnder all her Sayles but after as we came neere it discovered it selfe to be a Rocke which we called Condite-head for that howsoever a man commeth with it it is like to the Condite heads about the Cittie of London All this coast so farre as wee discovered lyeth next of any thing East and by North and West and by South The land for that it was discovered in the raigne of Queene Elizabeth my soveraigne Lady and Mistris and a maiden Queene and at my cost and adventure in a perpetuall memory of her chastitie and remembrance of my endevours I gaue it the name of HAVVKINS maiden-land Before a man fall with this land some twentie or thirtie leagues he shall meete with bedds of Oreweed driving to and fro in that Sea with white flowers growing vpon them and sometimes farther off which is a good show and signe the land is neere whereof the Westermost part lyeth some threescore leagues from the neerest land of America With our fayre and large Winde we shaped our course for the Straites and the tenth of February we had sight of land and it was the head land of the Straites to the North-wards which agreed with our height wherein we found our selues to be which was in thirtie two degrees and fortie minutes Within a few houres we had the mouth of the Straites open which lyeth in 52. degrees and 50. minuts It riseth like the North foreland in Kent and is much like the land of Margates It is not good to borrow neere the shore but to giue it a fayre birth within a few houres we entred the mouth of the Straites which is some six leagues broad and lyeth in 52. degrees and 50. minutes doubling the poynt on the Star-board which is also flat of a good birth we opened a fayre Bay in which
Seale stinking ripe These houses are made in faâ—hion of an Oven seven or eight foote broad with boughes of trees and covered with other boughes as our Summer houses and doubtles do serve them but for the Summer time when they come to fish and profit themselues of the Sea For they retyre themselues in the Winter into the Country where it is more temperate and yeeldeth better sustenance for on the Mayne of the Straits wee neyther saw beast nor fowle Sea fowle excepted and a kind of Blacke-bird and two hoggs towards the beginning of the Straites Here our ship being well moored we began to supply our wood and water that we had spent Which being a dayes worke and the winde during many dayes contrary I endevoured to keepe my people occupied to divert them from the imagination which some had conceived that it behooved we should returne to Brasill and winter there and so shoot the Straites in the spring of the yeare So one day we rowed vp the River with our boat and light horseman to discover it and the in-land where having spent a good part of the day and finding shold water and many Trees fallen thwart it and little fruite of our labour nor any thing worth the noting we returned Another day we trayned our people a-shore being a goodly sandie Bay another we had a hurling of Batchelers against married men This day we were busied in wrestling the other in shooting so we were never idle neyther thought we the time long SECT XXXIIII AFter we had past here some seven or eight dayes one Evening with a flawe from the shore our Ship droue off into the channell and before we could get vp our Anchor and set our sayles we were driven so farre to lee-wards that we could not recover into the bay and night comming on with a short sayle wee beate off and on till the morning At the breake of the day conferring with the Captaine and Master of my ship what was best to be done we resolved to seeke out Tobias Coue which lyeth over against Cape Fryo on the Southerne part of the Straites because in all the reaches of the Straites for the most part the winde bloweth trade and therfore little profit to be made by turning to winde-wards And from the Ilands of the Pengwins to the ende of the Straites towards the south Sea there is no anchoring in the channell and if we should be put to lee-wards of this Coue we had no succour till we came to the Ilands of Pengwins and some of our Company which had bin with master Thomas Candish in the Voyage in which he died and in the same Coue many weekes vndertooke to be our Pilots thither Wherevpon we bare vp being some two leagues thither having so much winde as we could scarce lye by it with our course and bonnet of each but bearing vp before the winde wee put out our Topsayles and Spritsayle and within a little while the winde began to fayle vs and immediately our Shippe gaue a mightie blow vpon a Rocke and stucke fast vpon it And had wee had but the fourth part of the wind which we had in all the night past but a moment before we strucke the Rocke our Shippe doubtlesse with the blow had broken her selfe all to peeces But our provident and most gracious God which commaundeth wind and Sea watched over vs and delivered vs with his powerfull hand from the vnknowne danger and hidden destruction that so we might prayse him for his fatherly bountie and protection and with the Prophet David say Except the Lord keepe the Cittie the watch-men watch in vaine for if our God had not kept our Shippe we had bin all swallowed vp aliue without helpe or redemption and therefore he for his mercies sake grant that the memoriall of his benefits doe never depart from before our eyes and that we may evermore prayse him for our wonderfull deliverance and his continuall providence by day and by night My company with this Accident were much amazed and not without iust cause Immediately we vsed our endevour to free our selues and with our boates â—ounded round about our Shippe in the meane time assaying our pumpe to know if our Shippe made more water then her ordinary we found nothing increased and round about our Shippe deepe water saving vnder the mid-shippe for shee was a floaâ—e a bead and a â—terne and bearing some fathome before the mayne Must and inâ—o other part was like to be our destruction for being â—bbing water the waight in the head and sterne by fayling of the water began to open her plankes in the middest and vpon the vpper Decke they were gone one from another some two fingers some more which we sought to ease and remedie by lightning of her burden and throwing into the Sea all that came to hand and laying out an Anchor we sought to wend her off and such was the waâ— and force we put to the Capsten and Tackles fastned vpon the 〈◊〉 that we plucked the ring of the Anchor out of the eye but after recovered it though not serviceable All our labour was fruitlesse till God was pleased that the flood came and then we had her off with great ioy and comfort when finding the current favoâ—â—able with vs we stood over to English bay and serching it â—â—e aâ—chored there having beene some three houres vpon the Rocke and wiâ—h the blow as after we saw when our Ship was brought a ground in Pericâ— which is the Port of Panama a great part of her sheathing was beaten off on both sides in her Bulges and some foure foote long and a foote square of her false stemme ioyning to the Keele wrested a crosse like vnto a Hogges yoake which hindered her sayling very much Here we gaue God prayse for our deliverance and afterward procured to supply our wood and water which we had throwne overbourd to case our Shippe which was not much that supplyed it pleased God who is not ever angry to looke vpon vs with comfort and to send vs a fayre and large wind and so we set Sayle once againe in hope to disemboke the Straite but some dozen leagues before we came to the mouth of it the wind changed and forced vs to seeke out some Cove or Bay with our Boates to ride in neere at hand that we might not be forced to returne farre backe into the Straites They sounded a Cove some sixteene leagues from the mouth of the Straite which after we called Crabby Cove It brooked his name well for two causes the one for that all the water was full of a small kinde of redd Crabbes the other for the crabbed mountaines which over-topped it a third we might adde for the crabbed entertainement it gaue vs. In this Cove we anchored but the wind freshing in and three or foure hilles over-topping like Sugar-loaues altered and straightned the passage of the wind in such manner as
found wanting the prisoners being examined was to bee made good by the Captaine and Company which tooke the shippe and this vpon great punishments I am witnes and avow that this course did redownd much to the benefitt of the generall stocke to the satisfaction of her Maiestie and Counsell the iustification of his governement and the content of his followers Thus much haue I set downe concerning these abuses and the reformation thereof for that I haue neither seene them divulged by any with whom I haue gone to Sea neither yet recorded in writing by any mans pen let consideration present them to the eares of the powerfull But now to our Voyage SECT XLVI RVnning alongst the coast till wee came within few Leagues of Arica nothing happened vnto vs of extraordinary noveltie or moment for we had the brese favourable which seldome happeneth in this Climate finding our selues in nineteene Degrees wee haled the shore close abourd purposing to see if there were any shipping in the road of Arica It standeth in a great large Bay in eighteene degrees and before you come to it a league to the southwards of the roade and Towne is a great round hill higher then the rest of the land of the Bay neere about the Towne which wee having discovered had sight presently of a small Barke close abourd the shore becalmed manning our boate wee tooke her being loaden with fish from Moormereno which is a goodly head-land very high and lyeth betwixt twenty foure and twenty fiue Degrees and whether ordinarily some barkes vse to goe a fishing every yeare In her was a Spaniard and sixe Indians The Spaniard for that hee was neere the shore swam vnto the Rockes and though wee offered to returne him his barke and fish as was our meaning yet hee refused to accept it and made vs answere that hee durst not for feare least the Iustice should punish him In so great subiection are the poore vnto those who haue the administration of Iustice in those partes and in most partes of the Kingdomes and Countries subiect to Spaine Insomuch that to heare the Iustice to enter in at their doores is to them destruction and desolation for this cause wee carried her alongst with vs. In this meane while wee had sight of another tall shippe comming out of the Sea which wee gaue chase vnto but could not fetch vpp beeing too good of sayle â—or vs. Our small prize and boate standing off vnto vs descryed another shippe which they chased and tooke also loaden with fish comming from the Ilands of Iuan Fernandes After we opened the Bay and Port of Arica but seeing it cleane without shipping wee haled the coast alongst and going aboord to viâ—it the bigger prize my company â—aluted mee with a volley of small shot Amongst them one Musket brake and carryed away the hand of him that shot it through his owne default which for that I haue seene to happen many times I thinke it necessary to note in this place that others may take warning by his harme The cause of the Muskets breaking was the charging with two bullets the powder being ordayned to carry but the waight of one and the Musket not to suffer two charges of powder or shott By this over-sight the fire is restrayned with the overplus of the waight of shott and not being able to force both of them out breaketh all to peeces so to find a way to its owne center And I am of opinion that it is a great errour to proue great Ordinance or small shot with double charges of powder or shot my reason is for that ordinarily the mettall is proportioned to the waight of the shot which the Peece is to beare and the powder correspondent to the waight of the bullet and this being graunted I see no reason why any man should require to proue his peece with more then is belonging to it of right for I haue seene many goodly peeces broken with such tryals being cleane without hony combes cracke flawe or other perceavable blemish which no doubt with their ordinary allowance would haue served many yeares Yea I haue beene certified by men of credit that some Gunners haue taken a glory for breaking many peeces in the tryall which is easie to be done by sundry slights and meanes not fitt to bee published much lesse to bee exercised being preiudiciall to the seller and chargeable to the Conscience of the practiser therefore it were good this excessiue tryall by double charges were cleane abolished If I shoulde make choyce for my selfe I would not willingly that any peece should come into Fort or Shippe vnder my charge which had borne at any time more then his ordinary allowance misdoubting least through the violence of the double charge the Peece may bee crased within or so forced as at another occasion with his ordinary allowance he might breake in peeces how many men so many mindes for to others this may â—eeme harsh for that the contrary custome hath so long time beene received and therefore I submit to better experience and contradict not but that in a demy Culvering a man may put two Saker or Minion shots or many of smaller waight and so in a Muskett two Calever shott or many smaller so they exceede not the ordinary waight prescribed by proportion Arte and experience These experiments I hold convenient vpon many occasions yea and most necessary but the vaine custome of double charges to cause their peeces thereby to giue a better report I affirme can produce no other effect but danger losse and harme SECT XLVII HAving visited our prises and finding in them nothing but fish we tooke a small portion for our victualing and gaue the bigger shippe to the Spaniards againe and the lesser wee kept with purpose to make her our Pinnas The Indians which wee tooke in her would by no meanes depart from vs but desired to goe with vs for England saying that the Indian and English were brothers and in all places where wee came they shewed themselues much affectionated vnto vs these were Natiues of Moremoreno and the most brutish of all that ever I had seene and except it were in forme of men and speech they seemed altogether voyde of that which appertained to reasonable men They were expert swimmers but after the manner of Spaniels they diue and abide vnder water a long time and swallow the water of the Sea as if it were of a fresh River except a man see them he would hardly beleeue how they continue in the Sea as if they were Mermaides and the water their naturall Element Their Countrey is most barren and poore of foode If they take a fish aliue out of the Sea or meete with a peece of salted fish they will devoure it without any dressing as savourely as if it had beene most curiously sodden or dressed all which makes me beleeue that they sustaine themselues of that which they catch in the Sea The Spaniards
necessary for our provision and fired her Thwart of Truxille wee set the companie of her a shoare with the Pilot which wee had taken in Balparizo reserving the Pilot of the burnt shippe and a Greeke who chose rather to continue with vs then to hazard their liues in going a shore for that they had departed out of the Port of Santa which is in eight Degrees being required by the iustice not to weigh anchor before the Coast was knowne to be 〈◊〉 It is a thing worthy to be noted and almost incredible with how few men they vse to sayle a shippe in the south Sea for in this prise which was aboue an hundred Tuns were but eight persons and in a shippe of three hundreth Tuns they vse not to put aboue foureteene or fifteene persons yea I haue beene credibly enformed that with foureteene persons a shippe of fiue hundreth Tuns hath beene carried from Guayaquil to Lyma deepe loaden which is aboue two hundreth Leagues and are forced ever to gaine their Voyage by turning to wind-wards which is the greatest toyle and labour that tâ—e Marriners haue and slow sometimes in this voyage foure or fiue moneths which is generall in all the navigations of this coast But the security from stormes and certainty of the Brese with the desire to make their gaine the greater is the cause that every man forceth himselfe to the vttermost to doe the labour of two men SECT L. IN the height of this Port of Santa some seaven hundreth and fiftie leagues to the west-wards lie the Ilands of Salomon of late yeares discovered At my being in Lyma a Fleete of foure sayle was sent from thence to people them which through the emulation and discord that arose amongst them being landed and setled in the Countrey was vtterly overthrowne onely one shippe with some few of the people after much misery got to the Philippines This I came to the knowledge of by a large relation written from a person of credit and sent from the Philippines to Panama I saw it at my being there in my voyage towards Spaine Having edged neere the coast to put the Spaniards on shore a thicke fogge tooke vs so that wee could not see the Land but recovering our Pinnace and Boate wee sayled on our course till we came thwart of the Port called Malabrigo It lieth in seaven Degrees In all this coast the currant runneth with great force but never keepeth any certaine course saving that it runneth alongst the coast sometimes to the South-wards sometimes to the North-wards which now running to the North-wards forced vs so farre into the Bay which a point of the land causeth that they call Punta de Augussa as thinking to cleere our selues by roving North-west wee could not double this point making our way North North-west Therefore speciall care is ever to bee had of the current and doubtlesse if the providence of Almighty God had not freede vs wee had runne ashore vpon the Land without seeing or suspecting any such danger His name bee ever exalted and magnified for delivering vs from the vnknowne daunger by calming the winde all night the Sunnes rising manifested vnto vs our errour and peril by discovering vnto vs the Land within 2 leagues right a head The current had caried vs without any wind at the least 4. leagues which seene and the winde beginning to blow wee brought our tackes abourd and in short time cleared our selues Thwart of this point of Augussa lie two desert Ilandes they call them Illas de Lobos for the the multitude of Seales which accustome to haunt the shore In the bigger is very good harbour and secure they lie in sixe Degrees and thirtie minutes The next day after wee lost sight of those Ilands being thwarâ— of Payta which lyeth in fiue Degrees and having manned our Pinnace and Boate to search the Port wee had sight of a tall shippe which having knowledge of our being on the Coast and thinking her selfe to be more safe at Sea then in the harbour put her selfe then vnder sayle to her wee gaue chase all that night and the next day but in fine being better of sayle then wee shee freed her selfe Thus being too lee-ward of the Harbour and discovered we continued our course alongst the shore That Evening wee were thwart of the River of Guayaquill which hath in the mouth of it two Ilands the Souther-most and biggest called Puma in three Degrees and the other to the North-wards Santa clara Pâ—ma is inhabited and is the place where they build their principall shipping from-his River Lima and all the valleys are furnished with Timber for they haue none but that which is brought from hence or from the kingdome of Chile By this River passeth the principall trade of the Kingdome of Quito it is Navigable some leagues into the Land and hath great abundance of Timber Those of the Peru vse to ground and trim their shippes in Puma or in Panama and in all other partes they are forced to carene their shippes In Puma it higheth and falleth fifteene or sixteene foote water and from this Iland till a man come to Panama in all the coast it ebbeth and floweth more or lesse keeping the ordinarie course which the Tides doe in all Seas The water of this River by experience is medicinable for all aches of the bones for the stone and strangurie the reason which is given is because all the bankes and low land adioyning to this River are replenished with Salsaperillia which lying for the most part soaking in the water it participateth of this vertue and giveth it this force In this River and all the Rivers of this coast are great abundance of Alagartoes and it is sayd that this exceedeth the rest for persons of credit haue certified mee that as small fishes in other Rivers abound in scoales so the Alagartoes in this they doe much hurt to the Indians and Spaniards and are dreadfull to all whom they catch within their clutches SECT LI. SOme fiue or sixe Leagues to the North-wards of Puma is la Punta de Santa Elena vnder which is good anchoring cleane ground and reasonable succour Being thwart of this point wee had sight of a shippe which we chased but being of better saile then we and the night comming on we lost sight of her and so anchored vnder the Isla de plata to recover our Pinnace and Boate which had gone about the other point of the Iland which lyeth in two Degrees and fortie minutes The next day we past in sight of Puerto Viejo in two degrees ten minutes which lying without shipping wee directed our course for Cape Passaos It lyeth directly vnder the Equinoctiall line some fourescore leagues to the west-wards of this Cape lyeth a heape of Ilands the Spaniards call Illas de los Galapagos They are desert and beare no fruite from Cape Passaos wee directed our course to Cape Saint Francisco which lyeth in one degree to the
courage a man Armed giueth a greater and a waightier blow then a man vnarmed he standeth faster and with greater difficultie is to be overthrowne And I neuer read but that the glistering of the Armour hath beene by Authors obserued for that as I imagine his show breedeth terror in his contraries and despayre to himselfe if he be vnarmed And therefore in time of warre such as devote themselues to follow the profession of Armes by Sea or by Land ought to covet nothing more then to be well Armed for as much as it is the second meanes next Gods protection for preseruing and prolonging many mens liues Wherein the Spanish nation deserveth commendation aboue others euery one from the highest to the lowest putting their greatest care in providing faire and good Armes He which cannot come to the price of a Corslet will haue a coate of Mayle a Iackett at least a Buffe-jerkin or a privie Coate And hardly will they be found without it albeit they liue and serue for the most part in extreame hott Countries Whereas I haue knowne many bred in cold Countries in a moment complaine of the waight of their Armes that they smoother them and then cast them off chusing rather to be shott through with a Bullet or lanched through with a Pike or thrust through with a Sword then to endure a little travaile and suffering But let me giue these lazie ones this lesson that he that will goe a warrefare must resolue himselfe to fight and he that putteth on this resolution must be contented to endure both heate and waight first for the safegard of his life and next for subduing of his enemie both which are hazarded and put into great danger if he fight vnarmed with an enemy armed Now for mine owne opinion I am resolved that Armour is more necessary by Sea then by Land yea rather to be excused on the shore then in the Shippe My reason is for that on the shore the Bullet onely hurteth but in the Shippe I haue seene the â—plinters kill and hurt many at once and yet the shorâ— to haue passed without touching any person As in the Galeon in which I came out of the Indies in Anno 1597. in the rode of Tercera when the Queenes Maiesties Shippes vnder the charge of the Earle of Essex chased vs into the rode with the splinters of one shott were slaine maymed and sore hurt at the least a dozen persons the most part whereof had beene excused if they had beene Armed And doubtlesse if these errours had beene foreseene and remedied by vs many of those who were slaine and hurt had beene on foote and we inabled to haue sustained and maintained the fight much better and longer and perhaps at last had freed our selues For if our enemy had come to bourd with vs our close fights were such as we were secure and they open vnto vs. And what with our Cubridge heads one answering the other our hatches vpon bolts our brackes in our Deckes and Gunner roome it was impossible to take vs as long as any competent number of men had remained twentie persons would haue sufficed for defence and for this such Shippes are called Impregnable and are not to be taken but by surrender not to be overcome but with bourding or sinking as in vs by experience was verified and not in vs alone but in the Revenge of the Queenes Maiestie which being compassed round about with all the Armado of Spaine and bourded sundry times by many at once is said to haue sunke three of the Armado by her side And in this conflict having lost all her Mastes and being no other then a logge in the Sea could not bee taken with all their force and pollicie till shee surrendred her selfe by an honourable composition By these presidents let Governours by Sea take speciall care aboue all to preserue their people in imitation of the French who carrie many Souldiers in their shippes of Warre and secure them in their holdes till they come to entring and to proue their forces by the dint of Sword But here the discreete Commaunders are to put difference betwixt those which defend and those which are to offend and betwixt those which assault and those which are assaulted For as I haue sayd no governement whatsoever better requireth a perfect and experimented Commaunder then that of the Sea And so no greater errour can bee committed then to commend such charges to men vnexperimented in this profession A third and last cause of the losse of sundry of our men most worthy of note for all Captaines owners and Carpenters was the race building of our shippe the onely fault shee had and now a dayes held for a principall grace in any shippe but by the experience which I haue had it seemeth for sundry reasons verie preiudiciall for shippes of Warre For in such those which tackle the sayles of force must bee vpon the deckes and are open without shelter or any defence yet here it will be obiected That for this inconvenience wast clothes are provided and for want of them it is vsuall to lace a bonnet or some such shadow for the men worthily may it bee called a shadow and one of the most pernitious customes that can be vsed for this shadow or defence being but of linnen or wollen cloth emboldeneth many who without it would retire to better securitie whereas now thinking themselues vnseene they become more bould then otherwise they would and thereby shot through when they least thinke of it Some Captaines observing this errour haue sought to remedie it in some of his Maiesties shippes not by altering the building but by devising a certaine defence made of foure or fiue inch planckes of fiue foote high and sixe foote broad running vpon wheeles and placed in such partes of the shippe as are most open These they name blenders and made of Elme for the most part for that it shivers not with a shot as Oake and other Timber will doe which are now in vse and service but best it is when the whole side hath one blender and one armour of proofe for defence of those which of force must labour and be a lost This race building first came in by overmuch homing in of our shippes and received for good vnder colour of making our ships thereby the better sea-shippes and of better advantage to hull and trye but in my iudgement it breedeth many inconveniences and is farre from working the effect they pretend by disinabling them for bearing their cage worke correspondent to the proportion and mould of the shippe making them tender sided and vnable to carry sayle in any fresh gaile of winde and diminishing the play of their Artillery and the place for accommodating their people to fight labor or rest And I am none of those who hold opinion that the over-much homing in the more the better is commodious and easier for the shippe and this out of
into obedience till by composition they had a place limmitted them for their freedome where they should liue quietly by themselues At this day they haue a great habitation neere Panama called Saint Iago de los Negros well peopled with all their Officers and Commaunders of their owne saue onely a Spanish Governour By the assistance of these Symarons hee brought to the head of this River by peecemeale and in many iourneyes a small pinnace hee fitted it by time in warlike manner and with the choice of his Company put himselfe into the South Sea where his good haâ— was to meete with a cople of shippes of trade and in the one of them a great quantitie of gold And amongst other things two peeces of speciall estimation the one a Table of massie gold with Emralds sent for a present to the King the other a Lady of singular beautie married and a mother of Children The latter grewe to be his perdition for hee had capitulated with these Symarons that their part of the bootie should be onely the prisoners to the ende to execute their malice vpon them such was the rancor they had conceived against them for that they had beene the Tyrants of their libertie But the Spaniards not contented to haue them their slaues who lately had beene their Lords added to their servitude cruell intreaties And they againe to feede their insatiable revenges accustomed to rost and eate the hearts of all those Spaniards whom at any time they could lay hand vpon Iohn Oxman I say was taken with the loue of this Lady and to winne her good will what through her teares and perswasions and what through feare and detestation of their barbarous inclinations breaking promise with the Symarons yeelded to her request which was to giue the prysoners liberty with their ships for that they were not vsefull for him notwithstanding Oxman kept the Lady who had in one of the restored shippes eyther a Sonne or a Nephew This Nephew with the rest of the Spaniards made all the hast they could to Paâ—amâ— and they vsed such diligence as within fewe howers some were dispatched to seeke those who little thought so quickly to bee overtaken The pursuers approaching the River were doubtfull by which of the afore-remembred three mouths they should take their way In this wavering one of the Souldiers espied certaine feathers of Henns and some boughes of trees which they had cut off to make their way swmming downe one of the Outlets This was light sufficient to guide them in their course they entred the River and followed the tracke as farre as their Frigats had water sufficient and then with part of their Souldiers in their boates and the rest on the bankes on eyther side they marched day and night in pursuite of their enemies and in fine came vppon them vnexpected at the head of the River making good cheare in their Tents and devided in two partialities about the partition and sharing of their gold Thus were they surprised and not one escaped Some say that Iohn Oxman fled to the Symarons but they vtterly denyed to receiue or succour him for that he had broken his promise the onely Obiection they cast in his teeth was that if he had held his word with them hee never had fallen into this extremitie In fine hee was taken and after his shippe also was possessed by the Spaniards which he had hid in a certaine Coue and covered with boughes of trees in the guard and custodie of some foure or fiue of his followers All his Company were conveyed to Panama and there were ymbarked for Lyma where a processe was made against them by the Iustice and all condemned and hanged as Pirates This may be a good example to others in like occasions first to shunne such notorious sinnes which cannot escape punishment in this life nor in the life to come for the breach of faith is reputed amongst the greatest faults which a man can commit Secondly not to abuse another mans wife much lesse to force her both being odious to God and man Thirdly to beware of mutenies which seldome or never are seene to come to better ends for where such trees flourish the fruite of force must eyther bee bitter sweete or very sower And therefore seeing wee vaunt our selues to bee Christians and make profession of his law who forbiddeth all such vanities let vs faithfully shunne them that wee may partake the end of that hope which our profession teacheth and promiseth SECT LXVIII COmming in sight of the Ilands of Pearles the winde began to fresh in with vs and wee profited out selues of it but comming thwart of a small Iland which they call la Pacheta that lyeth within the Pearle Ilands close abourd the mayne and some eight or ten Leagues south and by west from Panama the wind calmed againe This Iland belongeth to a private man it is a round humock conteyning not a league of ground but most fertile Insomuch that by the owners industrie and the labour of some fewe slaues who occupie themselues in manuring it and two barkes which hee imployeth in bringing the fruit it giveth to Panama it is sayd to bee worth him every weeke one with another a barre of silver valued betwixt two hundreth and fiftie or three hundreth pezos which in English money may amount to fiftie or threescore pounds and for that which I saw at my being in Panama touching this I hold to be true In our course to fetch the Port of Panama we pâ—â— our selues betwixt the Ilands and the Maine which is a goodly Chanâ—ell of three foure and fiue leagues broad and without danger except a man come too neare the shoare on any side and that is thought the better course then to goe a sea-boord of the Ilands beâ—ause of the swift running of the tydes and the advantage to stop the ebbe As also for succour if a man should happen to bee becalmed at any time beyond expectation which happeneth sometimes The seaventh of Iuly wee had sight of Perico they are two little Ilands which cause the Port of Panama where all the shippes vse to ride It is some two Leagues west north-west of the Cittie which hath also a Pere in it selfe for small Barkes at full sea it may haue haueÌ„ some sixe or seaven foote water but at low water it is drie The ninth of Iuly we anokored vnder Perico and the Generall presently advised the Audiencia of that which had succeeded in his Journey which vnderstood by them caused bonfires to be made and every man to put luminaries in their houses the fashion is much vsed amongst the Spaniards in their feastes of ioy or for glad tidings placing many lights in their Churches in their windowes and Galleries and corners of their houses which being in the beginning of the night and the Cittie close by the sea shore showed to vs being farre off as
though the Cittie had beene on a light fire About eight of the clocke all the Artillerie of the Citty was shott off which wee might discerne by the flashes of fire but could not heare the report yet the Armando being advised thereof and in a readinesse answered them likewise with all their Artillery which taking ende as all the vanities of this earth doe The Generall seâ—led himselfe to dispatch advise for the Kingâ— for the Vice-roy of Peru and for the Vice-roy of the Nova Spana for hee also had beene certified of our being in that sea and had fitted an Armado to seeke vs and to guard his coast But now for a farewell and note it Let me relate vnto you this Secret How Don Beltran shewed mee a Letter from the King his Master directed to the Vice-roy wherein he gaue him particular relation of my pretended voyage of the shippes their burden their munition thâ—ir number of men which I had in them as perfectly as it he had seene all with his owne eyes Saying vnto me Heereby may you discerne whether the King my Master haue friends in England and good and speedie advice of all that passeth Whereuâ—to I replyed It was no wonder for that he had plentie of gold and silver which worketh this and more strange effects for my iourney was publique and notorious to all the Kingdome whereunto hee replyed that if I thought it so convenient leaue should be given me to write into England to the Queenes Maiestie my Mistresse to my Father and to other personages as I thought good and leaving the Letters open that hee would send some of them in the Kings Packet others to his Vncle Don Rodrigo de Castro Cardinall and Archbishoppe of Sevill and to other friendes of his Not making any doubt but that they would be speedily in England For which I thanked him and accepted his courtesie and although I was my selfe vnable to write yet by the hands of a servant of mine I wrote three or foure coppies of one letter to my Father Sir Iohn Hawkins In which I briefly made relation of all that had succeeded in our voyage The dispatches of Spaine and new Spaine went by ordinary course in ships of advise but that for the Peru was sent by a kinseman of the Generalls called Don Francisco de la Cuena Which being dispatched Don Beltran hasted all that ever hee could to put his shippes in order to returne to Lyma Hee causâ—d the Daintie to be grounded and trimmed for in those Ilands it higheth and falleth some fifteene or sixteene foote water And the Generall with his Captaines and some Religious men being aboord her and new naming her named her the Visitation for that shee was rendred on the day on which they celebrate the visitation of the blessed Virgin Mary In that place the ground being plaine and without vantage whereby to helpe the tender sided and sharpe shippes they are forced to shore them on either side In the midest of their solemnity her props and shores of one side fayled and so shee fell over vpon that side suddenly intreating many of them which were in her very badly and doubtles had shee bin like the shippes of the South Sea shee had broken out her bulge but being without Mastes and empty for in the South Sea when they bring a ground a shippe they leaue neither mast balast nor any other thing abourd besides the bare hull her strength was such as it made no great show to haue received any domage but the feare shee put them all into was not little and caused them to runne out of her â—aster then a good pace In these Ilands is no succour nor refreshing onely in the one of them is one house of strawe and a little spring of small moment For the water which the shippes vse for their provision they fetch from another Iland two Leagues west north-west of these which they call Tabaga having in it some fruite and refreshing and some fewe Indians to inhabite it What succeeded to mee and to the rest during our Imprisoment with the rarities and particularities of the Peru and Tierra firme my voyage to Spaine and the successe with the time I spent in pryson in the Peru in the Tercera in Sevill and in Madrid with the accidents which befell me in them I leaue for a second part of this discourse if God giue life and convenient place and rest necessary for so tedious and troublesome a worke desiring God that is Almightie to giue his blessing to this and the rest of my intentions that it and they may bee fruitefull to his glory and the good of all then shall my desires be accomplished and I account my selfe most happie To whom be all glory and thankes from all eternitie FINIS Errata sic corrige FOlio 5. for recant read recount fol. 7. and 9. for wasters read waâ—ters fol. 9. line 7. for light read last fol. 15. for serue read saue fol. 23. for we not read we were not for the River of Ieromino read Ienero for rose read nose The litteralls are commended to favour The Table of the principall Observations conteined in this Booke A Advantage of obedience Folio 91 Advise by Land and Sea Folio 117 Advertisements for Commanders Folio 91 For servitors Folio 92 Agnanapes Folio 62 Noblenes of Alonso de soto Folio 103 Alcatrices Folio 44 Amber-grice Folio 46.47 Amitie of the Indians Folio 116 Mending of vnserviceable Anchors Folio 87 Light Anchors fit for the South Sea Folio 102 Arica Folio 114 Valour of the Arawcans Folio 107 Much commended for all sorts of fruit and gold Folio 106 Spanish Armado Folio 125 Arrogancy of the Spanish Generall Folio 140 Overcharging of Artillery Folio 115 Courses for Artillery after bourding Folio 145 Donna Austria in the narrow Seas Folio 21 B BAckwardnesse of Companies Folio 90 Evill consequences thereof ibid Baldivia Folio 96 English Bay Folio 82 The Bezar stone Folio 47 Beefe pickled 69. held good beyond the Equinoctiall ibid Blanches Bay Folio 77 Pollicies to avoid Bourding Folio 138 The Bonito Folio 42 Brasil knowne c. Folio 38 Bravo Folio 29 Description of Brasil Folio 64 Its Hauens Folio 64 Commodities and wants Folio 65 Bestial and discommodities ibid Losse of the Burdeaux Fleete Folio 9 C FAlse Calking Folio 18 Prevention thereof ibid Thomas Candish 85. surprised Folio 58 Canary Ilands Folio 24 Grand Canary Folio 25 Capâ— Blanco Folio 54 Ignoblâ— Captaines Folio 68 Disloyalties of Captaines Folio 112 Beverage of Cassavy Folio 62 Casâ—avi Meale Folio 61 Preparing thereof ibid S. Catelena Folio 66 Parts requisite in a Chieftain Folio 130 Two Chieftainâ— dangerous Folio 133 Cherries Folio 55 People of Chile Folio 98 Their weapons Folio 99 And hate to the Spaniards â—â—id Civil Catts Folio 31 Cittie of Conception Folio 100 Vnwillingnesse to follow couetous Commanders Folio 109 A Commander not to trust his officers Folio 127 Admonitions to Commanders Folio 128. Cocos and their kinds Folio 30.31