THE LIFE OF

Sir FRANCIS DRAKE.

T

HIS famous voyager was born near South-Taveftock, in Devonshire, his father being a minifter, who, for fear of the fix articles, in the reign of Henry VIII. was forced to fecure himself in the huli of a fhip, where he had many of his younger fons, having twelve in all, most of them born on the

water.

After the death of Henry VIII. Mr. Drake got a place to read prayers in the royal navy, and bound his eldest fon, Francis, apprentice to a fhip-mafter, who traded to France and Holland; with whom he endured much hardfhip. It is faid, that, at the age of eighteen, he was purfer of a fhip trading to the Bay of Bifcay. At twenty, he made a voyage to Guinea; and, at the age of twenty-two, was appointed captain of the Judith; and, in that capacity, was in the harbour of St. John de Ulloa, in the gulph of Mexico; where he behaved very gallantly in the glorious action under Sir John Hawkins; and returned with him to England with a high reputation, but ftripped of all, and very poor.

Soon

Soon after this, he conceived a defign of making reprisals on the king of Spain; which, according to fome, was put into his head by the chaplain of the fhip: and, indeed, the cafe was clear in fea-divinity, that the subjects of the king of Spain had undone Mr. Drake, and therefore he was at liberty to take the best fatisfaction he could on them in return. This doctrine, however roughly preached, was very taking in England; and, therefore, no fooner did he publish his defign, than he had num bers of volunteers ready to accompany him, though not actuated by the fame motives, and without any fuch pretence to colour their proceeding as he had.

In 1570, he made his firft voyage with two fhips, the Dragon and Swan; and the next year in the Swan alone: from which laft expedition he returned fafe, if not rich. The' we have no particular account of these two voyages, or what Drake performed in them, yet nothing is clearer than that captain Drake had two great points in view: the one was, to inform himself perfectly of the fituation and ftrength of certain places in the Spanish WestIndies; the other, to convince his countrymen, that, notwithstanding what had happened to captain Hawkins, in his last voyage, it was a thing very practicable to fail into these parts, and return in fafety: for it is to be obferved, that Hawkins and Drake separated in the Weft-Indies; and, that the former, find

ing it impoffible to bring all his crew home to England, had fet part of them, but with their own confent, afhore in the bay of Mexico; and, indeed, few of these finding their way home, the terror of fuch a captivity as they were known to endure, had a prodigious effect. But captain Drake, in these two voyages, having very wifely avoided coming to blows with the Spaniards, and bringing home fufficient returns to fatisfy his owners, diffipated thefe apprehenfions, as well as raifed his own charac ter: fo that, at his return from his fecond voyage, he found it no difficult matter to raise fuch a ftrength as might enable him to perform what he had long meditated in his own mind, which otherwife he never would have been able to effect.

Having now means fufficient to perform greater matters, as well as skill to conduct them, he laid the plan of a more important defign; which he put in execution on the twenty-fifth of March: for, on that day, he failed from Plymouth, in a fhip called the Pafeta, burden feventy tons; and his brother, John Drake, in the Swan, of twenty-five tons; their whole ftrength confifting of only feventy-three men and boys: and with this fmall force, on the twenty fecond of July, in the year following, 1573, attacked the town of Nombre de Dios, which then ferved the Spaniards for the fame purposes as Porto-Bello does now. He took it in a few hours by

ftorm,

ftorm, notwithstanding a very dangerous wound he received in the action; yet, after all, with little advantage, being obliged, after a very brifk action, to betake themselves to their fhips.

His next attempt was to plunder the mules laden with filver, which paffed from Vera Cruz to Nombre de Dios; but in this too he failed: however, attacking the former town, he carried it, and got fome little plunder. In their return, they unexpectly met with fifty mules laden with plate; of which they car ried off as much as poffible, and buried the reft. In these enterprises he was very greatly affifted by a nation of Indians, perpetually engaged in war with the Spaniards. The prince, or captain, of this tribe, whofe name was Pedro, captain Drake prefented with a fine cutlafs, of which he faw the Indian was very fond. In return, Pedro gave him four large wedges of gold; all which captain Drake threw into the common ftock, adding withal, That he thought it but juft, that such as bore the charge of fo uncertain a voyage, on his credit, fhould share the utmost advantages that voyage produced. Then embarking his men, with a very confiderable booty, he bore away for England; and, in twenty-three days, failed from Cape Florida to the ifles of Scilly; and from thence arrived safe at Plymouth on the ninth of Auguft.

His fuccefs in this expedition, joined to his upright behaviour towards his owners, toge

ther

ther with the ufe he made of his riches, gained him a very bigh reputation; for, in 1575, fitting out three frigates at his own expence, he failed with them to Ireland; where, under Walter, earl of Effex, (father to the earl who had been beheaded) he served as a volunteer, and did many glorious exploits.

After the death of his patron, he returned to England, in 1576; where Sir Chriftopher Hatton, vice-chamberlain to queen Elizabeth, took him under his protection; introduced him to her majefty, and procured him her countenance. By this means he was enabled to undertake that grand expedition which will immortalize his name. The first thing he proposed was a voyage into the South-Seas, through the Straits of Magellan, hitherto unattempted by any Englishman. This project was well received at court, and captain Drake foon faw himself at the height of his wishes; for, in his former voyage, having had a diftant profpect of the South-Seas, he ardently prayed to God that he might fail an English ship in them; which now he found an opportunity of attempting, the queen, by her permiffion, furnishing him with the means; and his own fame quickly drawing to him a fufficient force for that purpose.

While he meditated on this great defign in his own breaft, without communicating it to any, he took care to procure the best lights, to engage feveral bold and active men to ferve VOL. III.

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