First English Voyage to the Moluccos.

The Year before, being 1579, about the Beginning of it, Q. Elizabeth of England, seeing the Princes of Europe, particularly those in the Western Parts, make Warlike Preparations, as being divided in Opinions; form Leagues, and direct all their Designs towards the Kingdom of Portugal, she to make some Diversion with Security, had on a sudden fitted out four Ships, of eighteen Brass Guns each, and in them two hundred Men, and ten young Gentlemen, who besides employing their Valour, on such Occasions as it should offer, were to be very intent upon the Business of Navigation for greater Ends.

She appointed Francis Drake of the County of Devon their Commander in Chief; who at his own, or at the Charge of John Hawkins, from whom he stole a great Quantity of Gold and Silver at S. John de Ulva, Sir Francis Drake his Voyage. in the Year 1566, added some more Ships. He set sail from the Port of Plymouth, for the South Sea, and to find out that Streight of Magellan, scarce believed by the Vulgar, and declar’d by several Cosmographers. He promis’d to sail as much as might be to the Northward, and to take rich Prizes, infesting all those remote Seas, and to return Victorious into England, through the same Streight. This presumptuous Hope he grounded on his own Valour, on the Negligence of the Spaniards, who are intrusted with the Places of Strength; on our want of Ships; and above all on that Opportunity, or Season so full of sundry and extraordinary Commotions. He touch’d on the Coast of Africk, and refitted all his Ships at Cape Bojador. The Moors took two of his Men, and a Portuguese Ship pay’d for it, he robbing her at Cabo Blanco of an hundred Quintals, or hundred Weight of Bisket, besides much Fish, and many Arms. He touch’d at the Islands of Cabo Verde, where he took another small Portuguese Vessel, richly Laden with Wine, Cloth, Holland, and several other Commodities, with Sylva, the Pilot in it, who was well acquainted with those Seas, and better on the Coast of Brazil. But six or seven Days after the Vessel sunk, and not a Man was sav’d except only the said Pilot. Drake went on to the River of Plate, and Winter’d for some Months in S. Julians Bay, which is not well shelter’d, but expos’d to excessive cold Winds, in 50 Degrees of South Latitude, where he lost some Men.

One Thomas Haughton rais’d a Mutiny there, in order to Debauch the Squadron, Drake laid hold of him, and struck off his Head. Here they Giants. saw eight Indian Giants to whom the tallest Englishman look’d like a Dwarf. They show’d their Bows and Arrows, and an Englishman, who valu’d himself upon his Dexterity at those Weapons, breaking the Peace establish’d with those People, let fly an Arrow at one of them, which pierced him through, and he dropt; the others in Revenge discharged theirs, and kill’d two of the English. The rest then assail’d the Indians, but they fled so swiftly that they seem’d not, to those English who saw and writ this, to set their Feet on the Ground. They departed thence, as soon as the North Winds they had expected to blow, and holding on their Course to the Southward, in fifteen Days came to the Mouth of the Streight. [71]From thence to the second Narrowing they spent five Days, by reason of the Currents and Shoals; at a small distance from them they found no Bottom. They met with some Calms and Storms, and being come into the South-Sea had one which lasted forty Days, and in it lost some Ships. The Vice-Admiral return’d through the same Streight into England, where the Queen order’d him to be Hang’d for having forsaken his Admiral; but he was repriev’d till Drakes Return, and the Pardon’d, at his Request. He went on with only his own and some other Ships, but wanted not Men, Provisions, nor Ammunition, he took some belonging to private Persons, and the Kings, loaded with the Plate they were bringing for Spain, a Robbery of Drake takes the Kings Plate. great Consequence, not so much for the Quantity of the Treasure, as for the Use it is apply’d to in our Monarchy, which is the Advancement of the Catholick Church, and which thereby ceas’d, and deplorable for the unjust Abuses it was to be apply’d to in Scismatical Kingdoms. Having wander’d, Steering various Courses, in which his Pilots made their Observations by Sounding and their Charts, he touch’d at six Islands, to some whereof he gave Names, in Imitation of the fabulous Heroes, and even of true Catholicks, who assign such Names according to their particular Devotion. One he call’d S. Bartholomew, another S. James, and a third, which He gives Names to Islands. he thought larger and more fruitful, New Albion, from the Ancient Name of England, this is California. There he stay’d a Month and a half, refitting his Ships, and sailing thence to those call’d de los Ladrones, or of Thieves, in nine Degrees of North Latitude, kill’d 20 Indians, because they attack’d him with 100 Canoas. Twenty Days after, he came to an Anchor at the Molucco Islands, having before touch’d at others, without any Action Arrives at the Moluccos. worth remembering. His Cruelties, and Robberies might well gain him the Title of the greatest of Pyrates, in those remotest Parts, as he had it in Europe. He came to Ternate, but succeeded not at first, that People being War-like, and at that time Arm’d by their own Malice, and an implacable King. He attempted to barter for Clove, without his Leave, was inform’d how severely he handled such as Transgress’d, and slighting the Advice, the King came to hear of it, and order’d him to be Kill’d. It came very near the Execution; but Drake, whose Genious well experienced in Frauds was no Stranger to Dissimulation, retir’d to his Ships, to make his Escape by Flight. Thence he contriv’d to appease the King, which was no difficult Matter, by means of some Presents he sent him. With them he purchas’d the good Will, and an Audience of that cunning Tyrant, and going ashore several Times to visit him, agreed he should enter into Amity with the Queen, and Nation of England, and that Factories should be settled out of Hand. The King consented, and Drake promis’d him the Protection and Arms of England; and taking with him, among other Gifts, a rich Ring the King gave him for the Queen, he sail’d homewards, with a great quantity of Clove. He met a Portuguese Ship crossing the small Channel of Tydore, but either durst not, or thought not fit to attack her, whether it was for being Inferior in Strength, or out of a Desire of securing the new acquir’d Wealth. Scarce was he got clear of Ternate, before the Winds began to toss him, in that Sea full of Flats, whence they forc’d him, in order Is in a Storm. to deliver him quite up to Tempests. He was oblig’d to lighten his Ships, and among other Things of Value, threw over-Board a Cannon, of an extraordinary [72]Bigness, which the King of Ternate, hearing afterwards of the Storm, caused to be taken out of the deep Sea. Then he built a House before his Palace, on the Roof whereof he planted it openly, and pointing over, either on Account of its Magnitude, or by way of Ostentation, and in Memory of the first Englishman, that came into his Kingdoms, from whom and the Sea he had taken that new offensive Booty. Drake went on to the greater Java, where he laid in Provisions of Cazabi, Plantans, and Floul, in exchange for Cloth. Next he put into another Island, in four Degrees of North Latitude, where he stay’d six Weeks. There he left a Woman, and two Men, all Blacks, that belong’d to him, giving them Fire, Rice, and some Grain, that they might People the Place. An Heroick Foundation of a Colony. Then he continu’d his Voyage, turning in and out to several Places, with unexpected Dammage to all those he touch’d at.

It is to be observ’d, that it being possitively believed in Spain and the Indies, Reflection of the Spanish Author. that none had ever pass’d the Streights of Magellan, since the first Discoverer, except F. Garcia de Loaysa, and one of the Ships sent by Don Gutierre de Vargas, Bishop of Palencia, to the Spice-Islands, it was look’d upon as incredible, that any Pyrates were come into the South-Sea, especially through the Streight, and to the Islands of Ternate, and that Archipelago. This Man was the first that open’d the Passage to the Sectaries Hugonots, Lutherans, and Calvinists, who afterwards pierc’d into those Seas, with Ship Loads of perverted Texts, Heretical Bibles, and other Books of unsound Doctrine; but the Divine Providence has given Proofs, that it is so much Offended at this Hellish Innovation, tho’ it permits Idolatry, and Mahometanism, that it has not suffer’d those Souls which through its profound Judgments, lie involv’d in the Shades and Darkness of Ignorance, to imbibe that Poyson, till it sent them the Gospel in its Purity. It has Oppos’d those new Apostacies making use of, as Instruments of Spanish Religious Men, giving Strength to our King, who protects them, his main Design being the Support of Religion. This Truth plainly appears in the many Victories the Church has obtain’d through his Officers, and the Armies maintain’d in the remotest Parts of the Monarchy, for the Propagation of the Faith preach’d to the most distant Indians.

But the better to demonstrate this true Forecast and Care, I think it a Reason for this Digression. necessary Digression, so far from being superfluous, to relate the Preparations made by the Viceroy Don Francisco de Toledo, directing his Actions to this End, as became a Minister who follow’d his Princes Designs, in Order to secure himself against Drake’s surprizing Celerity and Boldness; for as much of this as concerns the Molucco Islands, obliges us to write it, and we will slightly run over all the particular Passages.