Elizabethan Sea Dogs | Page 9

V, was very anxious that he should please the
stubborn English; for if he could only become both King of England
and Emperor of Germany he would rule the world by sea as well as
land. Philip did his ineffective best: drank English beer in public as if
he liked it and made his stately Spanish courtiers drink it too and smile.
He spent Spanish gold, brought over from America, and he got the
convenient kind of Englishmen to take it as spy-money for many years
to come. But with it he likewise sowed some dragon's teeth. The
English sea-dogs never forgot the iron chests of Spanish New-World
gold, and presently began to wonder whether there was no sure way in
far America by which to get it for themselves.
In the same year, 1555, the Marian attack on English heretics began
and the sea became safer than the land for those who held strong
anti-Papal views. The Royal Navy was neglected even more than it had
been lately by the Lord Protector. But fighting traders, privateers, and
pirates multiplied. The seaports were hotbeds of hatred against Mary,
Philip, Papal Rome, and Spanish Inquisition. In 1556 Sebastian Cabot
reappears, genial and prosperous as ever, and dances out of history at
the sailing of the Serchthrift, bound northeast for Muscovy. In 1557
Philip came back to England for the last time and manoeuvred her into
a war which cost her Calais, the last English foothold on the soil of
France. During this war an English squadron joined Philip's vessels in a
victory over the French off Gravelines, where Drake was to fight the
Armada thirty years later.

This first of the two battles fought at Gravelines brings us down to
1558, the year in which Mary died, Elizabeth succeeded her, and a very
different English age began.
CHAPTER III
LIFE AFLOAT IN TUDOR TIMES
Two stories from Hakluyt's Voyages will illustrate what sort of work
the English were attempting in America about 1530, near the middle of
King Henry's reign. The success of 'Master Haukins' and the failure of
'Master Hore' are quite typical of several other adventures in the New
World.
'Olde M. William Haukins of Plimmouth, a man for his wisdome,
valure, experience, and skill in sea causes much esteemed and beloved
of King Henry the eight, and being one of the principall Sea Captaines
in the West partes of England in his time, not contented with the short
voyages commonly then made onely to the knowen coastes of Europe,
armed out a tall and goodlie ship of his owne, of the burthen of 250
tunnes, called the Pole of Plimmouth, wherewith he made three long
and famous voyages vnto the coast of Brasill, a thing in those days very
rare, especially to our Nation.' Hawkins first went down the Guinea
Coast of Africa, 'where he trafiqued with the Negroes, and tooke of
them Oliphants' teeth, and other commodities which that place yeeldeth;
and so arriving on the coast of Brasil, used there such discretion, and
behaved himselfe so wisely with those savage people, that he grew into
great familiaritie and friendship with them. Insomuch that in his 2
voyage one of the savage kings of the Countrey of Brasil was contented
to take ship with him, and to be transported hither into England. This
kinge was presented unto King Henry 8. The King and all the Nobilitie
did not a little marvel; for in his cheeks were holes, and therein small
bones planted, which in his Countrey was reputed for a great braverie.'
The poor Brazilian monarch died on his voyage back, which made
Hawkins fear for the life of Martin Cockeram, whom he had left in
Brazil as a hostage. However, the Brazilians took Hawkins's word for it
and released Cockeram, who lived another forty years in Plymouth.

'Olde M. William Haukins' was the father of Sir John Hawkins, Drake's
companion in arms, whom we shall meet later. He was also the
grandfather of Sir Richard Hawkins, another naval hero, and of the
second William Hawkins, one of the founders of the greatest of all
chartered companies, the Honourable East India Company.
Hawkins knew what he was about. 'Master Hore' did not. Hore was a
well-meaning, plausible fellow, good at taking up new-fangled ideas,
bad at carrying them out, and the very cut of a wildcat
company-promoter, except for his honesty. He persuaded 'divers young
lawyers of the Innes of Court and Chancerie' to go to Newfoundland. A
hundred and twenty men set off in this modern ship of fools, which ran
into Newfoundland at night and was wrecked. There were no
provisions; and none of the 'divers lawyers' seems to have known how
to catch a fish. After trying to live on wild fruit they took to eating