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DRAKE, SIR FRANCIS. Born in Devonshire, England, about 1540; fitted out a freebooting expedition and attacked the Spanish settlements in the West Indies, 1572, capturing Porto Bello, Cartagena, and other towns and taking an immense treasure; sailed again from England, December, 1577, circumnavigating the globe and reaching home again September, 1580, where he was met by Queen Elizabeth and knighted on his ship; ravaged the West Indies and Spanish Main, 1585, and the coast of Spain, 1587; commanded a division of the fleet defeating the Spanish Armada, July, 1588; died off Porto Bello, 1596.
Moreover Philip's indisposition to interfere was on the verge of being seriously disturbed by Drake's great expedition, which had sailed from England in 1577. The presence of Alexander of Parma in the Netherlands soon resulted in a definite division between the seven northern and the ten southern States. The latter, Catholic themselves, were not inclined to hold out for religious liberty.
Froude can hardly be right, for Philip's letter containing that vulgar expression is of July 1577. In any case, in 1576 Philip was induced, by the intercession of Perez, to overlook the fault, and Escovedo, whose presence Don John demanded, was actually sent to him in December 1576.
Thus, ten years after he had been declared an outlaw and banished, did the Prince of Orange return in triumph to the town which had witnessed the execution of Egmont and Hoorn. It was the proudest day of his life and the supreme point of his career. The position of William at Brussels after his triumphant entry, September 23, 1577, was by no means an easy one.
And indeed, it might have been there still but that in 1577 some children, curious about it and anxious to see a thing so wonderful, thrust a lighted taper into the tomb through one of the holes in the marble, when mummy, vestments, chair and all were consumed, and in a moment nothing remained but a handful of dust.
In the last London edition of Hakluyt, 1810, it is dated erroneously in 1577, but we learn from the editor of Astley's Collection that in the edition 1589, it is dated in 1557. Yet, notwithstanding that authority, we may be assured that the date of this voyage could not have been earlier than January 1558, as Towerson did not return from his former voyage till the 29th of April 1557.
Whatsoever were his obstacles, and whatsoever the motives that produced them, it was not till the year 1577, that he was able to assemble a force proportioned to his design, and to obtain a commission from the queen, by which he was constituted captain-general of a fleet, consisting of five vessels, of which the Pelican, admiral, of a hundred tons, was commanded by himself; the Elizabeth, viceadmiral, of eighty tons, by John Winter; the Marigold, of thirty tons, by John Thomas; the Swan, fifty tons, by John Chester; the Christopher, of fifteen tons, by Thomas Moche, the same, as it seems, who was carpenter in the former voyage, and destroyed one of the ships by Drake's direction.
In 1577, he obtained a commission from Queen Elizabeth to conduct a squadron into the South Seas. With five ships, the largest the Pelican, of one hundred tons burden, the smallest a pinnace of fifteen tons, manned in all with only 164 men, Drake sailed from Plymouth, November 15, 1577, to visit seas where no English vessel had ever sailed.
Drake introduced to Queen Elizabeth Describes his birth, education, early voyages, adventures with Hawkins, capture of treasure, and first sight of the South Sea Exploit and death of Oxenham Drake's liberality His plan unfolded The Queen's sanction A squadron of five vessels equipped Sails on 15th of November, 1577 Puts into Mogador visited by Moorish chiefs A seaman carried off by the Moors Small prizes taken Drake's generosity Touches at the Cape de Verdes The inhabitants fly Expedition on shore No provisions to be obtained A Portugal ship taken, and the pilot, Nuno da Silva, detained The Portugals liberated, and a pinnace given them Captain Doughty's misconduct The coast of Brazil sighted Native alarm fires seen A tempest The Christopher separates Squadron enters Rio de la Plata The Christopher returns Sails along the coast Another storm Caunter lost sight of Approach of winter The Admiral in danger Rescued by Captain Thomas of the Marigold Lands Natives fly Their huts visited Mode of catching ostriches The squadron collected The Elizabeth broken up Natives appear Friendly intercourse The Christopher run on shore The Mary recovered Squadron anchors in Port Saint Julien.
The finest Early Renaissance municipal building is the picturesque guild hall at Exeter, with its richly ornamented front projecting over the pavement and carried on arches. The market-house at Rothwell is a beautifully designed building erected by Sir Thomas Tresham in 1577. Being a Recusant, he was much persecuted for his religion, and never succeeded in finishing the work.
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