102

Hen.VIII. Naval Expeditions, <Scc. o//£e Englifli, Book I

1526. Leave to plapt there, which was notdone ’till some Time after.

1527. The History of King Henry, VIII.. furnishes us with nothing very memora-ble, at least in Publick Naval Affairs,from this Time to the Year, 1544.which was the thirty sixth of hisReign v

The King’s Divorce from Qu,een Ca-therine ; his Squabbles with the Empe-rour and the Pope, the Fall of CardinalWoolsey, the Beginning of the Refor-mation, the King’s several Marriages,and the Fate of his Queens, are someof the most memorable Events of theseYears. I shall, however, for the fakeof Connexion, hint at some few Particu-lars.

Hackluyt, In the Year 1527. Mr. Robert Thome,

P. III. p. of Brijlol, in a Letter to King Henry

^tee'the Let - VI ^* sorted him, with very weighty

ter, P. I. p. and substantial Reasons, to endeavour

2i2. a Discovery even to the North Pole.

The King, giving Ear to his Reasons,of Mr. Ro- . t fo R, ■ ^ t r i st

bert Thome ordered two Ships to be fitted out, well

and others manned and victualled. With theseto New- Mr. Thome, accompanied by several o-° un an ' ther Persons of Experience and Know-ledge, set Sail, on the twentieth of May.Sailing very far Northwestward, oneof these Ships was cast away, as itentered into a dangerous Gulph, aboutthe great Opening, between the North-Parts of Newf ound land, and the Coun-try called Meta-incognita. Upon thisthe other Ship steered her Course to-wards Cape Briton, and the Coasts ofMrembec, and oftentimes putting theirMen on Land, -to enquire into the Stateof these unknown Regions, they return-ed Home about theBeginning of Oflober,of the fame Year. In Purchas, P. III.P. 809. are two Letters, one from JohnRut, to King Henry, and the otherfrom Æbertus de Prato, to Cardinal IVool-sty, concerning this Voyage.

1532. In the Years 1530, and 1532. Mr.Hackluyt, William Hawkins, of Plymouth, madeP- PIP three Voyages to Brastl, of which we^' 7 °°' find the following Account in Hack-luyt.

Three Foy- “Mr. William Hawkins, of Plymouth,William^' a Man for his Wisdom, Valour, Ex-Hawkins to " perience and Skill in Sea-caufes,Bract. " much esteemed, and beloved by" King Henry, VIII. and being one of" the principal Sea-Captains, in the" West Parts of England, in his Time," not contented with the short Voya-" ges, commonly then made, only to" the known Coasts of Europe, armed" out a tall and goodly Ship of his own.

“ of the Burden of two Hundred and 1 53 2i" fifty Tuns, called the Paul of Ply-" mouth, wherewith he made three“ long and famous Voyages unto the‘ f Coast of Brafd. a Thing in those Days“ very rare, especially to our Nation.tr In the Course of these Voyages he" touched at the River of Sejlos, upon" the Coast of Guinea, where he tra-flicked with the Negroes, and tookof them Elephants Teeth, and otherCommodities, which that Placeyields, and so arriving on the Coasts“ of Brajil, he used there such Difcre-tion, and behaved himself so wifely,

“ with these savage People that he<c grew into great Familiarity and<f Friendship with them. Insomuch,that in his second Voyage, one of the‘ f savage Kings of the Country of Brafil“ was contented to take Ship with him,and to be transported into England ;

‘ f to which Mr. Hawkins agreed, leav-ing behind him in the Country, as aPledge for his Safety and Return a-“ gain, one Martin Cockram of Ply-“ mouth. This Brajilian King being<c arrived, was brought up to London,tC and presented to King Henry VIII.

" In his Cheeks were Holes, made ac-" cording to the savage Manner, andtherein small Bones were planted,tf standing an Inch out from the Holes,tf which, in his Country, was looked" on as a great Bravery. He had ano-" ther Hole in his lower Lip, where-<c in was set a precious Stone, about" the Bigness of a Pea. All his Ap-" parel, Behaviour and Gesture were" very strange to the Beholders. Ha-" ving remained here the Space almost“ of a whole Year, Mr .Hawkins, ac-" cording to his Promise, purposed to" carry him again into his Country:

" But it fell out in the Way, that by" Change of Air, and Alteration of" Dyet, he died at Sea. It was fear-Cs ed this would have cost the Life of" Martin Cockram, his Pledge ; never-" theless the Savages, being fully per-" suaded of the honest Dealing of our<c Men, with their Prince restored, the" Pledge, without any Harm to him,or any Man of his Company • And" the Ship, being freighted and furnish-" e<I with Commodities of the Country,

" returned to England.

In the Month of 0 Slob er 1 532. Henry intervTyhad an Interview with Francis I. King hetrn^fof France, between Calais and fBoulogne, The King landed at Calais p 2 U-the eleventh, they met the first Time

on