Chap. LXVIIL during the Reign oj ( en Elizabeth.

1602.

Harris’* Col.P. I.p.587.

Wey-

mouth’* At-tempt to-wards theNorth-Pole.

the Port of Hat ar ask, whither he wassent.

From thePk.ce where they had been,they brought Sassafras, China- Root,Benzoin, Cassia, and a Rind of a Treemore strong, than any known Spice,with several other Commodities.

The same Year, the Ktt Mr-Companyfitted out twoFly-boats, one of seventy,and the other of sixty Tuns, victualledfor eighteen Months, to discover theNorth-West Passage, under the Com-mand of Mr. George Wey mouth, who de-parting from Ratcliff, on the second ofMay, met with so much Ice, Frost andFog, in the Middle of July, in theLatitude of sixty eightDegrees, and threeand fifty Minutes, that his Men being

discouraged would proceed no farther,alledging this Reason. " That if it" were granted, they might winter be-" tween sixty and seventy Degrees of" Latitude, with Safety of their Lives" and Vessels, yet it would be in May" next before they could unmoor them," and launch them into the Sea again' ;cf and therefore, if theMerchants would" proceed in the Discovery of these" North-West Parts of America, their" Ships might be in the same Latitude," from England, by the first of May," and so be better furnished with Men“ and Victuals, to proceed in the Acti-" on.” Whereupon they directed theirCourse for England, and arrived atDartmouth, the fifth of September,

383

160:

CHAP. LXVIII.

Sir RichardLevison’* and Sir William Monson’* Expedition to the Coast

of Spain.

1602.

Camden.

Sir William

Monson'*

Gratis.

MS. //z Bibl.Cotton.

Columna

Rostrata.

A Squadronof Ships fit-ted out a-gainft theSpaniards.

T H E same Year, the Queen,to divert the Spaniards frommaking any fresh Attempts uponIreland, fitted out a Squadronof eight large Men of War, and a Ca-ravel, to which having added some hi-red Ships, they were put under theCommand of Sir Richard Levison, andSir William Monson, for an Expeditionto the Coasts: of Spain.

The Names bf the Queen’s Ships,and the Commanders of them, were asfollows:

Ships.

Ships andCommanders The Repulse,Eames.

Garland,

Defiance,

Mary-Rofe,

Warspight,

Non-pareil,

Commanders.

Sir Rich. Levison,Admiral.

Sir William Monson,Vice-Admiral.Capt. Gore.

Capt. Slingsby.

Capt. Sommers.

Capt. Reynolds.

Dreadnought, Capt. Manwaring.Adventure, Capt. Erevor.

An English Caravel,Capt. Sawkell.

The last Attempt of the Spaniards inIreland, I fay, awakned Her Majesty,who it seems, for two or three Years to-gether, had entertained the Hopes ofPeace, and therefore was sparing i n em-ploying her Fleets. But now, per-ceiving the Enemy had found the Way

into thatKingdom,it behooved her to bemore vigilant then ever : She resolved,therefore, as the safest Course She couldtake, to infest the Spanijh Coast with acontinual Fleet; And, in this Year,furnished the Ships above named, hav-ing a Promise from the States of Hol-land, that they would join twelve Sailof their Ships with Hers.

As this important Service requiredgreat Speed, there was not Leisure tofurnish the Ships altogether so well withMen, or Provisions, as they were usu-ally wont to be; They were, there-fore, forced to be content with whatcould be got, at so short a Warning;So desirous was the Queen to fee herShips at Sea.

Sir Richard Levison set Sail with fiveof them, the nineteenth of March, andleft Sir William Monson, behind with theRest, to wait the Coming of the Hol-landers ; Tho’ within two or three Daysafter, Sir William received Commandfrom the Queen, to hasten with allSpeed after Sir Richard ; Because Shewas informed that the Plate-Fleet wasarrived at Eercera. Sir William Monsonhereupon neglected no Time, nor staideither to fee himself better manned, orhis Ships better furnished; But put toSea, the six and twentieth of March.

This Intelligence of the Queen’swas true; For the Fleet had been at

5 E Eercera

1602.

Sir RichardLevison setsSail.

Sir WilliamMonson fol-lows him.

Str Richardengages the

Plate-jF/ref