On brave indevours, knowing that in them
The tract of heaven in morne-like glory opens,
That know you cannot be the Kings of earth,
(Claiming the Rights of your creation)

And let the Mynes of earth be Kings of you;
That are so farre from doubting likely drifts,
That in things hardest y'are most confident:
You that know death lives, where power lives unusde,
Joying to shine in waves that burie you,

And so make way for life even through your graves;
That will not be content like horse to hold
A thread-bare beaten way to home affaires :
But where the sea in envie of your reigne,
Closeth her wombe, as fast as t'is disclosde,
That she like Avarice might swallow all,
And let none find right passage through her rage:
There your wise soules as swift as Eurus lead
Your Bodies through, to profit and renowne,
And skorne to let your bodies choke your soules,
In the rude breath and prisoned life of beastes:
You that herein renounce the course of earth,
And lift your eyes for guidance to the starres,
That live not for yourselves, but to possesse
Your honour'd countrey of a generall store;
In pitie of the spoyle rude selfe-love makes,
Of them whose lives and yours one ayre doth feede,
One soile doeth nourish, and one strength combine;
You that are blest with sence of all things noble,
In this attempt your compleat woorthes redouble.

But how is Nature at her heart corrupted,
(I meane even in her most ennobled birth)
How in excesse of Sence is Sence bereft her!
That her most lightening-like effects of lust

Wound through her flesh, her soule, her flesh un-
wounded;

And she must neede incitements to her good,

Even from that part she hurtes! O how most like

X

449

2 F

1596.

1596.

[III. 671.] Art thou (heroike Autor of this Act)

To this wrong'd soule of Nature that sustainst
Paine, charge, and perill for thy countreys good,
And she much like a bodie numb'd with surfeits,
Feeles not thy gentle applications

For the health, use, and honour of her powers!
Yet shall my verse through all her ease-lockt eares
Trumpet the Noblesse of thy high intent:
And if it cannot into act proceed,

The fault and bitter penance of the fault
Make red some others eyes with penitence,

For thine are cleare; and what more nimble spirits,
Apter to byte at such unhooked baytes

Gaine by our losse; that must we needs confesse
Thy princely valure would have purchast us.
Which shall be fame eternall to thy name,
Though thy contentment in thy grave desires,
Of our advancement, faile deserv'd effect.
O how I feare thy glory which I love,
Least it should dearely grow by our decrease.
Natures that sticke in golden-graveld springs,
In mucke-pits cannot scape their swallowings.

But we shall foorth I know; Golde is our Fate,
Which all our actes doth fashion and create.

Then in the Thespiads bright Propheticke Fount,
Me thinkes I see our Liege rise from her throne,
Her eares and thoughts in steepe amaze erected,
At the most rare endevour of her power.
And now she blesseth with her woonted Graces
Th'industrious Knight, the soule of this exploit,
Dismissing him to convoy of his starres.

And now for love and honour of his woorth,
Our twise-borne Nobles bring him Bridegroome-like,

That is espousde for vertue to his love

With feasts and musicke, ravishing the aire,
To his Argolian Fleet, where round about

His bating Colours English valure swarmes
In haste, as if Guianian Orenoque

With his Fell waters fell upon our shore.
And now a wind as forward as their spirits,
Sets their glad feet on smooth Guianas breast,
Where (as if ech man were an Orpheus)
A world of Savages fall tame before them,
Storing their theft-free treasuries with golde,
And there doth plentie crowne their wealthie fields,
There Learning eates no more his thriftlesse bookes,
Nor Valure Estridge-like his yron armes.
There Beautie is no strumpet for her wants,
Nor Gallique humours putrifie her blood:

But all our Youth take Hymens lights in hand,
And fill eche roofe with honor'd progenie.

There makes Societie Adamantine chaines,

And joyns their hearts with wealth, whom wealth disjoin'd.

There healthfull Recreations strow their meades,

And make their mansions daunce with neighbourhood,
That here were drown'd in churlish Avarice.
And there do Pallaces and temples rise
Out of the earth, and kisse th'enamored skies,
Where new Britannia humblie kneeles to heaven,
The world to her, and, both at her blest feet,
In whom the circles of all Empire meete.

G. C.

Ad Thomam Hariotum Matheseos, & universæ
Philosophiæ peritissimum, de Guiana Carmen.
Dat. Anno. 1595.

M

Ontibus est Regio, quasi muris, obsita, multis:
Circumsepit aquis quos Raleana suis.

Intus habet largos Guiana recessus :

Hostili gestans libera colla jugo.

Hispanus clivis illis sudavit, & alsit

Septem annos, novies: nec tamen invaluit.

1596.

[III. 672.]

1596.

They fall with the

Canary Isles.

Cape Verde.

Numen, & omen inest numeris. Fatale sit illi:
Et nobis virtus sit recidiva, precor.

Gualtero patefacta via est duce & auspice Ralegh
Mense uno: ô factum hoc nomine quo celebrem ?
Nocte diéque; datis velis, remisque laborans,
Exegit summæ dexteritatis opus.

Scilicet expensis magnis non ille pepercit,
Communi natus consuluisse bono.
Providus excubuit simili discrimine Joseph:
Sic fratres, fratrem deseruêre suum:
Fama coloratam designet sibona, vestem:
Vestis Scissa malis sic fuit illa modis.
Mira leges. Auresque animumque tuum arrige.
Hæc aurum, & gemmas graminis instar, habet.
Ver ibi perpetuum est: ibi prodiga terra quotannis
Luxuriat, sola fertilitate nocens.

Anglia nostra licet dives sit, & undique fœlix:
Anglia, si confers, indigna frugis erit.

Expertes capitum, volucres piscesque ferásque;
Prætereo haud prosunt, quæ novitate, placent.

Tellus

Est ibi, vel nusquam, quod quærimus. Ergo petamus:
Det Deus, hanc Canaan possideamus. Amen.

Tui Amantiss. L. K.

The second voyage to Guiana.

Unday the 26. of January, in the yeere of our Lord 1596. we departed from Portland road, in the Darling of London, having in company the Discoverer, a small pinnesse, whom we lost at sea, in foule weather, the Thursday next following. Friday, the 13. of February, wee fell with the Canarie Islands, where we expected our pinnesse, according to our appoyntment, seven or eight dayes. Here we tooke two boats, the one a passenger, we bulged, the other wee towed at our shippe sterne, steering Southsouthwest for the Islands of Cape Verde. Therehence we set saile the 28. of Februarie, keeping a Westsouthwest

1596.

course. In this passage wee found very smooth seas, faire weather, and steddie winds, blowing ordinarily betweene the East and Northeast poynts. Neere 30. leagues from these Islands, wee came into a growne sea, the swollen waters making a strange noise & hurtling together, as if it might be two strong currents encountring ech other. The 12. of March wee sounded, and had sandie ground in 47. fathome. At midnight in twelve fathom wee came to an anker, the ground sandie oaze. Sunday the 14. towards night, about some sixe leagues from the shore, wee descried a low land in the bottome of a bay. From the 9. of March untill this time, we kept for the most part a Southsouthwest course. The water in this place is smooth, but muddie, and the colour red or tawny. From the Westermost of the Cape Verde-Islands unto this Bay I doe [III. 673.] estimate the distance to be neere 550. leagues. It seemed to most of our sea-men, to be the very banke of a shoald upon a lee-shore: the rather because without it, in the cleane greene sea wee had but 7. fathome depth: but after by proofe finding that there is no sudden alteration in any part of the coast, and that the sea is smoothest neere the land, we alwayes at night sought to anker in three or foure fathome. And doubtlesse as the hand of God is woonderfull in all his workes: so herein his mercifull providence is most A notable admirable, that upon a lee-shore subject unto a perpetuall observation. Easterly gale, neither much wind can endanger shipping, by reason that the foule heavie water is not capable of vehement motion, and the soft light oaze, if they touch, cannot bruise them: nor is there any jeopardie in beeing wind-bound, or imbayed: for the most forcible windes make the greatest flood-tides, whereby the freshets when they take their ordinarie course of ebbe, doe grow strong and swift, setting directly off to sea against the wind. Wee by turning went cleere of all Bayes: howbeit in this case, as also in the rivers, the use of a drove sayle seemeth a good and readie helpe. The first place wherein wee ankered, was in the mouth of Arrowari, a faire and great

They anker in the mouth of Arrowari

situate in one deg. 40. min

utes.