vours, to be parched and withered, and withal to sustain the care and labour of such an enterprise, except the same had more comfort than the fetching of marcasite in Guiana, or buying of gold ore in Barbary. But I hope the better sort will judge me by themselves, and that the way of deceit is not the way of honour or good opinion. I have herein consumed much time and many crowns, and I had no other respect or desire than to serve her majesty and my country thereby. If the Spanish nation had been of like belief to these detractors, we should little have feared or doubted their attempts, wherewith we now are daily threatened: but if we now consider of the actions both of Charles the Fifth, who had the maidenhead of Peru, and the abundant treasures of Atabalipa, together with the affairs of the Spanish king now living, what territories he hath purchased, what he hath added to the acts of his predecessors, how many kingdoms he hath endangered, how many armies, garrisons, and navies he hath and doth maintain; the great losses which he hath repaired, as in 88 above one hundred sail of great ships, with their artillery, and that no year is less unfortunate, but that many vessels, treasures, and people are devoured; and yet, notwithstanding, he beginneth again, like a storm, to threaten shipwreck to us all; we shall find that these abilities rise not from the trades of sacks and Seville oranges, nor from ought else that either Spain, Portugal, or any of his other provinces produce: it is his Indian gold that endangereth and disturbeth all the nations of Europe; it purchaseth intelligence, creepeth into councils, and setteth bound loyalty at liberty in the greatest monarchies of Europe. If the Spanish king can keep us from foreign enterprises, and from the impeachment of his trades, either by offer of invasion, or by besieging us in Britain, Ireland, or elsewhere, he hath then brought the work of our peril in great forwardness. Those princes which abound in treasure have great advantages over the rest, if they once constrain them to a defensive war, where they are driven once a year, or oftener, to cast lots for their own garments; and from such shall all trades and intercourse be taken

away, to the general loss and impoverishment of the kingdom and commonweal so reduced. Besides, when men are constrained to fight, it hath not the same hope as when they are pressed and encouraged by the desire of spoil and riches. Further, it is to be doubted how those, that in time of victory seem to affect their neighbouring nations, will remain after the first view of misfortunes, or ill success; to trust also to the doubtfulness of a battle is but a fearful and uncertain adventure, seeing therein fortune is as likely to prevail as virtue. It shall not be necessary to allege all that might be said, and therefore I will thus conclude: that whatsoever kingdom shall be enforced to defend itself may be compared to a body dangerously diseased, which for a season may be preserved with vulgar medicines, but in a short time, and by little and little, the same must needs fall to the ground, and be dissolved. I have therefore laboured all my life, both according to my small power and persuasion, to advance all those attempts that might either promise return of profit to ourselves, or at least be a let and impeachment to the quiet course and plentiful trades of the Spanish nation, who, in my weak judgment, by such a war were as easily endangered and brought from his powerfulness as any prince in Europe, if it be considered from how many kingdoms and nations his revenues are gathered, and those so weak in their own beings, and so far severed from mutual succour. But because such a preparation and resolution is not to be hoped for in haste, and that the time which our enemies embrace cannot be had again to advantage, I will hope that these provinces, and that empire now by me discovered, shall suffice to enable her majesty, and the whole kingdom, with no less quantities of treasure than the king of Spain hath in all the Indies, East and West, which he possesseth ; which if the same be considered and followed, ere the Spaniards reinforce the same, and if her majesty will undertake it, I will be contented to lose her highness's favour and good opinion for ever, and my life withal, if the same be not found rather to exceed than to equal whatsoever is in this Discourse promised or declared. I will now refer the

reader to the following Discourse, with the hope that the perilous and chargeable labours and endeavours of such as thereby seek the profit and honour of her majesty and the English nation, shall by men of quality and virtue receive such construction and good acceptance, as themselves would look to be rewarded withal in the like.

W. R.

THE

DISCOVERY OF GUIANA.

ON Thursday the sixth of February, in the year 1595, we departed England, and the Sunday following had sight of the north cape of Spain, the wind for the most part continuing prosperous: we passed in sight of the Burlings and the rock, and so onwards for the Canaries, and fell in with Fuerte Ventura the seventeenth of the same month, where we spent two or three days, and relieved our companies with some fresh meat. From thence we coasted by the Gran Canaria, and so to Teneriffe, and stayed there for the Lyon's Whelp, your lordship's ship, and for captain Amys Preston, and the rest: but, when after seven or eight days we found them not, we departed, and directed our course for Trinedado with mine own ship, and a small bark of captain Cross's only; (for we had before lost sight of a small gallego on the coast of Spain, which came with us from Plymouth.) We arrived at Trinedado the twenty-second of March, casting anchor at point Curiapan, which the Spaniards call Punto de Gallo, which is situate in eight degrees, or thereabouts: we abode there four or five days, and in all that time we came not to the speech of any Indian or Spaniard. On the coast we saw a fire as we sailed from the point Carao towards Curiapan, but for fear of the Spaniards none durst come to speak with us: I myself coasted it in my barge close aboard the shore, and landed in every cove, the better to know the island, while the ships kept the channel. From Curiapan, after a few days, we turned up north-east, to recover that place which the Spaniards call Puerto de los Hispanioles, and the inhabitants Conquerabia; and as before, (revictualling my barge,) I left the ships, and kept by the shore, the better to come to speech with some of the in

habitants, and also to understand the rivers, wateringplaces, and ports of the island, which (as it is rudely done) my purpose is to send your lordship after a few days. From Curiapan I came to a port and seat of Indians called Parico, where we found a fresh-water river, but saw no people. From thence I rowed to another port, called by the naturals Piche, and by the Spaniards Tierra de Brea. In the way between both were divers little brooks of fresh water, and one salt river that had store of oysters upon the branches of the trees, and were very salt and well tasted : all their oysters grow upon those boughs and sprays, and not on the ground; the like is commonly seen in the West Indies, and elsewhere. This tree is described by Andrew Thevet in his French Antartic, and the form figured in his book as a plant very strange, and by Pliny in his twelfth book of his Natural History; but in this island, as also in Guiana, there are very many of them.

At this point, called Tierra de Brea, or Piche, there is that abundance of stone pitch that all the ships of the world may be therewith loaden from thence; and we made trial of it in trimming our ships to be most excellent good, and melteth not with the sun as the pitch of Norway, and therefore for ships trading to the south parts very profitable. From thence we went to the mountain foot called Annaperima, and so passing the river Carone, on which the Spanish city was seated, we met with our ships at Puerto de los Hispanioles, or Conquerabia.

This island of Trinedado hath the form of a sheep-hook, and is but narrow; the north part is very mountainous, the soil is very excellent, and will bear sugar, ginger, or any other commodity that the Indies yield. It hath store of deer, wild porks, fruits, fish, and fowl: it hath also for bread sufficient mais, cassavi, and of those roots and fruits which are common every where in the West Indies. It hath divers beasts which the Indies have not. The Spaniards confessed that they found grains of gold in some of the rivers, but they, having a purpose to enter Guiana, (the magazine of all rich metals,) cared not to spend time in the