them the example: and this they did with so much diligence, that the Indians soon became short of arrows,

"Which," says Fletcher. "the General perceiving, he then took the fowling-piece in hand, and priming it anew, made a shot at him which first began the quarrel, and striking him in the pancy with hail shot, sent his guts abroad with great torment, as it seemed by his cry, which was so hideous and terrible a roar, as if ten bulls had joined together in roaring.”

This seems to have dispersed the giants. On recovering the dead body of Oliver, Fletcher says

"When our men came to him, the enemies had thrust into one of his eyes one of our arrows as deep as they could. A sermon was preached, and the bodies, for Robert Winter died at the end of two days, were buried with such honours as in such case martial men used to have when they are dead; being both laid in one grave, as they both were partakers of one manner of death, and ended their lives together by one and the self-same kind of accident."

One of the first objects that caught their attention at this place was a gibbet; which had been set up, as was supposed, seventy years before, by Magelhaens, for the execution of certain mutineers. No one, who then viewed it, could have anticipated that a similar occurrence was about to take place in their own fleet, and within the same port. It has already been mentioned that Mr. Doughty, one of the gentlemen volunteers, had been removed from the Portuguese prize for malversation: he now fell under the imputation of much deeper crimes. The melancholy history of this man has been told by all the narrators of Drake's voyages; and various degrees of guilt have been attributed to him. It is now, perhaps, impossible to arrive at the exact truth: but as some versions of the story would seem to leave a blot on Drake's justice and humanity, it is right to repeat what the several writers have told us of the circumstances of this transaction. Camden, the oldest and most respectable of all Drake's historians, says―

"In this very place John Doughty, an industrious and stout man, and the next unto Drake, was called to his trial for raising a mutiny in the fleet, found guilty by twelve men, after the English manner, and condemned to death, which he suffered undauntedly, being beheaded, having first received the holy communion with Drake. And, indeed, the most impartial persons in the fleet were of opinion that he had acted seditiously; and that Drake

cut him off as an emulator of his glory, and one that regarded not so much who he himself excelled in commendations for sea matters, as who he thought might equal him. Yet wanted there not some, who, pretending to understand things better than others, gave out that Drake had in charge from Leicester to take off Doughty, upon any pretence whatsoever, because he had reported abroad that the Earl of Essex was made away by the cunning practices of Leicester."

The next most ancient and authentic authority is that of Hakluyt, who says

"In this port (St. Julian) our General began to inquire diligently of the actions of Mr. Thomas Doughty, and found them not to be such as he looked for, but tending rather to contention of mutiny, or some other disorder, whereby (without redress) the success of the voyage might greatly have been hazarded; whereupon the company was called together and made acquainted with the particulars of the cause, which were found partly by Mr. Doughty's own confession, and partly by the evidence of the fact, to be true: which, when our General saw, although his private affection to Mr. Doughty (as he then in presence of all sacredly protested) was great, yet the care he had of the state of the voyage, of the expectation of her Majestie, and of the honour of his countrie, did more touch him (as indeed it ought) than the private respect of one man; so that the cause being thoroughly heard, and all things done in good order, as neere as might be to the course of our laws in England, it was concluded that Mr. Doughty should receive punishment according to the qualitie of the offence. And he, seeing no remedie but patience for himself, desired before his death to receive the communion, which he did at the hands of Mr. Fletcher, the minister, and our General himself accompanied him in that holy action; which being done, and the place of execution made ready, he, having embraced our General, and taken his leave of all the companie, with prayer for the Queen's Majestie and our realm, in quiet sort laid his head to the block, where he ended his life."

In speaking of the evil disposition of the people of St. Julian, which is ascribed to the cruelties of the Spaniards, who had visited this place, the narrator, in the World Encompassed,'

says

"To this evil, thus received at the hands of the infidels, there was adjoined and grew another mischief, wrought and contrived closely among ourselves, as great, yea, far greater, and of far more grievous consequence than the former; but that it was, by God's providence, detected and prevented in time, which else had extended itself, not only to the violent shedding of innocent blood, by murdering our General, and such others as were most firm and faithful to him, but also to the final overthrow of the whole action intended, and to divers other most dangerous effects.

"This plot was laid before the departure of the expedition from England, and which was made known to the General at Plymouth, who would not

believe that a person* whom he so dearly loved would conceive such evil purposes against him; till, at length, perceiving that the manifold practices grew daily more and more, even to extremities, and that lenity and favour did little good, he thought it high time to call these practices into question, and before it were too late to call any question of them into hearing; and therefore, setting good watch over him, and assembling all his captains, and gentlemen of his company together, he propounded to them the good parts which were in the gentleman, the great good will and inward affection, more than brotherly, which he had ever, since his first acquaintance, borne him, not omitting the respect which was had of him among no mean personages in England; and afterwards delivered the letters which were written to him, with the particulars from time to time which had been observed, not so much by himself, as by his good friends; not only at sea, but even at Plymouth; not bare words, but writings; not writings alone, but actions, tending to the overthrow of the service in hand, and making away of his person.

Proofs were required and alleged, so many, and so evident, that the gentleman himself, stricken with remorse of his inconsiderate and unkind dealing, acknowledged himself to have deserved death, yea, many deaths; for that he conspired, not only the overthrow of the action, but of the principal actor also, who was not a stranger or illwiller, but a dear and true friend unto him; and therefore, in a great assembly openly besought them, in whose hands justice rested, to take some order for him, that he might not be compelled to enforce his own hands, against his own bowels, or otherwise to become his own executioner.

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"The admiration and astonishment hereat, in all the hearers, even those which were his nearest friends, and most affected him, was great, yea, in those which, for many benefits received from him, had good cause to love him: but yet the General was most of all distracted; and therefore withdrew himself, as not able to conceal his tender affection, requiring them that had heard the whole matter to give their judgments, as they would another day answer it unto their prince, and unto Almighty God, judge of all the earth. 'They all, after duly weighing the evidence, above forty in number, the chiefest in place and judgment in the whole fleet, with their own hand, under seal, adjudged that he had deserved death; and that it stood by no means with their safety to let him live; and therefore they remitted the manner thereof, with the rest of the circumstances, to the General. Therefore they then proposed to him this choice: Whether he would take to be executed in this island? or to be set upon land on the main? or return into England, there to answer his deed before the Lords of her Majesty's Council? He most humbly thanked the General for his clemency extended towards him in such ample sort; and craving some respite, to consult thereon and so make his choice advisedly; the next day he returned answer that, 'Albeit he had yielded in his heart to entertain so great a sin, as whereof he was now

*Throughout the whole of this account in the World Encompassed,' particular care has been taken to avoid stating the name of the guilty individual.

justly condemned; yet he had a care, and that excelling all other cares, to die a Christian man, and therefore besought the General most earnestly ne would not counsel him to endanger his soul by consenting to be left among savage infidels; and as for returning to England, he must first have a ship, and men to conduct it, with sufficient victuals, if any men could be found to accompany him on so disgraceful an errand; yet the shame of return would be more grievous than death; and therefore he preferred that, with all his heart, he did embrace the first branch of the General's offer, desiring only this favour, that they might once again receive the holy Communion together before his death, and that he might not die other than a gentleman's death.' "No reasons could persuade him to alter his choice: seeing he remained resolute in his determination, his last requests were granted; and the next convenient day a Communion was celebrated by Mr. Francis Fletcher, preacher and pastor of the fleet at that time. The General himself communicated in this sacred ordinance with this condemned penitent gentleman, who shewed great tokens of a contrite and repentant heart. After this holy repast they dined also at the same table together, as cheerfully in sobriety, as ever in their lives they had done aforetime, each cheering up the other, and taking their leave, by drinking each to other, as if some journey only had been in hand.

"After dinner, all things being ready prepared by the provost-marshal, Mr. Doughtie, without any dallying or delaying the time, came forth, and kneeled down, preparing at once his neck for the axe, and his spirit for heaven, which having done, without long ceremony, as one who had before digested this whole tragedy, he desired all the rest to pray for him, and willed the executioner to do his office, not to fear nor spare."

6

Such is the account given of this transaction by Mr. Thomas Drake, who is believed to have been the chief compiler or, at least, reviser of the Voyage Round the World,' although it was published by his son, Sir Francis; but there is a strong testimony against a very essential part of the story. The account given in Fletcher's MS. differs materially from it, and is wholly omitted in the printed history of the voyage. In the MS. nothing appears as to any choice being given to Mr. Doughty, between death and life, upon any terms.

But it is best to give Mr. Fletcher's account of this melancholy event in his exact words, and from his own manuscript, or, to speak more correctly, from the certified manuscript copy of it contained in the Sloane MSS. in the British Museum.

After narrating the conflict with the Patagonians, in which Robert Winter and Oliver were killed, he says::

"This bloudy Tragedie being ended, another more grievous ensueth. I call it more grievous because it was among ourselves begun, contrived, and

ended; for now, Thomas Doubty, our countryman, is called in question, not by giants but by Christians, even ourselves. The original of dislike against him you may read in the storye off the Iland of Cape Verde, upon the coast of Affrick, at the taking of the Portugal prize, by whom he was accused— and for what? But now more dangerous matter, and of greater weight, is layed to his charge, and that by the same persons, namely, for words spoken by him to them, being in England, in the General's garden in Plymouth, long before our departure thence, which had been their parts and dutyes to have discovered them at that tyme, and not to have consealed them for a tyme and place not so fitting; but how true it was wherewith they charged him upon their oathe, I know not; but he utterly denied it upon his salvation, at the hour of communicating the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, at the hour and moment of his death, affirming that he was innocent of such things whereof he was accused, judged, and suffered death for. Of whom I must needs testifye the truth for the good things of God I found in him, in the tyme we were conversant, and especially in the time of his afflictions and trouble, till he yielded up the spirit to God-I doubt not, to immortality he feared God, he loved his word, and was always desirous to edify others, and conforme himselfe in the faith of Christ. For his qualityes, in a man of his tyme, they were rare, and his gifts very excellent for his age: a sweet orator, a pregnant philosopher, a good gift for the Greek tongue, and a reasonable taste of Hebrew; a sufficient secretary to a noble personage of great place, and in Zealand an aproved soldier, and not behind many in the study of the law for his tyme; and that with it a sufficient argument to prove a good Christian, and of all other things, a most manifest witness of a child of God to men, that he was delighted in the study, hearing, and practice of the word of God; daily exercising himselfe therein by reading, meditating to himselfe, conferring with others, instructing of the ignorant, as if he had been a minister of Christ, wherein he profitted so much, that long before his death he seemed to be mortifyed, and to be ravished with the desire of God's kingdom, yea to be dissolved and to be with Christ, in whose death so many vertues were cutt off as dropps of blood new shedd,-who being dead was buried neer the sepulchre of those which went before him, upon whose graves I set up a stone, whereon I engraved their names, the day of their buriall, and the month and the yeare, for a monument to them which shall fall with that place in tyme to come.

"These thinges, with dropps of blood from the hartes of some, thus ended, wee went about our other business and necessarie affaires."

It is evident that Fletcher speaks of Mr. Doughty in terms of more than common regard; and describes him as a man of extraordinary virtue and endowments. It seems most improbable that such a man should attempt the crime attributed to him; and supposing him to have succeeded, what next could he have done? He does not appear to have had any confederates in the ship nor in the squadron; and Drake was beloved by the whole crew; all