THE
ANSWERE TO
The Spanish letter.
First whereas the Generall doth say, that Fraunces Drake dyed at Nombre de Dios, as he had intelligence by an Indian.
The Generals first newes, and his best news is in part lying newes.
THe Generall sente this newes into his Country cõfirmed with his hand and seale of Armes: It is the first newes in his letter, and it was the best newes that he could send into Spaine. For it did ease the stomackes of the timerous Spaniardes greatly to heare of the death of him, whose life was a scourge & continuall plague vnto them: But it was a pointe of great simplicitie, & scarcely beseeming a Generall, to tie the credite of his reporte locally to any place vppon the report of a silly Indian slaue. For it had beene sufficient to haue said, that Fraunces Drake was certainly dead, without publishing the lye in Print, by naming Nombre de Dios: for it is most certaine Sir Fraunces Drake dyed twixt the Island of Scouda, and Porte-bella: But the Generall being rauished with the The Generall seemeth to wante friendes in Courte, sending such great newes to a priuate Doctor. suddaine ioy of this report as a man that hath escaped a great daunger of the enemie, doeth breake out into an insolent kind of bragging of his valour at Sea, and heaping one lye vpon another, doth not cease vntill he hath drawne them into sequences, and so doth commende them vnto Peter the Doctor, as censour of his learned worke.
Secondly, The general doth write vnto the doctor, that Frances Drake dyed for verie griefe that hee had lost so many Barkes and men.
A Thing verie strange that the General or the Indian, who hee doth vouch for his lye, should haue such speculation in the bodye of him whome they neuer saw, as to deliuer for truth vnto his Countrie, the verie cause or disease whereof hee dyed: And this second report of his is more grosse then the first. For admit the mistaking of the place might bee tollerable; notwithstanding, this precise affirming the cause of his death, doth manifestly prooue that the Don Bernaldino doth lye impudently. Generall doth make no conscience to lye. And as concerning the losse of any Barkes or men in our Nauie, by the valour of the Spaniard before Sir Fraunces Drake his death, wee had none (one small Pinnesse excepted) which we assuredly know was The successe of the kings fiue Frigots. taken by chaunce falling single into a fleete of fiue Frigots (of which was Generall, Don Pedro Telio,) neere vnto the Island of Dominico, and not by the valour of Don Bernaldino: the which fiue Frigots of the Kings afterwards had but ill successe, for one of them we burnt in the harbour of S. Iohn Portrico, and one other was sunck in the same harbour, and the other three were burnt amongst many other Shippes at the taking of Cales: This I thinke in wise mens iudgements, will seeme a seely cause to mooue a man sorrowe to death. The certain cause wherof Sir Frances Drake dyed. For true it is, Sir Fraunces Drake dyed of the Flixe which hee had growne vppon him eight daies before his death, and yeelded vp his spirite like a Christian to his creatour quietly in his Cabbin. And when the Generall shall suruey his losses, he shall finde it more then the losse of the English, and the most of his destroyed by the Bullet: But the death of Sir Fraunces Drake was of so great comfort vnto the Spaniard, that it was thought to be a sufficient amendes, although their whole fleete had beene vtterly lost.