“Fain would I climb, but that I fear to fall.”
Elizabeth drew a diamond ring from her finger and put an ending to the couplet:—
“If thy heart fail thee, do not climb at all.”
With such encouragement, it is no wonder that Raleigh felt sure of her interest in whatever he wished to attempt. He had a great undertaking in mind, and between his compliments to Elizabeth his thoughts often turned to the westward, to the wonderful New World. It was not hard to persuade the queen to give him a grant of land in America, and he sent out two barques to explore the coast north of Florida. When the skippers returned, Raleigh brought them before the queen.
“Is this new country so much better than our own old England?” she asked.
“Nothing could be better than the land which has the happiness to be ruled directly by your Majesty,” answered Raleigh, “but, truly, the New World is a goodly place.”
“How does it differ from our land?” asked the queen of one of the skippers, and he answered:—
“Your Majesty, as we drew near the shore, there was no smell of wharfs or fishing, but a fragrance as if we were in the midst of some delicate garden.”
“We have perfumes in England,” said the queen. “Did you discover anything better than pleasant odors?” she asked of the second skipper.
“Yes, your Majesty, we found what is not in all England, for when we landed, the low, sandy shore was so overgrown with grapes that the very beating and surge of the sea overflowed them; the vines ran over hills and plains, they climbed every little shrub, and they made their way to the tops of the cedars. I do think that in all the world the like abundance is not to be found.”