Bigatt, of course, desired to clear himself and Borough; but the paper is of interest from the side-lights it throws on naval customs and discipline. Modern punctuation has been inserted where necessary.

The xxvii of Maye 1587 beinge Satterdaye assone as yt was dayelighte wee sawe a sayle a heade of us, which was north northeaste from us as farr as wee coulde well see her; unto the which we gave chase by the comaundement of our captaine, captaine Marchaunte, for that wee thought her to be a Spanierd or Portingall, the winde beinge at weste southweste, our generall with those shipps which were with hime beinge then in sighte of us, and not then farr from us; but the generall kepinge nearer the winde then wee did, for that wee followed chase after the sayle which we sawe as aforesayd, wee lost the sight of the generall with the reste of those that were with him, then beinge abowte eighte of the clocke in the morninge, then beinge with us in companie the Spie of her Maiesties, both of us still followinge the chase. And abowte eleven of the clock before none, beinge then but three houres after wee had lost sight of the generall, wee sett up the sayle and spake with him, yt was one of our owne companie, a Barke of Lyme, but shee departed from us a five dayes before with others for to come home for England.

As sone as wee had spoken with this Barke I called unto the companye as yt is the use of sea menn for to doe, and willed them to take in our sprett sayle but they awnswered me not that I hearde anie thinge att all at that time; but I thinkinge that it had bin doun according as I willed them which was that they should gett yt in. A little while after I came forewardes againe to the mayne maste, and asked, What? is your sprett seyle in? but none awnswered, neither that yt was in, nor that it was not in, and John Terrye, beinge one of our quartermasters, walkinge afore the maste, I called unto him and willed that the Sprett Sayle shoulde be got in that wee might kepe our loofe;[1545] he awnswered me that the companie said theye would not take yt in. No! said I, what is the cawse? Whoe be they that saye they will not? He awnswered, they all in generall saye soe; I demaunded, Whie will they not? he awnswered that the captaine, captaine Marchaunt, knew the cawse, and that the cawse whie was delivered him in writinge. Then I went unto the captaine, he, with his lieftenaunte Mr Nicholls, beinge then readinge the letter which was delivered the captaine; I also seinge parte of the bill read, wente forwarde againe to the maste and called unto them and willed them that they should gett in theire sprett sayle and haile afte our shoowtes[1546] that wee might goe unto our generall and the reste of the fflete, but none of them would goe abowte to doe yt by anie sayinge that I coulde saye unto them. Then I wente unto the captaine, captaine Marchaunte, and toulde him that I had willed the companie to gett in the Sprett Sayle and hale after our showttes, but I could gett none of them to doe yt by anie meanes; he himself then goinge forwarde to the mayne maste, demaunded, whie they did not as the master comaunded them, and, as yt will be proved he comaunded them in her maiesties name to doe yt. The moste parte of them awnswered hime that they would not, but that they would goe for England, for the winde is nowe good, and that they would not goe backe againe and be starved for wante of victualls; the captaine awnsweringe them againe sayd, Contente yourselves, what victualls soever are in the shipp you shall have yt, and therefore holde yourselves contente untill wee mete with our generall. They said againe, they have had manye faire woordes, but nothing performed in dedes. Then I myself, perswaded them that theye would contente themselves and that they woulde hale afte the showttes, that wee might tarrye and not goe home, but that the generall shoulde knowe of theire goinge, and not for to goe awaye in that sorte, not makinge him acqueinted of the departure of the shipp, and soe likewise did captaine Marchaunte requeste them that if theye woulde nedes goe that they would stay but untill nighte to see yf wee coulde possible mete with the generall, yf not that then they might doe as they thought good; and Mr Burrowes did likewise intreate with them that they, would staye and not goe awaye in that order; then Cornelius the Gonner intreated with the reste of the Gonners and parte of the companie to tarrie untill nighte to see yf wee could mete with the generall, and with mutch adoe had almoste gott them to staye. And then I willed them to hale afte our showttes, and willed hime to putt the healme to Lee, and keep his Loofe, but yt was not donn as I willed them; then I wente afte to see yf the helme were a Lee as I willed hime to putt yt, and looked downe at the Skuttle, and there I sawe one bearinge the helme on the contrarye syde which was on the weather syde which was one Crowe. Then I called unto him and willed him to putt on the Lee, but he would not doe yt by anie meanes; then I called unto him againe and asked him, Whie doest thou not as I bidd thee, you wilbe Master belike, will you! said I unto him, whoe awnswered me, Yea, that I will, and Captaine to for a tyme, untill there be other order taken! so that neither the helme was putt alee not yet I coulde gett the showttes haled afte.

Then I wente and certified the Captaine what awnswer was made me by Crowe: and then saide the companie we will not staye to speake with the generall; the cawse was asked by me whie the would not staye, (of Cornelius the gonner because he did saye unto the captaine that he would perswade them to tarrye untill nighte to speake with the General), then Cornelius awnswered that they said theye would not staye for feare that the generall would take them owte of the Lyon, and shifte them into other shipps, and then use suche punishemente unto them as he thought good, and therefore they would not tarrie but go home for England, for they would rather truste to the Quenes mercye then unto the curteseye of the generall, and that they would awnswer yt at home that they had donn. When Captaine Marchaunte sawe that by no perswasioun they would alter there mynds he was verye angrye, and said that this was no newe matter begonn, but that yt bin begoon to have bin practised before this tyme by somme of the beste and not of the worste. Then I replied againe and said that I, for my part, am ignoraunte and never knewe of the matter before this tyme, nether did I ever knowe whoe did beginn yt, and therefore Sir I praye you doe not chardge me with anie suche thinge, ffor tryall whereof I called the companie and certified them of the woorde that Captaine Marchaunte spake, and they generallie (I meane those men that were at this broyle) confessed and saide that as God shoulde iudge them that neither I nor Mr Burrowes was ever consentinge unto the matter, but that yt was theire owne doinge and that theye would awnswer yt.

Then Captaine Marchaunt and I fell to perswadinge them again to tarrie but by no meanes they woulde at our requeste yelde unto yt; then the captaine tolde them that he would not goe for England but that he would rather leape into the sea then goe home. Then John Tippett standinge by the mayne maste drewe oute his kniffe and cutt the halliardes of the mayne Toppsayle that yt might comme downe but theye had slonge the yarde alofte soe that the sayle coulde not comme downe. Then Captaine Marchaunte prayed them that yf by noe meanes theye would staye for the Generall untill nighte that theye would sett him aboorde of the Spie her Maiesties pinnase who was all this while with us, and with mutche adoe gott them at the laste to doe yt, and I myself did offer the captaine to goe with hime aboord the generall but he was not willinge that I shoulde, and yett I offered to goe with hime twise.

And Captaine Clefforde, captaine of the Spie sawe all this broyle in our shipp; he called unto me and said, Master, have a care of your creditt; I awnswered him againe, Alack sir! I am but one mann, I have donn as muche as I can to perswade them but by noe intreatye can make them to tarrie. Then Captaine Clefforthe called unto them and saide, Take hede what you doe for you wilbe hanged all of you! Then one of our gouners standing uppon our poope awnswered Captaine Clefforthe againe, and saide, Cutt hose! cutt hose! where were you when the Samaritane was aground uppon the rock? And one of our quartermasters did saye, I thancke you Sir for your sharpe judgmente, yt is a harde fought feeld were none escapethe! And when our captaine was in the boate at shipp sterne Mr Burrowes fell to perswadinge them againe to staye untill nighte but theye would not in anie case staye. Then our captaine, captaine Marchaunte went aboord of the Spie and soe she went awaye from us, and wee laye by the Lee for our boate; and in the meane tyme, whyle the boate was awaye, I said unto them, Sirs, what have you donn, you have donn you knowe not what, you care not, but I knowe that I and Mr Burrowes shalbe brought to be in all the faulte; yf you would have donn thus and goe awaye in this order, whie did you not tell neither the captaine nor me the other daye when as we spake with the Generall, that wee might have given him to understand that you woulde goe for England, that he might have provided more victualls for you yf that you shoulde staye, and not thus to goe awaye? But noe perswasiouns woulde serve but home they would and soe they haled abowte the sayles and homewards theye came. And this was not the doinge of one or twoe of them but the consente of them in generall, or the moste parte of them, as well souldiers as maryners excepte those that were sicke at that tyme; and this is the trewithe and nothinge but the trewithe as yt shalbe proved.

APPENDIX C
SIR JOHN HAWKYNS

The question whether Hawkyns was dishonest is not in one sense of much importance, since it is admitted that he was skilful as a seaman, and efficient as an administrator. In another sense the good or ill fame of a national worthy is of the highest importance as interwoven with national history, and therefore a factor in the memories which make for the self-respect of a nation. As in the Dictionary of National Biography, a work which will be the standard authority for posterity, Hawkyns is considered to have been guilty, it is fitting that, in a study of Elizabethan naval administration, the charges should be examined somewhat minutely. His memory has suffered from his reputed introduction of the slave trade into English commerce, and from the cumulative effects of accusations brought against him, which have been accepted without investigation of their nature or of the character of the accusers. His reputation has also suffered from the indiscriminate praise lavished upon him by ill-advised panegyrists. In view of his environment it must be admitted there is a strong prima facie probability that he or any other Elizabethan official was a thief; ‘the spacious times of Great Elizabeth’ included much more than literary excellence, colonising genius, and naval success. Sufficient evidence has been given in this work to show the low standard existing among all ranks of naval officials, and more, relating to other classes of society, could be extracted from the State Papers. The court was proverbially corrupt, and a recent writer[1547] gives striking illustrations of the lax morality characterising all grades of the Elizabethan social system.

It was said that Hawkyns neither built nor repaired the ships according to his contract, that he used old cables and rotten oakum, that he blackmailed shipwrights and workmen, and that he was in partnership with a private builder, in whose yard he built ships for himself with government timber, and fitted them out with government stores. If these things were true the whole naval administration must have been in a state in which the least strain would have brought it down in ruin, but the more serious allegations are sufficiently disproved[1548] by the fact that when the fate of England depended on the condition of the fleet, it was found, in the hour of need, to be absolutely efficient in all the many details for which Hawkyns was responsible. If, however, we are to suppose that he confined his malpractices to matters not likely to injure the matériel of the Navy, it can only be remarked that they can have been but very small in extent, and that fraudulent officials are not usually so considerately and judiciously patriotic. In considering what may or may not have been true, it is only fair to Hawkyns to emphasise the fact that these anonymous indictments—and many of those urged against him were anonymous—were levelled against nearly every person holding an administrative position in the service of the crown; delation, whether religious, political, or social, was a recognised occupation requiring no capital, offering the possibility of large rewards, and welcome to the government and the Queen. Hawkyns, when he was appointed, made a clean sweep of many naval abuses of long standing, and had certainly made enemies in Sir William Wynter[1549] and others, with whom at least one informer,[1550] who also had personal reasons for disliking the Treasurer, appears to have been on very friendly terms.