Sir Humphrey Gilberts Voyage to Newfoundland.docx
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Sir Humphrey Gilberts Voyage to Newfoundland.docx
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SirHumphreyGilbertsVoyagetoNewfoundland
SirHumphreyGilbert'sVoyagetoNewfoundland
byEdwardHayes
INTRODUCTORYNOTE
SirHumphreyGilbert,thefounderofthefirstEnglishcolonyinNorth
America,wasbornabout1539,thesonofaDevonshiregentleman,whose
widowafterwardmarriedthefatherofSirWalterRaleigh.Hewas
educatedatEtonandOxford,servedunderSirPhilipSidney'sfather
inIreland,andfoughtfortheNetherlandsagainstSpain.Afterhis
returnhecomposedapamphleturgingthesearchforanorthwest
passagetoCathay,whichledtoFrobisher'slicenseforhis
explorationstothatend.
In1578GilbertobtainedfromQueenElizabeththecharterhehadlong
sought,toplantacolonyinNorthAmerica.Hisfirstattemptfailed,
andcosthimhiswholefortune;but,afterfurtherserviceinIreland,
hesailedagainin1583forNewfoundland.IntheAugustofthatyear
hetookpossessionoftheharborofSt.Johnandfoundedhiscolony,
butonthereturnvoyagehewentdownwithhisshipinastormsouth
oftheAzores.
Thefollowingnarrativeisanaccountofthislastvoyageof
Gilbert's,toldbyEdwardHayes,commanderof"TheGoldenHind,"the
onlyonetoreachEnglandofthethreeshipswhichsetoutfrom
NewfoundlandwithGilbert.
ThesettlementatSt.Johnwasviewedbyitspromoterasmerelythe
beginningofaschemeforoustingSpainfromAmericainfavorof
England.Theplandidnotprogressashehoped;butafterlongdelays,
andunderfarotherimpulsesthanGilberteverthoughtof,muchofhis
dreamwasrealized.
SIRHUMPHREYGILBERT'SVOYAGETONEWFOUNDLAND
AreportoftheVoyageandsuccessthereof,attemptedintheyear
ofourLord1583,bySirHumphreyGilbert,Knight,withother
gentlemenassistinghiminthataction,intendedtodiscoverand
toplantChristianinhabitantsinplaceconvenient,uponthose
largeandamplecountriesextendednorthwardfromtheCapeof
Florida,lyingunderverytemperateclimes,esteemedfertileand
richinminerals,yetnotintheactualpossessionofany
Christianprince.WrittenbyMr.EdwardHayes,gentleman,and
principalactorinthesamevoyage,[*]whoalonecontinuedunto
theend,and,byGod'sspecialassistance,returnedhomewithhis
retinuesafeandentire.
[*]Hayeswascaptainandownerofthe/GoldenHind/,Gilbert'sRear-
Admiral.
Manyvoyageshavebeenpretended,yethithertoneveranythoroughly
accomplishedbyournation,ofexactdiscoveryintothebowelsof
thosemain,ample,andvastcountriesextendedinfinitelyintothe
northfromthirtydegrees,orratherfromtwenty-fivedegrees,of
septentrionallatitude,neitherhatharightwaybeentakenof
plantingaChristianhabitationandregiment(government)uponthe
same,aswellmayappearbothbythelittleweyetdoactuallypossess
therein,andbyourignoranceoftherichesandsecretswithinthose
lands,whichuntothisdayweknowchieflybythetravelandreportof
othernations,andmostoftheFrench,whoalbeittheycannot
challengesuchrightandinterestuntothesaidcountriesaswe,
neitherthesemanyyearshavehadopportunitynormeanssogreatto
discoverandtoplant,beingvexedwiththecalamitiesofintestine
wars,aswehavehadbytheinestimablebenefitofourlongandhappy
peace,yethavetheybothwaysperformedmore,andhadlongsince
attainedasurepossessionandsettledgovernmentofmanyprovincesin
thosenortherlypartsof/America/,iftheirmanyattemptsintothose
foreignandremotelandshadnotbeenimpeachedbytheirgarboilsat
home.
Thefirstdiscoveryofthesecoasts,neverheardofbefore,waswell
begunbyJohnCabotthefatherandSebastianhisson,anEnglishman
born,whowerethefirstfindersoutofallthatgreattractofland
stretchingfromtheCapeofFlorida,intothoseislandswhichwenow
calltheNewfoundland;allwhichtheybroughtandannexeduntothe
crownofEngland.Sincewhen,ifwithlikediligencethesearchof
inlandcountrieshadbeenfollowed,asthediscoveryuponthecoast
andoutpartsthereofwasperformedbythosetwomen,nodoubther
Majesty'sterritoriesandrevenuehadbeenmightilyenlargedand
advancedbythisday;and,whichismore,theseedofChristian
religionhadbeensowedamongstthosepagans,whichbythistimemight
havebroughtforthamostplentifulharvestandcopiouscongregation
ofChristians;whichmustbethechiefintentofsuchasshallmake
anyattemptthatway;orelsewhatsoeverisbuildeduponother
foundationshallneverobtainhappysuccessnorcontinuance.
Andalthoughwecannotpreciselyjudge(whichonlybelongethtoGod)
whathavebeenthehumoursofmenstirreduptogreatattemptsof
discoveringandplantinginthoseremotecountries,yettheeventsdo
shewthateitherGod'scausehathnotbeenchieflypreferredbythem,
orelseGodhathnotpermittedsoabundantgraceasthelightofHis
wordandknowledgeofHimtobeyetrevealeduntothoseinfidels
beforetheappointedtime.Butmostassuredly,theonlycauseof
religionhithertohathkeptback,andwillalsobringforwardatthe
timeassignedbyGod,aneffectualandcompletediscoveryand
possessionbyChristiansbothofthoseamplecountriesandtheriches
withinthemhithertoconcealed;whereof,notwithstanding,GodinHis
wisdomhathpermittedtoberevealedfromtimetotimeacertain
obscureandmistyknowledge,bylittleandlittletoalluretheminds
ofmenthatway,whichelsewillbedullenoughinthezealofHis
cause,andtherebytoprepareusuntoareadinessfortheexecutionof
Hiswill,againsttheduetimeordainedofcallingthosepagansunto
Christianity.
Inthemeanwhileitbehovetheverymanofgreatcalling,inwhomis
anyinstinctofinclinationuntothisattempt,toexaminehisown
motions,which,ifthesameproceedofambitionoravarice,hemay
assurehimselfitcomethnotofGod,andthereforecannothave
confidenceofGod'sprotectionandassistanceagainsttheviolence
(elseirresistible)bothofseaandinfiniteperilsupontheland;
whomGodyetmayuseasaninstrumenttofurtherHiscauseandglory
someway,butnottobuilduponsobadafoundation.Otherwise,ifhis
motivesbederivedfromavirtuousandheroicalmind,preferring
chieflythehonourofGod,compassionofpoorinfidelscaptivedbythe
devil,tyrannizinginmostwonderfulanddreadfulmannerovertheir
bodiesandsouls;advancementofhishonestandwell-disposed
countrymen,willingtoaccompanyhiminsuchhonourableactions;
reliefofsundrypeoplewithinthisrealmdistressed;allthesebe
honourablepurposes,imitatingthenatureofthemunificentGod,
wherewithHeiswellpleased,whowillassistsuchanactorbeyond
expectationofmany.Andthesame,whofeeleththisinclinationin
himself,byalllikelihoodmayhopeorratherconfidentlyreposein
thepreordinanceofGod,thatinthislastageoftheworld(orlikely
never)thetimeiscompleteofreceivingalsothesegentilesintoHis
mercy,andthatGodwillraiseHimaninstrumenttoeffectthesame;
itseemingprobablebyeventofprecedentattemptsmadebythe
SpaniardsandFrenchsundrytimes,thatthecountrieslyingnorthof
FloridaGodhathreservedthesametobereducedintoChristian
civilitybytheEnglishnation.FornotlongafterthatChristopher
ColumbushaddiscoveredtheislandsandcontinentoftheWestIndies
forSpain,JohnandSebastianCabotmadediscoveryalsooftherest
fromFloridanorthwardstothebehoofofEngland.
AndwhensoeverafterwardstheSpaniards,veryprosperousinalltheir
southerndiscoveries,didattemptanythingintoFloridaandthose
regionsincliningtowardsthenorth,theyprovedmostunhappy,and
wereatlengthdiscouragedutterlybythehardandlamentablesuccess
ofmanybothreligiousandvaliantinarms,endeavouringtobring
thosenortherlyregionsalsoundertheSpanishjurisdiction,asifGod
hadprescribedlimitsuntotheSpanishnationwhichtheymightnot
exceed;asbytheirowngestsrecordedmaybeaptlygathered.
TheFrench,astheycanpretendlesstitleuntothesenorthernparts
thantheSpaniard,byhowmuchtheSpaniardmadethefirstdiscovery
ofthesamecontinentsofarnorthwardasuntoFlorida,andtheFrench
didbutreviewthatbeforediscoveredbytheEnglishnation,usurping
uponourright,andimposingnamesuponcountries,rivers,bays,
capes,orheadlandsasiftheyhadbeenthefirstfindersofthose
coasts;whichinjuryweofferednotuntotheSpaniards,butleftoff
todiscoverwhenweapproachedtheSpanishlimits;evensoGodhath
nothithertopermittedthemtoestablishapossessionpermanentupon
another'sright,notwithstandingtheirmanifoldattempts,inwhichthe
issuehathbeennolesstragicalthanthatoftheSpaniards,asby
theirownreportsisextant.
Then,seeingtheEnglishnationonlyhathrightuntothesecountries
ofAmericafromtheCapeofFloridanorthwardbytheprivilegeof
firstdiscovery,untowhichCabotwasauthorisedbyregalauthority,
andsetforthbytheexpenseofourlatefamousKingHenrythe
Seventh;whichrightalsoseemethstronglydefendedonourbehalfby
thepowerfulhandofAlmightyGodwithstandingtheenterprisesof
othernations;itmaygreatlyencourageusuponsojustground,asis
ourright,anduponsosacredanintent,astoplantreligion(our
rightandintentbeingmeetfoundationsforthesame),toprosecute
effectuallythefullpossessionofthosesoampleandpleasant
countriesappertaininguntothecrownofEngland;thesame,asisto
beconjecturedbyinfallibleargumentsoftheworld'sendapproaching,
beingnowarriveduntothetimeofGodprescribedoftheirvocation,
ifevertheircallinguntotheknowledgeofGodmaybeexpected.Which
a
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