Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 38.djvu/206

 he saw a 'sumptuous galeon,' named the St. Andrew, sailing up the river, and laid a wager of one to ten that if he lived he would be at the taking of her, which he actually was, at Cadiz, in 1596.

In 1593, Monson, having been released, joined Cumberland in the Golden Lion, a queen's ship. They captured a fleet of Spanish ships laden with powder, and Monson was left to examine half of them, while Cumberland took the rest out to sea. Towards night he released them, without taking any precautions ; they accordingly returned to attack Monson, who, having no adequate force with him, jumped into his boat on one side as they boarded on the other, receiving a hurt in the leg which he felt all the rest of his life. Cumberland afterwards fell sick; he longed for milk, and Monson, going on shore at Corvo, in the Azores, brought off a cow, and then, with the earl, returned to England. In 1594 Monson took his M.A. degree at Oxford, and in 1595 he married. He had previously engaged to go to sea with Cumberland, and very shortly after his marriage took command of the Allsides, 'a goodly ship of the merchants,' Cumberland himself being in the Malice Scourge. They sailed from Plymouth ; but when they had got some eight or nine leagues to sea, Cumberland went back, leaving the Malice Scourge in command of another captain, without holding any communication with Monson, which, he says, 'did so much disconcert me for the present, that I abandoned the company of his ship at sea, and betook myself to my own adventure. This bred an after quarrel betwixt my lord and me, and it was a long time before we were reconciled' (ib. p. 462). His solitary cruise had no success, and after being nearly lost in a violent storm, he arrived at Plymouth just in time to go out with Drake and look for some Spanish ships which had sacked Penzance. The Spaniards had, however, departed, with 'the poor spoil they found in the town, not worth their labour.' In the following year Monson commanded the Repulse in the expedition against Cadiz [see, second ; ]. He landed with Essex, and with him, in some sharp lighting, won his way to the marketplace. He had one or two narrow escapes, one shot smashing the hilt of his sword as it hung by his side, 'without any further hurt.' This, he says, was the second time his sword had preserved his life ; the first was in 1589, at the island of St. Mary's. For his conduct on this occasion he was knighted by Essex.

In the Islands' voyage, the next year, Monson commanded the Rainbow; and in 1599 commanded the Defiance in the Downs, under Lord Thomas Howard. During the two following years he was continuously in the Downs and Narrow Seas, in command of the Garland, Nonpareil, Swiftsure, Mary Rose, and Mer Honour; but nothing called for any active service. 'Never,' wrote Monson, 'was greater expectation of war with less performance.' Early in 1602 a squadron of nine ships was ordered to sea, under the command of Sir Richard Leveson [q. v.], to intercept the Spanish treasure fleet. Monson, as vice-admiral of the squadron, was left to wait for the arrival of the Dutch contingent, but on further orders from the queen, he sailed without it to join Leveson. The delay was fatal to the 'intended blow, for Leveson, having met the treasure fleet before he was joined by Monson, was unable to effect anything against them ; and the sole result of the cruise was the capture of eleven galleys and a richly laden carrack at Cezimbra, after a stubborn fight on 3 June, with, to Monson, the special gratification of finding among the prizes the galley on board which he had been a prisoner eleven years before. Leveson then returned to England, leaving Monson in the Nonpareil, to command on the coast of Portugal, and in daily expectation of being joined by the Dutch ships and other reinforcements. A succession of bad weather obliged him to bear for England ; but on intelligence that the Spaniards were meditating another attempt on Ireland, he was at once ordered back to keep watch off Corunna. There he learned that the fleet, which had been suspected of a design against Ireland, had gone to Lisbon. Thither Monson followed. But his squadron was scattered in a storm ; he had with him, besides his own ship, the Swiftsure, only two others, one of which was but a pinnace, when, on the night of 26 Sept., he fell in among the Spanish fleet, and on the morning of the 27th was seen and chased. The enemy were fast coming up with the pinnace, which sailed badly and was of no force, when Monson, 'resolving not to see a pinnace of her majesty's so lost if he could rescue her with the loss of his life,' shortened sail and waited for her; on which the leading Spaniards also shortened sail to wait for the rest of their ships. After this, Monson cruised for some time off Cape St. Vincent, and on 21 Oct. attempted to capture a galeon which took refuge under the guns of the castle. He was beaten off, and on 24 Nov. returned to England. It was the last squadron against the Spaniards in the time of Elizabeth, and Monson prided himself on having been engaged