Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/258

 Now the ships that were sent by the Viceroy of Peru from Lima after Francis Drake, arriued at Cape Sant Franciso twenty dayes after hee had taken the foresayd shippe, and had intelligence by a ship comming from Panama, which they met at the sayd cape, that Francis Drake had taken the ship with siluer, and was not gone for Panama. Whereupon the captaine of the three ships thinking that captaine Drake had bene gone for the Streights of Magellan, directed his course that way to seeke him.

Captaine Drake carried from the coast of Peru eight hundreth sixty sixe thousand pezos of siluer, which is as much as eight hundred sixty sixe quintals, at 100 pound weight the quintal, euery quintal being worth one thousand and two hundreth ducats of Spaine; all which summe amounteth to a million and thirtie nine thousand two hundreth ducats. Besides this siluer hee carried away a hundred thousand pezos of gold, that is ten quintals, each quintal being valued at a thousand fiue hundreth Spanish ducats, which last summe amounteth to an hundreth and fifty thousand ducats: ouer and besides the treasure in the sayd ship which was vncustomed (the value whereof I cannot learne) consisting of pearles, precious stones, reals of plate, and other things of great worth.

With all this purchase he sayled toward Nueua Espanna; and at an Island lying before that coast called the Island of Cano hee discharged all things out of his shippe and graued her, and remained there ten dayes. From thence hee went along the coast of Nueua Espanna, where hee tooke certaine ships laden with spices, silkes, and veluets, but no golde nor siluer, for there was none to bee had on this coast. And here at Guatulco he set on shore his Portugal-pilot, which hee tooke at one of the islands of Cape Verde. But what course he kept from this coast till he came into England I know not of certainety, and therefore I will not meddle therewithall.

The foresayd three ships which were sent in pursuit of captaine Drake, returned backe againe to Lima without doing of ought. All which notwithstanding, the Viceroy of Peru determined to send two ships to the Streights of Magellan, either to meete with captaine Drake there, or else to see if they could fortifie the sayd Streights against such ships as might afterward attempt to passe through the same. And albeit this was thought