that, defiring the musicians to come down into the boat, he was towed along in it at the stern of the ship.

The king was of a graceful ftature, and regal carriage, of a mild aspect, and low voice; his attendants were dreffed in white cotton or calicoe, of whom fome, whofe age gave them a venerable appearance, feemed his counsellors, and the reft officers or nobles; his guards were not ignorant of fire-arms, but had not many among them, being equipped for the moft part

with bows and darts.

The king, having spent fome time in admiring the multitude of new objects that prefented themselves, retired as foon as the fhip was brought to anchor, and promised to return on the day following; and in the mean time the inhabitants, having leave to traffick, brought down provifions in great abundance.

At the time when the king was expected his brother came aboard, to request of Drake that he would come to the castle, propofing to stay himself as a hoftage for his return. Drake refufed to go, but fent fome gentlemen, detaining the king's brother in the mean time.

These gentlemen were received by another of the king's brothers, who conducted them to the councilhoufe near the castle, in which they were directed to walk there they found threefcore old men, privy counfellors to the king, and on each fide of the door without stood four old men of foreign countries, who ferved as interpreters in commerce.

In a short time the king came from the castle, dressed in cloth of gold, with his hair woven into gold rings, a chain of gold upon his neck, and on his hands rings very artificially fet with diamonds and jewels of

great

value;

value; over his head was born a rich canopy; and by his chair of ftate, on which he fat down when he had entered the house, ftood a page with a fan fet with fapphires, to moderate the excefs of the heat. Here he received the compliments of the English, and then honourably difmiffed them.

The caftle, which they had fome opportunity of obferving, seemed of no great force: it was built by the Portugueze, who, attempting to reduce this kingdom into an abfolute fubjection, murdered the king, and intended to pursue their scheme by the destruction of all his fons; but the general abhorrence, which cruelty and perfidy naturally excites, armed all the nation against them, and procured their total expulfion from all the dominions of Ternate, which from that time increasing in power, continued to make new conquefts, and to deprive them of other acquifitions.

While they lay before Ternate, a gentleman came on board attended by his interpreter. He was dreffed fomewhat in the European manner, and foon diftinguifhed himself from the natives of Ternate, or any country that they had seen, by his civility and apprehenfion. Such a vifitant may easily be imagined to excite their curiofity, which he gratified by informing them that he was a native of China, of the family of the king then reigning; and that, being accused of a capital crime, of which, though he was innocent, he had not evidence to clear himself, he had petitioned the king that he might not be expofed to a trial, but that his caufe might be referred to Divine Providence, and that he might be allowed to leave his country, with a prohibition against returning, unless heaven, in atteftation of his innocence, fhould enable him to bring

back to the king fome intelligence that might be to the honour and advantage of the empire of China. In fearch of fuch information he had now fpent three years, and had left Tidore for the fake of converfing with the English general, from whom he hoped to receive fuch accounts as would enable him to return with honour and fafety.

Drake willingly recounted all his adventures and obfervations; to which the Chinese exile liftened with the utmost attention and delight, and, having fixed them in his mind, thanked God for the knowledge he had gained. He then proposed to the English general to conduct him to China, recounting, by way of invitation, the wealth, extent, and felicity of that empire; but Drake could not be induced to prolong his voyage.

He therefore fet fail on the 9th of November in quett of fome convenient harbour, in a defart ifland, to refit his fhip, not being willing, as it seems, to trust the generosity of the king of Ternate. Five days afterwards he found a very commodious harbour in an ifland overgrown with wood, where he repaired his veffel, and refreshed his men, without danger or interruption,

Leaving this place the 12th of December, they failed towards the Celebes; but, having a wind not very favourable, they were detained among a multitude of iflands, mingled with dangerous fhallows, till January 9, 1580. When they thought themfelves clear, and were failing forwards with a ftrong gale, they were at the beginning of the night furprized in their courfe by a fudden fhock, of which the cause was easily discovered, for they were thrown upon a fhoal, and by the fpeed of their courfe fixed too faft for any hope of

escaping.

efcaping. Here even the intrepidity of Drake was fhaken, and his dexterity baffled; but his piety, however, remained ftill the fame, and what he could not now promise himself from his own ability, he hoped from the affiftance of Providence. The pump was plied, and the fhip found free from new leaks.

The next attempt was to difcover towards the fea fome place where they might fix their boat, and from thence drag the fhip into deep water; but upon examination it appeared that the rock, on which they had ftruck, rofe perpendicularly from the water, and that there was no anchorage, nor any bottom, to be found a boat's length from the fhip. But this difcovery, with its confequences, was by Drake wifely concealed from the common failors, left they should abandon themfelves to defpair, for which there was, indeed, cause; there being no profpect left but that they must there fink with the fhip, which muft undoubtedly be foon dafhed to pieces, or perish in attempting to reach the fhore in their boat, or be cut in pieces by Barbarians if they should arrive at land.

In the midst of this perplexity and distress Drake directed that the facrament fhould be administered, and his men fortified with all the confolation which religion affords; then perfuaded them to lighten the veffel by throwing into the fea part of their lading, which was chearfully complied with, but without effect. At length, when their hopes had forfaken them, and no new ftruggles could be made, they were on a fudden relieved by a remiffion of the wind, which having hitherto blown ftrongly against the fide of the fhip, which lay towards the fea, held it upright against the rock; but when the blaft flackened (being then low Gg 4 water),

water), the fhip lying higher with that part which rested on the rock than with the other, and being borne up no longer by the wind, reeled into the deep water, to the furprize and joy of Drake and his companions.

This was the greatest and most inextricable distress which they had ever suffered, and made fuch an impreffion upon their minds, that for fome time after wards they durft not adventure to fpread their fails, but went flowly forward with the utmost circumfpection.

They thus continued their courfe without any obfervable occurrence, till on the 11th of March they came to anchor before the island of Java, and, fending to the king a prefent of cloth and filks, received from him, in return, a large quantity of provifions; and the day following Drake went himself on fhore, and entertained the king with his musick, and obtained leave to ftore his ship with provifions.

The island is governed by a great number of petty kings, or raias, fubordinate to one chief; of thefe princes three came on board together a few days after their arrival; and, having upon their return recounted the wonders which they had feen, and the civility with which they had been treated, incited others to fatisfy their curiofity in the fame manner; and Raia Donan, the chief king, came himself to view the fhip, with the warlike armaments and inftruments of navi gation.

This intercourfe of civilities fomewhat retarded the bufinefs for which they came; but at length they not only victualled their fhip, but cleanfed the bottom, which, in the long courfe, was overgrown with a kind of shell-fish that impeded her paffage.

Leaving