CHAPTER XIII
THE NEW WORLD
To most of the sailors of Elizabeth's time the chief inducement to makea voyage to the westward lay in the possibility of winning Spanish goldin one way or another, but a few sailed with quite a different object.A little more than a century before Drake's famous voyage around theworld, Columbus had crossed the Atlantic, hoping to find a shorterpassage to India. In the days of Elizabeth it was well known that acontinent blocked the way to Asia, but mariners had no idea that NorthAmerica was nearly as broad as it has proved to be, and they were everhoping to find a passage through it to the wonderful countries ofspices and gems and perfumes.
Interest in the New World was increasing. Every year new maps, books oftravel, and descriptions of various parts of the earth, especially ofAmerica, were published, some of the descriptions real and some almostwholly imaginative; but whatever they were, they always found readers.
One man who watched eagerly for whatever came from the press about theNew World was a sea-captain named Martin Frobisher. He read all thesebooks, he studied globes and charts, and at last he felt sure that heknew the way to fame and wealth, but he was a poor man and he could notcarry out his plans alone. He sought an audience with the queen.
"I've heard of you before, my gallant captain," said Elizabethgraciously. "Didn't you care for the building of one of my ships thatwere sent against the Irish rebels?"
"I did, your Majesty, and if only that ship belonged to me, I would puther to a noble use."
"And what might that be?" asked the queen.
"Your Majesty, men have sailed to the northeast, to the south, and tothe west, but no man has yet gone to the north of the New World. Therelies the way to India, and to find that way is the only thing in allthe world that is yet left undone whereby a man may become both richand notable."
"And so you plan to go to the northwest?" asked Elizabeth.
"He who has little gold must have few plans, but it might well be thatas the southern land tapers to a point, so the northern land narrows,and then with an open sea and a short voyage to Cathay, what would thewealth of the Spanish mines be to us? We could buy and sell in everyclime. Give us the riches of India, and we could fit out a fleet thatwould drive King Philip from the shores of the New World, from thewaters of the Atlantic, from----"
"Perchance from the face of the earth, my captain?" interruptedElizabeth. "I promise you that I will think of this scheme of yours."
Elizabeth did think of it, but to her mind there was a far greatercharm in a wild voyage of buccaneering than in the possibilities ofslow gain by trading with people across two oceans, and she gaveFrobisher no help. He won a friend, however, in the Earl of Warwick,and the fleet of three daring little vessels set out for the north.Elizabeth did not help to pay the costs of the voyage, but she stoodon the shore and waved her royal hand to the commander as he droppedslowly down the Thames.
Frobisher came home with great joy. He had entered the strait that iscalled after him, and he had seen, as he believed, America lying on hisleft hand and Asia on his right. That was surely the way to India. Itis no wonder that crowds went to visit his tiny barque.
"Can you not give me a memento of the voyage?" asked a lady.
"Next year I will bring you a memento from China," answered Frobisher."Shall it be silks or jewels or perfumes?"
"Beggars should not be choosers," said the lady with a smile, "but giveme a bit of this strange black stone as a pledge that you will notforget me next year when you are even more famous than you are to-day."
"One of the sailors brought that aboard," said Frobisher. "It lookslike sea-coal, but it is as heavy as iron."
This little gift put Frobisher at the head of a fleet of fifteenvessels, but he was no longer free to win glory as an explorer. Thebit of black stone was dropped into the fire to see whether it wouldburn, and then vinegar was poured upon it. It glittered, and an Italianchemist declared that it was rich in gold. After this there was nodifficulty in raising funds for a voyage to the marvelous country ofthe north where gold lay about on the surface of the ground.
The ships sailed, but they met icebergs, fog, and storm. Frobisherhesitated. He believed that he could force his way to the Pacific, buthis orders were to make sure of the gold, and he loaded his ships withwhat proved to be only worthless earth. In later years he won honorsand wealth, but his dream of finding the Northwest Passage was neverrealized.
Thus far most people had thought of America as a place where a manmight be fortunate enough to find a gold mine, but where he was quiteas likely to be killed by the Indians or captured by the Spaniards.Others looked upon it as a troublesome mass of land that blocked theway to the riches of commerce with India. To one young courtier thisstrange New World was something more than the home of possible goldmines, and in his mind it was certainly not an obstacle to wealth andsuccess. This young man was named Walter Raleigh. He had shown hisscholarship at Oxford and his bravery in a campaign in Ireland. It cameto pass that he and the lord deputy of Ireland disagreed. "I wish todefend myself before the royal council," said Raleigh. This defence wasmanaged so skilfully that the queen listened with the closest attention.
"Bring that young Raleigh to me," she commanded when the councildissolved.
Raleigh knelt before her and kissed her hand.
"Young man," said she, "you seem to have been in no way worsted bythose mighty councilors of mine."
"Your Majesty," answered Raleigh with the look of admiration that wasso dear to Elizabeth, "could one fail to be aroused to the best that isin him when he has the honor of speaking in the glorious presence ofhis sovereign?"
"What can you do?" asked the queen bluntly, but most graciously, forthis kind of flattery was ever a delight to her.
"Shall I bring from Ireland the bodies of those who have dared to rebelagainst your Majesty's wise and gentle rule?" asked Raleigh, "that theymay testify of me?"
"You can fight. Can you do aught beside?"
"Truly, yes, I can count myself the happiest and most favored ofmortals in that upon me is turned the kindly thought of her whosurpasseth all other women as far as the glowing sun doth surpass thebeams of the farthing rushlight."
Raleigh was wise enough to keep the favor that he had won. Elizabethcould rebuke a maid of honor for wearing too expensive a gown, but ofher courtiers she demanded the most handsome attire that their pursescould provide. This new favorite had only a shallow purse, but hewillingly spent every penny that he could raise on brilliant apparel,and he neglected no opportunity to make himself of use to the queen.
One morning the rain was falling fast, and one of the ladies in waitingsaid:--
"Surely your Majesty will remain indoors to-day."
"My servants may dread the raindrops," answered Elizabeth, "but a queenshould fear nothing."
"With two thousand gowns she may well afford to spoil one for everyshower," said one lady to another. This was before the days ofumbrellas, but there was nothing to do save to hope for sunshine. Thehour for the walk came, and the queen went forth. The sun had come out.
"Someone has been praying for clear skies," said she, "and verily Iwish he had broadened his prayer a bit and prayed also for dry ground."
"It must have been young Raleigh," said one of the ladies to another alittle pointedly. "He loves to dwell in the sunshine as the moth lovesthe beam of the candle."
"There isn't another man in England who can tell just what to do in anydifficulty as well as he," declared another lady.
"Then I would that he were here now," whispered the first. "The queenwill go straight across that miry place, and if she is ill, we shallhave to bear the blame."
"There he comes as if he had been sent for by courier," said thesecond, for Raleigh was approaching. He was decked out in the bravestattire and was daintily picking his way along the muddy road.
"It's but this day week that he had a new scarlet cloak," said a ladyin the train, "and see the gorgeousness of the blue plush that hewears
this morning! I'll warrant he put his last shilling into it."
The queen hesitated a moment, but there was no hesitation in Raleigh.Quick as thought, he slipped off the shining blue plush mantle andspread it on the ground before Elizabeth.
"She who is to her devoted people the glory of the sunlight must neverfail to see under her feet the reflection of that clear sky whichher shining has bestowed upon her fortunate subjects." So said thecourtier, and he well knew that in the glance of approval given him byElizabeth lay the promise of many cloaks.
He rose rapidly in the queen's favor. She gave him whatever he asked,and he did not hesitate to ask for what he wanted. Elizabeth had afashion of rewarding a favorite by giving him a "monopoly," as it wascalled, that is, the sole right to sell some one thing. One man hadthe right to sell gunpowder, another salt, while yet another was theonly man in England who was allowed to collect and export old shoes.To Raleigh she gave the privilege of exporting woolen cloth, and atanother time the sole right to sell wine in the kingdom. He was nolonger a poor young courtier, straining every resource to dress ashandsomely as the taste of the queen demanded. Now he wore silver armorthat sparkled with rubies and pearls and diamonds. Even his shoes wereso encrusted with jewels that they were said to be worth more than sixthousand gold pieces. Money flowed freely into his coffers. BesidesElizabeth's other gifts, he could ask for his monopolies whatever pricehe chose, and whoever wished to buy must pay it. There were rumors thatthis brilliant young favorite had higher aspirations, even to the handof the queen herself. The story is told that one day when Raleigh wasstanding by a window, tracing idly scrolls and letters on the pane witha diamond, he heard the queen coming up softly behind him. He went onas if he did not know of her presence and wrote on the glass:--
"Fain would I climb, but that I fear to fall."
Elizabeth drew a diamond ring from her finger and put an ending to thecouplet:--
"If thy heart fail thee, do not climb at all."
With such encouragement, it is no wonder that Raleigh felt sure of herinterest in whatever he wished to attempt. He had a great undertakingin mind, and between his compliments to Elizabeth his thoughts oftenturned to the westward, to the wonderful New World. It was not hardto persuade the queen to give him a grant of land in America, and hesent out two barques to explore the coast north of Florida. When theskippers returned, Raleigh brought them before the queen.
"Is this new country so much better than our own old England?" sheasked.
"Nothing could be better than the land which has the happiness to beruled directly by your Majesty," answered Raleigh, "but, truly, the NewWorld is a goodly place."
"How does it differ from our land?" asked the queen of one of theskippers, and he answered:--
"Your Majesty, as we drew near the shore, there was no smell of wharfsor fishing, but a fragrance as if we were in the midst of some delicategarden."
"We have perfumes in England," said the queen. "Did you discoveranything better than pleasant odors?" she asked of the second skipper.
"Yes, your Majesty, we found what is not in all England, for when welanded, the low, sandy shore was so overgrown with grapes that the verybeating and surge of the sea overflowed them; the vines ran over hillsand plains, they climbed every little shrub, and they made their wayto the tops of the cedars. I do think that in all the world the likeabundance is not to be found."
"Perfumes and grapes," said the queen. "Raleigh, my man, that is a goodbeginning. Send your skippers away, and tell me what is your request,for I know you have one. When will you ever cease begging, Walter?"
"When you cease to be so kind a benefactress," was the courtier'sshrewd and graceful reply.
The skippers were sent away, and the queen said:--
"Now tell me about this land of grapes. Fruit and perfumes are wellenough, but they do little to fill an empty treasury. What else lieswithin your patent?"
"There are beasts of all kinds that roam the forests, there are birdsand fish, there are the highest and reddest cedars of the world, coralof red and white, pearls, fruits, vegetables, natives that are gentleand kindly and void of all guile and treason."
"What do you call this paradise of yours?"
"The natives call it Wingina."
"I'll give you a better name. It was visited while a virgin queen wason the throne, so call it Virginia, and I'll be its godmother."
"O, Madam," said Raleigh with enthusiasm, "never had a sovereign such achance to add to the glory of her renown. America is not only a countryin which one may make a fortune, it is a fortune in itself. Why shouldit not become a second home of the English nation?"
The queen's eyes kindled. "How could that be?" she asked.
"Your Majesty," he answered, eagerly, "the soil of Virginia is therichest in the world. The natives sow their corn in May and they reapit in July; they sow it again in June and July, and they reap it buttwo months after the planting. Our men put peas into the ground, and inten days they were fourteen inches high. Beans and wheat and oats maybe had for the asking."
"And supposing my good friend Philip should fall upon these amazinglyfertile lands, he might put the colonists to the sword even beforetheir peas were above the ground."
"Might we not also fancy a strong band of colonists building vesselsof the goodly trees of the Virginia forests and sailing out boldlyinto the Atlantic to capture the treasure ships of Spain? Might notthe colonists steer to the northward and free our Newfoundland fishinggrounds from the hateful presence of the Spaniard?"
"'Walter, thou reasonest well,'" laughed the queen, "but one littlething you've mayhap forgot. Tell me, Walter, my man, where shall wefind these worthy colonists who are to raise corn in two months andfight King Philip while it is growing?"
"Your Majesty," answered the courtier gravely, "those who are drivenfrom England will be our colonists."
"Driven from England," repeated the queen, "what mean you by that?"
"Our farmers have long been raising sheep instead of grain," said he."One man can easily care for many sheep. Those men that are drivenfrom their old farm work can find naught else to do. They must starveor steal, and, Madam, it grieves me sorely to see that twenty or eventhirty are often hanged before the hour of noon for stealing a shillingor perchance but a morsel of bread."
"They who steal must be punished," said the queen, "but it would pleaseme well if there were some other remedy than hanging."
"The corn of Virginia will be a remedy, my queen, and there is yetanother benefit that would come to England from colonies across theAtlantic. We wish to spread our commerce to foreign lands, but if wehave a second England on the other side of the sea, will not our owncountrymen of America buy and sell with us? Cannot laws be made thatthey shall trade with no others, if, indeed, they should be so disloyalas to think of such a thing? Why need we care for trade with a nationacross the Pacific when we can trade with our own people in Virginia?"
"Walter, you are wonderfully in earnest about this scheme of yours.It would ill become me to question the fairness or worthiness of mygodchild, and I will think of what you say, I will think of it."
Elizabeth thought of the plan, indeed the air was so full of talkabout the proposed Virginian colony that she could have hardly helpedthinking about it. In Virginia there was fertile soil, a good hopeof finding gems and gold, and little probability of trouble with theIndians. Her councilors discussed the plan. Said one to another:--
"Think you that the queen will aid young Raleigh?"
"'Sir Walter' you must say now that he has become a knight," rejoinedthe second. "Yes, I do believe that she will. Has she not followed hisevery whim till Leicester has fairly turned green with jealousy? Shehas just given him the wine monopoly, and that is worth thousands ofpounds in a single year. If she gives him that, would she withhold aidfor the bringing up of this 'godchild' of hers?"
"You're a shrewd man, I admit," said the first, "but I've watched thisqueen of ours since she was no higher than my table, and I've neve
ryet seen her affection for any one get the better of her. She's awoman, but she's also a queen, and she's more queen than woman."
"I'm not the man to hold an opinion and fear to back it up," rejoinedthe other. "I've a fair bit of land down in Devon, and I'll wager itagainst that house of yours in London that she'll help 'educate thegodchild.'"
The land was lost, for Elizabeth could not bear to part with her goldpieces unless she could be sure of a generous return. Raleigh did notgive up his plan, however, and soon a company of colonists was sent toRoanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina. The colonyfailed because the new settlers were too eager to search for gold tospend their time planting corn and beans, or even peas that would growfourteen inches in ten days. "They are lazy and homesick, and they talktoo much," reported the governor, and when a fleet of Drake's came toshore, they all went aboard and sailed for home.
These homesick colonists carried tobacco with them to England,and smoking soon became the fashionable amusement. Sir Walter wasenthusiastic in its praise.
"One would think that this wonderful plant of yours was your ownchild," said the queen to him as he sat puffing out the smoke from hissilver pipe, "you claim for it so many virtues."
"You say well, Madam," declared Sir Walter. "It is verily a wonderfulplant."
"And I suppose you would even say that you could tell the weight ofthat smoke of yours. There's no boundary to your impudence."
"Indeed I can, your Majesty," returned Sir Walter calmly.
"I'll wager this pin against your buckle that you cannot," retorted thequeen.
"I'll take the wager," said he, "and with the more joy since theexperiment will secure me the delight of your presence." He weighedsome tobacco and put it into his pipe. Then after he had smoked it heweighed the ashes. "The difference is the weight of the smoke," saidhe, and Elizabeth paid the bet. "Many a man have I known who has turnedhis gold into smoke," she declared merrily, "but you are surely thefirst who has turned his smoke into gold. You're a marvelous man, SirWalter."
In the Days of Queen Elizabeth Page 14
