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| First Written | 1628 |
| Genre | Travel |
| Origin | UK |
| Publisher | Blackie's |
| My Copy | library hardback. Blackie's English Texts modernization. |
| First Read | February 11, 2018 |
The World Encompassed
I really enjoyed this telling of one of Drake's journey's. It's exciting, and also has that 'Europeans discover the world and look like dicks doing it' thing that I always find funny. Drake was a national hero and also a pirate, raiding his way across the world and stealing from his enemy the Spanish wherever he found them.
Noted on February 18, 2018
The FULL title of this book is: The World Encompassed, being his next voyage to that to Nobre de Dios formerly imprinted; carefully collected out of the Notes of Francis Fletcher, Preacher in his employment, and divers others his followers in the same; offerend now at last to publique view, both for the honour of the actor but especially for the stirring up of heroick spirits, to benefit their country, and eternize their names by like noble attempts. London: printed for Nicholas Bourne, and are to be sold at his shop at the Royal Exchange. 1628.
Noted on February 18, 2018
Amongst other things we had of them, the sheep of the country (viz. such as we mentioned before, bearing the leathern bags) were most memorable. Their height and length was equal to a pretty cow, and their strength fully answerable, if not by much exceeding their size or stature... These sheep have necks like camels, their heads bearing a reasonable resemblance of another sheep. [ uh, alpacas! ]
Quoted on February 18, 2018
.. landing there we lighted on a Spaniard who lay asleep, and had lying by him 13 bars of silver, weighing in all about 4000 Spanish ducats; we would not (could we have chosen) have awakened him of his nap; but seeing we, against our wills, did him that injury, we freed him of his charge, which otherwise perhaps would have kept him waking, and so left him to take out (if it pleased him) the other part of his sleep in more security.
Quoted on February 18, 2018
The other two, those they were not so large nor so fair to the eye, yet were they to us exceeding useful, for in them we found great store of strange birds, which could not fly at all, nor yet run so fast that they could escape us with their lives; in body they are less than a goose, and bigger than a mallard, short and thick set together, having no feathers but instead thereof a certain hard and matted down; their beaks are not much unlike the bills of crows, they lodge and breed upon the land, where making earths, as the conies do, in the ground, they lay their eggs and bring up their young; their feeding and provision to live on is in the sea, where they swim in such sort, as nature may seem to have granted them no small prerogative in swiftness, both to prey upon others and themselves to escape from any others that seek to seize upon them; and such was the infinite resort of these birds to these Islands, that in the space of one day we killed no less than 3000, and if the increase be according to the number, it is not to be thought that the world hath brought forth a greater blessing, in one kind of creature in so small a circuit, so necessarily and plentifully serving the use of man; they are a very good and wholesome victual.
Quoted on February 18, 2018
Southwest from Santiago, in 14 dg. 30 min... lieth another island, called of the Portugues Fuego, viz, the burning island, or fiery furnace, in which riseth a steep upright hill, by conjecture at least six leagues, or eighteen English miles whereof is a consuming fire, maintained by sulphury matters, seeming to be of a marvellous depth, and also very wide. The fire shoeth itself but four times in an hour, at which times it breaketh out with such violence and force, and in such main abundance, that besides that it giveth light like the moon a great way off, it seemeth that it would not stay til it touch the heavens themselves. [I love that drake finds volcanoes but doesn't know the word for them.]
Quoted on February 18, 2018
[In his first encounter with people from Patagonia]
Magellan was not altogether deceived in naming them giants, for they generally differ from the common sort of men, both in stature, bigness, and strength of body, as also in the hideousness of their voice; but yet they are nothing so monstrous or giantlike as they were reported.... the name Pentagones, Five cubits, viz, 7 foot and a half, describing the full height (if not somewhat more) of the highest of them).
Quoted on February 18, 2018