Drake was not discouraged. He knew that all Chili and Peru was Spanish, and that nobody there was expecting him or preparing for defence. He sailed

into the harbour of Valparaiso, and found there a huge Spanish ship. The Spanish sailors did not fancy it possible that any English vessel could find its way there, and they made ready to feast the men whom

they fancied must be their own countrymen. The English sailors sprang on board and seized the ship. They found in it wedges of gold weighing 400 lbs., which were soon carried to the Pelican. Drake then sailed on to Tarapaca. He found piles of silver bars upon the quay, and tumbled them into his boats. Just as he was going to row away, down came a string of llamas to the quay with another load of silver. Much more was got as Drake sailed up the coast, silver and gold and jewels. At last Drake, having enriched himself and his men, went on towards the north. He fancied that North America would come to an end much sooner than it really does, as no one had made discoveries so far north. When he reached California, he thought that he had gone far enough, and sailed home across the Pacific Ocean and round the Cape of Good Hope. He was the first Englishman who had ever sailed round the world. The Spaniards called him a pirate, and required Elizabeth to deliver him up to them or to punish him, but Elizabeth was proud of his daring, and knighted him. He was now known as Sir Francis Drake.

11. English Voyages of Discovery.-Even in those days of fighting English sailors were not all occupied in war and piracy. In the time of Henry VII. a Venetian, named Cabot, was sent out from England, and discovered the coast of Labrador. He was the first man to set foot on the Continent of America, though Columbus had landed on the West India Islands before. In the reign of Henry VIII. the cod fisheries of Newfoundland were visited by English sailors. But the object on which the hearts of adventurous

men was most set was the discovery of a short cut to India and China. In Mary's time Sir Hugh Willoughby sailed round the North of Norway, hoping to reach those wealthy regions in that way, but was frozen to death with all the men in his own ship, though Chancellor, with one of the other ships which had gone with him, reached Archangel, and thus opened a trade with Russia, which at that time did not reach either the Baltic or the Black Sea, and which could therefore only be communicated with through the White Sea. In Elizabeth's time many sailors tried to find their way to India and China through what they called the North-West Passage, which they thought would be found where the northern part of the Continent of America really is, as no one had been further north than the coast of Labrador. Martin Frobisher discovered the strait which leads into Hudson's Bay, and fancied that he had not only discovered the way to India, but had found rich mines of gold. Men were so anxious to find gold that they were ready to believe that it was not far off for the oddest reasons. One reason which Frobisher's men gave for thinking that they would find gold was that they had seen a great many spiders; and they said that spiders were true signs of great store of gold.' Frobisher found no gold; but he left his name to the strait which he had discovered; and a few years later the strait which leads into Baffin's Bay was discovered by John Davis, and was named after him. Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Raleigh's half-brother, sailed to found a colony where the northern part of the

United States are now. His men quarrelled with him and with one another, and he had to set sail home. His vessel, the Squirrel,' was scarcely more than a boat, being only of ten tons burthen. A storm rose, and one of the vessels which accompanied him came so near that those who were on board could hear what he said. "Heaven,' he cried out cheerfully, is as near by sea as by land.' That night his friends could see the lights of the little "Squirrel' rocking on the tempestuous waves. On a sudden they disappeared, and neither the brave old man nor his crew were seen again. Other efforts to colonise were made. Raleigh himself sent men to settle in what has from that time been known as Virginia, called after Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. But they all died or were killed by the Indians. Other explorers followed; but no English colony was permanently settled in America till after Elizabeth's death.

CHAPTER XXI.

ELIZABETH'S TRIUMPHS.

(1580-1588.)

1. The Roman Catholic Missionaries.-Almost at the same time that Drake came back from his voyage some men of a very different kind set foot in England. As Elizabeth had now been Queen for more than twenty years, and young men and women were growing up who had no recollection of the days when the mass had been said in England in Mary's

reign, those who believed that the Roman Catholic religion was true were very sad at seeing the number of Protestants increasing. Many earnest men who believed this had gone abroad, and now returned as missionaries. Elizabeth was much frightened. She knew that the Pope had declared her not to be the true Queen of England, and she feared lest, if these missionaries converted many people to be Roman Catholics, they would drive her off her throne and perhaps put her to death. So she and the Parliament made fierce laws against the missionaries. If any Roman Catholic priest converted any one to his faith, or even only said mass, he was to be put to death as a traitor; because the Protestants believed that nobody could be a loyal subject to the Queen who thought that the Pope had a right to depose her, and they did not doubt that all Roman Catholics thought that. Even the Roman Catholics who were not priests had to pay a great deal of money if they did not go to the Protestant churches, and a great many were put in prison and treated very cruelly.

2. Throgmorton's Plot and the Association.-When a number of men are ill-treated, there are usually some who will try anything, however wicked, to revenge themselves on their persecutors. Most of the Roman Catholics bore their sufferings bravely and patiently, but there were some who wanted to murder the Queen and to place Mary Queen of Scots on the throne. One man named Francis Throgmorton formed such a plan. He was found out, and executed. It was discovered that the Spanish ambassador knew of this plot, and Elizabeth at once

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