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HISTORY OF THE UNITED NETHERLANDS
From the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce—1609
By John Lothrop Motley
MOTLEY'S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg Edition, Vol. 50
History of the United Netherlands, 1586
Drake in the Netherlands—Good Results of his Visit—The Babington
Conspiracy—Leicester decides to visit England—Exchange of parting
Compliments.
Late in the autumn of the same year an Englishman arrived in theNetherlands, bearer of despatches from the Queen. He had been entrustedby her Majesty with a special mission to the States-General, and he hadsoon an interview with that assembly at the Hague.
He was a small man, apparently forty-five years of age, of a fair butsomewhat weather-stained complexion, with light-brown, closely-curlinghair, an expansive forehead, a clear blue eye, rather commonplacefeatures, a thin, brown, pointed beard, and a slight moustache. Thoughlow of stature, he was broad-chested, with well-knit limbs. His hands,which were small and nervous, were brown and callous with the marks oftoil. There was something in his brow and glance not to be mistaken,and which men willingly call master; yet he did not seem, to have sprungof the born magnates of the earth. He wore a heavy gold chain about hisneck, and it might be observed that upon the light full sleeves of hisslashed doublet the image of a small ship on a terrestrial globe wascuriously and many times embroidered.
It was not the first time that he had visited the Netherlands. Thirtyyears before the man had been apprentice on board a small lugger, whichtraded between the English coast and the ports of Zeeland. Emerging inearly boyhood from his parental mansion—an old boat, turned bottomupwards on a sandy down he had naturally taken to the sea, and hismaster, dying childless not long afterwards, bequeathed to him thelugger. But in time his spirit, too much confined by coasting in thenarrow seas, had taken a bolder flight. He had risked his hard-earnedsavings in a voyage with the old slave-trader, John Hawkins—whoseexertions, in what was then considered an honourable and useful vocation,had been rewarded by Queen Elizabeth with her special favour, and with acoat of arms, the crest whereof was a negro's head, proper, chained—butthe lad's first and last enterprise in this field was unfortunate.Captured by Spaniards, and only escaping with life, he determined torevenge himself on the whole Spanish nation; and this was considered amost legitimate proceeding according to the "sea divinity" in which he,had been schooled. His subsequent expeditions against the Spanishpossessions in the West Indies were eminently successful, and soon thename of Francis Drake rang through the world, and startled Philip in thedepths of his Escorial. The first Englishman, and the second of anynation, he then ploughed his memorable "furrow round the earth," carryingamazement and, destruction to the Spaniards as he sailed, and after threeyears brought to the Queen treasure enough, as it was asserted, tomaintain a war with the Spanish King for seven years, and to pay himselfand companions, and the merchant-adventurers who had participated in hisenterprise, forty-seven pounds sterling for every pound invested in thevoyage. The speculation had been a fortunate