nizing North America.” She supported Martin Frobisher’s expeditions. England was still too weak to challenge Spain openly, but Elizabeth hoped to break the Spanish overseas monopoly just the same. She encouraged her boldest sea dogs to plunder Spanish merchant ships on the high seas. When Captain Francis Drake was about to set sail on his famous round-the-world voyage in 1577, she said to him: “Drake! ... I would gladly be revenged on the King of Spain for divers injuries that I have recieved.” Drake took her at her word. He sailed through the Strait of Magellan and terrorized the west coast of South America, capturing the Spanish treasure ship, Cacafuego, heavily ladden with Peruvian silver. After exploring the coast of California, which he claimed for England, Drake crossed the Pacific and went on to circumnavigate the globe, returning home in triumph in 1580. Although Elizabeth took pains to deny it to the Spanish ambassador, Drake’s voyage was officially sponsored.When schemes to place settlers in the New World began to mature at about this time, the queen again became involved. The first effort was led by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, an Oxford educated soldier and courtier with a with a lifelong interest in far-off places. Gilbert owned a share of the Muscovy Company; as early as 1566, he was trying to get a royal grant for an expedition in search of the northeast passage to the Orient. But soon his interests concentrated on the northwest route. He read widely in navigational and geographical lore and in 1576 wrote a persuasive, Discourse ... to prove a passage by the north west to Cathaia. Two years later, Queen Elizabeth authorized him to explore and colonize “heathen lands not actually possessed by any Christian prince.” Nothing was recorded about his first attempt in 1578-1579; in 1583 he set sail again with five ships and over 200 settlers. He landed them on Newfoundland, then ...
