A true discourse of the late voyages of discouerie, for the finding of a passage to Cathaya, by the Northvveast, vnder the conduct of Martin Frobisher Generall deuided into three bookes. In the first wherof is shewed, his first voyage ... Also, there are annexed certayne reasons, to proue all partes of the worlde habitable, with a generall mappe adioyned. In the second, is set out his second voyage ... In the thirde, is declared the strange fortunes which hapned in the third voyage ... VVith a particular card therevnto adioyned of Meta Incognita ...

¶TO THE RIGHT HO∣norable, my singular good May∣ster, Sir Christopher Hattō, Knight, Capitaine of the Queenes Maiesties Garde, Vizchamberlaine to hir Highnesse, and one of hir Maiesties moste honourable priuie Counsayle.

RIGHT honorable, when I first entended the voyage of Discouerie wyth Mr. Frobisher, for the finding of the passage to Cataya (beyng a matter in oure age aboue all other, notable) I applyed my selfe wholy to the sciēce of Cosmographie, & sec••ets of Nauigation, to the ende, I mighte enable my s••lf•• the better for the seruice of my Countrie, not onely to vn∣derstande what I read and hearde others speake, but also to execute in effect, and practise with my owne hands, the du∣tie and office appertayning to a Marriner: and so thereby be better able to make a true reporte of all occurrents in the same voyage. And for that now the common reporte ther∣of is so vaine and vncertaine, bycause some men rather con∣tendyng what they are able to say, than considering what in truth they should and ought to say, whereby, by sundrie mens fantasies, sundry vntruths are spred abroad, to the gret slaunder of this so honest and honorable an action: I haue

thought good to lay open to your honourable iudgement, the plain truth, and ful discourse of the whole seruice, which I haue taken vpon me (though altogither vnable) to write, and to dedicate vnto your Honor especi••lly, for these spe∣ciall causes following Firste, the world doth witnesse, and I my selfe by good proofe haue tasted & foūd (being a mā by your Honorable goodnesse and good coūtenance, specially supported, and euen (as it were) the handy worke of youre owne hands) how honorable a regard you beare to Vertue, howe readye to countenaunce the meanest man that truely serueth his Countrie, howe willing to giue vnto suche both grace and opinion with hir Maiestie, howe ready to procure rewarde there, for those that shall iustlye merite the same. And therewithall, considering the sounde iudgement you haue to discern, as wel in this, as in al other causes of waight: And knowing wel, what place you hold with hir highnesse, (who, for the faithfull seruice you dayly doe hir, as well in Courte, as common Weale, whyche nowe by the true tuch∣stone of time, and long experience, shee hath founde, and therefore confirmeth a faste and sure opinion in you wyth the chiefest) I haue specially thoughte it necessarye, besides my dutie (whiche aboue all the worlde my alleageaunce re∣serued, I owe you moste) for these respects to make relation of this seruice vnto your Honoure aboue others. And for that this action, both for the worthinesse of the attempt, for the good and quiet gouernment, for the greate and maruel∣lous daungers, for the straunge and vnknowne accidents of the vnknowne corners of the worlde, aboue all others, may appeare moste notable and famous: I haue bene the rather desirous to take some paine therein, and what I haue aship-boorde rudely and vnorderly framed or obserued, to com∣mend to youre Honourable construction the same: being willing rather to hazarde mine own shame, by shewing my selfe an insufficient writer (whiche perchaunce maye s••eme somewhat besides my profession) than that so honest and

worthy attemptes of our owne nation, wi••h the example of so well a gouerned seruice, should ly hidden from your Ho∣nours sight. And for that I wil be iniurious to no man, whi∣che in this action hath borne place, and well discharged the same, and that those men with the maner of their dayly pro∣ceedings there, by name maye be knowne vnto you, I haue in their place remembred them in order as becommeth: and haue not onely named each principall, but euerye priuate person (if by any speciall seruice hee hath merited the same) to the ende, that the well deseruing man, receiuing the due commendation of his deserte, maye bee encouraged to con∣tinue, and take pleasure in well dooyng after, and others be∣ing animated by like example, maye for hope of lyke re∣warde also, desire to deserue well.

By this Discourse, it may please your Honour to behold the greate industrie of oure present age, and the inuincible mindes of oure Englishe nation, who haue neuer lefte anye worthy thing vnattempted, nor anye parte almoste of the whole worlde vnsearched, whome lately, neither stormes of Seas by long and tedious voyages, daunger of darke fogs and hidden rockes in vnknowne coastes, congealed and fro∣sen Seas, with mountaines of fleeting Ise, nor yet presente death dayly before their face, coulde anye whit dismaye, or cause to desiste from intended enterpises: but rather pre∣ferring an honourable death beefore a shamefull retourne, haue (notwithstanding the former daungers, (after manye perillous repulses) recouered their desired Porte. So that, if nowe the passage to CATAYA thereby be made open vn∣to vs, (which only matter hitherto hath occupied the finest heades of the worlde, and promiseth vs a more riches by a nearer way than either Spaine or Portugale possesseth) where∣of the hope (by the good industrie and greate attemptes of these men is greatelye augmented) or if the Golde Ore in these new Discoueries founde oute, doe in goodnesse, as in great plentie aunswere expectation, and the successe do

folow as good, as the proofe thereof hitherto made, is great, wee may truely inferre, that the Englishman in these our dayes, in his discoueries, to the Spaniarde and Portingale is nothing inferior: and for his hard aduentures, and valiant re∣solutions, greatly superior. For what hath the Spaniarde or Portingale done by the Southeast and Southweast, that the Englishman by the Northeast and Northweaste hath not counteruailed the same?

And albeit I confesse that the Englishe haue not hy∣therto had so ful successe of profit and commoditie of plea∣saunt place (considering that the former nations haue hap∣pily chanced to trauel by more temperate clymates, where they had not onlye good meates and drinkes, but all other things necessarie, for the vse of man) all whiche things, the English, trauelling by more intēperate places, & as it were with mayne force, making waye thorowe seas of Ise, haue wāted, which notwithstanding, argueth a more resolution; for Difficiliora pulchriora, that is, the aduēture the more hard the more honorable: yet concerning the perfecter know∣ledge of the world, and Geographicall description, (wherin the present age and posteritie also, by a more vniuersal vn∣derstāding is much furthered, as appeareth by my vniuer∣sall Mappe with pricked boundes here annexed) herein, the Englishman deserueth chiefe honor aboue any other. For neyther Spaniard nor Portugale, nor anye other besides the English, haue bin found by so great daungers of Ise, so neare the Pole, to aduenture any discouerie, wherby the obscure and vnknowen partes of the world (which otherwise had laine hid) haue bin made knowen vnto vs.

So that it may appeare, that by oure Englishmens indu∣stries, and these late voyages, the world is grown to a more fulnesse and perfection: many vnknowen lands and Ilands, (not so much as thought vpon before) made knowen vnto vs: Christs name spred: the Gospell preached: Infidels like to be conuerted to Christianitie, in places where before the

name of God hath not once bin hearde of: Shipping and Seafaring mē, haue ben employed: nauigation and the Na∣uie, (which is the chief strength of our Realm) maintayned: and Gentlemen in the Sea seruice, for the better seruice of their Country wel experienced. Al whiche things, are (no doubt) of so gret importāce, as being wel wayed, may seeme to counteruayle the aduentures charges: although the pas∣sage to CATAYA were not found out, neither yet the golde ore proue good, wher of both, the hope is good & gret. But notwithstanding all these, euen in this (if no otherwise) hyr most excellent Maiestie hath reaped no small profit, that she may now stand assured, to haue many more tried, able, & sufficient men against time of need, that are, (which with out vaūt may be spoken) of valour gret, for any great aduē∣ture, & of gouernemēt good for any good place of seruice. For this may truly be spoken of these men, that there hath not bin seene in any nation, being so many in nūber, & so far frō home, more ciuill order, better gouernement or agree∣ment. For euen from the beginning of the seruice hitherto, there hath neither passed mutinie, quarrel, or notorious fact, either to the slaunder of the men, or daunger of the voyage, although the Gentlemen, Souldiors, and Marriners (whiche seldome can agree) were by companies matched togither.

But I may perchaunce (right Honourable) seeme to dis∣course somewhat too largely, especially in a cause that (as a partie) somewhat concerneth my selfe: which I doe, not for that I doubt of your Honorable opinion already conceiued of the men, but for that I knowe, the ignorant multitude is rather ready to slaunder, than to giue good encouragement by due commendation to good causes, who, respecting no∣thing but a present gaine, and being more than needefully suspitious of the matter, do therwithall condemne the men, and that without any further respect, either of their honest intents, either of their wel performing the matter they dyd vndertake (whiche according to their direction, was speci∣cially

to bring home Ore) either else of their painful trauel (whiche for their Prince, and the publike profite of their Countries cause they haue sustained.)

But by the way, it is not vnknown to the world, that this our natiue country of England, in al ages hath bred vp (and specially at this present aboūdeth with) many forward and valiāt minds, fit to take in hād any notable enterprise: wher by appeareth, that if the Englishman had bin in times paste as fortunate and foreseeing to accept occasion offered, as he hath bin alwayes forwarde in executing anye cause once ta∣ken in hand: he had bin worthily preferred before all nati∣ons of the worlde, and the Weast Indies had now bin in the possession of the Englishe.

For Columbus, the firste Discouerer of the Weaste Indies, made firste offer thereof, with his seruice, to King Henry the seauenth, then Kyng of Englande, and was not accepted: Wherevppon, for want of entertainement here, hee was forced to go into Spaine, and offred there (as before) the same to Ferdinando Kyng of Castyle, who presently acceptyng the occasion, did first himselfe, and now his successors, enioy the benefite thereof.

Also Sebastian Cabota, being an Englishman, and borne in Bristowe, after he had discouered sundrie parts of new found lande, and attempted the passage to CATAYA by the Northweast, for the King of England, for lacke of entertain∣ment here, (notwithstanding his good desert) was forced to seeke to the Kyng of Spaine, to whose vse hee discouered all that tract of Brasile, & aboute the famous riuer Rio de la Plata, and for the same, and other good seruices there, was after∣wardes renowmed, by title of Piloto Maggiore, that is, Graund Pylote, and constituted chiefe officer of the Contractation house of Siuilla: in whiche house, are handled all matters concerning the Weast Indies, and the reuenues therof: and further, that no Pylot shoulde be admitted for any discoue∣rie, but by his direction.

But there hath bin two speciall causes in former age, that haue greatly hindered the English nation in their attempts. The one hath bin, lacke of liberalitie in the Nobilitie, & the other wāt of skill in Cosmographie, and the A••t of Nauiga∣tion. Whiche kinde of knowledge, is verye necessary for all our noble men, for that wee being Ilanders, oure chiefest strength consisteth by Sea. But these twoo causes are nowe in this present age (God be thanked) verye well reformed: for not only hir maiestie now, but all the nobilitie also, ha∣uing perfect knowledge in Cosmographie, doe not onely with good wordes, countenaunce the forward mindes of men, but also with their purses do liberally and bountifully contribute vnto the same, whereby it commeth to passe, that Nauigation, whiche in the time of King Henrie the .7. was very rawe, & toke (as it were) but beginning (and euer since hath had by little and little continuall increase) is now in hir Maiesties raigne, growen to his highest perfection.

Thus right Honorable, as I haue in these my first trauels in these late voyages, vppon such occasions as passed there nowe, rendered your honour this bare and true accompte: So being further resolued to offer my self a continual sacri∣fice with the first, for hir Maiestie and my country, in thys or any other like seruice, I intend (God willing) according to this beginning, if any thing hereafter fall out worth the memorie, to present your honoure therewithall, and from time to time, to aduertise you of euery particular. And in all these things which I deliuer now, or shal hereafter ad∣uertise, I humbly praye, your honour woulde vouchsafe to giue some credite therevnto, and rather to thinke, I may be deceiued, than that I meane to deceiue, colour, or conceale any thing: for I neither can, nor wil, vse any flourish in the matter, but a bare truth in all: And therevpon I giue my poore credite vnto your honour in pawnne. And herein I humbly pray pardon, for my rude order of writing, which proceedeth from the barren brayne of a souldiour and one

professing armes, who desireth rather to be wel thought of with your honour, for his well meaning, than for anye hys cunning writing at all.

And thus, hauing presumed to present these vnt••mely and vnripe fruites to your honoures beste and fauourable construction, I humbly take my leaue, beseeching God to blesse you, as I do faithfully serue, and will honor you euer.

The handie worke of your Honours handes and faithfully to serue you euer, GEORGE BEST.