The Epistle Dedicatorie of sor Walter Ralegh to the right honourable the L. Charles Howard knight of the Garter &c. and sir Robert Cecil, Councellour &c.
To the right Honourable my singular good Lord and
kinsman Charles Howard, Knight of the Garter, Baron
and Counceller, and of the Admirals of England the
most renowmed: and to the right Honourable Sir
Robert Cecyll knight, Counceller in her Highnesse Privie Councels.
FOR your Honours many Honourable and friendly partes,
I have hitherto onely returned promises, and now for
answere of both your adventures, I have sent you a
bundle of papers, which I have devided betwene your
Lordship, and Sir Robert Cecyll in these two respects
chiefly: First for that it is reason, that wastful factors,
when they have consumed such stockes as they had in
trust, doe yeeld some colour for the same in their account;
secondly for that I am assured, that whatsoever shall bee
done, or written by me, shall neede a double protection
and defence. The triall that I had of both your loves,
when I was left of all, but of malice and revenge, makes
me still presume, that you wil be pleased (knowing what
litle power I had to performe ought, and the great advantage of forewarned enemies) to answer that out of knowledge, which others shal but object out of malice. In my
more happy times as I did especially Hon. you both, so
I found that your loves sought mee out in the darkest
shadow of adversitie, and the same affection which accompanied my better fortune, sored not away from me in my
many miseries: al which though I can not requite, yet
I shal ever acknowledge: & the great debt which I have
no power to pay, I can do no more for a time but confesse to be due. It is true that as my errors were great,
so they have yeelded very grievous effects, & if ought
might have bene deserved in former times to have counterpoysed any part of offences, the fruit thereof (as it
seemeth) was long before fallen from the tree, & the dead
stocke onely remained. I did therefore even in the winter
of my life, undertake these travels, fitter for bodies lesse
blasted with mis-fortunes, for men of greater abilitie, and
for mindes of better incouragement, that thereby, if it
were possible, I might recover but the moderation of
excesse, & the least tast of the greatest plenty formerly
possessed. If I had knowen other way to win, if I had
imagined how greater adventures might have regained,
if I could conceive what farther meanes I might yet use,
but even to appease so powreful displeasure, I would not
doubt but for one yeere more to hold fast my soule in
my teeth, till it were performed. Of that litle remaine
I had, I have wasted in effect all herein. I have undergone many constructions. I have bene accompanyed with
many sorrowes, with labour, hunger, heat, sickenes, &
perill : It appeareth notwithstanding that I made no other
bravado of going to the sea, then was ment, and that I
was never hidden in Cornewall, or els where, as was
supposed. They have grosly belied me, that forejudged,
that I would rather become a servant to the Spanish king,
then returne, and the rest were much mistaken, who
would have perswaded, that I was too easefull and sensuall to undertake a journey of so great travell. But, if
what I have done, receive the gracious construction of a
painefull pilgrimage, and purchase the least remission, I
shall thinke all too litle, & that there were wanting to
the rest many miseries. But if both the times past, the
present, and what may be in the future, doe all by one
graine of gall continue in eternall distast; I doe not then
know whether I should bewaile my selfe, either for my
too much travell and expence, or condemne my selfe for
doing lesse then that, which can deserve nothing. From
my selfe I have deserved no thankes, for I am returned
a beggar, and withered, but that I might have bettred
my poore estate, it shall appeare by the following discourse, if I had not onely respected her Majesties future
Honour, and riches. It became not the former fortune
in which I once lived, to goe journeys of picory, it had
sorted ill with the offices of Honour, which by her
Majesties grace I hold this day in England
, to run from
Cape to Cape, and from place to place, for the pillage of
ordinaries prizes. Many yeeres since, I had knowledge
by relation, of that mighty, rich and beautifull Empier of
Guiana
, and of that great and golden Citie, which the
Spaniards call El Dorado, and the naturals Manoa, which
Citie was conquered, reedified, and inlarged by a yonger
sonne of Guainacapa Emperour of Peru, at such time as
Francisco Pizarro and others conquered the said Empire,
from his two elder brethren, Guascar, and Atabalipa,
both then contending for the same, the one being favoured
by the Orejones of Cuzco, the other by the people of
Caxamalca. I sent my servant Jacob Whiddon the yere
before, to get knowledge of the passages, and I had some
light from Captaine Parker, sometime my servant, and
nowe attending on your Lordship, that such a place there
was to the Southward of the great Bay of Charuas, or
Guanipa: but I found that it was 600 miles farther off
then they supposed, and many other impediments to them
unknowen and unheard. After I had displanted Don
Antonio de Berreo, who was upon the same enterprize,
leaving my ships at Trinidad
, at the Port called Curiapan,
I wandred 400 miles into the said countrey by lande and
river: the particulars I will leave to the following discourse. The countrey hath more quantity of gold by
manifolde, then the best partes of the Indies, or Peru
:
All the most of the kings of the borders are already
become her Majesties vassals: and seeme to desire nothing
more then her Majesties protection and the returne of
the English nation. It hath another ground and assurance of riches and glory, then the voyages of the West
Indies, an easier way to invade the best parts thereof,
then by the common course. The king of Spaine is not
so impoverished, by taking three or foure Port townes
in America
, as wee suppose, neither are the riches of
Peru
, or Nueva Espanna so left by the sea side, as it
can bee easily washt away with a great flood, or springtide, or left dry upon the sandes on a lowe ebbe. The
Port townes are fewe and poore in respect of the rest
within the lande, and are of litle defence, and are onely
rich, when the Fleets are to receive the treasure for
Spaine: and we might thinke the Spaniards very simple,
having so many horses and slaves, if they could not upon
two dayes warning cary all the golde they have into the
land, and farre enough from the reach of our foote-men,
especially the Indies being (as they are for the most part)
so mountanous, so full of woodes, rivers, and marishes.
In the Port townes of the Province of Venezuela, as
Cumana
, Coro
and S. Iago (whereof Coro
and S. Iago
were taken by Captaine Preston, and Cumana
and S.
Josepho by us) we found not the value of one riall of
plate in either: but the Cities of Barquasimeta, Valencia
,
S. Sebastian, Cororo, S. Lucia, Laguna
, Maracaiba, and
Truxillo, are not so easely invaded: neither doeth the
burning of those on the coast impoverish the king of
Spaine, any one ducat: and if we sacke the river of
Hacha, S. Marta, and Cartagena
, which are the Portes
of Nuevo reyno, and Popayan
; there are besides within
the land, which are indeed riche and populous, the townes
and Cities of Merida, Lagrita, S. Christophoro, the great
Cities of Pamplon S. Fe de Bogota, Tunxa and Mozo
where the Esmeralds are found, the townes and Cities of
Marequita, Velez, la Villa de Leva, Palma, Unda, Angustura, the great citie of Timana, Tocaima, S. Aguila,
Pasto
, Juago, the great Citie of Popaian it selfe, Los
Remedios, and the rest. If we take the Ports and villages
within the Bay of Uraba, in the kingdom or rivers of
Dariene, and Caribana, the Cities and townes of S. Juan
de Roydas, of Cassaris, of Antiocha, Caramanta, Cali
,
and Anserma have gold enough to pay the kings part,
and are not easily invaded by the way of the Ocean: or
if Nombre de Dios and Panama be taken in the Province
of Castilla del oro, and the villages upon the rivers of
Cenu & Chagre; Peru
hath besides those & besides the
magnificent cities of Quito
& Lima
so many ylands, ports,
cities, and mines, as if I should name them with the rest,
it would seem incredible to the reader: of all which,
because I have written a particular treatise of the West
Indies, I wil omit the repetition at this time, seeing that
in the said treatise I have anatomized the rest of the seatownes aswel of Nicaragua
, Iucatan, Nueva Espanna, &
the ylands, as those of the Inland, & by what meanes
they may be best invaded, as far as any meane judgement
can comprehend. But I hope it shal appeare that there
is a way found to answer every mans longing, a better
Indies for her Majestie then the King of Spaine hath
any: which if it shal please her highnes to undertake, I
shal most willingly end the rest of my daies in folowing
the same: if it be left to the spoile & sackage of common
persons, if the love & service of so many nations be
despised, so great riches, & so mighty an empire refused,
I hope her majesty wil yet take my humble desire and
my labor therin in gracious part, which, if it had not bin
in respect of her highnes future honor & riches, could
have laid hands on & ransomed many of the kings &
Casiqui of the country, & have had a reasonable proportion of gold for their redemption: but I have chosen
rather to beare the burden of poverty, then reproch, &
rather to endure a second travel and the chances therof,
then to have defaced an enterprise of so great assurance,
untill I knew whether it pleased God to put a disposition
in her princely & royal heart either to folow or foreslow
the same: I wil therefore leave it to his ordinance that
hath only power in all things, & do humbly pray that
your honors wil excuse such errors, as without the defence
of art, overrun in every part of the folowing discourse,
in which I have neither studied phrase, forme nor fashion,
that you will be pleased to esteeme mee as your owne
(though over dearly bought) and I shall ever remaine
ready to do you all honour and service.W. R.
