With The Inconvenience Of Continual Mortality We Were Forced To Give
Over Our Intended Enterprise To Go With Nombre De Dios, And So
Overland To Panama, Where We Should Have Strucken The Stroke For The
Treasure, And Full Recompense Of Our Tedious Travails.
And thus at
Carthagena we took our first resolution to return homewards, the form
of which resolution I thought good here to put down under the
principal captains' hands as followeth:--
A Resolution of the Land-Captains, what course they think most
expedient to be taken. Given at Carthagena, the 27th of February,
1585.
WHEREAS it hath pleased the General to demand the opinions of his
captains what course they think most expedient to be now
undertaken, the land-captains being assembled by themselves
together, and having advised hereupon, do in three points deliver
the same.
THE FIRST, touching the keeping of the town against the force of
the enemy, either that which is present, or that which may come
out of Spain, is answered thus:--
'We hold opinion, that with this troop of men which we have
presently with us in land service, being victualled and
munitioned, we may well keep the town, albeit that of men able to
answer present service we have not above 700. The residue, being
some 150 men, by reason of their hurts and sickness, are
altogether unable to stand us in any stead: wherefore hereupon the
sea-captains are likewise to give their resolution, how they will
undertake the safety and service of the ships upon the arrival of
any Spanish fleet.'
THE SECOND point we make to be this, whether it be meet to go
presently homeward, or else to continue further trial of our
fortune in undertaking such like enterprises as we have done
already, and thereby to seek after that bountiful mass of treasure
for recompense of our travails, which was generally expected at
our coming forth of England: wherein we answer:--
'That it is well known how both we and the soldiers are entered
into this action as voluntary men, without any impress or gage
from her Majesty or anybody else. And forasmuch as we have
hitherto discharged the parts of honest men, so that now by the
great blessing and favour of our good God there have been taken
three such notable towns, wherein by the estimation of all men
would have been found some very great treasures, knowing that
Santiago was the chief city of all the islands and traffics
thereabouts, St. Domingo the chief city of Hispaniola, and the
head government not only of that island, but also of Cuba, and of
all the islands about it, as also of such inhabitations of the
firm land, as were next unto it, and a place that is both
magnificently built and entertaineth great trades of merchandise;
and now lastly the city of Carthagena, which cannot be denied to
be one of the chief places of most especial importance to the
Spaniard of all the cities which be on this side of the West
India:
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