The Famous Voyage Of Sir Francis Drake Into The South Sea, And Therehence About The Whole Globe Of The Earth, Begun In The Year Of Our Lord 1577 Narrative By Francis Pretty
- Page 14 of 22 - First - Home
Wherein Our General Having Satisfied Them, They
Returned With Glad Tidings To Their King, Who Marched To Us With A
Princely Majesty, The People Crying Continually After Their Manner;
And As They Drew Near Unto Us, So Did They Strive To Behave Themselves
In Their Actions With Comeliness.
In the fore-front was a man of
goodly personage, who bare the sceptre or mace before the king;
whereupon hanged two crowns, a less and a bigger, with three chains of
a marvellous length.
The crowns were made of knit work, wrought
artificially with feathers of divers colours. The chains were made of
a bony substance, and few be the persons among them that are admitted
to wear them; and of that number also the persons are stinted, as some
ten, some twelve, etc. Next unto him which bare the sceptre, was the
king himself, with his guard about his person, clad with coney skins,
and other skins. After them followed the naked common sort of people,
every one having his face painted, some with white, some with black,
and other colours, and having in their hands one thing or another for
a present. Not so much as their children, but they also brought their
presents.
In the meantime our General gathered his men together, and marched
within his fenced place, making, against their approaching, a very
warlike show. They being trooped together in their order, and a
general salutation being made, there was presently a general silence.
Then he that bare the sceptre before the king, being informed by
another, whom they assigned to that office, with a manly and lofty
voice proclaimed that which the other spake to him in secret,
continuing half an hour. Which ended, and a general /Amen/, as it
were, given, the king with the whole number of men and women, the
children excepted, came down without any weapon; who, descending to
the foot of the hill, set themselves in order. In coming towards our
bulwarks and tents, the sceptre-bearer began a song, observing his
measures in a dance, and that with a stately countenance; whom the
king with his guard, and every degree of persons, following, did in
like manner sing and dance, saving only the women, which danced and
kept silence. The General permitted them to enter within our bulwark,
where they continued their song and dance a reasonable time. When they
had satisfied themselves, they made signs to our General to sit down;
to whom the king and divers others made several orations, or rather
supplications, that he would take their province and kingdom into his
hand, and become their king, making signs that they would resign unto
him their right and title of the whole land, and become his subjects.
In which, to persuade us the better, the king and the rest, with one
consent, and with great reverence, joyfully singing a song, did set
the crown upon his head, enriched his neck with all their chains, and
offered him many other things, honouring him by the name of /Hioh/,
adding thereunto, as it seemed, a sign of triumph; which thing our
General thought not meet to reject, because he knew not what honour
and profit it might be to our country.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 14 of 22
Words from 6741 to 7282
of 10957