Three thousand Volunteers Were numbered with the rest, And sailors, as appears, To guide them to the West, To quell the Spaniard’s pride, Which could not be denied; But which could not be seene By our most noble Queene And stomach’d with the best.
In more than twenty ships They sailed from the port. In speed they did eclipse, And took St. Jago’s fort: It was a glorious day, Before they came away, The day of our Queen’s birth, They kept with joy and mirth In well beseeming sort.
Santo Domingo next They took and also spoiled. The Spaniard he was vext To be so easy foiled. No force could them resist; They did as they list. The Spaniards bought the town, And paid the ducats down For which they long had toiled.
From thence to Carthagene They carried victory: Upon the Spanish main The city rich doth lye. They took it by assault: The Spaniards were in fault; But they could not oppose The valour of such foes, And yeelded presently.
To Terra Florida They did direct their course, And ever by the way They proved their skill and force. With fear the Spaniards shook While all their towne they took. For barrels of bright gold The towne our English sold, And shewed therefore remorse.
And now they have returned To Plymouth back once more, And glory they have earned Enough to put in store. Our Queen with great delight Beheld the joyous sight, And thanked them every one For what they thus had done By sea and on the shore.
Now, welcome all and some, Now welcome to our isle, For Francis Drake is come To London with Carlisle: And many more with him That ventured life and limb, And fighting side by side Did quell the Spaniard’s pride, To cause our Queen to smile.”
And if the following truly represents the spirit of the sailors, what a promising and cheerful spirit it was!
“Lustely, lustely, lustely let us saile forth, The winde trim doth serve us, it blowes from the north.
All thinges we have ready, and nothing we want To furnish our ship that rideth here by: Victuals and weapons, thei be nothing skant, Like worthie mariners ourselves we will trie. Lustely, lustely, etc.
Her flagges be new trimmed, set flaunting alofte, Our ship for swift swimmyng, oh, she doeth excell; Wee feare no enemies, we have escaped them ofte; Of all ships that swimmeth she beareth the bell. Lustely, lustely, etc.