Like a glow-worm golden Scattering unbeholden Its aërial hue Amongst the flowers and grass, which screen it from the view. Like a rose embower'd In its own green leaves, By warm winds deflower'd, Makes faint with too much sweet these heavy-winged thieves. Sound of vernal showers On the twinkling glass, All that ever was Joyous, and clear, and fresh, thy music doth surpass. Teach us, sprite or bird, What sweet thoughts are thine; I have never heard Praise of love or wine That panted forth a flood of rapture so divine. Teach me half the gladness That thy brain must know, The world should listen then as I am listening now. Shelley. TALES OF ADVENTURE. Purser, officer who attends to the stores and the expenses. Booty, plunder. Rendezvous (pron, ren-deh-voo), place of meeting. Careen, lay a ship on her side for the purpose of cleansing and caulking. DRAKE'S VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.* THIS illustrious man was born near Tavistock, in the year 1545. He was brought up at the expense and under the care of his kinsman, Sir John Hawkins, and at the age of eighteen was the purser of a ship trading to Biscay. At twenty he made a voyage to Guinea, and at twenty-two was made captain of the Judith. He now engaged in expeditions against the Spaniards in the West Indies, in which he did his antagonists some mischief and obtained considerable booty. In these enterprises he was much assisted by a nation of Indians, who were then engaged in a warfare with the Spaniards. The prince of this people was named Pedro, to whom Drake presented a fine cutlass from his side, which he saw the Indians greatly admired. Pedro, in return, gave him five wedges of gold, which Drake threw into the common stock, saying that he thought it but just that such as on his credit bore the charge of so uncertain a voyage, should share the utmost that that voyage produced. Then, having embarked his men, with all the wealth he had obtained, which was very considerable, he bore away for England. Introduced by Sir Christopher Hatton to Queen Elizabeth, and having the countenance and protection of the court, he proposed to take a voyage to the South Seas, through the straits * This lesson should be read with a map of the world before the class, and the course of Dampier should be traced as it proceeds. Similarly with reference to other lessons of the same character. of Magellan; an achievement which no Englishman had ever yet attempted. His project was well received; the Queen furnished him with means, and his own fame quickly obtained for him a sufficient force. His fleet consisted of five small vessels, having on board no more than one hundred and sixty-four able men. Having sailed on the 13th of December, 1577, he soon fell in with the coast of Barbary and Cape de Verde. On the 18th of March he passed the equinoctial line, made for the coast of Brazil a few days after, and entered the river Plata, where he parted company with two of his ships; but having met them again, and taken out their provisions, he turned them adrift. On the 29th of May he entered the port of St. Julian, where he continued two months, for the sake of laying in a stock of provisions. On the 20th of August he entered the straits of Magellan, and on the 25th of September passed them, having only his own ship. On the 25th of November he arrived at Macao, which he had appointed as the place of rendezvous in the event of his ships being separated; but Captain Winter, his vice-admiral, having repassed the straits, had returned to England. Drake thence continued his voyage along the coast of Chili and Peru, taking all opportunities of seizing Spanish ships, and attacking the settlements on shore, till his men were satiated with plunder. Then, coasting America as far as fortyeight degrees, he endeavoured to find a passage that way back into the Atlantic, but could not, because none exists. However, he landed, and called the country New Albion, taking possession of it in the name and for the use of Queen Elizabeth; and, having careened his ship, he set sail from thence on the 29th of September, 1579, for the Moluccas. He is supposed to have chosen the passage round partly to avoid being attacked by the Spaniards at a disadvantage, and partly because, from the lateness of the season, dangerous storms and hurricanes were apprehended. On the 13th of October he fell in with certain islands, inhabited by the most barbarous people he had met with in all his voyages. On the 4th of November he got sight of the Moluccas, and arriving at Ternate, was extremely well received by the king of that place. On the 10th of December he made |