who for two generations had taken a leading part in the business of the
town. They still survive in the county--Achins we used to call them
before school pronunciation came in, and so Philip wrote the name when
the famous John began to trouble his dreams. I have already spoken of
old William Hawkins, John's father, whom Henry VIII. was so fond of,
and who brought over the Brazilian King. Old William had now retired and
had left his place and his work to his son. John Hawkins may have been
about thirty at Elizabeth's accession. He had witnessed the wild times
of Edward VI. and Mary, but, though many of his friends had taken to the
privateering business, Hawkins appears to have kept clear of it, and
continued steadily at trade. One of these friends, and his contemporary,
and in fact his near relation, was Thomas Stukely, afterwards so
notorious--and a word may be said of Stukely's career as a contrast to
that of Hawkins. He was a younger son of a leading county family, went
to London to seek his fortune, and became a hanger-on of Sir Thomas
Seymour. Doubtless he was connected with Seymour's pirating scheme at
Scilly, and took to pirating as an occupation like other Western
gentlemen. When Elizabeth became Queen, he introduced himself at Court
and amused her with his conceit. He meant to be a king, nothing less
than a king. He would go to Florida, found an empire there, and write to
the Queen as his dearest sister. She gave him leave to try. He bought a
vessel of 400 tons, got 100 tall soldiers to join him besides the crew,
and sailed from Plymouth in 1563. Once out of harbour, he announced that
the sea was to be his Florida. He went back to the pirate business,
robbed freely, haunted Irish creeks, and set up an intimacy with the
Ulster hero, Shan O'Neil. Shan and Stukely became bosom friends. Shan
wrote to Elizabeth to recommend that she should make over Ireland to
Stukely and himself to manage, and promised, if she agreed, to make it
such an Ireland as had never been seen, which they probably would.
Elizabeth not consenting, Stukely turned Papist, transferred his