would be followed by an attack upon England, was treating with the
insurgents. Philip deemed it prudent to lay an embargo on all her
subjects, together with their ships and goods, that might be found in
his dominions. Elizabeth at once authorized general reprisals on the
ships and goods of Spaniards. A company of adventurers was quickly
formed for taking advantage of this permission on a scale commensurate
with the national resources. They equipped an armada of twenty-five
vessels, manned by 2,300 men, and despatched it under the command of
Drake to plunder Spanish America. Frobisher was second in command.
Two-thirds of the booty were to belong to the adventurers; the remaining
third was to be divided among the men employed in the expedition.

Drake's armament of 1585 was the greatest that had ever crossed the
Atlantic. After plundering some vessels at the Vigo river, he sailed for
the West Indies by way of the Canaries and Cape Verde Islands, hoisted
the English flag over Santiago and burnt the town, crossed the Atlantic
in eighteen days, and arrived at Dominica. At daybreak, on New Year's
Day, 1586, Drake's soldiers landed in Espanola, a few miles to the west
of the capital, and before evening Carlile and Powell had entered the
city, which the colonists only saved from destruction by the payment of
a heavy ransom. Drake's plan was to do exactly the same at Carthagena
and Nombre de Dios, and thence to strike across the isthmus and secure
the treasure that lay waiting for transport at Panama. Drake held St.
Domingo for a month, and Carthagena for six weeks. He was compelled to
forego the further prosecution of his enterprise. A deadly fever, which
had attacked the men during the sojourn at Santiago, still continued
its ravages. In existing circumstances, even had Nombre de Dios been
successfully attacked, the march to Panama was out of the question;
and after consultation with the military commanders, Drake resolved on
sailing home at once by way of Florida. He brought back with him all