Act 2 — Scene II.—AN ISLAND WITH BATTERIES COMMANDING THE MOUTH OF THE HARBOUR.

The Spanish fleet of thirteen sail, sent out expressly to look for Hawkins, and to treat him as a pirate. The English forbid entrance. A party of Spaniards, with the Spanish Ambassador and the new Viceroy of Spain, under a flag of truce, await the arrival of the English Commander to treat.

Enter Sir John Hawkins, Drake, Hampton, Bolton, and others.

Spanish Ambassador. Have I the honour to address the great, invincible and renowned, Sir John Hawkins, whose fame is throughout the world?

Hawkins. Your excellency has before you the Admiral and the gallant Captains of a small English fleet, bound on a trading voyage, put in under stress of weather, to victual and re-fit; and for our own security, during the time we find it necessary to occupy the harbour, we intend to prevent the entry of armed vessels.

Ambassador (amazed). But we are the fleet of His Majesty the King of Spain, carrying a thousand soldiers, thirteen galleons with others their consorts and tenders. I have the honour to be his Ambassador, and this is his viceroy, with authority to govern his possessions in the New World. Allow me to present to you Don Martini Henriqnez, viceroy of all the Indies. (Hawkins bows.) This is His Majesty’s town and dominions, and we claim not only free entrance, but entire jurisdiction. The nations are at peace, and we concede to you the right freely to occupy it as friends, to trade and re-fit, with freedom of departure. What would you more?

Hawkins. True, your Excellency, the nations are nominally at peace, but we Englishmen have been in these times of peace treated as worse than enemies in war. We have been attacked by ships carrying the Castillian flag, thrown into prison, tortured, famished in dungeons, given over to the inquisition, to fire and faggot, contrary to the law of nations, and to actual treaty. We must take care of ourselves. Either you shall force an entrance at the cannon’s mouth, which you will not find a very easy matter, or you enter on such conditions as I shall dictate. That we have liberty to trade, victual, and re-fit, and to depart without hindrance or molestation, that the fortifications remain in our hands, and that you give hostages, as a guarantee for their fulfillment.

Ambassador. This, Senor, is a very serious matter. It is against law, reason, and justice that we should be under conditions imposed by a foreigner who has no claim or authority here, to enter our own possessions. I do not know how I should answer to my Royal Master, should I so far compromise his authority and right, conceding to a stranger, the privilege of dictating conditions to our ships in our own waters.

Hawkins. Nor I to answer to my Royal Mistress for the loss of her ships and men by any laxity or cowardice on my part in not defending them. We Englishmen are accustomed to consider our duty to our country paramount over all else, to fight under the national flag till Death or Victory; never to yield a point in debate or battle, but to stick to our guns, and No Surrender!

English All. No Surrender! No Surrender!

Hawkins. Your Excellencies, and you Senores, you see your choice. Either you fight or depart, or enter on our conditions.

Ambassador. I shall retire if you please, and consult with his Excellency. (Exeunt Spaniards. English laughing).

Hawkins (laughing). Well, Comrades, I think I have settled their Excellencies; what think you? They must be off. If they meant fighting, they would have boldly entered like men, and asked no one’s leave. They dare not enter into conditions. Philip would execute them all, and rightly too, the poltrons. It would be complete surrender of his authority.

Hampton. It is not long you would have hesitated with such a fleet, General! I think with you, they will be off if the gale will allow them to weather the headlands. Lord! you frightened them; they turned pale at your very look. That’s the way to talk to them. No backing and filling; no hauling of tacks and sheets with Spaniards. A straight course, good headway; with half a gale blowing. That’s what they can’t stand. (He walks aside haughtily).

Bolton. General, you have spoken like a Tar, and an Englishman. I call that sailing to half a point of the compass. (Turning to Hampton). I am like you, Hampton, for carrying all sail, and keeping the red flag flying. Damn their thirteen ships and their new Viceroy Don Martini Henriquez, too, with his thousand soldiers. What’s all that to us? We can soon settle accounts with them, and their odds.—I never once thought of counting the number of Spaniards or Frenchmen, or of their ships either. Before we shall have sunk or burned the half of them, it will be very difficult to find the other half. We are not only a match for them on the open sea, but here they are at our mercy, keep them out, and then the gale will do for them.

Drake. Well said, Old Rough and Ready, you know how to deal with Spaniards. If you trust them, Hawkins, you will rue it all your life. (Exeunt).