12 Abasing Spain (1584)
Richard Hakluyt (1553-1616) was an Anglican priest and author, best remembered for his promotion of English colonization of North America and his histories of exploration. In 1584, Hakluyt returned from Paris, where he had been secretary to the ambassador, Edward Stafford, and wrote this article to encourage Queen Elizabeth and her ministers to invest in settling a colony in America as a way to weaken the Spanish Empire. King Philip II of Spain had been married to the previous English Queen, Mary I, which had made him King of England during her lifetime. When she died in 1558, Philip proposed marriage to Elizabeth I. The new Queen rejected Philip, which led ultimately to war in 1588 when Philip used the Spanish Armada to attempt an invasion of England to restore Catholicism.
That this voyage will be a great bridle to the Indies of the King of Spain and a means that we may arrest at our pleasure for the space of ten weeks or three months every year one or two C. [hundred] sail of his subjects’ ships at the fishing in Newfoundland.
The cause why the King of Spain, these three or four years last past, was at such intolerable charges in furnishing out so many navies to win Terceira and the other small islands of the Azores adjacent to the same, was the opportunity of the places in intercepting his West Indian fleet at their return homeward, as a matter that touches him indeed to the quick. But the planting of two or three strong forts upon some good havens (whereof there is great store) between Florida and Cape Breton would be a matter in short space of greater damage as well to his fleet as to his western Indies. For we should not only often times endanger his fleet in the return thereof, but also in few years put him in hazard in losing some part of Nova Hispania.
Touching the fleet, no man that knows the course thereof, coming out between Cuba and the Cape of Florida, along the gulf or strait of Bahama, can deny that it is carried by the current north and northeast towards the coast which we purpose, God willing, to inhabit. Besides the current, it is also a thing without controversy that all southern and southeastern winds enforce the Spanish fleet returning home near or upon the aforesaid coast and consequently will bring them into our danger, after we shall be there strongly settled and fortified.
Now if we (being thereto provoked by Spanish injuries) would either join with these savages or send or give them armor, as the Spaniards arm our Irish rebels, we should trouble the King of Spain more in those parts than he has or can trouble us in Ireland and hold him at such a bay as he was never yet held at. For if (as the aforesaid Miles Phillips writes) it be true that one negro which fled from his cruel Spanish master is received and made captain of multitudes of the Chichimici and daily does grievously afflict them and has almost enforced them to leave and abandon their silver mines in those quarters, what damage might diverse hundreds of Englishmen do them, being grown once into familiarity with that valiant nation?
And this is the greatest fear that the Spaniards have. To wit, our planting in those parts and joining with those savages their neighbors in Florida and on the north side of Nova Hispania. So shall we be able to cry quittance with the King of Spain if he should go about to make any general arrest of our navy, or rather terrify him from any such enterprise, when he shall bethink himself that his navy in Newfoundland is no less in our danger than ours is in his dominions wheresoever.
What special means may bring King Philip from his high throne and make him equal to the princes his neighbors, wherewithall is showed his weakness in the West Indies. First it is to be considered that his dominions and territories out of Spain lie far distant from Spain, his chief force. And far distant one from another and are kept by great tyranny, and quos metuunt oderunt [whom they fear, they hate]. And the people kept in subjection desire nothing more than freedom. And like as a little passage given to water, it makes his own way; so give but a small means to such kept in tyranny, they will make their own way to liberty which way may easily be made. And entering into the consideration of the way how this Philip may be abased, I mean first to begin with the West Indies, as there to lay a chief foundation for his overthrow. And like as the foundation of the strongest hold undermined and removed, the mightiest and strongest walls fall flat to the earth; so this prince, spoiled or intercepted for a while of his treasure, occasion by lack of the same is given that all his territories in Europe out of Spain slide from him and the Moors enter into Spain itself and the people revolt in every foreign territory of his and cut the throats of the proud hateful Spaniards, their governors. For this Philip already owing many millions and of late years impaired in credit, has by lack of ability of long time to pay the same and by his shameful loss of his Spaniards and dishonors in the Low Countries [defeat in the Spanish Netherlands] and by lack of the yearly renewal of his revenue, he shall not be able to wage his several garrisons kept in his several frontiers, territories, and places; nor to corrupt in princes’ courts, nor to do many feats.
Hereunto if we add our purposed western discoveries and there plant and people, rally and fortify strongly, and there build ships and maintain a navy in special port or ports, we may by the same either encounter the Indian fleet or be at hand as it were to yield fresh supply, courage, and comfort by men or munition to the Chichimici and the Symerons and such other as shall be incited to the spoil of the mines. Which in time will if it be not looked to, bring all princes to weak estate, that Philip either for religion or other cause does hate. As the aforesaid Monsieur de Aldegond, in his pithy and most earnest exhortation to all Christian kings, princes, and potentates to beware of King Philip’s ambitious growing, does wisely and most providently forewarn.
To this may be added (the realm swarming with lusty youths that be turned to no profitable use), there may be sent bands of them into the Base Countries in more round numbers than are sent as yet. For if he presently prevails there at our doors, farewell the traffic that else we may have there (whereof wise men can say much). And if he settles there, then let the realm say adieu to her quiet state and safety.
If these enter into the due consideration of wise men and if platforms of these things be set down and executed duly and with speed and effect, no doubt but the Spanish Empire falls to the ground and the Spanish king shall be left bare as Aesop’s proud crow. The peacock, the parrot, the pye, and the poppingay, and every other bird having taken home from him his gorgeous feathers, he will in short space become a laughing stock for all the world. With such a maim to the Pope and to that side as never happened to the See of Rome by the practice of the late King of famous memory, her Majesty’s father [Henry VIII]. Or by all the former practices of all the Protestant princes of Germany, or by any other advice laid down by Monsieur de Aldegond, hereafter by them to be put in execution. If you touch him in the Indies, you touch the apple of his eye. For take away his treasure, which is nervus belli [allusion to Cicero, “Money is the soul of war”] and which he has almost out of his West Indies, his old bands of soldiers will soon be dissolved, his purposes defeated, his power and strength diminished, his pride abated, and his tyranny utterly suppressed.
Source: “How Spain May Be Abased”, Richard Hakluyt, 1584. From A Discourse on Western Plantings quoted in Documentary History of the State of Maine (edited by Charles Deane, Cambridge, 1877).
