And now for love and honour of his wrath,
Our twice-born nobles bring him, bridegroom like,
That is espoused for virtue to his love,
With feasts and music ravishing the air,
To his Argolian fleet; where round about
His bating colours English valour swarms
In haste, as if Guianian Orenoque
With his full waters fell upon our shore.

Early in 1596, Raleigh sent Captain Lawrence Keymis, who had been with
him the year before, on a second voyage to Guiana. He did not come home
rich, but he did the special thing he was enjoined to do--that is to
say, he explored the coast of South America from the mouth of the
Orinoco to that of the Amazon. About the same time Raleigh drew up the
very remarkable paper, not printed until 1843, entitled _Of the Voyage
for Guiana_. In this essay he first makes use of those copious
quotations from Scripture which later on became so characteristic of his
writing. His hopes of interesting the English Government in Guiana were
finally frustrated by the excitement of the Cadiz expedition, and by the
melancholy fate of Sir Francis Drake. It is said that during this winter
he lived in great magnificence at Durham House, but this statement seems
improbable. All the letters of Raleigh's now in existence, belonging to
this period, are dated from Sherborne.

CHAPTER V.

CADIZ.

The defeat of the Spanish Armada had inflicted a wound upon the prestige
of Spain which was terrible but by no means beyond remedy. In the eight
years which had elapsed since 1588, Spain had been gradually recovering
her forces, and endangering the political existence of Protestant Europe
more and more. Again and again the irresolution of Elizabeth had been
called upon to complete the work of repression, to crush the snake that
had been scotched, to strike a blow in Spanish waters from which Spain
never would recover. In 1587, and in 1589, schemes for a naval
expedition of this kind had been brought before Council, and rejected.
In 1596, Charles Lord Howard of Effingham, with the support of Cecil,
forced the Government to consent to fit out an armament for the attack
of Cadiz. The Queen, however, was scarcely to be persuaded that the
expenditure required for this purpose could be spared from the Treasury.
On April 9, levies of men were ordered from all parts of England, and on
the 10th these levies were countermanded, so that the messengers sent on
Friday from the Lords to Raleigh's deput