77, Captain Frobisher departed from Blackwall--with one of
the Queen's Majesty's ships called the _Aid_, of nine score ton or
thereabout, and two other little barques likewise, the one called the
_Gabriel_, whereof Master Fenton, a gentleman of my Lord of Warwick's,
was captain; and the other the _Michael_, whereof Master York, a
gentleman of my lord admiral's, was captain, accompanied with seven score
gentlemen, soldiers, and sailors, well furnished with victuals and other
provisions necessary for one half year--on this, his second year, for the
further discovering of the passage to Cathay and other countries
thereunto adjacent, by west and north-west navigations, which passage or
way is supposed to be on the north and north-west parts of America, and
the said America to be an island environed with the sea, where through
our merchants might have course and recourse with their merchandise from
these our northernmost parts of Europe, to those Oriental coasts of Asia
in much shorter time and with greater benefit than any others, to their
no little commodity and profit that do or shall traffic the same. Our
said captain and general of this present voyage and company, having the
year before, with two little pinnaces to his great danger, and no small
commendations, given a worthy attempt towards the performance thereof, is
also pressed when occasion shall be ministered to the benefit of his
prince and native country--to adventure himself further therein. As for
this second voyage, it seemeth sufficient that he hath better explored
and searched the commodities of those people and countries, with
sufficient commodity unto the adventurers, which, in his first voyage the
year before, he had found out.

Upon which considerations the day and year before expressed, he departed
from Blackwall to Harwich, where making an accomplishment of things
necessary, the last of May we hoisted up sails, and with a merry wind the
7th of June we arrived at the islands called Orchades, or vulgarly
Orkney, being in number thirty, subject and adjacent to Scotland, where
we made provision of fresh water, in the doing whereof our general
licensed the gentlemen and soldiers, for their recreation, to go on
shore. At our landing the people fled from their poor cottages with
shrieks and alarms, to warn their neighbours of enemies, but by gentle
persuasions we reclaimed them to their houses. It seemeth they are often
frighted with pirates, or some other