his desire that posterity
might reap the fruits of his labours. The attack of the Accapulco ship,
likewise, considering the small force he had along with him, was a noble
instance of true English bravery, which was justly rewarded by the queen
with the honour of knighthood.

His account of the Philippines, and his description of several islands
in the East Indies, are very clear and curious, and must at that time
have been very useful; but particularly his map and description of
China, which gave great lights in those days. We may add to all this,
the great care he took in the instruction of his seamen, many of whom
afterwards distinguished themselves by navigating vessels in the same
stupendous course, and thereby filling all the known world with the fame
and reputation of English seamen. It is not therefore surprising that we
find the best judges, both of our own and other nations, bestowing very
high praise on this worthy gentleman, who, in the whole conduct of his
voyage, shewed the courage and discretion of a great commander, with all
the skill and diligence of an able seaman; of both which eminent
characters he has left the strongest testimonies in his accurate account
of this circumnavigation.

The wealth brought home by Sir Thomas Candish from this successful
voyage must have been considerable; an old writer says it was sufficient
to have purchased _a fair earldom_, a general and vague expression,
having no determinate meaning. Whatever may have been the amount of the
sum, which he acquired with so much hazard and so great honour, he
certainly did not make such prudent use of his good fortune as might
have been expected; for in the space of three years the best part of it
was spent, and he determined to lay out the remainder upon a second
expedition. We need the less wonder at this, if we consider what the
writers of those days tell us, of his great generosity, and the
prodigious expence he was at in procuring and maintaining such persons
as he thought might be useful to him in his future naval expeditions, on
which subject his mind was continually bent. Such things require the
revenues of a prince; and as he looked upon this voyage round the world
as an introduction only to his future undertakings, we may easily
conceive that, what the world considered extravagance, might appear to
him mere necessary disbursements, which, instead of lessening, he
proposed should have laid the foundations of a more extensive fo