thought very likely that they would be obliged to winter in some northern port. A great many of the nobility went to Greenwich, to see the ships set sail; but poor king Edward the Sixth was too ill to go, and he died not long afterwards. When the ships reached Harwich, Richard Chancelour was very uneasy about the state of the provisions on board his ship, as they were already far from being in a fit condition for such a voyage: and, as he set sail, he could not help thinking of his two little sons, whom he had left behind in England, and who would be orphans if any thing happened to him*. But he was a truly brave and a good man, and he committed them

• Hackluyt.

and himself to the care of God; trusting that they would not be forsaken.

The three ships sailed on with tolerable prosperity, till they had passed Heligoland, and the Lofoden Isles, in the month of August; but a storm here coming on, Sir Hugh Willoughby gave directions, that, in case the ships were separated, they were each to make the best of their way to the harbour of Wardhuys, in Norway. Hardly was this settled, before so violent a tempest arose, as completely separated Chancelour's ship from the other two, which were driven far to the north, and Chancelour saw no more of them. Willoughby, however, is known to have proceeded a good deal further, and to have disco

vered Spitzbergen or East Greenland, which was hence called, for a long time, Willoughby's Land. After many dangers, he anchored in a bay on the northern coast of Lapland, where he resolved to winter. Alas! poor Willoughby! He never left this port again! He and all his men were frozen to death; and, some time afterwards, his ship was discovered, and the account of his voyage, written in his own hand, together with his will, dated in January, 1554, were found also. He must have remained for more than three months in this situation.

We do not know much of Willoughby; but what we do know is favourable; and though his history is melan

choly, it gives me far more pleasure than that of Cortes or Pizarro.

We shall be able to continue our account of Richard Chancelour for a longer time. But this I must leave to my next letter.

Now Adieu!

LETTER XXIX.

MY DEAR JANE,

WHEN Richard Chancelour found himself left with only one ship, in these dangerous northern seas, his spirit a little failed him; but he bore away towards Wardhuys, as Sir Hugh Wil

loughby had desired; and, doubling the North Cape, reached this port in safety. Here he waited for a considerable time; but seeing nothing of the ships, he resolved to pursue his voyage alone. It was a great pleasure to him, to see that all his brave men were desirous to proceed, and perform their duty to him and to their country, rather than return in a cowardly manner. So on they went, cheerfully and patiently; and prosperous winds brought them into the bay of Archangel, before the winter had fairly set in.

Archangel is, as you will see, by look. ing at the map, in Russia or Muscovy; and when Chancelour cast anchor in this bay, the rude natives, who had