AP Euro Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen

Mr. Spielberger Period 8

The Diary of Sir Francis Drake, June 26, 1581,

Following Her Majesty’s gracious bestowment of knighthood upon myself not

two months prior to this day, I have been requested by our glorious Queen Elizabeth to

relate an account of the fantastic and spectacular journey to which I dedicated four years

of my own life, and to which many other men paid a much dearer cost. It is the tale of my

own expedition to travel the entire breadth of God’s green Earth, to garner prestige for

England and the Crown, and to cement our great empire’s destined position at the

forefront of worldly exploration.

We set out in the year of 1577. An ill omen seemed to hang over us from the very

start of our journey. While it was our intention to begin our journey on the 15th of

November, a terrible storm rendered our journey impossible. We finally set sail in earnet

on December 13th, with six ships in tow, among them what was previously the Santa

Maria of ragamuffin “explorer” extraordinaire, Christopher Columbus. I commanded

from my place on the Pelican. However, we soon found our fleet notable reduced. I was

forced to scuttle both the Christopher and the Swan during our crossing of the Atlantic, as

we simply lacked the strength of men to crew the fleet effectively. When we arrived in

Argentina, we further discovered that the Mary (the former Santa Maria) had been rotted

away from within, and was abandoned as a total loss. No doubt the fine ship suffered

from the blight of a Spanish captain tainting her fair hull.

It seems that torment and vexation was to hang over me for the entirety of this

voyage, but I would not shrink in the completion of my duty to God and the Queen.
Thomas Doughty, a sniveling, panty-waisted aristocratic lapdog, had finally crossed the

line by this point. Seemingly ignorant of the losses we had taken thus far, he shamelessly

spoke ill of our mission and of the Queen, accusing even I, Captain of the undertaking, of

putting exploration in the Crown’s name second to hunting out Spaniard dogs. I was

obviously rankled by such spineless sympathizing. The final straw came when I assumed

control of the entire fleet, as a nobleman such as Doughty was ill-suited for such a

position. Obviously furious with envy, Doughty turned to demonic means with which to

exact his revenge. We were hit by a harrowing squall, during which the Swan was

separated from the rest of the fleet. I could suffer no more. Doughty was tried, speedily

convicted, and executed for treason and witchcraft. While it is disheartening that such

immorality and un-Christian practices may thrive among those in her majesty’s service,

make no mistake that good men such as myself take no quarter in rooting out despicable

practices such as those that Doughty engaged himself in.

Immediately following the traitor’s execution, our fortune seemed to take a turn.

Though we were struck by yet another storm, this one seemed to be sent by God; it led to

my discovery that Tierra Del Fuego, previously assumed to be a part of a continent south

of the Americas, was simply a segment of a South American archipelago. While we later

lost two more ships to weather, or journey up South America’s Western coast saw our

triumph over numerous Spaniard ports. In a wild stroke of luck, we captured a ship

christened the Cacafuego, carrying a windfall of gold and jewels bound for Panama.

On June 17, 1579, we established a colony in a land I christened Nova Albion,

near the Spanish claim of Point Loma. We proceeded northwards towards North

America’s northwest-most corner, in an attempt to locate the Northwest Passage in

England’s name. While here we did not succeed, the venture resulted in accurate

mappings of the surrounding area. We were forced to turn back from the bitter cold, and

proceeded again along North America’s western coast. During this time, the fleet’s

chaplain held Holy Communion, a triumph for God and England in this uncivilized land.

We pushed forwards into the Pacific without undue incident. Though our flagship was

caught on a reef, Our Lord saw fit to put His hand into the matter and saw the ship

miraculously freed in three days’ time. We stopped off numerous times during our

southwards trip along Africa, as the men were eager to have land under their feet and dry

earth to soothe their eyes. We successfully rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and July 22nd

1580 saw our arrival in Sierra Leone. Finally, on September 26th, our triumphant return

was at hand. Queen Elizabeth, in receiving her customary 50% of the journey’s cargo,

gained a greater boon of wealth than the rest of the year’s income combined. The prestige

the crown gained was priceless, as I now had the distinct honor of being the first

Englishman, and second human alive, to circumnavigate the globe entirely by sea.

I close this entry stating that all the above is truthful, containing neither

exaggeration nor prevarication. My final thoughts are those of pride, in that I am able to

serve my country and my God so admirably and adeptly. While my own triumphs are

quite spectacular in nature, it is the glory of England that is the true victor here, as great

men such as myself are only too eager to expand her influence over the world.