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n behind him; carried her off twenty miles to her old prison at Stow mill; commanding her aunt to tame down her saucy blood with bread of affliction and water of affliction。 Which commands were willingly enough fulfilled by the old dame; who had always borne a grudge against Rose for being rich while she was poor; and pretty while her daughter was plain; so that between flouts; and sneers; and watchings; and pretty open hints that she was a disgrace to her family; and no better than she should be; the poor innocent child watered her couch with her tears for a fortnight or more; stretching out her hands to the wide Atlantic; and calling wildly to Don Guzman to return and take her where he would; and she would live for him and die for him; and perhaps she did not call in vain。
CHAPTER XIII
HOW THE GOLDEN HIND CAME HOME AGAIN
〃The spirits of your fathers Shall start from every wave; For the deck it was their field of fame; And ocean was their grave。〃
CAMPBELL。
So you see; my dear Mrs。 Hawkins; having the silver; as your own eyes show you; beside the ores of lead; manganese; and copper; and above all this gossan (as the Cornish call it); which I suspect to be not merely the matrix of the ore; but also the very crude form and materia prima of all metalsyou mark me?If my recipes; which I had from Doctor Dee; succeed only half so well as I expect; then I refine out the luna; the silver; lay it by; and transmute the remaining ores into sol; gold。 Whereupon Peru and Mexico become superfluities; and England the mistress of the globe。 Strange; no doubt; distant; no doubt: but possible; my dear madam; possible!〃
〃And what good to you if it be; Mr。 Gilbert? If you could find a philosopher's stone to turn sinners into saints; nowbut naught save God's grace can do that; and that last seems ofttimes over long in coming。〃 And Mrs。 Hawkins sighed。
〃But indeed; my dear madam; conceive now。The Comb Martin mine thus becomes a gold mine; perhaps inexhaustible; yields me wherewithal to carry out my North…West patent; meanwhile my brother Humphrey holds Newfoundland; and builds me fresh ships year by year (for the forests of pine are boundless) for my China voyage。〃
〃Sir Humphrey has better thoughts in his dear heart than gold; Mr。 Adrian; a very close and gracious walker he has been this seven year。 I wish my Captain John were so too。〃
〃And how do you know I have naught better in my mind's eye than gold? Or; indeed; what better could I have? Is not gold the Spaniard's strengththe very mainspring of Antichrist? By gold only; therefore; can we out…wrestle him。 You shake your head; but say; dear madam (for gold England must have); which is better; to make gold bloodlessly at home; or take it bloodily abroad?〃
〃Oh; Mr。 Gilbert; Mr。 Gilbert! is it not written; that those who make haste to be rich; pierce themselves through with many sorrows? Oh; Mr。 Gilbert! God's blessing is not on it all。〃
〃Not on you; madam? Be sure that brave Captain John Hawkins's star told me a different tale; when I cast his nativity for him。Born under stormy planets; truly; but under right royal and fortunate ones。〃
〃Ah; Mr。 Adrian! I am a simple body; and you a great philosopher; but I hold there is no star for the seaman like the Star of Bethlehem; and that goes with 'peace on earth and good will to men;' and not with such arms as that; Mr。 Adrian。 I can't abide to look upon them。〃
And she pointed up to one of the bosses of the ribbed oak…roof; on which was emblazoned the fatal crest which Clarencieux Hervey had granted years before to her husband; the 〃Demi…Moor proper; bound。〃
〃Ah; Mr。 Gilbert! since first he went to Guinea after those poor negroes; little lightness has my heart known; and the very day that that crest was put up in our grand new house; as the parson read the first lesson; there was this text in it; Mr。 Gilbert; 'Woe to him that buildeth his house by iniquity; and his chambers by wrong。 Shalt thou live because thou closest thyself in cedar?' And it went into my ears like fire; Mr。 Gilbert; and into my heart like lead; and when the parson went on; 'Did not thy father eat and drink; and do judgment and justice? Then it was well with him;' I thought of good old Captain Will; andI tell you; Mr。 Gilbert; those negroes are on my soul from morning until night! We are all mighty grand now; and money comes in fast; but the Lord will require the blood of them at our hands yet; He will!〃
〃My dearest madam; who can prosper more than you? If your husband copied the Dons too closely once or twice in the matter of those negroes (which I do not deny;) was he not punished at once when he lost ships; men; all but life; at St。 Juan d'Ulloa?〃
〃Ay; yes;〃 she said; 〃and that did give me a bit of comfort; especially when the queenGod save her tender heart!was so sharp with him for pity of the poor wretches; but it has not mended him。 He is growing fast like the rest now; Mr。 Gilbert; greedy to win; and niggardly to spend (God forgive him!) and always fretting and plotting for some new gain; and envying and grudging at Drake; and all who are deeper in the snare of prosperity than he is。 Gold; gold; nothing but gold in every mouththere it is! Ah! I mind when Plymouth was a quiet little God…fearing place as God could smile upon: but ever since my John; and Sir Francis; and poor Mr。 Oxenham found out the way to the Indies; it's been a sad place。 Not a sailor's wife but is crying 'Give; give;' like the daughters of the horse…leech; and every woman must drive her husband out across seas to bring her home money to squander on hoods and farthingales; and go mincing with outstretched necks and wanton eyes; and they will soon learn to do worse than that; for the sake of gain。 But the Lord's hand will be against their tires and crisping…pins; their mufflers and farthingales; as it was against the Jews of old。 Ah; dear me!〃
The two interlocutors in this dialogue were sitting in a low oak… panelled room in Plymouth town; handsomely enough furnished; adorned with carving and gilding and coats of arms; and noteworthy for many strange knickknacks; Spanish gold and silver vessels on the sideboard; strange birds and skins; and charts and rough drawings of coast which hung about the room; while over the fireplace; above the portrait of old Captain Will Hawkins; pet of Henry the Eighth; hung the Spanish ensign which Captain John had taken in fair fight at Rio de la Hacha fifteen years before; when; with two hundred men; he seized the town in despite of ten hundred Spanish soldiers; and watered his ship triumphantly at the enemy's wells。
The gentleman was a tall fair man; with a broad and lofty forehead; wrinkled with study; and eyes weakened by long poring over the crucible and the furnace。
The lady had once been comely enough; but she was aged and worn; as sailors' wives are apt to be; by many sorrows。 Many a sad day had she had already; for although John Hawkins; port…admiral of Plymouth; and patriarch of British shipbuilders; was a faithful husband enough; and as ready to forgive as he was to quarrel; yet he was obstinate and ruthless; and in spite of his rel