Into this imbroglio sailed the Golden Hind with ballast of silver and cargo of gold.  ‘Is Her Majesty alive and well?’ said Drake to the first sail outside of Plymouth Sound.  ‘Ay, ay, she is, my Master,’ answered the skipper of a fishing smack, ‘but there’s a deal o’ sickness here in Plymouth’; on which Drake, ready for any excuse to stay afloat, came to anchor in the harbor.  His wife, pretty Mary Newman from the banks of Tavy, took boat to see him, as did the Mayor, whose business was to warn him to keep quiet till his course was clear.  So Drake wrote off to the Queen and all the Councillors who were on his side.  The answer from the Councillors was not encouraging; so he warped out quietly and anchored again behind Drake’s Island in the Sound.  But presently the Queen’s own message came, commanding him to an audience at which, she said, she would be pleased to view some of the curiosities he had brought from foreign parts.  Straight on that hint he started up to town with spices, diamonds, pearls, and gold enough to win any woman’s pardon and consent.

The audience lasted six hours.  Meanwhile the Council sat without any of Drake’s supporters and ordered all the treasure to be impounded in the Tower.  But Leicester, Walsingham, and Hatton, all members of Drake’s syndicate, refused to sign; while Elizabeth herself, the managing director, suspended the order till her further pleasure should be known.  The Spanish ambassador ‘did burn with passion against Drake.’  The Council was distractingly divided.  The London merchants trembled for their fleet.  But Elizabeth was determined that the blow to Philip should hurt him as much as it could without producing an immediate war; while down among Drake’s own West-Countrymen ’the case was clear in sea divinitie,’ as similar cases had often been before.  Tremayne, a Devonshire magistrate and friend of the syndicate, could hardly find words to express his contentment with Drake, whom he called ’a man of great government, and that by the rules of God and His Book.’

Elizabeth decided to stand by Drake.  She claimed, what was true, that he had injured no actual place or person of the King of Spain’s, nothing but property afloat, appropriate for reprisals.  All England knew the story of Ulua and approved of reprisals in accordance with the spirit of the age.  And the Queen had a special grievance about Ireland, where the Spaniards were entrenched in Smerwick, thus adding to the confusion of a rebellion that never quite died down at any time.  Philip explained that the Smerwick Spaniards were there as private volunteers.  Elizabeth answered that Drake was just the same.  The English tide, at all events, was turning in his favor.  The indefatigable Stowe, chronicler of London, records that ’the people generally applauded his wonderful long adventures and rich prizes.  His name and fame became admirable in all places, the people swarming daily in the streets to behold him, vowing hatred to all that misliked him.’