306 A Devil and No Man

John Dee's 'General and Rare Memorials Portraying the Perfect Art of Navigation' (1577) advocates for England to develop navigation skills and a fleet to compete with Iberian maritime powers. Dee combines technical guidance on navigation with political arguments that England had a rightful claim to territories in the New World. He urged the crown to support exploration, enhance mariners' training, and challenge Spanish and Portuguese monopolies. The work helped shape Elizabethan policy and provided intellectual justification for privateering and colonization. Dee's blend of scholarship, mythic history, and practical proposals made the pamphlet influential among Elizabethan courtiers and explorers.

Richard Hakluyt's 'The Discourse of Western Planting' set out practical and moral arguments for English colonization of North America, emphasizing its fertile lands and strategic value. Addressed to Elizabeth I and her council, it argued settlement would bring economic resources, religious freedom for Protestants, and opportunities to counter Spanish power. Hakluyt blended commercial, religious, and geopolitical motives to persuade patrons and investors to support voyages and plantations. The work influenced Elizabethan policy and inspired later ventures by figures like Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake. It became a foundational text in the promotion of English overseas expansion.

Richard Hakluyt's 'Principal Navigations' (first major edition 1589, expanded 1598) compiles narratives of English voyages, discoveries, and maritime exploits to celebrate and promote English seafaring. The work provided readers and potential investors with detailed reports of expeditions, fostering enthusiasm for exploration and colonial ventures. Hakluyt's editorial framing emphasized Protestant virtue, commercial opportunity, and national prestige, helping to build support for overseas expansion. The book was widely read and influential at court and among merchants, shaping Elizabethan attitudes toward empire and navigation. Its extensive collections remain a key primary source for historians of early modern exploration.

This book, originally titled 'Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church', is a comprehensive work of Protestant history and martyrology. It details the persecutions and sufferings of Protestants under the Catholic Church, particularly in England and Scotland. The book includes accounts of various Christian martyrs, from the first-century stoning of Stephen to those who suffered during the reign of Queen Mary I. It has been highly influential in shaping popular notions of Catholicism in England and Scotland and has undergone several editions and abridgments since its initial publication in 1563.