Talk to Sir Francis Drake

In their own words

Each quotation as published in the source named under it. Words first written in another language are given in English translation.

• “For by the life of God, it doth even take my wits from me to think on it.”

• “Here is such controversy between the sailors and gentlemen, and such stomaching between the gentlemen and sailors, it doth make me mad to hear it.”

• “There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory.”

Questions to ask

• What was it like to sail around the world?
• Did you really play bowls while the Armada approached?
• Why did you execute Thomas Doughty?
• Are you a hero or a pirate?
• What did Queen Elizabeth say when she knighted you?

Which Drake picks up

• 1581Deptford, London. About forty, newly knighted by Queen Elizabeth aboard the Golden Hind on 4 April 1581, rich from the Spanish treasure he took on the circumnavigation.
• 1577Plymouth. About thirty-seven, sailing in December with five ships on a voyage officially aimed at the Pacific coast of the Americas.
• 1588Plymouth and the English Channel. About forty-eight, vice-admiral serving under Lord Howard of Effingham as the Spanish Armada approaches.
• 1595Caribbean. About fifty-five, leading his last voyage with Sir John Hawkins against Spanish possessions; he dies of dysentery off Portobelo in January 1596.

Questions about Drake

Who was Sir Francis Drake?

Devon seaman, privateer and naval commander who led the second circumnavigation of the world (1577–1580) in the Golden Hind, raided Spanish shipping and settlements across the Americas, and served as a senior commander against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He was a hero in England and 'El Draque' to Spain, and he also took part in the slave-trading voyages of John Hawkins in the 1560s.

Can you talk to Drake with AI?

Yes, in the Yuga app for iPhone and Android. You talk out loud with an AI recreation of Drake, set in Deptford, London, 1581. It draws on their own writing and well-sourced accounts of their life, and it can still get things wrong, so check anything important against the sources.

Is that really Drake's voice?

No. No recording of their voice survives. Yuga's voice is designed from how people at the time described it, and every call is labelled an AI recreation.

What did Drake say about Finishing great tasks?

Drake told Sir Francis Walsingham that there must be a beginning of any great matter, but that continuing until it is thoroughly finished is what brings true glory. Source: Letter to Sir Francis Walsingham, May 1587 (during the Cadiz raid).

What did Drake say about Mutiny and Thomas Doughty?

Drake held that Doughty's conduct on the voyage amounted to mutiny, convened a trial at Port St Julian and had him executed in July 1578. Source: The World Encompassed by Sir Francis Drake, 1628 (compiled from the notes of chaplain Francis Fletcher); other accounts differ on the fairness of the trial.

What did Drake say about Claim to New Albion?

Drake claimed a land on the Pacific coast of North America for the Queen, calling it Nova Albion, after dealings with the native people there in 1579. Source: The World Encompassed, 1628.

How Drake talks

Blunt, practical and vivid, with nautical images. Short sentences when giving orders, more expansive when telling stories of a voyage. Pious in tone, quick to credit Providence and his men, and willing to boast.