“From Jaua Maior we sailed for the cape of Good Hope, which was the first land we fell withall: neither did we touch with it, or any other land, untill we came to Sierra Leona, upon the coast of Guinea: notwithstanding we ranne hard aboord the Cape finding the report of the Portugals to be most false, who affirme, that it is the most dangerous Cape the world, neuer without intolerable stormes and present danger to trauailers, which come neere the same.
This cape is a most stately thing, and the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth, and we passed by it the 18 of June.”
– Attributed to Sir Francis Drake (but possibly written by the ship’s chaplain) upon his circumnavigation of the Cape of Good Hope, 1580
