In 1594 Sir Walter Raleigh was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I to explore lands in the New World that had not yet fallen to "any Christian prince." In practical terms, this meant finding some way to compete with Spain for the seemingly limitless gold and silver of the Americas. In impractical terms, it meant looking for a mythic golden city, El Dorado.

Raleigh explored the northeastern coast of South America, particularly the area around the mouth of the Orinoco River. In 1595 he returned home, and immediately wrote a pamphlet (from which the following excerpt is taken), proposing a new expedition. In his pamphlet, he was anxious to persuade the queen of two "facts." The first was that a great "imperial city" surely existed in the area he called "Guiana." The second was that if they treated the native peoples "gently" (and especially if they left their women alone) the English could easily win native loyalty from the "tyranny" of the Spanish.

The empire of Guiana is directly east from Peru towards the sea, and lies under the equinoctial line, and it has more abundance of gold than any part of Peru, and as many or more great cities than ever Peru had when it flourished most. I have been assured by such of the Spaniards as have seen Manoa, the imperial city of Guiana, which the Spaniards call El Dorado, that for the greatness, for the riches, and for the excellent seat, it far exceeds any of the world.

Although these reports may seem strange, yet if we consider the many millions which are daily brought out of Peru into Spain, we may easily believe the same: for we find by the abundant treasure of that country the Spanish King vexes all princes of Europe, and is become, in a few years, from a poor King of Castile, the greatest monarch of this part of the world...

The Arawak pilot, with the rest, feared that we would have eaten them, or otherwise have put them to some cruel death (for the Spaniards, to the end that none of the people in the passage towards Guiana or in Guiana itself might come to talk with us, persuaded all the nations, that we were cannibals) but when the poor men and women had seen us, and that we gave them food, and to every one something or other, which was rare and strange to them, they began to conceive the deceit and purpose of the Spaniards, who indeed (as they confessed) took from them both their wives and daughters daily, and used them for the satisfying of their own lusts, especially such as they took in this manner by strength. But I protest before the Majesty of the living God, that I neither know nor believe, that any of our company one or other, by violence or otherwise, ever knew any of their women, and yet we saw many hundreds, and had many in our power, and of those very young, and excellently favored, which came among us without deceit, stark naked.

Nothing got us more love among them than this usage: for I suffered not any man to take from any of the nations so much as a pineapple, or a potato root, without giving them payment, nor any man so much as to offer to touch any of their wives or daughters, which course so contrary to the Spaniards (who tyrannize over them in all things) drew them to admire her majesty whose commandment I told them it was, and also wonderfully to honor our nation.

But I confess it was a very impatient work to keep the baser sort from despoiling and stealing.