A treatise of all sea voyages in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth with the names of the Queens' ships and the Commanders; their designs, escapes and errors being a warning to future ages to avoids the like mischief collected and written by Sir William Monson. Including the beginning with a note from the author to his sons; A voyage of Sir Francis Drake to the West Indies 1585; First action by the Spaniards 1588 wherein the Duke of Medina was General; the action of Portugal 1589; A voyage undertaken by the Earl of Cumberland with one of her majesties ships and six of his own; Sir John Hawkins and Sir Martin Frobisher voyages 1590; Lord Thomas Howard 1591, was sent with a squadron to the Azores which was to waylay the Spanish treasure fleets from America; Earl of Essex and the Capture of Cádiz in 1596; Sir Richard Lawson and Sir William Monson into Narrow Sea to keep a continue force upon the Spanish Coast 1603.

Administrative / biographical background
Monson was the third son of Sir John Monson of South Carlton, Lincolnshire. He matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford, on 2 May 1581 at the age of 14. Monson ran away to sea in 1585, being then according to his own account sixteen. His first services were in a privateer in an action with a Spanish ship in the Bay of Biscay, of which he gives an account in his Naval Tracts. In the Armada year he served as Lieutenant of the "Charles," a small ship of the Queen's. There being at that time no regular naval service, Monson is next found serving with the adventurous Earl of Cumberland (1558–1605), whom he followed as a young twenty old as second in command of the Azores Voyage of 1589. His success there led him to join Cumberland's other ventures in 1591 and 1593. The voyage in 1592 however was the most spectacular and led to the capture of the rich carrack Madre de Deus. After this, in another venture Monson was taken prisoner by the Spaniards in a recaptured prize after an engagement off Berlengas Islands, and was for a time detained at Lisbon in captivity. He was awarded MA at Oxford on 9 July 1594 and was also a student of Gray's Inn in 1594. His cruises must have brought him some profit, for in 1595 he was able to marry. The Earl offended him by showing favour to another follower, and Monson turned elsewhere. In the expedition to Cádiz in 1596, he commanded the Due Repulse and was also knighted there. From this time until the conclusion of the war with Spain he was in constant employment. In 1602 he commanded the last squadron fitted out in the reign of Queen Elizabeth by defeating a Spanish and Portuguese fleet at Sesimbra Bay near Lisbon capturing a rich large carrack. He also took prisoner the same man who captured Monson at Berlengas nearly ten years earlier. Monson was elected Member of Parliament for Malmesbury in 1601. In 1604 he was appointed Admiral of the Narrow Seas, the equivalent of the Channel Fleet of modern times. In 1614 he was sent to the coasts of Scotland and Ireland to repress the pirates who then swarmed on the coast. Monson claimed to have extirpated these pests, but it is certain that they were numerous a generation later. After 1614 he saw no further active service till 1635. He was elected MP for Reigate in 1626. In 1635 he went to sea as vice-admiral of the fleet fitted out by King Charles I with the first ship money. He spent the last years of his life in writing his Tracts. Monson died in February 1643 and was buried at St Martin in the Fields.