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such a crisis; and a rational trust in Providence CHAP. was made the wise foundation of one of our most gallant seamen's courage."

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For three years had the Spanish government been preparing for this ambitious expedition." The ships and their equipments had been made in every part of its king's naval dominions. Portugal, Biscay, Castile, Andalusia, and Guipuscoa; his eastern coast, and Naples, had each furnished their allotted portions." Philip then made a temporary league with the

74I assure your good lordship, and protest it before God, that I find my lord admiral so well affected for all honorable service in this action, that it doth assure all his followers of good success and hope of victory.' Lett. ib. 545. The repetition of this assurance twice in one letter, and the earnestness of the protestation, would imply that the lord treasurer had expressed some uneasiness on this point; a natural anxiety, when so much treason had been spread abroad; and where so much now depended upon the chief commander's fidelity. 75 Sir Francis thus closed his report: I daily pray to God to bless her majesty, and to give us grace to fear Him. So shall we not need to doubt the enemy, altho they be many.' It is dated from Plymouth Sound. 76 Stow, 745.

"Portugal supplied the captain general's galleon of 1000 tons, and 11 others, carrying altogether 350 great guns, 3,330 soldiers, and 1,230 mariners, and comprising 7,737 tons. The other supplies were in the following proportion :

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'The general sum was 130 ships, of 57,868 tons; 19,295 soldiers, and 8,450 marriners, with 2,088 slaves, and 2,630 great pieces of brass cannon of all sorts; also 20 caravals for the service of the others, with 10 salves, of six oars a piece.' This was the enumeration made of them at Lisbon, on 20 May; but towards the end of June, another armament of 80 sail went out of Lisbon to join them. See the detail in Strype, v. 3. pt. 2. p. 535-9. from the Spanish book, which styled the whole at that time, the Felicissime Armada!'

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Ottoman powers, to keep his kingdom from their attack:78 and the whole armament was to have been on the seas, sailing from their appointed rendezvous in the Groyne, near the Bay of Biscay, on to Flanders, at the time that the English fleet had been searching the waves for them, in order to begin their operations in England in the month of June; which the prince of Parma had urged, that they might have the full benefit of the finest portion of the summer. But the suiting winds which were necessary to bring every division from its ports to the common station, did not occur. Adverse currents of the atmosphere, on the contrary, kept them from their early union,' while the prince of Parma was fully prepared to have embarked with them, and was impatiently expecting them. One hundred and twenty-four noblemen and gentlemen of quality joined the army, as enthusiastic volunteers; so and one hundred and eighty priests, friars and jesuits. They were amply provisioned for six months,62 besides more in reserve. Sure of landing, they took with them twelve double cannons of battery, and twenty-one field pieces; great store of superabundant arms; 83 all the

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78 Lee's Report, in Strype, p. 11. The Groyne is, I believe, the present CORUNNA. 79 Stow, p. 745.

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80 These brought with them 456 servants fully armed. Strype, 537. 81 Those mentioned, are, a priest-major with the cannon; 8 friars of St. Francis, from Spain, and 20 from Portugal; 29 Capuchins, from Castile, and 10 Portugese; 23 from both countries, of Augustinians. The rest were Jesuits, Dominicans and Franciscans. Strype, 537, 8. 62 The food was 11,000 quintals of biscuit, 6,500 of bacon, 3,458 of goat's cheese, 8,000 of fish, and 3,000 of rice; 6.320 septiers of beans and white pease; 14,170 pipes of wine; 11,398 pounds of olive oil, and 33,870 measures of vinegar; a great quantity of hogsheads of water, and 8,000 Roman bottles of leather for their wine and water.' Strype, 538.

Besides the weapons which the soldiers have, they carry 7,000 guns with their furniture, 1,000 muskets, 10,000 pikes, 1,000 partisans and halberds, and 6,000 half pikes.' ib. 539.

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implements that could be wanted for encampments, CHAP. trenches, beleaguering lines and fortifications. Banners, with a strange medley of sacred and human things; litanies to all their saints, and prayers for the demolition of the heretics, whom they had made this superb amassment of earthly power to overwhelm, completed its equipment.

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They assembled at length in such sufficient number at Lisbon, by 25th May, as to leave the Tagus on that day, and to proceed from thence to their appointed station at the Groyne, preparatory to their outward voyage. 86 They were anchored there in three several roads, each division three leagues from the other. But sickness came, with its deranging visitations. The vice-admiral of the whole fleet sank under it; and the malady so spread its ravages, that the duke of Medina Sidonia, the captain-general of the armada, solicited his sovereign's direction, whether the expedition was to proceed. If the

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84 There be also standards, antients and banners, where the figure of Jesus Christ and our Lady, and of his majesty, are painted.' 539. A truly Spanish association; like the Pagan deities and Christian objects of worship in the Lusiad of Camoens.

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85 These Litaniæ et preces were printed from the mandate of the cardinal prince, to depress the feritate hæreticorum; elide superbiam, et eorum contumaciam prosterne. Propugnatores tuos a paganorum et hæreticorum defende periculis.' Strype, 539-41.

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Captain Lee's MS. reported account, printed in Strype, v. 3. pt. 2. p. 10. which was some days later than the Spanish enumeration, quoted in note 77, stated, that On 25 May there departed out of Lisbon 160 great and small ships; viz. 8 galleys and galleons, 30 hulks, 30 small ships, the rest armadoes and galleons. In the same fleet there are 30,000 footmen, besides mariners. All have arrived in the Groyne, saving the 30 hulks.' ib. There is a preparing for a second fleet in Lisbon.' ib. 11.

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67 Such was Lee's information; by reason of the sickness.' ib. 11. The 30 hulks, which had not arrived, contained all the horses. ib. Both the duke of Paliano and the marquis de Santa Croce, to whom the command had been appointed, died. Camd. 365.

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BOOK English admirals had correctly known their position and state, or if the westerly change of wind had not forced them back to Plymouth, a bold attack with fire-ships at that juncture might have consumed the proud armament in a sudden conflagration. But the aërial element counteracted the wishes of both the warlike navies, and governed them as it pleased. While it confined the English seamen to their coasts, it imprisoned their opponents in the Gallician bays. The king commanded them to advance towards the island, which, in his imagination, he had already captured; but, from the want of southerly breezes, they could not obey his mandate.88

The Spanish counsellors had decided, that it was easier to conquer England than Holland;-that England was declining; was weak, in comparison of Spain; was deficient in ships and forts; in horses, and all warlike preparations; and was quite destitute of captains for war, and was needy of money: --that the English were fond of novelty; hated their queen; were desirous to rebel; were inclinable to the Catholic religion; and that many who were Catholics, favored the king who bore that titulary appellation. These were the dreams of foreigners, ignorant of the country they were going to assail, excepting as to the last suggestion. They best knew what traitorous partisans their disguised agents had secured. It is clear that they had made large calculations, as well as strenuous efforts, on this

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8 Lee's report, Strype, ib. 11. John Martinez de Ricalde, a most skilful seaman,' was made commander, under Medina Sidonia. Camd. 365.

Sce the Politicorum Dissertationum, cited by Strype, p. 7.

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perilous point; and on this subject Sixtus V. had CHAP. endeavored zealously to assist them.

When Dr. Allen went to Rome to solicit this pontiff to re-establish the dispersing seminary at Rheims," he so effectually ingratiated himself at the Vatican, that he was used at once for a higher destination, more congruous with the papal energies; was created cardinal of England, and was intrusted, like his treasonable predecessor, cardinal Pole, to be the instigator of the Catholic mind of the British kingdom, to a general revolt against their forbearing queen, as the armada was advancing to profit by their disaffection. His mind, which had displayed its subtlety by denying its traitorous designs," while he was pursuing them by his trained scholars in the darkness and cloak of conspiracy, now confident of his approaching triumph, published his inciting Admonition,' which, for the audacity of its unhesitating falsehoods, vituperation, treason, and criminality, may vie with the boldest production of evil, that the admirable and yet pervertible press has ever produced.92 The pope prepared its foundation by renewing the excommunication against Elizabeth, in a form, which is declared to have been more aggravated than that of the sufficiently

90 See before, p. 481.

91 This he does with smooth language and intrepid assertion, in his apology for his seminaries, in 1581. See before, p. 480, 4, notes 23 and 35.

92 We have mentioned and cited this book in our preceding page 485, notes 37-40. Meteren has inserted one of Allen's pamphlets of this kind, word for word, in his Belg. Hist. 1. 15. Strype, 77. I believe it is the Admonition,' but I have not had an opportunity of comparing his work with my copy of Allen's. Dr. Geo. Abbot, in his book against Dr. Hill, has truly given a brief outline of its contents, as Strype has quoted it. p. 77.

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