2,000 horse were stationed at Tilbury to guard the mouth of the river; while 29,000 men and 10,000 Londoners were stationed nearer to the city to protect the capital, and the person of the Queen. But the chief interest of the struggle is naval, and to that we will now proceed. It is difficult to discover accurately the extent of Philip's preparations: according to a Spanish account which was disseminated in Europe, and which is probably the most trustworthy, the numbers stood thus:-130 ships, of the aggregate burden of 57,868 tons; 19,295 soldiers; 8,450 sailors; 2,088 slaves; 2,630 pieces of ordnance; and immense military and naval stores. Eighty more ships are said afterwards to have joined. Meanwhile the Prince of Parma had 30,000 picked troops ready to embark in Flanders, and great supplies of flat-bottomed boats, and all the munitions of war. Guise, moreover, promised to march 12,000 men into Normandy, to be transported by the Armada to England.

The English force we know accurately. In the Queen's navy there were just thirty-four ships, of the aggregate burden of 12,190 tons, carrying 6,225 men. Two only of these ships reached 1,000 tons. The largest, the Triumph, commanded by Frobisher, was 1,100 tons. The Admiral was in the Ark Royal, of 800 tons; Drake, Vice-Admiral, was in the Revenge, of 500 tons, while the Victory, of 800, carried stout John Hawkins to the fight. One hundred and fifty-seven merchant ships completed the navy. I have gone carefully through the list. Sixteen only of these reached 100 tons - not one reached 200. The men on board the whole fleet numbered 15,772; its tonnage was 31,985 tons. The supreme command was conferred on Lord Charles Howard, a man far more fitted than Drake for the command-in-chief. Camden says of him, "Of whose fortunate conduct the Queen had great persuasion, whom she knew by his moderate and noble carriage to be skilful in sea matters, wary and provident, valiant and courageous, industrious and active, and of great personal authority and esteem among the seamen of the Navy." It is not a little remarkable that he was a Catholic. It was a noble trust which the Queen reposed, and right nobly was it repaid. Burleigh, cautious as he was bound to be, seems to have had his doubts. He seems to have solicited Drake's opinion of the Admiral, of whom in June, 1588, Drake nobly writes thus: "I do assure your good lordship, and protest it before God, that I find my Lord-Admiral so well affected for all honourable service in this action, that it doth assure all his followers of good successes and the hope of victory." The fleet was thus distributed. Lord Henry Seymour was stationed with forty ships to keep the coast of Flanders in strict blockade; while Howard, with Drake as Vice

Admiral, closed the mouth of the English Channel with the I body of the fleet. Amidst the hum of this vast preparation new year's morning dawned. It is said that, a hundred y before, an astronomer of Konigsberg foretold that "15 w be an admirable year, and the climacterical year of the wor This was about right. Of the spirit of the English peop have the most abundant evidence. The Queen, in a letter to i Lords-Lieutenant of Hampshire, puts the simple question :

"Every man's particular state in the highest degree will touched, in respect of country, liberty, wives, children, 1, lives, and (which was especially to be regarded) the prof of the true and sincere religion of Christ." "Wherefore,” a word, O Englishmen, "QUIT YOU LIKE MEN, AND FIGHT.” A:4 nothing loth was England. Hear this testimony from Stow :"It was a pleasant sight to behold the soldiers as they mar ha to Tilburie, their chearful countenances, courageous words gestures, dancing and leaping wherever they came. In the cur their most felicity was in the hope of fighting the enemy, whe ofttimes divers rumours ran of their foe's approach, and that p battle would be given them. Then were they as joyful at si news as if lusty giants were to run a race."

A country like that is impregnable to an invader. Spaticis had to learn it. France may have to learn it yet.

I cannot refuse myself the pleasure of quoting from the form i prayer which was offered up in prospect of this great peril.

"O Lord, give good and prosperous success to all those who fight Thy battle against the enemies of Thy Gospel. Shows token continually for our good, that they who hate us n..voy it and be confounded. And that we, Thy little and de-. flock, may say with good King David, Blessed is the ps whose God is the Lord Jehovah, and blessed is the folk wh hath chosen to be His inheritance.' These and all graces necessa for us, grant, O Heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sak only Mediator and Redeemer."

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1..

The Armada, too, had its Liturgy. The instructions t Duke of Medina Sidonia, who had succeeded Santa Cruz s Admiral, are extant. They are clear and able, but elaborate. One feels that a little good sense and good would be worth them all. The orders against vice and p were strict, and doubtless earnest; and there is this about "The company of every ship every morning, at break of ens day, shall, according to the custom, give the good morro w mainmast, and at night the Are Maria,' and some day Salve Regina,' or at least the Saturdays with a Litany.” ( is not once mentioned. FOR JESUS CHRIST'S SAKE, OUR DY

44

ADVOCATE AND MEDIATOR," Sounds grand and solemn amid these Are Marias and Salve Reginas. And it means much in this strife. It is the honour of the one Mediator between God and man which is at stake in this battle; and England, in the name of her one High Priest before the throne of God did gird herself for this great battle of the Lord.

The Spanish preparations being now complete, the Armada sailed from the Tagus the last week in May. But a fierce storm dispersed it, and drove it back with no little loss into the harbours of the nearest coast. Rumour magnified the disaster; and it was confidently reported in England that the fleet would need a year to refit. Elizabeth, whose besetting sin, let us thank God, was parsimony and not extravagance or profligacy, sent orders to the Admiral to lay up the largest of his ships. Howard, wise and provident commander, by no means believed the danger over for the year. He wrote nobly to Walsingham, offering to keep the sea at his own expense rather than give up the defence of the coast. Nay, he resolved to sail down Spain-wards, and see if he could not do a little "singeing of the King of Spain" himself; who could tell but that he might find the ships all crippled, burn them in their own harbours, and finish the war at a blow. Running down before a north wind, he approached the coasts of Spain. There the wind shifted to the south. Then his ability as Lord HighAdmiral of England appeared. Drake would certainly have stood on. Nothing on earth would have held him back from another razzia in the Spanish ports. Howard remembered that the defence of England was his charge; he reflected that with the south wind, the Armada might slip by him, and find the coast defenceless; and so at once he stood about and returned. Ignorant of the movements of the Armada, the fleet went into Plymouth; and there, in those early July days, were gathered in that little western town, intensely excited, but finding time hanging heavily on their hands, the first seamen of the world. The Howards, Sheffield, Raleigh, Frobisher, Hawkins, Drake, Townshend, Fenton, and brave John Davis, just back from a harder battle with the Polar ice. In the list of ships the name of John Davis occurs as captain of a little boat of 20 tons-doubtless, the gallant Arctic. mariner turning out in a fishing-boat, to strike a blow for merry England and the Gospel. One would like to be able to look into Plymouth, and to hear them talk in those days. Meanwhile, though they knew it not, the Armada had sailed finally from the Tagus on the 12th July. On the 19th, there was bowling on Plymouth Hoe. The idle but anxious mariners, casting many an eager gaze round the glorious horizon which that spot commands, were solacing themselves, Drake foremost, with a merry game of

VOL. II.

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Admiral, closed the mouth of the English Channel with the main body of the fleet. Amidst the hum of this vast preparation the new year's morning dawned. It is said that, a hundred years before, an astronomer of Konigsberg foretold that "1588 would be an admirable year, and the climacterical year of the world.” This was about right. Of the spirit of the English people we have the most abundant evidence. The Queen, in a letter to the Lords-Lieutenant of Hampshire, puts the simple question :—

Every man's particular state in the highest degree will be touched, in respect of country, liberty, wives, children, lands, lives, and (which was especially to be regarded) the profession of the true and sincere religion of Christ." "Wherefore," in a word, O Englishmen, "QUIT YOU LIKE MEN, AND FIGHT." And nothing loth was England. Hear this testimony from Stow :

"It was a pleasant sight to behold the soldiers as they marched to Tilburie, their chearful countenances, courageous words and gestures, dancing and leaping wherever they came. In the camp their most felicity was in the hope of fighting the enemy, where ofttimes divers rumours ran of their foe's approach, and that present battle would be given them. Then were they as joyful at such news as if lusty giants were to run a race."

A country like that is impregnable to an invader. Spaniards had to learn it. France may have to learn it yet.

I cannot refuse myself the pleasure of quoting from the form of prayer which was offered up in prospect of this great peril :

"O Lord, give good and prosperous success to all those who fight Thy battle against the enemies of Thy Gospel. Show some token continually for our good, that they who hate us may see it and be confounded. And that we, Thy little and despised flock, may say with good King David, Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord Jehovah, and blessed is the folk whom He hath chosen to be His inheritance.' These and all graces necessary for us, grant, O Heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our only Mediator and Redeemer."

The Armada, too, had its Liturgy. The instructions to the Duke of Medina Sidonia, who had succeeded Santa Cruz as Admiral, are extant. They are clear and able, but painfully elaborate. One feels that a little good sense and good seamanship would be worth them all. The orders against vice and profligacy were strict, and doubtless earnest; and there is this about prayer: "The company of every ship every morning, at break of every day, shall, according to the custom, give the good morrow by the mainmast, and at night the 'Are Maria,' and some days the Salve Regina,' or at least the Saturdays with a Litany." Christ is not once mentioned. FOR JESUS CHRIST'S SAKE, OUR ONLY

66

ADVOCATE AND MEDIATOR," sounds grand and solemn amid these Are Marias and Salve Reginas. And it means much in this strife. It is the honour of the one Mediator between God and man which is at stake in this battle; and England, in the name of her one High Priest before the throne of God did gird herself for this great battle of the Lord.

The Spanish preparations being now complete, the Armada sailed from the Tagus the last week in May. But a fierce storm dispersed it, and drove it back with no little loss into the harbours of the nearest coast. Rumour magnified the disaster; and it was confidently reported in England that the fleet would need a year to refit. Elizabeth, whose besetting sin, let us thank God, was parsimony and not extravagance or profligacy, sent orders to the Admiral to lay up the largest of his ships. Howard, wise and provident commander, by no means believed the danger over for the year. He wrote nobly to Walsingham, offering to keep the sea at his own expense rather than give up the defence of the coast. Nay, he resolved to sail down Spain-wards, and see if he could not do a little "singeing of the King of Spain" himself; who could tell but that he might find the ships all crippled, burn them in their own harbours, and finish the war at a blow. Running down before a north wind, he approached the coasts of Spain. There the wind shifted to the south. Then his ability as Lord HighAdmiral of England appeared. Drake would certainly have stood

on.

Nothing on earth would have held him back from another razzia in the Spanish ports. Howard remembered that the defence of England was his charge; he reflected that with the south wind, the Armada might slip by him, and find the coast defenceless; and so at once he stood about and returned. Ignorant of the movements of the Armada, the fleet went into Plymouth; and there, in those early July days, were gathered in that little western town, intensely excited, but finding time hanging heavily on their hands, the first seamen of the world. The Howards, Sheffield, Raleigh, Frobisher, Hawkins, Drake, Townshend, Fenton, and brave John Davis, just back from a harder battle with the Polar ice. In the list of ships the name of John Davis occurs as captain of a little boat of 20 tons-doubtless, the gallant Arctic mariner turning out in a fishing-boat, to strike a blow for merry England and the Gospel. One would like to be able to look into Plymouth, and to hear them talk in those days. Meanwhile, though they knew it not, the Armada had sailed finally from the Tagus on the 12th July. On the 19th, there was bowling on Plymouth Hoe. The idle but anxious mariners, casting many an eager gaze round the glorious horizon which that spot commands, were solacing themselves, Drake foremost, with a merry game of

VOL. III.

BBB