quence of the difference of religion in the two parties; and the Protestants in the Netherlands were feeling the cruelty of Philip II, under whose dominion they had fallen at the abdication of his father, the Emperor Charles V. In this time of trouble, the persecuted protestants looked to the great Queen Elizabeth for protection, and this she was quite ready and willing to bestow. She gave assistance to the reformed party in France; and charitably received the afflicted fugitives from Flanders, offering them a place of refuge on her English shores. An act of kindness is never lost to those who perform it, and so it proved now. Elizabeth, and her country too, gained considerable benefit from this benevolent treatment of the French and Flemish refugees; for they brought with them several arts and manufactures, hitherto imperfectly known in England, and so became the means of effecting great improvements in various branches of trade and

commerce.

Philip II, king of Spain, whom I just now mentioned, had been the husband of Queen Mary, and, like her, he was a most determined Papist. He disliked Elizabeth on many accounts;--he was jealous of her power, and he hated her religion; and he now determined to send a very large naval force to England, with the intention of invading and conquer

ing the country. This great fleet consisted of 130 vessels, many of which were larger than any that had ever before been used in Europe. On board these ships, were 19,295 soldiers, and 8,456 mariners; they were well furnished with arms, and had provisions enough for several months' subsistence. The expedition received the especial blessing of the Pope, at whose suggestion it was in a great measure undertaken, and it sailed from the coast of Spain, with the most confident hope of success, and bearing the title of "The Invincible Armada."

And now, what was queen Elizabeth to do to avoid this threatening danger? She heard of the formidable preparations of the king of Spain without dismay, and then prepared to meet them with great coolness and wisdom. Her naval forces were indeed fewer in number than her enemy's; but she had very brave sailors, and very skilful commanders; so she had not much cause for fear on that account. Her soldiers were more numerous, though they were inferior in point of discipline to those of Spain. However, Elizabeth assembled them, and stationed different bodies of troops around the southern coast, that they might be in readiness to oppose the landing of the Spaniards. The command of the navy was given to Lord Howard of Effingham, and

under him served Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher, all very brave and gallant seamen.

When her forces were assembled, and due preparations had been made for the expected invasion, Elizabeth determined to animate the minds of the soldiers by her own presence and example; so she went to the camp at Tilbury, in Essex, where the main body of the troops where collected together, and then, mounted on horseback, she rode through the lines, speaking so cheerfully to the men that they all felt inspired with courage and ardour at the sight of their brave queen. I am sure you will like to hear part of the speech which she addressed to the soldiers, as they all stood before her on that celebrated occasion.

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My loving people," she began, "we have been persuaded by some that are careful for our safety, to take heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but, I assure you, I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the good will and loyal hearts of my subjects; and I am come among you at this time, resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honour and my blood,

even in the dust. I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart of a king,-and a king of England too; -and think scorn that any prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my realms, to which, rather than any dishonour should grow by me, I myself will take up arms; I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, by your forwardness, that you have deserved rewards and crowns; and assure you, on the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the meantime, my lieutenant-general shall be in my stead; not doubting, by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people."-Can you not imagine what effect such a speech must have had upon the minds of the soldiers, and how ardently they must now have desired to obey the commands, and deserve the praise of their noble queen ?

And now let us travel as far as Spain, and see what is going on there all this time. The preparations were made, and the day fixed for the departure of the fleet, when the admiral to whom the command of the expedition had been entrusted, was taken ill, and died. It was necessary therefore to appoint another to take

his place, and Philip fixed upon the Duke of Medina, who was not, however, equal in skill to the one whom he had just lost. This circumstance occasioned some delay, and it was several days after the time at first fixed, when the ships sailed from Lisbon. Another disaster soon occurred. A heavy storm burst upon them before they had proceeded far; and this injured some of the vessels so much as to occasion another delay, that they might be repaired, and made fit for the voyage. Meantime the English were watching attentively for the first sight of the enemy; and when the Spanish fleet appeared in the Channel, Lord Howard was quite prepared with his plans of attack. Several encounters took place; and as the English sailors were far more skilful on the sea than the Spanish were, they contrived to do much injury to the enemy's vessels, without receiving any themselves. The Armada now moved on nearer to the English coast, and had arrived near Dunkirk, when a sudden calm prevented the ships from proceeding any farther. So the three fleets,-those of the Spanish, the English, and the Dutch, who were united with the English on this occasion, remained quietly, side by side, without attempting to attack one another for a whole day. But when night came, a breeze sprang up, and then Lord Howard determined to try