well in theise matters you purpose to attempt, which may not well be maintained by the woordes of your Instructions.

The chief cawse that moovid me to write you thus muche, is, for that it pleased you yesterdaye, to tell me that you purposed to lande at the Cape, for surprising the Castell of Cape Saker or the Ablye to the eastwards of it, (or both). I heard speaches and debaiting of suche matter intended by you, by divers as they weare standinge in troopes upon the decke, before the steridg of your ship, before you told it me; and I heard the lyke ther amongst them also after you had told it me. I coold not perceive any of them to lyke there should be any landing upon this coast nere those places, neyther for taking the Castell or Ablye, nor yet for freshe water, for that there is no watring place nerer then half a myle from the water syde, which is but a poole, to the which the waye is badd: I doe not finde by your Instructions, any advice to lande, but I remember a special caviat and advice geven you to the contrarye by the Lord High Admirall.

Nowe to land at this place for the attaining of 3 or 4 peces of ordinance that maye be in the castell, & perhaps as manye in the ablye, yf you should atchieve your purpose, as yesterdaye it was reasoned & alledged amongst them, What have you of it? No matter of substance! neither shall any man be bettrid by it, but a satisfying of your mynde that you maye saye, Thus I have don upon the King of Spaine's land.-But Sir, I wolde have you to consider, that though you have a good mynde to attempte the thinge in hope of good successe, yet you maye mysse of your purpose, for (some) of your owne Captaines that shoulde serve for the lande have said, that yf they were in eyther of those 2 places (being suche as they are reported) with one hundredth of good men they woulde not dowbt to keepe you out with all the force you can make.

And shall we thincke that the people of this contrye are so symple that upon suche advertisements of us as they have, & our being continuallye in theire sight thus many daies as we have bin, that they will not seeke to provide for those places, & for the Coast hereabowt as well as they can? Surelye I doe not thinke so of them, & therefore the getting of them maye be dowbtfull, and so maye it be dowbted of your safe landing & safe retorning backe to the ships, without great losse of men, or overthrowe by the power that maye be raised in the lande, which God keepe you from.

Besydes, you knowe what galleis we lefte at Caels, & of 20 more that are come from Gibralter; let us thinke that the gonnors under the King have a care for keeping of his Coasts, and whye maye there not be part, or the most part of those gallies sent to lye upon this coast, to wayet oportunytye to take the advantadge upon us (as this night divers of my company said they sawe 3 betweene us and shore, even at the verye instant as the gale began) you knowe they may be uppon the coast nere at hande, where they maye see us, or have intelligence where we are, and what we doe from tyme to tyme, and yet we not to see them, nor have any knowledg of theire being, so maye they wayet for your landing, & cut you off, and indanger the fleete (yf it be calme and the ships at anker, where they cannot travers to make playe with them)—yea, they may troble us, and doe some mischief to our fleet, being

calme as of late it hath bin, yf we keepe so nere the shore, scaterid, as yesterdaye, & in former tyme we did, albeit we attempt not to lande.

Moreover, to land men, requireth a land wind, or calme wether & smothe water, that the ships may be brought at anker nere the shore; when men are landed, yt is uncertaine when they shall retorne; yf in the meane the winde sholde chop off into the sea uppon the sodden, what then, do you thinke it mete that the ships shold remaine at ancker, & put all in hazard to be lost and cast away?

Consider, I praye you, effectually of theise points, for I hav don so, and thereuppon am resolved in opinion that it is not meete nor convenient that you attempte to lande hereabowt: which I thought good to advertise rather by writing which you may keepe to yourself, or many fest it at your pleasure (for I have done it as I will answere to everye pointe thereof) then to have sayd so muche openlye, or in hearinge of some, which happellye might have bin to your dislikinge. I praye you to take this in goode parte as I meane it; for I protest before God, I doe it to none other ende, but in dischardg of my duety towardes Her Majestie and the service, and of good will and well meaninge towardes you.

Aboorde the Lyon in sight of Cape St. Vincent this Sondaye morne the 30th of Aprill: 1587.

To the Right Worshipfull

Sir ffrauncis Drake, Knyght,

Yours at commaunde,
(Signed)

W: B:

In this, as in many similar instances where an inferior officer is discontented with his commander, the individual's own statement of his case is in itself sufficient to disprove his charge. When we consider Drake's established reputation, it seems astonishing that any man could have been so far wanting in judgment as to have addressed such a letter to him; and there is also in parts of it a tone of timidity, and a wish to keep as much out of danger as possible, which are as unusual as they are unbecoming in a British sailor.

Whether Drake gave any written reply to this letter does not appear; but that he took proper notice of it, and that Burroughs perceived the necessity of submission, is evident from a second letter which he addressed to the Admiral :—

SIR,

2d Maye, 1587.

I AM Sorye that you make suche construction of my lettre. I protest I did it only in dischardge of my duetye, and for the better performance of Her Majestie's service; yf you shall willinglye accept it soe, yt

is that wherof I shall be very glad, and you shall finde as muche good will and forwardnes in me, for the execution of Her Majestie's service in this accion, as shall become that place and credit that Her Majesty, and her Highnes' counsell, have thought me woorthye of, and myself as readye to followe your directions, as at any tyme I have don, or any man shall doe. And for furder satisfying of you I will doe such furder matter, as theise gentlemen shall relate unto you.*

A.boord the Lyon, this Tewsdaye the 2d of Maye, 1587.

* "That was to burne, or deliver hym the coppye of my lettre."

These two letters are copied from the Burghley Papers, forming part of the Lansdowne MSS. in the British Museum: among the Cottonian MSS., also in the British Museum, is a part of a letter on this subject addressed by Drake to Lord Burleigh. It is as follows:

with the other w

I thank God

complayne, especiallye by

My good Lord, I am very unw writtying; Borrowghes hath not carried hymself (in this) accyon so well as I wyshe he had don (for) his owne sak, and in his persistynge hath commetted a dubbell offence (not) only agaynst me, but it towcheth further; I dysmest hym of his place: Captayne Parker yf your honor reqwyre it, will advertise your honor of muche of the matter. I humbly take my leave of your honor. From som what to estwards of Cape Saker (Sagres) this 21 May

1587.

Your Lordship's ever redye
to be commanded,

The Right. Hon.

FRA: DRAKE.*

Lord Burleigh.

It appears that Captain Burroughs, after he was placed under arrest, remained in his own ship, the Golden Lyon, and was carried in her to England when the crew mutinied. What steps Drake took on his return home are nowhere stated; but that he brought the business before the proper authority is evident *This letter was one of the many papers of the Cottonian Collection which were injured by the fire at Ashburnham House in 1731.

from Burroughs' answer to the Admiral's charges which is among the Lansdowne MSS.; but the documents do not show what was the result of the proceedings. Captain Burroughs, however, was employed against the Armada as captain of the galley Bonavolio, 250 men; but he is not mentioned in the account of the destruction of the Spanish fleet; he obtained neither honours nor promotion, and does not appear to have been ever again employed.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE SPANISH ARMADA, CALLED THE INVINCIBLE

1588.

Pretence of treating for peace-Unworthy conduct of Spain-Predictions of triumph-Naval and military forces-Lord High Admiral puts to seaCorrespondence of Lord C. Howard and Sir F. Drake with the Queen, Sir Francis Walsingham, and Lords of the Council.

DRAKE's last expedition, which he facetiously called "singeing the King of Spain's beard," had rendered it impossible for the Spaniards to attempt the invasion of England during that year, as they had fully intended, and for which they had considered themselves prepared, whilst England certainly was not. The number of transport-shipping, and the quantity of stores, provisions, and other equipments, which Drake had destroyed in their ports, was so great that it required a year to replace them. In the meantime, the Prince of Parma in behalf of Philip, and certain commissioners on the part of Elizabeth, were continuing, in the Netherlands, the farce of negociating for a treaty of peace; a mere pretence on both sides, begun, as was said, by the device of the Queen of England, to divert the hostile preparations of Spain, and continued by the Spaniard for the sake of concealment, and in order to take England by surprise; striving, as Camden says, on both sides, "to sew the foxe's skin to the lion's."

But long before the commission was dissolved, all attempt at concealment on the part of Spain had ceased; and it was publicly known that, encouraged by the Pope, Philip had avowed his determination to make the conquest of England, by which the true church of God and the Roman Catholic religion would be restored, and heresy abolished. It was asserted that the cause was just and meritorious, the Queen being already excommuni