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At Gravelines many thousand casks were got together, with cordage or chain-work to connect them, for forming bridges or blocking havens. Stakes for palisades also were provided, horse furniture of every kind, and horses for draught" with ordinance and all other necessary provision for the war." With such neighbours as the Zeelanders and the English at Flushing, even Antwerp did not give him the command of the Scheldt; and he was fain, therefore, to deepen and widen some of those channels by which Flanders is intersected, that ships might be brought from Antwerp by way of Ghent to Bruges, and so to Sluys; or by the Yperlee, which had also been deepened, to the other Flemish ports. At Nieuport he had thirty companies of Italian troops, two of Walloon, and eight of Burgundian. At Dixmude, eighty of Netherlanders, sixty Spanish, sixty German, and seven of English deserters, under sir William Stanley the traitor: each company consisted of 100 men, and better troops were never brought into the field than those who served under the prince of Parma: 4000 horse were quartered at Courtray, 900 at Watene. "To this great enterprise and imaginary conquest divers princes and noblemen came from divers countries; out of Spain came the duke of Pestraña, who was said to be the son of Ruy Gomez de Silva, but was held to be the king's bastard; the marquis of Bourgou, one of the archduke Ferdinand's sons by Philippina Welserine; don Vespasian Gonzagua, of the house of Mantua, a great soldier, who had been viceroy in Spain; Giovanni de Medici, bastard of Florence; Amedeo, bastard of Savoy, with many such like, besides others of meaner quality." "'*

These preparations held the States in alarm, the more so because the prince endeavoured to make them apprehend that his intention was to attack Goes, or Walcheren, or Tholen; on all these points they prepared for defence, and some were for cutting dykes, and drowning one part of the country for the sake of preserving

* Grimestone, 999, 1000. Bor, 317.

the other. But the wiser opinion prevailed, not to incur this certain evil till its necessity became evident; and the Dutch statesmen inferred that no movement would be made here till the great Spanish Armada, news of which was now bruited abroad, should arrive in the narrow seas; then they judged it would be joined by the prince of Parma's forces, whether the expedition was intended against them, or against England first; whichever were attacked, they knew that the subjugation of both was in view. For themselves, they stood in little fear of the Spanish fleet, from which the nature of their coast, in great measure, would protect them; but they were in much greater danger from the prince's flotilla, against which their shoals and difficult harbours could afford them no security. Straitened as they were for means, and with the disadvantage of an unsettled government, they exerted themselves manfully and wisely. All the vessels that they could muster were equipped; and after due consultation it was resolved that the larger vessels should be stationed between England and the coast of Flanders, outside the shoals, the smaller within the shoals, and the flotilla of smacks off Kleeyenburg, or between Rammekens and Flushing, according to circumstances. Their feelings toward England, notwithstanding the ill blood that had been stirred during Leicester's administration, was shown by a medal which they struck at this time. On the one side were the arms of England and of the United States, and two oxen ploughing; the motto Trahite æquo jugo-draw evenly; on the reverse two earthen pots floating upon the waves, the motto Frangimur si collidimur if we strike we break.* Meantime, though the negotiations at Ostend were still carried on in policy by the Spanish commissioners, there was on the part of the Spanish government a disdainful disregard of secresy as to its intentions, or rather a proud manifestation of them, which, if they had been successful, might have been called magnanimous. The great king had determined upon putting forth his strength, and

* Grimestone, 994. Bor, 318.

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so confident were his subjects of success, that in the accounts which were ostentatiously published of its force, they termed it "The most fortunate and invincible Armada." The fleet, according to the official statement, consisted of 130 ships, having on board 19,295 soldiers, 8450 mariners, 2088 galley-slaves, and 2630 great pieces of brass; there were, moreover, twenty caravels for the service of the fleet, and ten six-oared faluas. The names of the most popular Romish saints and invocations appeared in the nomenclature of the ships; and holier appellations, which ought never to be thus applied, were strangely associated with the Great Griffin and the Sea Dog, the Cat and the White Falcon. There were in the fleet 124 volunteers of noble family, having among them 456 armed servants. There was no noble house in Spain but had a son, a brother, or a nephew in the voyage, embarked either at their own cost, or in the king's pay. The religioners who embarked for the service of the fleet, and for after operations, were 180, consisting of Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans, and Jesuits. Don Martin Alarcon embarked, for the good of the hereties, as vicargeneral of the holy inquisition; and implements of conversion of a more cogent kind than argument or persuasion are said to have been embarked in sufficient quantity. The business of reconciling England to the Romish see was committed to cardinal Allen, as it had formerly been to cardinal Pole, and an English translation of the pope's bull was ready for circulation as soon as a landing should be effected. The galleons being above sixty in number, were "exceeding great, fair, and strong, and built high above the water, like castles, easy, says a contemporary writer, to be fought withal, but not so easy to board as the English and the Netherland ships; their upper decks were musket proof, and beneath they were four or five feet thick, so as no bullet could pass them. Their masts were bound about with oakum, or pieces of fazeled ropes, and armed against all shot. The galleasses were goodly great vessels, furnished with chambers, chapels, towers, pulpits, and such like they

rowed like galleys, with exceeding great oars, each having 300 slaves, and were able to do much harm with their great ordnance." In place of the marquez de Santa Cruz, who was dead, the duque del Medina Sidonia was general of this great armament; Don Juan Martinez de Ricalde, admiral.*

In whatever spirit of vengeance this expedition was undertaken, and with whatever ambitious views on the part of Philip, it cannot be doubted but that he believed himself to be engaged in a religious war, and thạt a great proportion of the army embarked with as full a persuasion that they were engaging in God's service, as the first crusaders felt when they set forth for the Holy Land. The duque of Medina Sidonia, in the general orders issued before his embarkation, said, "First, and before all things, it is to be understood by all in this army, from the highest to the lowest, that the principal cause which hath moved the king his majesty to undertake this voyage, hath been and is to serve God, and to bring back unto his church a great many contrite souls, now oppressed by the heretics, enemies to our holy catholic faith. And for that every one may fix his eyes upon this mark, as we are bound, I do command, and much desire every one to enjoin those who are under his charge, that before they embark, they be shriven and receive the sacrament, with due contrition for their sins; which if it be done, and we are zealous to do unto him such great service, God will be with us, and conduct us to his great glory, which is what particularly and principally is intended." Strict command was given that no one should blaspheme or rage against God, or Our Lady, or any of the saints, on pain of condign punishment ; "oaths of less quality," were to be punished by deprivation of wine, or otherwise, as might seem fitting. Gaming was forbidden, as a provocation to this and other sins; and all quarrels between any persons of what quality soever, were to be suppressed and suspended, as well by sea as by land, even though they * Grimestone, 998.

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were old quarrels, so long as the expedition lasted. Any breach of this truce and forbearance of arms was to be accounted as high treason, and punished with death. For further security, it was declared that on board the ships nothing should be offered to the disgrace of any man, and that whatever happened on board, no disgrace nor reproach should be imputed to any one on that account; moreover, no one might wear a dagger, or thwart any one, or give any provocation. "And for that it was known that great inconvenience and offence unto God arose from consenting that common women, and such like, went in such armies,” none were to be embarked if any person sought to carry them, the captains and masters of the ships were ordered not to consent thereto: whosoever did thus, or dissembled therewith, was to be grievously punished. Every ship's company was to give the good-morrow at day-break, by the main-mast, according to custom; and, at evening, the Ave Maria, and some days the Salve Regina, or at least on Saturdays, with a litany. A litany had been composed for the occasion, in which all archangels, angels, and saints were invoked to assist with their prayers against the English heretics and enemies of the faith. Should it happen because of the wind, that the word could not be given by the admiral, in such case the following words were appointed for the days of the week in order,-Jesus, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Trinity, Santiago, the Angels, All Saints, Our Lady. No men ever set forth upon a bad cause with better will, nor under a stronger delusion of perverted faith.

*

As needful preparations for action, the gunners were instructed to have half-butts, filled with water and vinegar as usual, "with bonnets, old sails, and wet mantles, to defend fire;" and to have shot made in good quantity, and powder and match " "ready, by weight, measure, and length;" and all soldiers to have 'their room clean and unpestered of chests;" "and for

Had then the wildfire, which was still in use, been derived from that of the Greeks, that vinegar was thought necessary for quenching it?,