themselves close into a roundel, their best and greatest ships without, securing the smaller and those which had suffered most;" so that it was apparent that they meant as much as possible to avoid fighting, and hold on to the place appointed for their junction with the prince of Parma.* July There was no wind stirring on the morrow, and only 24. the four great galleasses were engaged, these having much advantage, by reason of their oars, while the English were becalmed; the English, however, galled the enemy with chain-shot, therewith cutting asunder their tacklings and cordage. But they were now constrained to send ashore for gunpowder, the want of which ministered displeasure, it is said, if not suspicion, to many, that a scarcity should thus be felt on our own coast. Those persons did not reflect how freely it had been expended during the three preceding days. The same day a council of war was held, and it was resolved that the fleet should be divided into four squadrons under the command of the four "most skilful navigators, whereof the lord admiral in the Ark Royal was chief, Drake in the Revenge led the second, Hawkins the third, and Frobisher the fourth. Out of every squadron, also, small vessels were appointed to give the onset and attack the enemy on all sides simultaneously in the dead of the night." This design took no effect for want of wind. The Spaniards, meantime, “ observed very diligent and good order, sailing three and four, and sometimes more, in a rank, and following close up one after another, and the stronger and greater ships protecting July the lesser." The morrow was Santiago's day, and the 25. Spaniards not improbably were animated by the hope that their patron saint might exert himself as visibly that day on their behalf as they had been taught to believe he had so often done against the Moors. The St. Anna not being able to keep up with the rest was set upon by some small ships: three galleasses came to her rescue; against these the lord admiral himself advanced, * Hakluyt, 598. Speed, 860. Camden, 412. THE SPANISH ARMADA. 355 and lord Thomas Howard in the Golden Lion: their ships being towed, because of the calm, they plied their guns with such effect that the galleon was not brought off without much difficulty, and from that time no galleasses would venture to engage. By this time they were off the Isle of Wight; and according to the Spaniards, the English, encouraged as it seems by success in the last encounter, battered the Spanish admiral (then in the rear of his fleet) with their great ordnance, approached closer than they had before done, and shot away his mainmast; but other ships came to his assistance, beat them off, and set upon the English admiral, who escaped only by favour of the wind which sprung up when he most needed it.* The English relate that they shot away the lantern from one of the enemies' ships, and the beak-head from a second, and did much hurt to a third, and that Frobisher extricated himself with great ability from a situation of great danger. The lord admiral knighted the lord Thomas Howard, lord Sheffield, Roger Townsend, Hawkins, and Frobisher, for their behaviour on that day. Both parties appear to have demeaned themselves gallantly, and both, to have been rendered more cautious. The Spaniards say that from that time they gave over what they call the pursuit of their enemy; and they despatched a fresh messenger to the prince of Parma, urging him to effect his junction with them as soon as possible, and withal to send them some great shot, for they had expended theirs with more prodigality than effect. Without knowing of this intention on their part, the English also came to a resolution that they would make no further attack upon the Spaniards till they should arrive in the straits of Calais, where they should be joined by lord Henry Seymour and sir William Winter, with their squadrons. † That same day the lord admiral received welcome assurances from Havre that no attempt in aid of the enemy would be made by the Guises, which there had *Camden, 413. Turner, 670. + Camden, 144. Hakluyt, 599. been reason to apprehend. His own force now was continually increased by ships and men, resorting to him "out of all havens of the realm; for the gentlemen of England hired ships from all parts at their own charge, and with one accord came flocking thither as to a set field, where glory was to be attained and faithful service performed unto their prince and their country." Among the volunteers who thus came out were the earls of Oxford, Northumberland, and Cumberland, with many others, whose names are conspicuous in Elizabeth's famous reign, the most illustrious of them being Walter Raleigh. So with a clear sky and a fair south-west wind the Armada held on its course, closely followed by the July English fleet. On the evening of the 27th the Spaniards 27. came to anchor before Calais just at sunset: their intention had been to hold on for Dunkirk in expectation of being joined there by the prince; but they were told by the pilots that if they proceeded any further they would be in danger of being carried by force of the tide into the northern sea. The English, also, anchored here, and within cannon shot. Seymour and Winter had joined with their squadrons. "And now were there in the English fleet 140 sail, all of them ships fit for fight, good sailors, nimble and tight for tacking about which way they would." Hitherto the whole brunt had been borne by not more than fifteen of them. The conferences at Ostend had continued up to this time; but when the firing was heard at sea "all dissembling was laid aside." The prince of Parma has been accused of more dissimulation than was consistent with his honourable character, for having solemnly assured the English commissioners that the Armada was not intended against England, if the terms for which they were treating should be agreed on. There seems to have been no duplicity in this, because in that case it would immediately have been directed against the United Provinces. Honourable dealing, however, was so little practised, or so little understood, in those times, 66 hat these commissioners thought themselves in danger, because no hostages had been taken for their safety; and when they obtained a passport and a convoy to the frontiers, they gave great thanks to the Spanish commissioners, and much commended the prince's honourable disposition in that he had so justly kept his word with them." That prince, as soon as he was assured that the Armada was on its way, had made over his command in the Netherlands to the old lord of Mansfelt; and in that same spirit of Romish devotion, in which the expedition was set forth, went in pilgrimage to our lady of Halle, the most noted idol in those countries, that he might obtain her patronage and protection in this great attempt at the conquest of England. turning from thence he repaired to Dunkirk, where he was to embark: there he heard the firing on the coast, found that Stanley's regiment of deserters was the only one which had embarked, and that the other troops were as little willing to go on board the ships as the ships themselves were likely to get out of the harbour.† Re It had been concerted with the States, that a squadron of about thirty ships, under Cornelis Lonke van Rosendael, should unite with Seymour's squadron, and take its station between Dover and Calais. It had sailed with this intention, but a storm had compelled it to put back to Zeeland; and some of the English, too prone to put a sinister interpretation upon all the actions of their allies, complained of this, as if there had been an intentional breach of faith. But the squadron performed better service than if the original plan had been carried into effect; for, when the weather allowed of its again coming forth, it joined the admiral of Zeeland, Justinus van Nassau, and the vice-admiral of Holland, Jonker Pieter van der Does, who had with them about five and thirty sail of from 80 to 250 tons: 1200 soldiers were on board, selected from all the regiments in the service of the States, as good soldiers, accustomed to sea service; and with part of * Grimstone, 996. + Ib. 1003. this fleet they watched every creek and haven in Flanders, and with the remainder blockaded Dunkirk.* In vain did the duke of Medina Sidonia despatch messenger after messenger to the prince, urging him to send forty light vessels for the immediate protection of the Armada, cumbered as it was by the unwieldy strength of its own ships, and entreating him to put to sea with his army, that they might proceed together to the Thames. His flat-bottomed boats were leaky; his provisions were not ready; his men were not willing: the sailors had been brought together by compulsion, and were deserting as fast as they could from what they knew to be a desperate service: the galleys which might have cleared the way for him (if it could have been cleared) had been lost on the voyage; and the great general of his age knew that if he attempted to sail from Dunkirk in the face of the Dutch fleet, it would be wilfully exposing himself and his army to imminent and certain destruction.* Yet, unless some effort were made, all these mighty preparations would be frustrated, and Spain would suffer a loss of reputation not to be repaired; and he promised, if wind and tide permitted, to join them within three days.† Fair as the hopes of the English were at this time, and admirable as their conduct had been from the hour that the Armada came in sight, it has been justly observed that the Spanish duke had thus far conducted his great expedition with as little evil and annoyance as could have been reasonably expected. The danger to England was still undiminished. The Armada had arrived unbroken at the point intended for its junction with the force from Flanders: it still appeared invincible to all except the English and the Dutch, and except those also who, in the confidence of its invincibility, had embarked in it. While it lay off Calais, in this anxious interval of expectation, Flemings, Walloons, and French came thick and threefold to behold it, ad *Bor. 321. 323. + Camden, 414. Grimstone, 1003. Turner, 680. + Turner, 679. |