plainly and confessedly impossible. They resolved, therefore, upon returning to Spain by a northern course; and in that determination, "having gotten more sea room for their huge-bodied bulks, spread their mainsails, and made away as fast as wind and water would give them leave. But surely," says Speed, "if they had known the want of powder that our fleet sustained (a fault inexcusable upon our own coasts), they no doubt would have stood longer to their tacklings. But God, in this, as in the rest, would have us to acknowledge, that we were only delivered by his own gracious providence and arm, and not by any policy or power of our own." The lord admiral left Seymour to blockade the prince of Parma's force, and followed what our chroniclers now call the Vincible Armada, not without some apprehension that they might put into Scotland; but leaving Scotland on the west, they bent towards Norway," ill-advised, but that necessity urged, and God had infatuated their councils, to put their shaken and battered bottoms into those black and dangerous seas." And the English having, in Drake's words, "cast them so far to the northward, that they could neither recover England nor Scotland, thought it best to leave them to those boisterous and uncouth northern seas.' "'*

But while the loss which they had hitherto sustained was as yet uncertain, and the opinion on shore was that they would return to the straits, it was still thought probable that the prince of Parma might effect a landing. Elizabeth, who had not easily been dissuaded from her intention of being present in the battle whereever it should be fought, went to the camp at Tilbury. From the time that camp was formed, a true English spirit had been shown there. "It was a pleasant sight," says the good London chroniclert, who himself had seen it, to behold the soldiers as they marched towards Tilbury, their cheerful countenances, couragous words and gestures, dancing and leaping wheresoever they came. In the camp their most felicity was the hope of fighting * Hakluyt, 603. Speed, 862. Turner, 681.. + Stowe, 744.

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ELIZABETH IN THE CAMP.

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with the enemy, where, oft-times, divers rumours ran of their foes' 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.' When the queen came among them, "full of princely resolution, and more than feminine courage," she rode through the ranks with a general's truncheon in her hand, sometimes with a martial pace, another while gently, like a woman: “incredible it is," says Camden," how much she encouraged the hearts of her captains and soldiers by her presence and her words."—" I think," says Leicester, "the weakest person among them is able to match the proudest Spaniard that dare land in England!" Her speech at this memorable time has been preserved*, and well might it animate them. My loving people," she said, we have been persuaded by some that are careful of 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. Let tyrants fear! I have always so behaved myself, that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good will of my subjects; and, therefore, I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all, to lay down for my God, for my kingdom, and for my people, my honour and my blood even in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too; and think it foul scorn that Parma, or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall 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 for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and we do assure you, on the * Somers Tracts (Scott's edition), i. 429,

word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time my lieutenant-general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject, not doubting but 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."

While she was at dinner that day in the general's tent, there came a post with tidings that the prince of Parma and all his forces had embarked for England, and that his arrival with all possible speed was to be looked for. The news was immediately published through the camp*; and assuredly, if the enemy had set foot upon our shores, they would have sped no better than they had done at sea, such was the spirit of the nation. This intelligence was soon disproved; but after it was certain that by God's mercy the danger had been averted, some time elapsed pefore the fate of the Armada was ascertained. Statements of its success were confidently circulated upon the Continent, and credited according to the wishes of the hearer. It was affirmed that great part of the English fleet had been taken, great part sunk, and the poor remainder driven into the Thames "all rent and torn ;" that they were utterly discomfited, and that Drake was made prisoner.† Poems were composed in honour of the victory, as poems had been composed to predict it. It was believed at Rome that Elizabeth was taken, and England conquered; and cardinal Allen is said to have made a feast in honour of the event, and invited to it the Scotch, Irish, and English who were in that city! But in vain, meantime, was the ship looked for in the Spanish ports that should bring good tidings home! The unhappy fleet, after the English had given over the pursuit, threw their

* Turner, 682. note.

+"And that there was found in his ship a piece of twenty-five spans, of one quintal of munition, made on purpose, of one only shot, to sink the admiral of Spain; but it pleased God, though she was hurt therewith, yet she was repaired again, and overcame the English fleet."-Strype's App. b. ii. no. 55.

FATE OF THE ARMADA.

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mules and horses overboard lest their water should fail. They knew that they had no relief to expect in Scotland, and that Norway could not supply their wants; so taking some captured fishermen for pilots, they sailed between the Orkney and the Feroe islands; and when they had reached the latitude of sixty-two, and were some 200 miles from any land, the duke ordered them each to take the best course they could for Spain. He, himself, with some five and twenty of the ships that were best provided, steered a straight course, and arrived in safety. The others, about forty in number, made for Cape Clear, hoping to water there ; but a storm from the south-west overtook and wrecked many of them upon the Irish coast. Their treatment there is the only circumstance in the whole history of this enterprise, which is disgraceful to an English name. For the lord deputy, sir William Fitzwilliam, fearing they should join the rebels, and seeing that Bingham, the governor of Connaught, refused to obey his merciless orders concerning them, sent his deputy marshal, "who drove them out of their hiding places, and beheaded about 200 of them." The queen condemned this cruelty from her heart, though no such punishment as he deserved was inflicted upon Fitzwilliam. Terrified at this, the other Spaniards, “sick and starved as they were, committed themselves to the sea in their shattered vessels, and very many of them were swallowed up by the waves.' But with some of the officers who escaped this butchery, Tyrone concerted his rebellion.† It is supposed that more than thirty of their ships perished off the coast of Ireland, with the greater part of their crews. Two vessels were cast away on the coast of Norway. Some few, having a westerly wind, got again into the English seas; of these, two were taken by the cruisers off Rochelle, and one (a great galleass) put into Havre. About 700 men who were cast ashore in Scotland were there humanely treated; and, with Elizabeth's consent, were, at the prince of Parma's * Camden, 417. Fiennes Moryson, 8. Carte's Ormond, i. 58.

Sept.

8.

request, sent over to the Netherlands. Relics of this great destruction are still sometimes brought to light. It is not long since the remains of an anchor, which appeared to have belonged to the Armada, was picked up in a fisherman's trawl off Dover; and in 1832 one of their cannon * was found on the coast of Mayo. Of the whole Armada, only fifty-three vessels returned to Spain; eighty-one were lost; and of 30,000 soldiers who were embarked, nearly 14,000 were missing, the prisoners being about 2000.

Philip's behaviour when the whole of this great calamity was known should always be recorded to his honour. He received it as a dispensation of Providence ; and gave, and commanded to be given, throughout Spain, thanks to God and the saints that it was no greater.

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England having thus been " delivered by the hand of the Omnipotent, and the boar put back that sought to lay her vineyard waste," Elizabeth ordered a solemn thanksgiving to be celebrated at St. Paul's, where eleven of the Spanish ensigns were hung upon the lower battlements, as palms of praise," says Speed, "for England's deliverance, a show, no doubt, more acceptable to God than when their spread colours did set out the pride of their ships, threatening the blood of so many innocent and faithful Christians." On the following day, which was Southwark fair, the same flags were displayed upon London bridge. They were finally suspended in St. Paul's. Less perishable trophies were deposited in the Tower, where many of the arms taken in the captured ships are still preserved; and not a few instruments of torture, wickedly devised, but more probably intended for the punishment of offences on board, than for the use of their inquisitors, who, if the conquest had been effected, might have found racks in England, and would have had fire and faggot at command. thanksgiving day was celebrated on the the queen's accession, which was long observed as a holiday in these kingdoms: *It is now in lord Sligo's possession.

Another great anniversary of and most fitly one of greater