Yorke to take the same order within the Dyocese of that B: as was in all points specyfied in the former letter." * The Queen also directed a public and solemn thanksgiving to be made at the metropolitan church of St. Paul: on which occasion all the trophies taken from the enemy were carried in procession, and deposited in the church; and she then distributed rewards to the Lord High Admiral and the officers and seamen of the fleet. Several medals were struck in England in memory of the defeat of the Armada. One in particular was specially in honour of the Queen. It represented ships in flames proceeding towards a fleet which was making off in great hurry and confusion; its inscription, Dux fœmina facti, alluded to the circumstance, generally believed at the time, that it was Elizabeth herself who, on hearing that the Armada had anchored before Calais, threw out the hint to Lord Charles Howard of the expediency of sending some fire-ships among them. There is no direct evidence of this: but in a letter alluding to the success of the measure, the Lord Admiral says, "the bearer came in good time on board this ship, and brings with him as good knowledge as we could wish." Another medal, representing a flying fleet, had this inscription, "Venit, vidit, fugit." The Zealanders had several medals struck: one, on which was the Spanish fleet scattered in great confusion, bore the motto, "Impius fugit, nemine sequente." Although the secession of the Duke of Parma from the enterprise, and the destitute state of the Spanish fleet, might have removed all apprehension of a renewal of hostilities from any quarter, yet it appears from the letters of the Lord High Admiral and Sir Francis Drake, that they deemed it very expedient to keep their fleet together. LORD EFFINGHAM TO THE QUEEN. MY MOST GRASIOUS SOFEREN, 22 Aug. 1588. The graet goodnes of your Majestie towards me, that hathe so lyttell desarved, dowthe make me in case that I know not how to wryght to your Majestie how muche I am bound to you for your infynyte goodneses, nor chann be ancered by any wayse but with the spend of my blud and lyfe in * Council Register, H. M. Council Office. your Majestie's sarvis, wyche I wyll be as redy and as wyllyng to dow as ever cretur that lyved was for ther prynce. My most grasious Ladie, with graet gryfe I must wryght unto you in what state I fynd your flyte in heer. The infecsion is growne verry graet, and in many shypse, and now verry dangerous; and those that comme in freshe are sonest infected: they sicken the on day and dy the next: it is a thynge that ever folloethe such graet sarvyses, and I dowt not but with good care and Godse goodnes, wyche dowthe alwayse bles your Majestie and yourse, it wyll quenche agayne. The course that we heer thynk meet to be kepte, bothe for the sarvis as also for the safte of your Majestie's pepell, we have wryghten at large unto my lords of your Majestie's Pryvy Councell, to informe your Majestie, and have also sent this berrer, Mr. Tho. Fenor, who is both wyse and chann informe your Majestie how all things standethe heer. And because it requyerethe sped and resolusion of your Majestie, I dow leve to trowble your Majestie any farder. Preyinge to the Almyghtie God to make your Majestie to lyve mor hapyer dayse then ever cretur that lyved on the erthe. From Dover, the 22 of August. Your Majestie's most bound, most C. HOWARD. Evne as I had wryghten thus muche, Mr. E. Noreys chame, woose advertysement dowth altter the case muche. To the Queen's most Excelent Majestie. LORD EFFINGHAM AND SIR FRANCIS DRAKE TO SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM. 27th August, 1588. SIR, Apone your letter I sent presentlie for Sir F. Drake, and showed him the desier that heer Majestie had for the interceptyng of the king's tresur from the Indias, and so we considered of it, and nether of us fyndyng any shypse heer in the flyte anywayse able to goo such a voyage, befor they have byne aground, wych chanot be downe in any plase but at Chatham; and now that this spryng is so far past, it wyll be fourteen dayse befor they chan be grounded. And wher you wryght that I shuld make nobody aquaynted with it but Sir F. Drake, it is verry strange to me that anny body chan thynk that yf it wer that if the smalest barks weer to be sent out, but that the offysers must know it; for this is not as if a man wold send but over to the cost of France. I dare asure you Sir F. Drake, who is a man of jugment and aquaynted with it, wyll tell you what must be downe for such a journey. Belike it is thowght the ilands be but heer by; it is not thought how the yeer is spent. I thowght it good, therfore, to send with all sped Sir F. D., althowghe he be not very well, to inform you ryghtly of all, and look what shall be then thouwght meet. I wyll dow my indevor with all the powr I maye, for I protest before God I would gyve all that I have that it weer met withall, for that blo, after this he hath, wold mak him safe. Sir, for Sir Thos. Morgayne and the dischargyng of shypse I will deell with all when the spryng* is past, but befor I dare not venture; for them of London I dow not heer of them it (yet) but those that be with my cosyne Knivet. Sir, I send you heer inclosed a note of the money that Sir F. Drake had abourd Don Pedro. I did take now at my comynge downe 3000 pystolets, as I told you I wold, for by Jesus I had not three pounds lefte in the worlde, and had nor anythinge coulde geet mony in London. And I dow assur you my plat has gone befor, but I wyll repay it within ten days after my comyng home. I pray you let her Majestie know so; and by the Lord God of hevne I had not one crown mor, and had it not byne meer nesesite I wold not have touched one; but if I had not sum to have bestoed apon sum pour and myserable men I should have wyshed myselfe out of the worlde. Sir, let me not lyve longer then I shall be most wylling to dow all sarvys, and to take any paynse I chan for her Majestie's sarvis. I thynk Sir F. Drake wyll say I have lyttell rest, day or nyght. The Ark, in Dover Road, the 27 of August (1588). To my verie lovinge freinde, Mr. Secretarie Walsinghame, at the Courte. Your most assured, C. HOWARD.† In the course of the month of September the Queen's ships were paid off; and those of the merchant adventurers returned to their usual occupation. It is stated in Lediard's Naval History of England' that ten sail of the Armada were cast away on the coast of Ireland, among which were.one of the great galeasses and two Venetian ships, the Batta and Belangara; that those of their crews who escaped shipwreck and reached the shore were all put to the sword, or perished by the hand of the executioner, the Lord Deputy fearing they should join with the rebels. The following letter in the State Paper Office is almost conclusive evidence that this was not the case : TO THE LORD DEPUTY OF IRELAND. OUR VERY GOOD LORD, 14th Sept. 1588. IMEDATLY after the writing of or last letters to yor Lp. we went wheare we hard the Spanyarde were, and mett them at Sr John O'Dogherty is towne called Illagh. We sent unto them to know who they were, and what their intent was, or why they did invade any pte. of the Queene's Mats. domynion, their aunswer was that they did sett foorth to invade England, and were pcell of the fleete wch was overthrowen by her Mats navy, and that they * i. e. Spring-tides. These letters are copied from MSS. in the State Paper Office. were dryven tether by force of wether. Whereupon we (pceiving that they were in nombre above vje men) did incamp that night wthin muskett shott of them, being in nombre not passing vij** men [here in the hand-writing of Lord Burleigh is this note: A bold attempt of 140 against 600']; and the same nyght about midnyght did skirmish wth them for the space ii houres, and in that skyrmish did slay their lieutenant of the fealde and above xx" more beside the hurting of a great nomber of their men: so as in the next day (in skyrmishing wth them) they were forced to yeld themselves, and we lost but one soldior: nowe O'Donill and wee are come wth some of them to Dongainne, meaning to go wth them wthout companies to yor Lp. And therefore we humbly besech yor honour to graunte warrt for victling of them, as the prysone" are very weake, and unable to travaile, we desire yor Lp. (yf you shall so thinke meete) to gyve direcon for leveyings of horses and garrans to cary them to Dublin. The best of them seemeth to cary some kinde of maiesty, and hath ben governor of thirty thousand men this xxiiij years past; the rest of the prysoners are men of greate calling, and such as in of oppynion were not amysse to be questioned wthall. So we humbly take our leave. From Dongainne, the xiiij of September, 1588. Your most humble, The Lord Deputy of Ireland. Haste. * MS., State Paper Office. RICH. HOVENDEN, CHAPTER XI. EXPEDITION TO The groyne (corunna), and lisbon. 1589. Reasons for attacking Spain-Petition of Don Antonio, a candidate for the Crown of Portugal-Sir F. Drake and Sir J. Norris appointed to command the Expedition-Letters of Sir J. Norris and Sir F. Drake to Lord Burleigh-Attack on Corunna-Gallant conduct of a Female-Description of the attack by Norris and by Drake-Essex joins them-Arrival at Peniche-Norris marches for Lisbon - Drake sails for Cascais - Proceedings before Lisbon-Proceedings at Cascais-Embark at CascaisThe Fleet is dispersed in a Storm-Arrive at Plymouth-Case of Lord Essex. ELIZABETH was soon convinced that, in the present temper of the Roman Catholics of Spain, no peace on honourable terms could be entered into with Philip; and that the honour and safety of the nation required the most vigorous measures to be pursued, without waiting for the visit of a second Armada. Spain not only still held out threats, but preparations were understood to be actually making in her western ports for the attempt; it was therefore deemed the wisest policy to show them that England was as able to attack as to defend. "When," says Camden, "the Queen had shown this example of terror (the trial and condemnation of the Earl of Arundel) at home, to make herself equally feared abroad, and pursue the victory which Providence had given her over the Spaniards, conceiving it to be both more safe and honourable to attack the enemy than to stand an assault from them, she suffered a fleet to put to sea upon an expedition against Spain. This Sir John Norris and Sir Francis Drake did generously and frankly undertake, at their own and some other private men's charge, and with very little expense to the Queen's purse, except the fitting out of a few men of war; for, indeed, they were fully convinced that the power of Spain lay rather in common fancy and opinion, than in any real strength they were masters of. The agreement between them was this-that whatever prizes they took should be shared among them by a fair and equal dividend. But it happened that there came not in so many to this expedition as was expected. |