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coveries have proved the contrary. Its legs were the fize of an ordinary jack-afs's, and very long, as was her neck, of which she had great command, carrying it erect and ftately like the fwan, fo that when the walked, her bill was higher than the tallest man's head. You may judge of her bulk by her eggs, of which the laid 14 while fhe lived in England, feveral of which are now to be seen, each weighing upwards of five pounds, and when firft laid weighed above fix. She had a pretty large warm room to live in, which was often cleaned, and the straw therein fhifted, otherwise the would foon have died; for the climate of this country seems by no means fitted to the tender nature of thefe birds, though by their large bones and vaft bulk they appear to be very strong. There was fome time ago a couple of them; but one died before the other, by fwallowing a large nail that ftopped its paffage.

The vulgar error, that the oftrich can digest iron, has been long-fince exploded; for in the year 1659, the Morocco ambaffador to the States General, among other rarities, having brought over to Holland an oftrich as a prefent, it died at Amsterdam in a few days, by swallowing iron nails, which the populace threw to it, upon a prefumption that it could digeft them like other food; but the oftrich being opened, about 80 nails were found entire in its ftomach.

All the creatures that are here fhewn are regularly fed with food proper for them, and as carefully attended as if they were indeed of royal dignity. This takes off much of their favage nature, and makes them tame and fubmiffive, and perhaps contributed not a little to difappoint the expectations of king James I. when he made trial of the fierce nature of the lion; for that prince having ordered a lion to

be

be turned out of his den, and a bear to be put to him, the lion refused to attack the bear: they tried another, and at length two together, but in vain; the lions difcovered plain fymptomsof fear, by making to their dens. Such were the effects of indolence and high feeding upon animals, the most remarkable of any for courage and ferocity.

Of the Spoils of the INVINCIBLE ARMADA. WHEN you enter the great gate of the Tower, one of the warders will attend you, and carry you in regular order to the feveral places where the curiofities are fhewn; the firft of which is fituated to the fouthward of the White Tower, and in it are repofited the SPOILS of the INVINCIBLE ARMADA (as it was ftyled by Philip II. of Spain), in order to perpetuate to latest pofterity the memory of that fignal victory obtained by the English over the whole naval power of Spain, which will ever make the reign of queen Elizabeth glorious in the British annals. This ARMADA, when it rendezvouz'd at the Groyne, under the command of the duke of Medina Sidonia, confifted, of 132 fhips, including tranfports, on board of which were embarked 19,290, foldiers, 8,350 failors, 2,080 galley flaves, and 2,630 pieces of cannon, which at that time of day, when ships of 1200 tons carried hardly 60 pieces of ordnance, was a prodigious force. On the 21ft of July 1588, this formidable fleet appeared off Plymouth, and was met there by the English under the command of lord Effingham, lord high admiral, Drake, Hawkins, and Forbifher; when both fleets immediately formed the line of battle. The van of the Spanish fleet was led by Alphonfo de Levya; the duke of Medina commanded the center; and Juan Martinez de Ricaldo the rear.

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The

The lord high admiral of England, in his own fhip called the Ark Royal, feconded by the rest of his fquadron, fell upon Levya's divifion, and a terrible engagement enfued; but Drake, Hawkins, and Forbifher, mutually supporting each other where the danger was greateft, and taking the advantage of the enemy, where they obferved them weakest, put their rear into dif order, and forced them upon their center, which occafioned fome confufion; but night coming on, obliged both parties to lay-by; and the English being ill provided with ammunition and ftores were in no hafte to renew the engagement, well knowing that every day would weaken their adverfaries, and increafe their own ftrength. Accordingly, the very night after the firft engagement, one of their fhips of the line by fome accident blew up, and the fire from her communicating itfelf to the fhip whereof Don Pedro de Valdez was captain, he fell an easy prize to admiral Drake, who fent her into Dartmouth. This was looked upon as a favourable omen of complete victory. Two whole days, however, were spent in repairing the damages fuftained on both fides, in which time the English were continually reinforced from the neighbouring ports with men, ammunition, and fhips, which enabled them on the 23d, after fome time fpent in ftriving to gain the wind, to fight the enemy on more equal terms than in the preceding engagement, and, having gained their point, fell upon Ricaldo's fquadron with their whole force, and would certainly have destroyed it, had not the Spanish admiral made a gallant attempt for his prefervation.

Then the fight became general; and the English managed their fhips with fo much eafet and dexterity, that the unweildy Spaniards, who

lay

lay like hulks in a dead calm, could make but little ufe of their superior strength, orders having been given by the English commander in chief, to avoid by all means a clofe engagement; by which, as the enemy's fhips were full of men, a great flaughter was made of them, without fuffering in return any confiderable lofs. In this manner a fort of running fight was maintained for two days, with no decifive advantage on either fide, other than what arose from the disparity of numbers killed.

It should have been remarked, that, according to the original plan of this invafion, the Spanish admiral was to have been joined in the British channel by the duke of Parma with a body of 30,000 land forces from the Spanish Netherlands; but feeing no appearance of their arrival, he had difpatched exprefs after exprefs to haften their embarkation; and at length fet fail himself to the ftreights of Calais to facilitate their junction. This motion had been forefeen, and a strong fquadron of 40 fail, under lord Henry Seymour and Sir William Winter, were properly stationed, as well to block up the ports from whence thofe fuccours were to embark, as to watch the future motions of the Spanish admiral. This was a noble stroke of policy, and was foon followed by another, that ruined their whole project, and put an end to the great confternation that had overfpread the whole nation on the first appearance of fo vaft an arma

ment.

When it was difcovered by the lord high admiral what courfe the Spaniards had steered, a council of war was immediately called, wherein it was refolved not to lose a moment from purfuing them; on this occafion admiral Drake, whofe prefence of mind never failed him on the most preffing emergencies, bethought himfelf

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felf of an expedient to diftrefs the enemy, without rifquing the queen's fhips in fo unequal a conflict. Thus having communicated his fcheme to the commander in chief, it was refolved to put it in execution, and the rather as the contrivance was new, and confequently unfufpected. Accordingly, eight old and shattered fhips were haftily fitted up, and filled with all forts of combuftibles; and when the fleet came up with the enemy, who lay at anchor off Calais, waiting for the duke of Parma, those fhips were fecretly difpatched in the night, with proper inftruction to their refpective captains, to grapple at proper diftances, where the enemy were clofeft in the line, obferving always to keep the wind; and, when properly ftationed, to fet them on fire, and then bring off their men: this was executed under the direction of the captains Prowfe and Young, with all imaginable fuccefs; for while the Spaniards, thinking themfelves furprised, were preparing for an attack, the captains of the fire fhips did their bufinefs; and in little more than an hour the whole ocean feemed on fire, as if to devour what she could not fwallow up of that prefumptuous Armada, which had braved the Majefty of Heaven, been bleffed by the Pope, and pronounced invincible. Now nothing but horror, confufion, and hurry, enfued; fome were on fire, fome fell foul of others, fome cut their cables, and drove on fhore; and had it not been for the calmnefs of the duke of Medina, their whole fleet had that night perished with their hopes; but he feeing the danger and penetrating the caufe, ordered his fleet to feparate, every one fhifting for himself, and to rendezvous next morning at Graveling: though these were the fageft orders that could have been iffued in the prefent dilemma, yet the English

reaped