land; without fuffering themselves to be at all intimidated, either by the enemy's boasts, or by the intelligence they had of their great ftrength and vaft preparations. To diftrefs King Philip in bringing home his treasures from the Weft Indies, many adventurers were licensed to cruife in thofe feas, and the queen herself lent fome fhips for this purpofe. To delay the invafion as much as poffible, or if it had been practicable, to defeat it, the queen fent a ftout fleet under Sir Francis Drake, in 1587, to Cadiz; where that admiral performed rather more than could be expected: for he forced fix gallies which were defigned to have guarded the port, to fhelter themselves under the cannon of their caftles, and then burnt a hundred ships and upward in the bay, all of which were laden with ammunition and provifions. From thence he failed to Cape St. Vincent, where he furprized fome forts, and entirely deftroyed the fifhing craft in the neighbourhood. Arriving at the mouth of the Tayo, and understanding that the Marquis de Santa Cruz lay hard by, with a fquadron of good fhips, he challenged him to come out and fight; but the marquis, who was one of the best feamen in Spain, adhering closely to his mafter's orders, chofe rather to let Drake burn and deftroy every thing on the coaft than hazard an engagement. Sir Francis, having done this, fteered for the Azores, where he took a large fhip homeward bound from the Eaft Indies, which added as much to his profit, as his former glorious exploits had done to his reputation; and fo, returned home in triumph. This expedition delayed the Spaniards for fome months; but in the spring of the next year, his enormous fleet being almost ready, King Philip gave orders that it fhould rendezvous at Lifbon, in order to pafs from thence to England. His catholic majefty prefumed fo much on the force of this extraordinary fleet, fuperior certainly to any thing that had been fitted out for ages before, that instead inftead of concealing its ftrength, he caused a very accurate account of it to be published in Latin, and moft of the languages fpoken in Europe, except Englith. This piece was dated May 20th, 1588; and according to it, the moft happy Armada, as it was therein ftiled, (afterward chriftened by the pope the Invincible Armada) confifted of 130 fhips, in all 57,868 tons; on board which were 8450 mariners, 19,295 foldiers, 2088 flaves, and 2630 pieces of cannon. Befide, there was a large fleet of tenders, with a prodigious quantity of arms on board, intended for fuch as fhould join them. There were alfo on board this fleet 124 volunteers of quality, and about 180 monks of feveral orders. The command of the whole was originally defigned to have been vested in the abovementioned marquis de Santa Cruz, a nobleman of known valour, and great experience, of which he had given high proofs in the famous battle of Lepanto: but he dying, the duke of Medina Sidonia, Don Alphonfo de Gufinan, was appointed in his ftead, rather on account of his fuperior quality than his diftinguifhed merit. Under him ferved Don Martinez de Ricalde, an old experienced Bifcaneer, who had the direction of all things, and by whofe advice the general was entirely led. In the first place, the queen took care to give proper information to all foreign ftates, of the nature and intent of this project of the king of Spain's, pointing out to them, not her own, but their danger, in cafe that monarch fhould prevail; which method being as prudently carried into practice, as it was wifely contrived, the king of Denmark, at the request of her ambaffador, laid an embargo on a very ftrong fquadron of fhips hired for the use of King Philip in his dominions. The Hanfe-Towns, determined enemies at that time to England, retarded, however, the fhips they were to have fent to Spain, which, though a very feasonable act of prudence then, proved fatal to them afterward. King James VI. of Scotland buried all his resentments for his mother's death, and fteadily adhered to his own, by following the queen's interefts. The French were too wife to afford the Spaniards any help; and the Dutch fitted out a confiderable navy, for the service of the queen, under the command of Count Justin of Nassau. A Lift of the English Fleet, under the Command of Charles Lord Howard of Effingham, Lord High Admiral. Men of war belonging to her majefty, Other ships hired by her majefty for this fervice, Furnished by the city of London, being double Furnished by the city of Briftol, large and ftrong A tender, From Barnstaple, merchant-fhips converted into frigates, From Exeter, A ftout pinnace, From Plymouth, ftout fhips, every way equal to the queen's men of war, A fly-boat, Under the command of Lord Henry Seymour, in the narrow feas, of the queen's fhips and veffels in her fervice, Ships fitted out at the expence of the nobility, gentry, and commons of England, 1643 By the merchant-adventurers, prime ships, and of excellently well furnished, Sir William Winter's pinnace, 10 I In all: 143 The lift at large given by Mr. Entick, makes themt amount to 197 fhips. The quantity of guns carried by the English fleet is not to be found; but though we outnumbered the Spaniards in veffels, the English fleet was greatly inferior both in tonnage, and in the number of men. The English fleet was commanded by Charles Lord Howard of Effingham, then high-admiral, who had under him for his vice-admiral, Sir Francis Drake; for his rear-admiral, Sir John Hawkins, and abundance of experienced officers, who had signalized their courage and conduct: their orders were to lie on the western coaft, that they might be ready to receive the enemy. Lord Henry Seymour, in conjunction with Count Naffau, cruized on the coaft of Flanders, the better to prevent the prince of Parma from making any defcent, as it was expected he would attempt to do with the army under his command. In regard to a land-force, the queen had three armies; the first confifted of 20,000 men, cantoned along the fouthern coaft; another of 22,000 foot and 1000 horfe, which was encamped near Tilbury, under the command of the earl of Leicester; the third, which was made up of 34,000 foot, and 2000 horse, all chofen men, was for the guard of the queen's perfon, their commander being the Lord Hunfdon, a brave, active, and refolute nobleman, the queen's near relation. The Spanish fleet failed from the river of Lisbon, on the firft of June, N. S. with as great pomp, and as fanguine hopes, as any fleet ever did. The king's inftructions to the duke of Medina Sidonia, were to repair to the road of Calais, in order to be joined there by the prince of Parma, and then to purfue fuch further orders as he fhould find in a fealed letter delivered to the general with his inftructions. It was further recommended to him, to keep as close as poffible to the French fhore, in order to prevent the English from having any intelligence of his approach; and in case he met our fleet, he was to avoid fighting to the utmost of his power, and to endeavour only to defend himself. But in doubling the North-cape, the fleet was feparated by foul weather, which obliged the general to fail to the Groyne, where he reaffembled his fhips, and had intelligence, that the English fleet, believing their expedition laid afide, was put into Plymouth. Upon this he held a council of war, to confider whether they should adhere ftrictly to the king's order, or embrace this favourable opportunity of burning the English fleet in their harbour; an attempt certainly not impracticable. After a long debate, wherein many were of a contrary opinion, it was refolved to attempt the English fleet; and this chiefly at the inftigation of Don Diego Flores de Valdes, admiral of the Andalufian fquadron. The pretence, indeed, was very plaufible; and, but for an unforeseen accident, they had certainly carried their point. The first land they fell in with was the Lizard, which they miftook for the Ram's-head near Plymouth; and being toward night, ftood off to fea, till the next morning. In this space of time they were defcried by a Scots pirate, one Captain Fleming, who bore away immediately for Plymouth, and gave the lord admiral notice; which proved the utter ruin of their defign, as well as the fole caufe of the prefervation of the English fleet. The season was fo far advanced, and the English had fo little intelligence of the Spaniard's departure, that their fleet was not only returned into port, but feveral of their fhips alfo were already laid up, and their feamen difcharged. The admiral, however, failed on the first notice, and though the wind blew hard into Plymouth Sound, got out to fea, with great difficulty. The next day, being the 20th of July, they faw the Spanish navy drawn up in a half-moon, failing flowly through the channel, its wings being near feven miles afunder. The admiral fuffered them to |