'**ap. I.

during the Reign of §&een Elizabeth,

i

* 559 . " same Time ; Besides the Danger of“ Disturbances at Home from the Ad-" herents of the old Religion, who were“ still very numerous.”

*560. Francis IL who was married to Ma-ry, Queen of Scots, had sent overTroops to Scotland ,was preparing to fendmore, assumed the Government, andoccasioned great Disorders among thatPeople. She, therefore, concluded aTreaty with Maitland, who was sentinto England by the Confederate Scots,which was signed the seven and twenti*et h of February at Berwick. In Confe-quence of this Treaty, she fitted out aWen Squadron, under the Command of Vice-bpm. ' Admiral, William Winter, Master ofthe Naval Ordnance, who had Ordersto act in Conjunction with the Land-Sjj Forces, which she was about to fend in-to that Kingdom. Captain Winter fail-\ r ° ie Iants bis Fleet to the Firtb of Forth ,

^ Cot hnd ; and went up to Leith Road, where se-veral of the French Ships were riding atAnchor. While the Land Forces werepreparing to besiege the Town of Leith,he attacked, and soon became Masterof the French Ships; And then, block-ed up the Isiand of Inch-Keith. It wasdefended by a French Garrison, whichwas soon reduced to the last Extremity,for want of Provisions.

The French had sent out a Fleet, un-der the Command of the Marquis d’El-beuf, to transport a Reinforcement; Buta violent Tempest had dispersed theShips, and obliged him to return toFrance to refit them. This put an Endto the Expedition ; for they soon after-wards stood in Need of those Troopsthemselves at Home.

By this Time the Army consisting ofsix or seven Thousand Foot, and twelve

tn

lays Hundred Horse under the Lord Grey,eitjj*® being advanced to Leith, and havingjoined the Confederates, formed theSiege of that Town. At this Siege,Captain Winter was of very consider-able Service, with his Ships. ThereWas a large Body of French Troops, inthe Place, who defended themselveswith Bravery, for some W eeks; But,at Length, the French King, beingsensible, that it would be very difficultto prevent their falling into the Handsp* p> r of the Englijh, made Advances towards a

idv ^Tes ^oace. Fie oflered every Thing thatpOr-rf^tc- tbeQueen could desire, and confequent-a ly the Treaty was, in few Days, con-c bided; upon which the Fleet and Ar-Sgbxv_ my returned to England.

37

Rapin fays, the King of France had 1560.offered, by his Ambasiadour Monluc, Rapin.Bishop of Valence, the Restitution ofCalais, if Elizabeth would draw herForces out of Scotland: But that sheanswered, site did not value that Fijh-town so much as the Quiet of Britain.

This Osier was made during the Siege ofLeith ; But how it came to be droppedafterwards, when the Queen consentedto withdraw her Forces from Scotland,we do not find.

This first Action of Queen ElizabethsReign discovered her Resolutions, withRegard tolkeligipn ; And not only theKing df Spain, but several other RomanCatholick Princes, were soon convinced,that ffie was not to be drawn aside fromthose ffie had embraced, to support andmaintain the Protestants : They began,therefore, to ffiew several visible Marksof their Displeasure. The Queen, onher Side, made all possible Preparations,for her Security against the impendingStorm, She took Care to fill her Ma- Tee ^ueengazines; and ordered several Pieces of fiR s ^ er .new Brass and Iron-Cannon to be cast. ' a & aztneSyShe caused a great Quantity of Gunpow-der to be made, which was the first And fits outthat England had produced. She con- a P 0Vjer Msiderably encreased the Number of her ^ eet "

Ships, and got together a more powerfulFleet than any or her Predecessors, sincethe Conquest, could boast of, at least oftheir own.

For the Security of this Fleet, ffiecaused a Fortress to be built, upon theBanks of the River Medway, where theShips were commonly station’d ; And, b Fo e rtr u e p s Infrom a neighbouring Village, called it the Med-JJpnope Castle. She also very much wa Y-augmented the Wages of her Naval Of-ficers, and Seamen: So that, as Mr.

Camden fays, ffie was justly styled by CamdenForeigners, the Restorer of Naval EchardfGlory, and the Queen of theNorthern Seas.

Queen Elizabeth had great Reason Camden.to be upon her Guard, and to makethese necessary Preparations; For tho’a Treaty was concluded between thetwo Crowns of England and France,Fran- Rga * gncis and Mary would not ratify it, alledg- n p cn t, ering for their Reason, because the Scots, Guard.falsely stilffig themselves faithful Sub-jects, had made a Treaty with Elizabethin their own private Names, withoutany Warrant from the Royal Authority;

And yet, at the same Time, they rea-dily performed whatever related to theScots . .But the true Reason, without

Doubt,