WXXV. during the Rtign of Elizabeths
* 588 . kets, Pikes, Halberts, Carriages, Horses,Mules, Torches, Lanthorns, Canvas,Hides, Lea'd, Chains, Whips, Butcher-ing Knives, and whatever else couldserve for Ostentation or Terror. In thisFleet,were also about a Hundred Monksand Jesuits, under the Superintendencyof Cardinal Allen, an Englishman. Norwas there a noble Family in Spain , buthad a Son, Brother, or Nephew, in thisExpedition, in Hopes of Riches and Re-venues in England. For the greaterHoliness of the Action, twelve of theShips were called by the Name of theTwelve Apostles. The daily Expenceof this Fleet was (according to Harris )two and thirty Thousand Duckets: Butof all these Circumstances I shall addsomething more below.
This Armada, was commanded inChief by Don Alphonzo Perez de Gasman,Duke of Medina Sidonia ; the Marquisof Santa Cruz, who was so famous forhis Conduct in the Battle of Lepanto, andwas designed for that Post, dying whilstthe Fleet was fitting out. Under thisCommander in Chief, was placed DonMartinez de Recalde, an Old experienc-ed Sea-Officer of Biscay, with many o-thers, who were reckoned the best Com-manders, for Sea-Service, that were tobe found in the several Provinces ofSpain. The Duke, indeed, was ap-pointed Commander in Chief, rather forhis Quality than his Experience; Foras so many Dukes, Marquesses andEarls went voluntarily into this Service,they would have thought much of beingcommanded by a Person very much in-feriour to themselves.
Queen Elizabeth, having early In-telligence of the great Designs whichwere hatching against her, was notbackward in making a suitable Prepara-tion for her Defence, She fitted out thebest Fleet (a) She could under theCommand of Charles, Lord Howard ofEffingham, Lord High Admiral of En-gland. This Noble Officer was valiantand courageous, wary and provident,
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e ».
(a) There were some, who earnestly persuad-ed her to expect the Enemy's coming, and to wel-come him with aLand-Battle,as it had been resolv-ed in the Reign of Henry VIII. when the French,With a strong Fleet, threatned England.
(h) The Duke of Parma had, by the King ofSpain's Command, built Ships, and many flat-bot-torned Boats, each of them big enough to carrythirty Horses, with Bridges fitted to them. Hehired Mariners from the Eaftern Parts of Germa-ny, prepared Piles sharpened at the nether End,armed with Iron, and hooked on the Sides; andprovided twenty Thousand Barrels, and an infinite
industrious and active, and of great Au- ithority and Esteem, amongst the Sea-men of Her Navy, an Officer, in short,in whom the Queen reposed an entireConfidence. His Orders were to re- s- e Hifpc-pair to the Westward, in Conjunction ^Forces. ^with Sir Francis Drake, Mr. John Haw*kins, and Mr. Martin Forbijher, threeof the best Sea-Officers then in theWorld, whom She made his Vice-andRear-Admirals; And the Lord HenrySeymour, second Son of the late Duke ofSommerfet, she commanded to ly on theCoast of Flanders, with forty Englijh andDutch Ships (the latter under the Com-mand of Justin of Nassau, Admiral ofZealand ) to prevent the Duke of Parma'scoming out of the Ports there, with theForce he was providing to join the Spa-nish Armada, on it’s Arrival.
One of the Manuscript, in the Cotto-nian Library, gives the following Ac-count of this first Disposition of the En-glijh Fleet. Upon farther Intelligence ofthe Readiness,of the Spanish Armada, toput to Sea, on the twenty-first of May,the Lord High Admiral, leaving the LordHenry Seymour in the Narrow Seas,with a convenient Force, both of HefMajesty’s Ships, and of those of HerSubjects, to withstand all Enterprises,that the Duke of Parma, (b) shouldmake by Sea, departed from the Downs,towards the West, with certain of HerMajesty’s Ships, and twenty other Shipsand Barks of London, and arrived atPlymouth, the twenty-tbird of thatMonth. Here Sir Francis Drake, withthe Number of sixty Sail, (which ’tillthat Time had been under his Charge)met the Lord Admiral, upon whichHis Lordship, joining that Fleet with hisown, made Sir Francis Drake his Vice-Admiral.
His Lordship, upon his Arrival atPlymouth, gave immediate Order for theVictualling of the whole Fleet, beingthen near upon ninety Sail, and for it’sbeing put in a Readiness to go to Sea.
This being accomplished, he set Sail a-3 O gain,
Number of Faggots; and in the Sea Towns ofFlanders , his Army lay in Readiness, consistingof one Hundred and three Companies of Foot,and four Thousand Horse, making together thir-ty Thousand Men, among which were sevenHundred Englip Fugitives,commanded by Stanley,and the Earl of Westmoreland was also with thermBesides these, the Duke of Guise broughttwelve Thousand Men down to the Coast of Nor*mandy , which were to join the Spanifli Armada,as they went by, and land in the West of Eng-land ; But for Want of Mony, or some otherReason, their Design proved abortive.