^hap.XXV. during the Reign of ®)&een Elizabeth, 26^

1588. “ And, moreover, whereas the

" Duke was kept in by the thirty Sail“ of Hollanders, so many of the Duke" of Medina's Fleet would have been" able to have put the Hollanders from" the Road of Dunkirk, and possessed it" themselves, and so have secured the" Army and Fleet joyning together.

And how easy a Thing it had been," after their joyning, to have tranfport-" ed themselves for England, as also," what would have ensued upon their" .Landing in England, may easily be“ imagined.

Bur it being the Will of him thattc direfts all Men and their Actions," that the Fleets should meet, the Ene-my,be beaten as they were, put from*• their Anchoring in Calais Road, the,f Duke of Parma beleaguered at Sea,tc their Navy enforced about Scotland“ and Ireland, with great Adventure" and Loss, fheweth howGoD did mar-" velously defend us against their dan-* r gerous Designs.

" Here was another Opportunity" offered, to have followed the Victoryte upon them; For after they were" beaten from the Road at Calais, andall their Hopes and Designs frustra-“ ted; if we had once more offered" them Fight, the General, by Per-" fwasion of his Confessor, was deter-" mined to yield, whose Example it is" very likely would have made the rest" to have done the like ; But this E-

scape cannot be imputed to the Ne- ic88.<<r gligence or Backwardness of theLord Admiral, but meerly to thecf Want of Foresight and Neglect in(C those, that had the furnishing and“ managing of the Fleet: For, ac thisTime of most Advantage, when“ they came to examine their Proyi-‘ c sions, they found a general Scarcityof Powder and Shot, for Want w here-“■ of they were forced to return Home.

<s Another Opportunity was lost, not<c much inferior to the foregoing, by" not sending Part of our Fleet, to the" West Ports of Ireland: Which the“ Spaniards of Necessity were to passafter so many Dangers and Disasters" as they had endured.

If we had been so happy as to" have followed this Course, as it was" both thought and discuss'd, we had" been victorious over this great and" conquering Navy, for they were<r< ‘ brought to that Necessity, that they" would willingly have yielded, as di-vers of them confefs’d, that were cast" away in Ireland.

“ Herein is to be noted, how weak" and feeble the Designs of Men are,

" in Respect of the Creator of Man,

" and how indifferently he dealt be-" twixt the two Nations'; sometimes" giving one, sometimes the other" Advantage ; And yet so, that he on-ly ordered the Battle.

CHAP. XXVI.

The Earl of Cumberland ^second Expedition, defgned for the Southern Parts,with some other Eransaclions of the Tear, 1588.

^88, A MONG many more of the

?fsi Co1 - /m Englijh Nobility, who went

^W 8(5, Ask as volunteers, on Board Heri^Iy ^ -A Majesty’s Fleet, upon the Ap-f proach of the Spanijh Armada, the Earlft! °f Cumberland was one, and one of the' f c °nri m °st forward and resolute; And it wasn >on. his good Service done there, whichgave Occasion to this second Expedition.The Queen was so well pleased withwhat he had performed, that she gavehim a Commission, bearing Date, Oflo-her, the fourth, of this Year, to go toSea again, and pursue his intended Voy-

age to the Southern Parts-, And, forhis greater Honour and Encouragement,She lent him one of Her own RoyalFleet, (the Golden Lion ) to be his Ad-miral Ship. What the other Shipswere which the Admiral employed inthis Expedition, or, indeed, whetherhe had any more, I do not any wherefind.

; 'F

This Ship the Earl victual’d and fur-nissied, at his own Charge, and set out,attended with a considerable Number ofour Emlilh Gentlemen, about the lat-a X ter