<rj i Eli z. Naval Expeditions, &c. of the English, Book II-

1599. These were only the Queen’s Ships,what private or Merchant-Ships wereadded to this Fleet, to render it, as hecalls it, so great a Fleet, Sir IVilliamdoes not mention, tho’ probably therewere, as usual, a good Number attend-ing them.

4 T eat I cannot (says Sir William Mcn-

of Peace In " fin) write of any Thing done thisFeet: " Year ; For tho’ there was never great-

" er Expectation of War there was never" less Performance : Whether it was" a Mistrust one Nation had of the" other, or Policy held on both Sides," to make Peace with Sword in Hand,But Trepa- " J Tre W >?™g entertained by Con-rations made " lent or each Prince, 1 am not to exa-on bothSides “ mine; But sure I am, the Prepara-joriVar. <c tion was great on both Sides, one‘ s expecting an Invasion from the other.* f It was, however, generally conceiv-(C ed, not to be intended by either, Butthat ours had only Relation to my,r Lord of Ejsex, who was then in Ire-“ land, and had a Design to try his" Friends, in England, and to be re-" venged of his Enemies, as he pre-<r tended, and as it proved after, by" his Fail. 'However it was, the Charge" was not so great, as necessary; For“ it was commonly known the Adalan-<c tada had drawn both his Ships and" Gallies to the Groyne, which was not" usually done, but upon some intend-“ ed Action for England or Ireland ;“ Tho’ he converted them afterwards" to another Use.

“ The Gallies were sent into the" Low-Countries, and passed the Nar-first Fleet to “ row Seas, whilst our Ships lay there,'Sea, on their " and with the Fleet, the Adalantadaown Account. <c pur s ue d t p e Hollanders to the Islands," whither he suspected they were gone.“ This Fleet of Hollanders, which“ consisted of feventy-three Sail, were" the first Ships that ever displayed“ their Colours in warlike Sort against" the Spaniards, in any Action of their" own ; For how cruel soever the WarTheir Trea- " seemed to be in Holland, they main-chery to us. <f tained a peaceable Trade in Spain," and abused us. ( a) And as this was" the first Action of the Hollanders, so" it was not the most successful for" them. For after their Spoil of a" Town in the Canaries, and sometf Hurt done at the Island of St. Tbo-

“ mas, they kept the Sea for seven or 159 9." eight Months, in which Time, their They are -ah-" General, and most of theirMen, dled^ acce ^ u ^

“ with Sickness, and the rest returned" with Loss and Shame; The second" Benefit we received by this Prepara- Benefit of" tion was, that our Men were taught our Prepa-" suddenly to arm; Every Man know- ratlGns -" ing his Command, and how to be" commanded, which before they were" ignorant of, and who knows not, that" sudden and false Alarms in Armies" are sometimes very necessary.

“The Expedition which was xhtn ^ tee n" used in drawing together so great an feared a-“ Army by Land, and Rigging so great broad" and royal a Navy to bea, m lo httle Readiness.

" Space, was so admirable in other" Countries, that they received a Ter-" ror by it, and many that came from" beyond the Sea said; The Queen was" never more dreaded abroad for any“ Thing she ever did.

" Frenchmen that came a Board“ our Ships, did wonder at it, as a" Thing incredible, that Her Majesty" had rigged, victualed, and furnished" her royal Ships to Sea, in twelve“ Days Time: And Spain, as an Ene-" my, had Reason to fear and grieve;

" to see, this sudden Preparation; But“ more, when she understood how the“ Hearts of Her Majesty’s Subjects" joyned with their Hands; For with“ one Consent they were ready to spend“ their dearest Blood for Her and Her“ Service. Holland might likewise fee,

" that if they became insolent, we" should be as soon provided for them,

“ as they for themselves, which Cele-“ rity they did hardly believe to find“ in any Nation but themselves.

" It is probable too, that the King . 0

" of Spain, and the Archduke, were Q*^™ r es ^“ drawn by this to entertain Thoughts Peace.

“ of Peace ; For as soon as our Fleet" was at Sea, a Gentleman was sent" from Brussels, with an Overture of“ Peace; Altho’, for that Time, it" succeeded not. Whether it was that“ the intended Invasion from Spain was" diverted, or that Her Majesty was“ fully satisfied of my Lord of Ejsex,

" I know not; But one or other is ve-ry likely, by the sudden Return of" the Ships from Sea, by Her Com-

" mand,

(a) IT seems the Dutch began these underhand sued, in the very Infancy of their Republicic,

Dealings, which they have since so constantly pur- even to those who made them what they were.