his crews were companies of angels. He forgot | Duke and his advisers had chosen Calais as that the servants of the evil one might fight the point at which to bring up. It was now for their mistress after all, and that he must Saturday, the 7th of August. The governor of send adequate supplies of powder, and, worst the town came off in the evening to the San forgetfulness of all, that a great naval expe- Martin. He expressed surprise to see the Spandition required a leader who understood his ish fleet in so exposed a position, but he was business. Perseus, in the shape of the Duke of profuse in his offers of service. Anything which Medina Sidonia, after a week of disastrous the Duke required should be provided, especially battles, found himself at the end of it in an ex- every facility for communicating with Dunkirk posed roadstead,2 where he ought never to have and Parma. The Duke thanked him, said that been, nine-tenths of his provisions thrown over- | he supposed Parma to be already embarked board as unfit for food, his ammunition ex- with his troops, ready for the passage, and that hausted by the unforeseen demands upon it, his own stay in the roads would be but brief. the seamen and soldiers harassed and dis- On Monday morning at latest he expected that pirited, officers the whole week without sleep, the attempt to cross would be made. The govand the enemy, who had hunted him from Plym- ernor took his leave, and the Duke, relieved outh to Calais, anchored within half a league from his anxieties, was left to a peaceful night. of him. He was disturbed on the Sunday morning by an express from Parma informing him that, so far from being embarked, the army could not be ready for a fortnight. The barges were not in condition for sea. The troops were in camp. The arms and stores were on the quays at Dunkirk. As for the fly-boats and ammunition which the Duke had asked for, he had none to spare. He had himself looked to be supplied from the Armada. He promised to use his best expedition, but the Duke, meanwhile, must see to the safety of the fleet.

Still, after all his misadventures, he had brought the fleet, if not to the North Foreland,3 yet within a few miles of it, and to outward appearance not materially injured. Two of the galleons had been taken; a third, the Santa Aña, had strayed; and his galleys had left him, being found too weak for the channel sea, but the great armament had reached its destination substantially uninjured so far as English eyes could see. Hundreds of men had been killed and hundreds more wounded, and the spirit of the rest had been shaken. But the loss of life could only be conjectured on board the English fleet. The English admiral* could only see that the Duke was now in touch with Parma. Parma, they knew, had an army at Dunkirk with him, which was to cross to England. He had been collecting men, barges, and transports all the winter and spring, and the backward state of Parma's preparations could not be anticipated, still less relied upon. The Calais anchorage was unsafe; but at that season of the year, especially after a wet summer, the weather usually settled; and to attack the Spaniards in a French port might be dangerous for many reasons. It was uncertain after the day of the Barricades whether the Duke of Guise or Henry of Valois was master of France, and a violation of the neutrality laws might easily at that moment bring Guise and France into the field on the Spaniards' side. It was, no doubt, with some such expectation that the

2 Calais Roads.

3 See last note of preceding selection.

4 A port twenty miles east of Calais.

Unwelcome news to a harassed landsman thrust into the position of an admiral and eager to be rid of his responsibilities. If by evil fortune the northwester should come down upon him, with the shoals and sandbanks close under his lee, he would be in a bad way. Nor was the view behind him calculated for comfort. There lay the enemy almost within gunshot, who, though scarcely more than half his numbers, Lad hunted him like a pack of bloodhounds, and, worse than all, in double strength; for the Thames squadron-three Queen's ships and thirty London adventurers-under Lord H. Seymour and Sir John Hawkins, had crossed in the night. There they were between him and Cape Grisnez, and the reinforcements meant plainly enough that mischief was in the wind.

After a week so trying the Spanish crews would have been glad of a Sunday's rest if they could have had it; but the rough handling which they had gone through had thrown everything into disorder. The sick and wounded had to be cared for, torn rigging looked to, splin

5 May 12, when the Duke of Guise entered Paris tered timbers mended, decks scoured, and guns

in an attempt to depose Henry III. Lord Charles Howard. Sir Francis Drake, vice admiral, commanded a second division of the Pritish fleet; Sir Henry Seymour a third. Commanders of squadrons were Sir John Hawkins and Sir Martin Frobisher.

and arms cleaned up and put to rights. And so it was that no rest could be allowed; so

6 "Gunboats worked with oars."
Eighteen miles S. W. of Calais.

much had to be done, and so busy was every one, that the usual rations were not served out and the Sunday was kept as a fast. In the afternoon the stewards went ashore for fresh meat and vegetables. They came back with their boats loaded, and the prospect seemed a little less gloomy. Suddenly, as the Duke and a group of officers were watching the English fleet from the San Martin's poop deck, a small smart pinnace, carrying a gun in her bow, shot out from Howard's lines, bore down on the San Martin, sailed round her, sending in a shot or two as she passed, and went off unhurt. The Spanish officers could not help admiring such airy impertinence. Hugo de Monçadas sent a ball after the pinnace, which went through her mainsail, but did no damage, and the pinnace again disappeared behind the English ships.

often, now ordering the fleet to prepare for sea, then recalling her instructions and paying off the men, that those whom Howard had with him had been enlisted in haste, had come on board as they were, and their clothes were hanging in rags on them. The fighting and the sight of the flying Spaniards were meat and drink, and clothing, too, and had made them careless of all else. There was no fear of mutiny; but there was a limit to the toughest endurance. If the Armada was left undisturbed, a long struggle might be still before them. The enemy would recover from its flurry, and Parma would come out from Dunkirk. To attack them directly in French waters might lead to perilous complications, while delay meant famine. The Spanish fleet had to be started from the roads in some way. Done it must be, and done immediately.

Then, on that same Sunday afternoon a memorable council of war was held in the Ark's10 main cabin. Howard, Drake, Seymour, Hawkins, Martin Frobisher and two or three others met to consult, knowing that on them at that moment the liberties of England were depending. Their resolution was taken promptly. There was no time for talk. After nightfall a strong flood tide would be setting up along

try what could be done with fire ships, and the excursion of the pinnace, which was taken for bravado, was probably for a survey of the Armada's exact position. Meantime eight useless vessels were coated with pitch-hulls, spars and rigging. Pitch was poured on the decks and over the sides, and parties were told off to steer them to their destination and then fire and leave them.

So a Spanish officer describes the scene. The English story says nothing of the pinnace, but she doubtless came and went as the Spaniard says, and for sufficient purpose. The English, too, were in straits, though the Duke did not dream of it. You will remember that the last supplies which the Queen had allowed to the fleet had been issued in the middle of June. They were to serve for a month, and the contractors were forbidden to prepare more. The Queen had clung to her hope that her differ-shore to the Spanish anchorage. They would ences with Philip were to be settled by the Commission at Ostend; and she feared that if Drake and Howard were too well furnished they would venture some fresh rash stroke on the coast of Spain, which might mar the negotiations. Their month's provisions had been stretched to serve for six weeks, and when the Armada appeared but two full days' rations remained. On these they had fought their way up Channel. Something had been brought out by private exertion on the Dorsetshire coast, and Seymour had, perhaps, brought a little more. But they were still in extremity. The contractors had warned the Government that they could provide nothing without notice, and notice had not been given. The adventurers were in better state, having been equipped by private owners. But the Queen's ships in a day or two more must either go home or their crews would be starving. They had been on reduced rations for near two months. Worse than that, they were still poisoned by the sour beer. The Queen had changed her mind so

The hours stole on, and twilight passed into dark. The night was without a moon. The Duke paced his deck late with uneasy sense of danger. He observed lights moving up and down the English lines, and imagining that the endemoniada gente—the infernal devils-might be up to mischief, ordered a sharp lookout. A faint westerly air was curling the water, and towards midnight the watchers on board the galleons made out dimly several ships which seemed to be drifting down upon them. Their experience since the action off Plymouth had been so strange and unlooked for that anything unintelligible which the English did was alarming.

The phantom forms drew nearer, and were almost among them when they broke into a blaze from water-line to truck, and the two fleets were seen by the lurid light of the con

10 The Ark Raleigh, Howard's flagship.

To

flagration; the anchorage, the walls and win-whole fleet might be lost on the banks. dows of Calais, and the sea shining red as far wards the land the look of things was not more as eye could reach, as if the ocean itself was encouraging. burning. Among the dangers which they might One accident only had happened the night have to encounter, English fireworks had been before. The Capitana galleass, with Don Hugo especially dreaded by the Spaniards. Fire ships de Monçada and eight hundred men on board, -a fit device of heretics-had worked havoe had fouled her helm in a cable in getting under among the Spanish troops, when the bridge was way and had become unmanageable. The galblown up at Antwerp.11 They imagined that ley slaves disobeyed orders, or else Don Hugo similar infernal machines were approaching the was as incompetent as his commander-in-chief. Armada. A capable commander would have The galleass had gone on the sands, and as the sent a few launches to grapple the burningtide ebbed had fallen over on her side. Howhulks, which of course were now deserted, and ard, seeing her condition, had followed her in tow them out of harm's way. Spanish sailors were not cowards, and would not have flinched from duty because it might be dangerous; but the Duke and Diego Florez12 lost their heads again. A signal gun from the San Martin ordered the whole fleet to slip their cables and stand out to sea.

the Ark with four or five other of the Queen's ships, and was furiously attacking her with his boats, careless of neutrality laws. Howard's theory was, as he said, to pluck the feathers one by one from the Spaniard's wing, and here was a feather worth picking up. The galleass was the most splendid vessel of her kind afloat, Don Orders given in panic are doubly unwise, for Hugo one of the greatest of Spanish granthey spread the terror in which they originate. | dees. The danger from the fire ships was chiefly from Howard was making a double mistake. He the effect on the imagination, for they appear took the galleass at last after three hours' fightto have drifted by and done no real injury.ing. Don Hugo was killed by a musket ball. And it speaks well for the seamanship and cour- The vessel was plundered and Howard's men age of the Spaniards that they were able, crowded together as they were, at midnight, and in sudden alarm, to set their canvas and clear out without running into one another. They buoyed their cables, expecting to return for them at daylight, and with only a single accident, to be mentioned directly, they executed successfully a really difficult manœuvre.

The

took possession, meaning to carry her away when the tide rose. The French authorities ordered him off, threatening to fire upon him; and after wasting the forenoon, he was obliged at last to leave her where she lay. Worse than this, he had lost three precious hours, and had lost along with them, in the opinion of the Prince of Parma, the honours of the great day.

The Duke was delighted with himself. Drake and Hawkins knew better than to fire ships burned harmlessly out. He had baf waste time plucking single feathers. The fire fled the inventions of the endemoniada gente. ships had been more effective than they could He brought up a league outside the harbour, have dared to hope. The enemy was broken and supposed that the whole Armada had done up. The Duke was shorn of half his strength, the same. Unluckily for himself, he found it and the Lord had delivered him into their hand. at daylight divided into two bodies. The San He had got under way, still signalling wildly, Martin with forty of the best appointed of the and uncertain in which direction to turn. His galleons were riding together at their anchors, uncertainties were ended for him by seeing The rest, two-thirds of the whole, having no Drake bear down upon him with the whole Engsecond anchors ready, and inexperienced in lish fleet, save those which were loitering about Channel tides and currents, had been lying to. the galleass. The English had now the advanThe west wind was blowing up. Without see- tage of numbers. The superiority of their guns ing where they were going they had drifted to he knew already, and their greater speed alleeward and were two leagues off, towards lowed him no hope to escape a battle. Forty Gravelines, dangerously near the shore. The ships alone were left to him to defend the banDuke was too ignorant to realize the full perilner of the crusade and the honour of Castile; of his situation. He signalled to them to rebut those forty were the largest and most powturn and join him. As the wind and tide erfully armed and manned that he had, and on stood it was impossible. He proposed to follow board them were Oquendo, De Leyva, Recalde, them. The pilots told him that if he did the Bretandona, the best officers in the Spanish navy next to the lost Don Pedro.1

11 Three years previ- 12 The Duke's nautical
ously.
adviser.

1 Taken captive by Drake in the first action at Plymouth.

But all round it was but a repetition of the same scene. The Spanish shot flew high, as before, above the low English hulls, and they were themselves helpless butts to the English guns. And it is noticeable and supremely creditable to them that not a single galleon struck her colours. One of them, after a long duel with an Englishman, was on the point of sinking. An English officer, admiring the cour

upon his bowsprit, told them that they had done all which became men, and urged them to surrender and save their lives. For answer they cursed the English as cowards and chickens because they refused to close. The officer was shot. His fall brought a last broadside on them, which finished the work. They went down, and the water closed over them. Rather death to the soldiers of the Cross than surrender to a heretic.

The deadly hail rained on. In some ships

It was now or never for England. The scene of the action which was to decide the future of Europe was between Calais and Dunkirk, a few miles off shore, and within sight of Parma's camp. There was no more manœuvring for the weather-gage, no more fighting at long range. Drake dashed straight upon his prey as the falcon stoops upon its quarry. A chance had fallen to him which might never return; not for the vain distinction of carrying prizes into Eng-age which the Spaniards had shown, ran out lish ports, not for the ray of honour which would fall on him if he could carry off the sacred banner itself and hang it in the Abbey at Westminster, but a chance so to handle the Armada that it should never be seen again in English waters, and deal such a blow on Philip that the Spanish Empire should reel with it. The English ships had the same superiority over the galleons which steamers have now over sailing vessels. They had twice the speed; they could lie two points nearer to the wind. Sweeping around them at cable's length, crowd-blood was seen streaming out of the scupper ing them in one upon the other, yet never once giving them a chance to grapple, they hurled in their cataracts of round shot. Short as was the powder supply, there was no sparing it that morning. The hours went on, and still the battle raged, if battle it could be called where the blows were all dealt on one side and the suffering was all on the other. Never on sea or land did the Spaniards show themselves worthier of their great name than on that day. But from the first they could do nothing. It was said afterwards in Spain that the Duke showed the white feather, that he charged his pilot to keep him out of harm's way, that he shut himself up in his cabin, buried in wool-shot away, and the battle ended from mere packs, and so on. The Duke had faults enough, but poltroonery was not one of them. He, who till he entered the English Channel had never been in action on sea or land, found himself, as he said, in the midst of the most furious engagement recorded in the history of the world. As to being out of harm's way, the standard at his masthead drew the hottest of the fire upon him. The San Martin's timbers were of oak and a foot thick, but the shot, he said, went through them enough to shatter a rock. Her deck was a slaughterhouse; half his company were killed or wounded, and no more would have been heard or seen of the San Martin or her commander had not Oquendo and De Leyva pushed in to the rescue and enabled him to creep away under their cover. He himself saw nothing more of the action after this. The smoke, he said, was so thick that he could make out nothing, even from his masthead.

holes. Yet there was no yielding; all ranks showed equal heroism. The priests went up and down in the midst of the carnage, holding the crucifix before the eyes of the dying. At midday Howard came up to claim a second share in a victory which was no longer doubtful. Towards the afternoon the Spanish fire slackened. Their powder was gone, and they could make no return to the cannonade which was still overwhelming them. They admitted freely afterwards that if the attack had been continued but two hours more they must all have struck or gone ashore. But the English magazines were empty also; the last cartridge was

inability to keep it up. It had been fought on both sides with peculiar determination. In the English there was the accumulated resentment of thirty years of menace to their country and their creed, with the enemy in tangible shape at last to be caught and grappled with; in the Spanish, the sense that if their cause had not brought them the help they looked for from above, the honour and faith of Castile should not suffer in their hands.

It was over.

The English drew off, regretting that their thrifty mistress had limited their means of fighting for her, and so obliged them to leave their work half done. When the cannon ceased the wind rose, the smoke rolled away, and in the level light of the sunset they could see the results of the action.

A galleon in Recalde's squadron was sinking with all hands. The San Philip and the San Matteo were drifting dismasted towards the

afterwards

Dutch coast, where they were
wrecked. Those which were left with canvas
still showing were crawling slowly after their
comrades who had not been engaged, the spars
and rigging so cut up that they could scarce
bear their sails. The loss of life could only be
conjectured, but it had been obviously terrible.
The nor'-wester was blowing up and was press-
ing the wounded ships upon the shoals, from
which, if it held, it seemed impossible in their
crippled state they would be able to work
off.

The

In this condition Drake left them for the night, not to rest, but from any quarter to lect, if he could, more food and powder. snake had been scotched, but not killed. More than half the great fleet were far away, untouched by shot, perhaps able to fight a second battle if they recovered heart. To follow, to drive them on the banks if the wind held, or into the North Sea, anywhere so that he left them no chance of joining hands with Parma again, and to use the time before they had rallied from his blows, that was the present necessity. His own poor fellows were famished and in rags; but neither he nor they had leisure to think of themselves. There was but one thought in the whole of them, to be again in chase of the flying foe. Howard was resolute | as Drake. All that was possible was swiftly done. Seymour and the Thames squadron were to stay in the straits and watch Parma. From every obtainable source food and powder were collected for the rest-far short in both ways of what ought to have been, but, as Drake said, we were resolved to put on a brag and go on as if we needed nothing.' Before dawn the admiral and he were again off on the chase.

rence was as heedless as St. Dominic. The San Martin had but six fathoms under her. Those nearer to the land signalled five, and right before them they could see the brown foam of the breakers curling over the sands, while on their weather-beam, a mile distant and clinging to them like the shadow of death, were the English ships which had pursued them from Plymouth like the dogs of the Furies. The Spanish sailors and soldiers had been without food since the evening when they anchored at Calais. All Sunday they had been at work, no rest allowed them to eat. On the Sunday col-night they had been stirred out of their sleep by the fire ships. Monday they had been fighting, and Monday night committing their dead to the sea. Now they seemed advancing directly upon inevitable destruction. As the wind stood there was still room for them to wear and thus escape the banks, but they would then have to face the enemy, who seemed only refraining from attacking them because while they continued on their present course the winds and waves would finish the work without help from man. Recalde, De Leyva, Oquendo, and other officers were sent for to the San Martin to consult. Oquendo came last. 'Ah, Señor Oquendo,' said the Duke as the heroic Biscayan stepped on board, 'que haremos?' (what shall we do?) 'Let your Excellency bid load the guns again,' was Oquendo's gallant answer. It could not be. De Leyva himself said that the men would not fight the English again. Florez advised surrender. The Duke wavered. It was said that a boat was actually lowered to go off to Howard and make terms, and that Oquendo swore that if the boat left the San Martin on such an errand he would fling The brag was unneeded. What man could do Florez into the sea. Oquendo's advice would had been done, and the rest was left to the have, perhaps, been the safest if the Duke elements. Never again could Spanish seamen could have taken it. There were still seventy be brought to face the English guns with Me- ships in the Armada little hurt. The English dina Sidonia to lead them. They had a fool at were 'bragging,' as Drake said, and in no contheir head. The Invisible Powers in whom they dition themselves for another serious engagehad been taught to trust had deserted them.ment. But the temper of the entire fleet made Their confidence was gone and their spirit a courageous course impossible. There was but broken. Drearily the morning broke on the one Oquendo. Discipline was gone. The solDuke and his consorts the day after the battle.diers in their desperation had taken the comThe Armada had collected in the night. The mand out of the hands of the seamen. Officers nor'-wester had freshened to a gale, and they and men alike abandoned hope, and, with no were labouring heavily along, making fatal lee-human prospect of salvation left to them, they way towards the shoals.

It was St. Lawrence's Day, Philip's patron saint, whose shoulder-bone he had lately added to the treasures of the Escurial; 2 but St. Law

1 Macbeth, III, ii, 13.

2 The palace of Philip II.

flung themselves on their knees upon the decks and prayed the Almighty to have pity on them. But two weeks were gone since they had knelt on those same decks on the first sight of the

3 Referring to a disastrous engagement five days before, on St. Dominic's Day, Aug. 4.