THE SPANISH ARMADA
An Englishman living in Lisbon hastened home to England and demanded
audience with the queen.
"Your Majesty," said he, "King Philip is making great preparations
for some warlike enterprise. In the Lisbon harbor are twenty galleons
and forty other vessels. Men from Italy and Germany are coming in by
hundreds. What can this mean but an attack upon England?"
Two months later came a message to the queen from her spies in Spain:--
"Soldiers are coming every day, and vast quantities of wine, grain,
biscuit, bacon, oil, vinegar, barley meal, and salted meats are being
laid in besides powder and cannon." A ship that had recently sailed
from Lisbon was captured, and both captain and men were tortured on the
rack that more might be learned of the doings of Philip. All told the
same story, that he was planning an invasion of England.
In those days honor between sovereigns was a thing almost unknown.
No one blamed the government of one country for trying to get the
better of that of another. While Philip was making ready for war, he
and Elizabeth were engaged in arranging for a treaty of peace and
friendship. Each knew that the other was treacherous, but each meant to
get the better of the bargain.
On the arrival of this news from Spain, Elizabeth sent for Drake. "Sir
Francis," said she, "how would it please you to make a voyage to Spain?"
Drake guessed in a moment what she wished of him and answered most
heartily:--
"There's nothing in all the world that would do me greater good."
"Ships and stores and soldiers are assembling off Cadiz and Lisbon. It
would be a goodly sight, perhaps as fine as anything you saw in your
voyage around the world."
"With how many ships may I go?" asked Drake.
"I can give you four, and the merchants will add to the fleet."
They did add twenty-six vessels of all kinds and sizes, for they well
knew that, though Drake would probably sail with the usual orders to
"do no harm to my good friend, the king of Spain," the chances were
that every vessel would come back with a valuable cargo.
Drake made a rapid voyage, and on his return he at once brought his
report to the queen.
"Well, my sailor lad," was her greeting, "have you another wild tale of
adventure to tell me? Have you made me queen of a new land or have you
excommunicated your chaplain?"
"I've not excommunicated my chaplain," returned Drake, "but it'll take
many a blessing from the Pope to make up to the Spaniards for that
merry time off Cadiz. I've not discovered a new country, but your
Majesty is queen of what is stowed away in my ships, and perchance that
is of more worth than some of the raw lands that lie to the westward."
Elizabeth's eyes shone. "I know you've been in many a gallant fight,"
said she, "and now tell me just what you have done."
"The Spanish fleet was off Cadiz ready to sail for Lisbon, so there
was nothing else to do but to attack it. We took eighty or more of
their vessels, laden with stores to the gunwale, and we captured two
galleons."
"So that's the way you do no harm to my friend Philip," said the queen.
"Brave sailor laddie that you are, what did you do next?"
"My men were a bit weary of the sea," answered Drake, "and----"
"Yes, it must have been a dull and wearisome voyage," said Elizabeth
with a smile. "And what did you do to amuse them?"
"There was little to do, but we took three castles and burned some
fishing boats and nets. I hadn't time for much, for there was news of
a carrack coming from India, and it was only courtesy to sail out and
give her a greeting."
"Surely," said the queen. "My sailors are always ready to show that
kind of courtesy to an enemy in loneliness on the ocean."
"That's the whole story," said Drake, "save that the carrack was full
of the richest treasure that ever sailed the seas, and I brought it
home."
"That is more of your courtesy," said Elizabeth. "You would save the
busy king from the care of it, I suppose."
"Yes, your Majesty. He'll be busy enough for one while. We've singed
his whiskers for him."
The stories were true. Philip was at last determined to attack England.
Mary was dead, and he claimed the crown by virtue of his connection
with the royal house of Lancaster and by the will of the Queen of
Scots. There was another side to his plan, Elizabeth had torn her
country from its allegiance to the Pope, and this invasion was a
crusade. If he conquered England, the country would be brought back to
the Roman church, and so would Holland; it was a holy war. A Spanish
cardinal wrote, "Spain does not war against Englishmen, but against
Elizabeth. It is not England but her wretched queen who has overthrown
the Holy Church and persecuted the pious Catholics. Let the English
people rise and welcome their deliverer." This letter was circulated
throughout England, but it produced no effect save to increase the
loyalty of the English Catholics. They were the more indignant because
the author of the letter was an Englishman who had abandoned his
country and become a subject of Spain. "It is only the blast of a
beggarly traitor," declared Elizabeth.
The "singeing of his whiskers" kept Philip waiting for a year. To sail
out into the Atlantic with the probability of meeting the autumn gales
far away from any friendly harbor would have been a reckless thing to
do, and it was not easy to bring together at short notice stores enough
to take the place of those that had been destroyed. Philip waited. He
even gave the queen a final chance to avoid the attack, for he sent her
a Latin verse to the effect that she might even yet escape his conquest
by agreeing to return the treasure taken by Drake, to render no more
aid to the Low Countries, and to bring her kingdom back to the Church
of Rome. Elizabeth replied, "My good king, I'll obey you when the Greek
kalends come around," and as the Greeks had no kalends, there was
little hope of peace.
While the shipbuilders of Spain were working night and day, and while
men and provisions and powder and cannon were being brought together,
England, too, was preparing for the encounter. There was no ally on
the continent to lend aid, the King of Scots might be faithful and
he might not, according to what he regarded as for his interests. The
fortifications of the kingdom were weak. At Portsmouth the guns could
not be fired when the queen was crowned because the tower was so old
and ready to crumble, and for thirty years little had been done to
put it in order. This very weakness, however, of the resources of the
government was England's strength, for every Englishman saw that if his
country was to be saved from becoming a province of Spain, he and every
other man must do his best to defend it. The council sent a message to
London:--
"What number of ships and men is it your wish to contribute to the
defence of the land?"
"How many may properly be required of us?" asked the Londoners.
"Fifteen ships and five thousand men," was the answer.
Now in all London there were hardly more than seventeen thousand men,
but the city straightway wrote to the council:--
"Ten thousand men and thirty ships we will gladly provide, and the
ships shall be amply furnished."
So it was throughout the kingdom. Every town sent a generous number
of men and generous gifts of money. Every little village on the coast
hastened to refit its fishing vessels and offer boats and sailors to
the government. The wildest stories were rife of what the Spaniards
would do if they were once in control of the country. It was said that
they had already lists of the stately castles of the realm and the
homes of rich London merchants, marked with the names of the Spanish
nobles to whom they were to be given. Most of the English were to be
hanged, so the rumor went, but all children under seven years of age
were to be branded on the face and kept as slaves.
Philip had not expected to conquer England without other aid than that
of the soldiers whom he was to carry with him. He had a large band of
allies, on English soil, so he thought, waiting for his coming and
ready to welcome him. These were the Catholics of England. The Pope had
excommunicated Elizabeth and had pronounced the curse of the church
upon all Catholics that should support her.
"These are not common days," said one of her advisers, "and in such
times there must often be resort to means that would be most cruel and
unjust in other years."
"What do you mean?" demanded the queen.
"Your Majesty has of course not failed to consider the support that the
Spanish king may find if he succeeds in landing upon our shores."
"Who will support him, you or I?"
"It would be but natural for those of his own church to welcome him."
"They'll welcome him with powder and cannon."
"Your Majesty, when your illustrious father, King Henry VIII., was
about to depart for the French wars, did he not bring to the block his
own cousin and others who were most devoted to the old faith, lest they
should raise an insurrection while he was on the continent?"
"And you would cut off the heads of my faithful subjects? They
shall attend my church, and if they will not, they shall be fined
or imprisoned. My agents are zealous, and it may be that they have
sometimes gone beyond my orders, but I tell you that I rule men and
women, not their thoughts, and if a man obeys me, his head stays
on his shoulders, mark that. I'll tell you one thing more, the lord
high-admiral of my fleet is to be Howard of Effingham. What think you
of that, my man?"
"But, your Majesty, he is a strong supporter of the old faith."
"So will he be of the new queen," replied Elizabeth calmly.
Howard became admiral, and Drake vice-admiral, while Frobisher and
Hawkins served as captains and Raleigh sailed out in his own vessel
as a volunteer. Howard knew almost nothing of naval command, but
around him were officers of experience, and he was not so exalted by
his new dignity that he scorned to learn of them. The sailors watched
him closely, and when they saw him put his own hands to the towing
rope, they shouted "Hurrah for the admiral!" Nobles and commoners were
mingled, and not one among them seemed to have any thought of rank or
dignity. It was for England that they were working, and the honor lay
in helping to save the country.
The English vessels came together. There were all sorts of craft,
ranging from a ship not much smaller than the galleons of the
Spaniards to what were hardly more than mere fishing boats. They
were miserably supplied with food and powder, for it was very hard
for Elizabeth to make up her mind to meet the vast expenses of war.
Almost every letter of the admiral's contained a request for absolute
necessities that were given out most grudgingly. Beef was too dear,
thought the queen, and she changed the sailors' rations to a scanty
supply of fish, oil, and peas. The wages were in arrears, there was
not powder enough, food was carried to the ships in small quantities,
though Howard declared indignantly, "King Harry never made a less
supply than six weeks." At the least rumor that the Spaniards were not
coming, Elizabeth would give orders to reduce the English fleet. The
Invincible Armada had left Spain, and Howard wrote, "Beseech Burleigh
to hasten provisions. If the wind holds out for six days, Spain will be
knocking at our doors."
One evening in July a game of bowls was going on at the Pelican Inn in
Plymouth.
"Your turn, Frobisher," said Hawkins, "and then Sir Walter's."
"That's well done, Sir Walter. Yours next, Sir Francis," said Howard.
Drake stooped for the ball, and was about to send it, when an old
sailor rushed into the room and cried:--
"Admiral, Admiral, they're coming! I saw them off the Lizard, and there
are hundreds of them."
"What do you say, Admiral," asked Drake with his hand still on the
ball, "Won't there be time to finish the game and then go out and give
the dons a thrashing?"
[Illustration: The Spanish Armada attacked by the English Fleet.
_From Pine's engraving of the tapestry, formerly in the House of Lords,
but destroyed by fire in the eighteenth century._]
The Spanish ships slowly made their way into the Channel. They were
so large and so high at stem and stern that they looked like great
floating castles, but they were so clumsy and difficult to manage that
the nimble little English boats had a great advantage. The Spanish
fleet formed in a wide crescent, the two points seven miles apart, and
the English boats went out to meet them. The galleons were high and the
English vessels so low that it was difficult to train the Spanish guns
upon them, moreover, the Spaniards were not good marksmen. They would
have had a better chance, however, if the English had only been willing
to stand still and be fired at, but the Spanish were much surprised
and disgusted when the saucy little English craft slipped up under
their very bows, fired a shot or two and were away firing at the next
ship before the Spanish guns could be trained upon them. Some of the
little boats sailed the whole length of the crescent, firing at every
vessel and coming off without a scar.
This kind of encounter was kept up for more than a week, for the
English hesitated to attempt a regular engagement. The Spanish suffered
severely. Masts were shattered, the rigging was cut up, great, ragged
holes were torn in the hulls, and large numbers of sailors were slain,
but even worse was to follow.
The Spaniards were anchored off Calais. At two o'clock one morning a
strange, shapeless object was seen floating toward them. Then came
another and another until there were eight. Fire blazed up from the
floating monsters. There were explosions and suffocating gases. The
flames rose higher, wind and waves were bringing these malignant
creatures, that seemed half alive, into the midst of the Spanish fleet.
This attack by fire-boats was a new way of fighting. The Spaniards
were perplexed and horrified. Their only thought was to escape
anywhere, no matter where, if only they could get free from these
terrors. In their haste anchor chains fouled, some ships collided,
others burned or ran aground.
The land forces were encamped at Tilbury. "I am commander in chief of
my troops," declared Elizabeth, "and I shall go to pay them a visit."
"Is it safe to commit yourself to armed multitudes? Among so many there
may well be treachery," suggested her councilors.
"Let tyrants fear," returned Elizabeth. "I am true to my people, and
they are my faithful and loving subjects. I should rather die than live
in fear and distrust of them. I shall go to visit my loyal soldiers."
It must have been a brilliant sight, the long lines of soldiers in
battle array, and the queen riding in front of the lines on her great
charger. Before her went Leicester and another noble bearing the sword
of state. Behind her followed a page carrying her helmet with its white
plumes. She was magnificently dressed, but over her dress was a corslet
of polished steel. Back and forth before the lines she rode, while
the soldiers shouted, "Queen Elizabeth! Queen Elizabeth! God save the
queen! The Lord keep her!" She raised her hand, and there was silence
to hear her words.
"I have the body of a weak, feeble woman," she said, "but I have the
heart of a king, of a king of England, and I think it foul scorn that
any prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my realm.
Rather than that any dishonor should come by me, I will take up arms, I
will be your general myself, and the rewarder of every deed of bravery.
You deserve already rewards and crowns, and they shall be paid. It will
not be long before we have a famous victory over these enemies of my
God, of my kingdom, and of my people."
While Elizabeth was still at Tilbury, two messengers came with a
thrilling report.
"A fierce battle has been fought off Gravelines. Drake was in command."
"My noble sailor laddie," said the queen proudly. "Tell me of it. I
would know the deeds of every one of my brave captains."
"It is your Majesty who struck the fatal blow," said the messenger,
"for the fire-ships were your own thought, and it was they that thrust
the Spaniards from our coast and drove them out to sea. Sir Francis and
his fleet led the attack. Six hours it lasted, till every shot, large
and small, had been fired. Then came the Admiral, and he, too, fired
every shot. There was no more powder, but he put on a bold front and
gave them chase. They could not go south, and they went north."
"There's no fear in Howard," said Elizabeth. "I know my man. Where are
the Spaniards now?"
"Many of them have gone to whatever place the mercy of the Lord may
consign them," was the reply.
"And where are those that still depend upon the mercies of wind and
wave?" asked the queen.
"Only wind and wave can tell?" answered the messenger. "The ships
sailed far to the northward. The Admiral pursued until his provisions
failed, but there was small need of searching for the enemy. The
boisterous northern seas will do the work of many a cannon."
The words of the messenger proved to be true. The Spanish ships ran
aground on the unknown coasts, they were shattered by storms, the
sailors were stricken by pestilence, they were driven ashore only to
be thrust back into the waves, for King James had no idea of doing
aught against the sovereign whose crown he hoped would before many
years rest upon his own head, and the lord lieutenant of Ireland was
little inclined to show mercy to the enemies of his country. Of the
great fleet that left Spain, so strong that it ventured to call itself
invincible, more than half the ships were left on the rocks or at the
bottom of the sea.