A.D. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1588. 



great preparation in the low Countreys, to give ayd 

 & assistance unto the Spaniards ; building ships for the 

 same purpose, and sending for Pilots and ship-wrights 

 out of Italy. 



In Flanders hee caused certaine deepe chanels to be 

 made, and among the rest the chanell of Yper commonly 

 called Yper-lee, employing some thousands of workemen 

 about that service : to the end that by the said chanel he 

 might transport ships from Antwerp and Ghendt to 

 Bruges, where hee had assembled above a hundreth small 

 ships called hoyes being well stored with victuals, which 

 hoyes hee was determined to have brought into the sea 

 by the way of Sluys, or else to have conveyed them by 

 the saide Yper-lee being now of greater depth, into any 

 port of Flanders whatsoever. 



In the river of Waten he caused 70. ships with flat 

 bottomes to be built, every one of which should serve 

 to cary 30. horses, having eche of them bridges likewise 

 for the horses to come on boord, or to goe foorth on 

 land. Of the same fashion he had provided 200. other 

 vessels at Neiuport, but not so great. And at Dunkerk 

 hee procured 28. ships of warre, such as were there to 

 be had, and caused a sufficient number of Mariners to 

 be levied at Hamburgh, Breme, Emden, and at other 

 places. Hee put in the ballast of the said ships, great 

 store of beames of thicke plankes, being hollow and beset 

 with yron pikes beneath, but on eche side full of claspes 

 and hookes, to joyne them together. 



Hee had likewise at Greveling provided 20. thousand 

 of caske, which in a short space might be compact and 

 joyned together with nailes and cords, and reduced into 

 the forme of a bridge. To be short, whatsoever things 

 were requisite for the making of bridges, and for the 

 barring and stopping up of havens mouthes with stakes, 

 posts, and other meanes, he commanded to be made 

 ready. Moreover not farre from Neiuport haven, he 

 had caused a great pile of wooden fagots to be layd, 

 and other furniture to be brought for the rearing up 



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