THE PORTUGAL VOYAGE a.d. 



1589- 

 are in auxiliarie maner maintained by her majestie, or 

 to folow the fortune of this voiage, which was an 

 adventure of her and many honorable personages, in 

 revenge of unsupportable wrongs offered unto the estate 

 of our countrey by the Castilian king : in arguing where- 

 of, I find that by how much the chalenger is reputed 

 before the defendant, by so much is the journey to be 

 preferred before those defensive wars. For had the 

 duke of Parma his turne bene to defend, as it was his 

 good fortune to invade : from whence could have pro- 

 ceeded that glorious honor which these late warres have 

 laid upon him, or what could have bene said more of 

 him, then of a Respondent (though never so valiant) 

 in a private Duell ? Even, that he hath done no more 

 then by his honour he was tied unto. For the gaine 

 of one towne or any small defeat giveth more renoume 

 to the Assailant, then the defence of a countrey, or the 

 withstanding of twentie encounters can yeeld any man 

 who is bound by his place to guard the same : whereof 

 as well the particulars of our age, especially in the 

 Spaniard, as the reports of former histories may assure 

 us, which have still laied the fame of all warres upon 

 the Invader. And do not ours in these dayes live 

 obscured in Flanders, either not having wherewithall to 

 manage any warre, or not putting on armes, but to 

 defend themselves when the enemie shall procure them ? 

 Whereas in this short time of our Adventure, we have 

 won a towne by escalade, battred & assaulted another, 

 overthrowen a mightie princes power in the field, landed 

 our armie in 3 several places of his kingdom, marched 7 

 dayes in the heart of his country, lien three nights in the 

 suburbs of his principall citie, beaten his forces into 

 the gates thereof, and possessed two of his frontier 

 Forts, as shall in discourse thereof more particularly 

 appeare : whereby I conclude, that going with an In- 

 vader, and in such an action as every day giveth new 

 experience, I have much to vaunt of, that my fortune 

 did rather cary me thither then into the wars of Flanders. 



47i 



