174 LETTERS FROM THE RESUSCITATIO. 



come home now than ever any year before. Besides many 

 good advantages which shall be offered if we command the 

 coast. And to give him a blow, and discountenance him by 

 sea now is the time, when he hath declared his ambition to 

 command the seas ; and yet, so divided his fleets : some 

 appointed to be set out, and yet scant in readiness ; others 

 upon point of coming home, and not fit to defend them 

 selves, if either they be met at sea, or found in harbour ; 

 and all so dispersed in several places as if at any time we 

 might do good that way it is now. And whether he will 

 make war upon us, if we let him alone : let his solicitations, 

 offers and gifts to the rebels of Ireland ; his besieging and 

 winning of Calais, and those parts of France that front upon 

 us ; and his strengthening himself by sea by so many 

 means ; let these things (I say) tell us. So, as if we will at 

 any time allow the counsel of prevention to be reasonable we 

 must now confess it to be opportune. But whatsoever the 

 counsel were I am not to be charged with it. For as I was 

 not the contriver, nor offerer of the project, so if I had 

 refused to join with him, (that did invite me to it) I should 

 have been thought both incompatible and backward in her 

 majesty s service. I say not this, for that I think the action 

 such as it were disadvantage to be thought the projector of 

 it ; but I say, and say truly, that my Lord Admiral devised 

 it, presented it to her majesty, and had as well the approba 

 tion of her majesty and the assent of such of your lordships 

 as were acquainted with it as my promise to go with him. 

 One thing (I confess) I above all men am to be charged 

 withal : that is, that when her majesty s, the city of London s, 

 and the states of the Low Countries charge was past, the 

 men levied and marching to the rendezvous; I could not 

 see how with her majesty s honour and safety the journey 

 might be broken. Wherein, although I should be carried 

 with passion, yet I pray your lordships consider who almost 

 that had been in my case named to such an action, voiced 



