

om to tho knowledge of God u:i.| tli.- i 

 the holy C'huivli ; l'r if they hu'l iMiituiiii-.l itiil tn 

 them according to tho rigour of thn i-:ml Iiniui.-ition, tln-y 

 I hiivo c:iu-M'(l tli. -in nil t<. li.- l.y 



Sn.-li thru \\vrv tin' cuuaea of the deep hatred already spoken 

 of aa existing among Englishmen daring the reign of Kli/ulx-lh. 

 The Spanish political power and the Spanish ecoli 

 power, each lusted after dominion, and allowed no r.. 

 tiona nor aornplea to stand in their way. Each helped tho other ; 

 the priests taught the "right divine" 

 of tho Spiuiiwh king " to govern wrong," 

 and the Spanish king in return up- 

 hi'l'l, witli brutal obstinacy, tho priests' 

 ln.|iiiHitii>n an institution of which 

 more will bo said in another paper; 

 but of which it will bo enough here to 

 say that it waa a spiritual tribunal, 

 irresponsible and acting in secret, which 

 punished men and women with all pun- 

 ishments, including death, for not act- 

 ing in strict accordance with the rules 

 of tho Roman-Catholic Church. 



Englishmen, after the Reformation 

 especially, hated both these powers. 

 The one cramped their action and 

 their enterprise, forbidding them under 

 pain of being treated as pirates to trade 

 to places where tho Spaniards claimed 

 to have a monopoly, as in America; 

 the other oppressed their souls with 

 burdens too heavy to be borne, and 

 then killed them for stumbling. Gene- 

 rous sympathy also for those who suf- 

 fered wrong at the oppressor's handa, and were unable to help 

 themselves, glowed in the English breast; and that sympathy, in 

 an ago of adventure and of chivalrous feeling, was not slow to 

 express itself in action. It had received a fillip, too, in a point 

 which nearly concerned the best interests of the nation. An 

 attempt had been made after the death of Edward VI., in 1553, 

 to introduce both the detested powers into England. Philip II. 

 of Spain, was actually married to Queen Mary of England, and 

 though the nation was, to a man, hostile to the introduction 

 of the Inquisition, and swore it would 

 not have it at any price, the energy 

 and watchfulness of the best men were 

 required to prevent the planting of 

 the Spanish political power. In 1558 

 Elizabeth came to the throne, and not 

 only roused the wrath of disappoint- 

 ment and jealousy by her prompt re- 

 jection of Spanish advances, but 

 directly and indirectly she challenged 

 the Spaniards by the uncompromising 

 Protestantism of her policy. 



Her subjects were imbued with the 

 same spirit as the Queen. The Span- 

 iards were looked upon as public ene- 

 mies, whom to destroy was to do God 

 service ; and many was the private ad- 

 venture made by persons of good name 

 and reputation, to make war upon 

 them. In a time when the two govern- 

 menta were at peace, cruisers were 

 fitted out in England notably in 

 West-country ports to prey upon the 

 enemy's commerce on tho Spanish 



Main and in the "West Indies. Such men aa Sir John Haw- 

 kins, Sir Martin Frobisher, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis 

 Drake, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and Sir Richard Grenville, sailed 

 on their own account upon expeditions which, directed against 

 any other power than Spain, would have been called piratical, 

 or at least, buccaneering ; and they won honour and no small 

 profit in the course of them. After the Spanish Armada, sent 

 in 1588 for the avowed purpose of conquering England and 

 establishing despotism and priestcraft therein, had shown tho 

 depth of the Spanish ill-will, tho Government acted pretty much 

 .s its subjects had done, and made war whenever it chose. 

 There was no declaration of war. After the Armada there 



ENGLISH SHIP OF WAR. TIME OF ELIZABETH. 



SPANISH THKEE-DECKIR. TIME OF ELIZABETH. 



could bo nothing bat perpetual war between the nation*, and a 

 f reth declaration of an old fact would hare been tuelM M wefl 

 M tireaome. So whenever a Spaniah treasure fleet wan coming 

 home, or a Spaniah aqoadron of merchantmen waa known to t* 

 riglinh royal Teaaeb alipped oat of port, and 

 mote th<< i'hilintinea wherever they found them. 



One of tho moat courageous and indomitable of tho HW>^| 

 rorera waa .v of Htowc, in Cornwall, 



gentleman of ancient family and large fortune, an onthu*i**tio 

 admirer of all that waa generous and 

 manly. Ho hated the Bpaniarda with 

 an exceeding bitter hatred, and again 

 and again left hia pleasant home in 

 Cornwall to roam the aeaa after the 

 enemies of Qod and man, aa he oon- 

 aidered them to be. He had been emi- 

 nently successful, both in diatant or- 

 ns and in repelling the attack 

 of the Armada on the English coast 

 itself ; and hia name waa a terror to 

 many a Spaniah Bailor. It happened, 

 in the year 1591, that a Government 

 expedition of the kind above-men- 

 tioned waa about to sail under orders 

 of Lord Thomas Howard, to intercept 

 tho Spanish treasure ships on their 

 way from the West Indies. Sir Rich- 

 ard waa appointed second in command, 

 and hoisted hia flag on board the 

 Revenge; the rest of the squadron in- 

 cluding eight fighting ships, with ten- 

 ders and victuallers. The account of 

 the action in which the Revenge fought 



single-handed for England is given here as best showing the 

 kind of spirit it was which animated Englishmen at the time 

 when their enemies were the detested upholders of Absolutism 

 in Church and State. 



Lord Thomas Howard sailed with his ships in August, 1591, 

 and after cruising about for some time, put into the Western 

 Islands, to recruit his men, ill with acurvy, and to wait there 

 for the treasure ships. On the 31st of August, 1591, the look- 

 out men reported a fleet in sight, and great was the joy and 

 greedy, perhaps, the expectation of 

 tho English warriors. But a nearer 

 view disclosed, not tho Spanish trea- 

 sure ships, but a fleet of fifty-three 

 ships of war, which had been equip- 

 ped and sent out for the very pur- 

 pose of pouncing on the pouncers. 

 Half the English crews were on shore, 

 ill, and tho rest were busy watering 

 and victualling the ships. Lord Thomas 

 looked at his vessels and sickly crews, 

 and then at the enemy's ships, con- 

 cerning which the cry was still, " They 

 come." Eight against fifty- three the 

 disproportion was too great. He de- 

 termined not to try conclusions with 

 them, and having recalled his crews by 

 signal, stood out of the Bay of Florea, 

 and succeeded in getting away. 



There was one ship, however, which 

 did not follow. Sir Richard Grenville 

 felt it to be almost an immoral act to 

 retreat before a Spaniard, and though 

 he was too good an officer wilfully to 



'lisobey the orders of his superior, he waa not loth to take 

 advantage of some unavoidable delay which occurred in getting 

 his men from the shore, to stay behind. The other English 

 ships gained the offing, and thither, too, waa sent the master . 

 of one of tho victuallers, who, seeing Sir Richard's danger, 

 offered to stay and share it with him. 



On came the Spanish fleet, on the weather bow of tho 

 Revenge. Some of the officers remonstrated with tho admiral, 

 and advised him to crowd all sail and try to outsail tho enemy ; 

 but Sir Richard declared " he would much rather die than 

 leave such a mark of dishonour ou himself, his country, and th* 

 Queen." 



