284 THE SEA. 



nobly. The first to present himself before the queen was a Roman Catholic peer, the 

 Viscount Montague, who brought 200 horsemen led by his own sons, and professed the 

 resolution that "though he was very sickly, and in age, to live and die in defence of 

 the queen and of his country, against all invaders, whether it were Pope, king, or potentate 

 whatsoever." The city of London, when 5,000 men and fifteen ships were required, 

 prayed the queen to accept twice the number. "In a very short time all her whole 

 realm, and every corner, were furnished with armed men, on horseback and on foot; and 

 those continually trained, exercised, and put into bands in warlike manner, as in no age 

 ever was before in this realm. There was no sparing of money to provide horse, armour, 

 weapons, powder, and all necessaries." Thousands volunteered their services personally 

 without wages; others money for armour and weapons, and wages for soldiers. The 

 country was never in better condition for defence. 



Some urged the queen to place no reliance on maritime defence, but to receive the 

 enemy only on shore. Elizabeth thought otherwise, and determined that the enemy should 

 reap no more advantage on the sea than on land. She gave the command of the whole 

 fleet to Charles Lord Howard of Effmgham; Drake being vice-admiral, and Hawkins 

 and Frobisher all grand names in naval history being in the western division. Lord 

 Henry Seymour was to lie off the coast of Flanders with forty ships, Dutch and English, 

 and prevent the Prince of Parma from forming a junction with the Armada. The whole 

 number of ships collected for the defence of the country was 191, and the number of 

 seamen 17,472. There was one ship in the fleet (the Triumph} of 1,100 tons, one of 1,000, 

 one of 900, and two of 800 tons each, but the larger part of the vessels were very small, 

 and the aggregate tonnage amounted to only about half that of the Armada. For the land 

 defence over 100,000 men were called out, regimented, and armed, but only half of them 

 were trained. This was exclusive of the Border and Yorkshire forces. 



The Armada left the Tagus in the latter end of May, 1588, for Corunna, there to 

 embark the remainder of the forces and stores. On the 30th of the same month, the 

 Lord Admiral and Sir Francis Drake sailed from Plymouth. A serious storm was 

 encountered, which dismasted some and dispersed others of the enemy's fleet, and occasioned 

 the loss of four Portuguese galleys. One David Gwynne, a Welshman, who had been a 

 galley-slave for eleven years, took the opportunity this storm afforded, and regained his 

 liberty. He made himself master of one galley, captured a second, and was joined by a third, 

 in which the wretched slaves were encouraged to rise by his example, and successfully 

 carried the three into a French port. After this disastrous commencement, the Armada 

 put back to Corunna, and was pursued thither by Effingham; but as he approached the 

 coast of Spain, the wind changed, and as he was afraid the enemy might effect the 

 passage to the Channel unperceived, he returned to its entrance, whence the ships 

 were withdrawn, some to the coast of Ireland, and the larger part to Plymouth, where the 

 men were allowed to come ashore, and the officers made merry with revels, dancing, and 

 bowling. The enemy was so long in making an appearance, that even Elizabeth was 

 persuaded the invasion would not occur that year; and with this idea, Secretary Walsing- 

 ham wrote to the admiral to send back four of his largest ships. " Happily for England, 

 and most honourably for himself, the Lord Effingham, though he had relaxed his vigilance, 



