A. D. 1587. 185 



alfo by feveral merchants. Thofe great men knew, from what had al- 

 ready been difcovered, as alio from the frame and ftrudliure of the terra- 

 queous globe, that fooner or later more dilcoveries would be made ; and 

 that as it would greatly redound to the benefit of their country, fo it 

 would no lefs advance their own glory to be the inftruments of fuch 

 great benefits to their country. 



1588 King Philip II of Spain, though difappointed of invading Eng- 

 land in the year 1587, feat his fleet and troops out againfl England in the 

 memorable year 1588. Camden aflerts that it was the befi: appointed of 

 men, ammunition, and provifions, of all that ever the Ocean faw, and 

 called by the arrogant appellation of the invincible armada. It conllft- 

 ed of 



130 fhips of all kinds, 

 19,290 foldiers, 



8350 failors, 



2080 galley flaves, 



2630 cannon. 

 The lord admiral, Charles Lord Howard of Effingham, was the chief 

 commander of the Engliili fleet this year ; Sir Francis Drake vice-ad- 

 miral ; Sir John Hawkins and Sir Martin Frobilher rear-admirals. The 

 whole Englilh fleet confifted of but 76 fliips paid by the queen, and 38 

 by the city of London ; befldes 83 coafl;ers, &c. fent by feveral other 

 fea-ports ; in all 197 vefl^els great and fmall *, befides thofe of Holland 

 and Zealand. Some of our vefle;ls, filled with combufl;ible matter, and 

 fent among the Spanifh fhips, are faid to have given rife to the terrible 

 invention of fire-fhipsf. 



The pompous and tremendous armada of Spain, partly by the valour 

 of the EnglilTi navy, which, though much inferior, had many engage- 

 ments with them in the Channel, and that of the flates of the new Bel- 

 gic republic, partly by the duke of Parma not joining them with his 

 land and fea forces from the Netherlands, and partly by violently tem- 

 pefiuous weather, after lofing many fliips imd men, was obliged to re- 

 tire north about by the coafls of Scotland, and thence home to Spain, 

 by the wefl coafl; of Ireland. On the coatl of Scotland, they loft many 

 fhips, and (according to Camden) had above 700 foldiers and failors 

 wrecked there, who, by the intercelTion of the prince of Parma to King 

 James, and with the confent of Queen Elizabeth, were afterward fent 



* Stow, that circumftantial and indefatigable -f- The Englifh may have invented fire-fhips at 



writer, gives the names t>f moil of the Engh'fli this time, though it is certain that the Tyrians, 



fleet, of which fixteen (hips of war were fiirnilTied 1920 years before, dcllroyed Alexander's works 



by the Londoners, and ten by the fociety of raer- by a fire-fhip, and the Conftantinopolilans, A. D. 



chant-adventurers. There are alfo lills of the 716, deftroyed the Saracen fleet by tlie fame 



Spanifh and Englifh forces in a nianufcript of the means. M. 

 Cotton library, Julius, F. vi. No. 106, J07. M, 



Vol. IL A a 



