2IO A. D. 1596- 



and ftrong port and city of Cadiz is in all our hiftories at large, and 

 therefor improper in this work to be enlarged on. There they burnt 

 and deftroyed much Chipping and more riches, and demoliflied all the 

 forts ; all which together were eflimated at twenty millions of ducats of 

 real lofs and damage to Spain. Much rich booty was brought home, 

 together with two galleons and a hundred brafs cannon, and two hun- 

 dred other pieces of ordnance were either taken or funk in the fea. 

 Eleven of the king of Spain's belt (hips, forty-four merchant fliips, and 

 an immenfe quantity of naval flores, ammunition, provifions, &c. were 

 deftroyed ; and for ranfom of their lives they agreed to give hoflages 

 for the payment qf 520,000 ducats. This, in fhort, was a very glorious 

 exploit, and did not a httle raife the credit of the queen, and of her 

 naval and land-forces, as well as of her minifters and commanders. In 

 this attack the Englifh employed fix fhips of Lubeck and Dantzick to 

 board the Spanilh galleons, the admiral being unwilling to hazard the 

 queen's own fhips. 



Neverthelefs, Philip, determined on making reprifals for fo great an 

 infult, difgrace, and lofs, aflembled his whole marine force at Lilhon, 

 with all the foreign (hips in his ports; as alfo a body of land-forces, and 

 many Irilh fugitives, intending an invafion either of England or Ire- 

 land. But a violent tempeft arifmg, deflroyed the greateft part of his 

 fhips, whereby an end was put to the invafion for the prefent year. 



Sir Anthony Shirly, after cruifing on the coafts of New Spain and 

 the Spanifh Weft-Indies, landed on the ifland of Jamaica, and having 

 plundered St. Jago de la Vega its principal town, left the ifland. 



Sir Robert Dudley and others fent out three fhips with intent to trade 

 to China, of which, and its rich commerce, the Englifh had heard fo 

 much. Wood, the commander in chief, had Queen Elizabeth's letters 

 to the emperor of China. But all that we know of this unfortunate 

 voyage is, that they never got fo far as Eaft-India ; but after encoun- 

 tering ftorms, ficknefs, and famine, were at length driven on the Spa- 

 nifn Weft-Indies, having only four men left alive, who were made pri- 

 feners, and their fliips ieized. [Purcbas, B. iii, c,§ 2.] 



In this year the Hollanders attempted a third (and the laft) time a 

 north-eaft pafTage to China, but were very unfortunate therein, lofing 

 one of their two fliips ; and Barents, with fuch men as were left alive, 

 wintered miferably in Nova Zembla, and out of their battered fliip fit- 

 ted out a Imaller one, and with infinite hazards and difficulties return- 

 ed home to Holland, Barents, however, dying in his return. 



1597. — Two laws were made at this time for relief of the aged and 

 maimed poor ; the one was for the amendment and improvement of a 

 law [35 E/iz. r. 4.] for charging every parifh with a weekly tax for the 

 relief of fick, hurt, and maimed foldiers and mariners, by enabling any 

 perion to ered for thofe purpofes hofpitals and houfes of corredion, and 



