THE OCEAN AS A BATTLE-FIELD 281 



believed in their religion as firmly as did the Catholics, 

 they would have spared no effort, neglected no means 

 to promulgate it among the nations. 



Primarily, however, the reason for the English 

 cutting into the Spaniard's rich preserves in the new 

 world was the overwhelming desire to share in those 

 fabulous gains, and the fact, in their belief, that in so 

 doing they were also combating the vast tyranny of 

 the Eomish Church from which they had so lately 

 been set free, was an added incentive of the most 

 important kind. Moreover, the ships of the English 

 were manned by freemen, each of whom, however 

 humble, was guaranteed his definite share of the spoil, 

 and, although for the good of all, the sternest dis- 

 cipline was maintained, there was also justice of the 

 most definite kind for high and low. Again, these 

 adventurers were independent, the monarch had no 

 sort of control over them save that which they freely 

 accorded. They fitted out their ships at their own 

 charges, and invited co-operation by seamen on a 

 profit-sharing basis, so that, although hardships were 

 necessarily faced, they were also voluntarily endured 

 for the sake of the reward that was to follow. 



Now, the history of the long struggle between 

 Briton and Spaniard upon the ocean, which culminated 

 with the Armada, was one of practically uninterrupted 

 victory for the English. As, indeed, it was bound to be, 

 remembering the essential difference in the character 

 of the men who did the fighting. There were no great 

 fleets equipped to fight pitched naval battles, only a 

 series of isolated conflicts between ships, all essentially 

 one-sided affairs. The Spaniards had always the ad- 

 vantage in size of ships a doubtful one at best in 



