THE TUDORS 



fact that this report was prepared while we were smarting under defeat, 

 things appear to have been very wrong at that time. 



Operations against Scotland and France. 



In the year 1523 our attention was turned to Scottish affairs, for the 

 Duke of Albany became Regent of Scotland after having had consider- 

 able experience as Admiral of France. He had collected a force in 

 France with which he intended to invade England from the north, and 

 Sir William FitzWilliam, the Vice-Admiral, was sent to sea with a fleet 

 to intercept him. He fought a partial action which resulted in two 

 French prizes being taken and the rest driven into North French ports, 

 after which he carried out the usual pillaging raid and returned to 

 England. That was his mistake, for no sooner had he returned to his 

 base than Albany, who had hurriedly recommissioned his fleet, slipped 

 across to Scotland, where he gave us infinite trouble. After that there 

 was peace on the sea for nearly twenty years, but in 1544 John Dudley, 

 Lord Lyle, carried out combined naval and military operations against 

 the Forth, plundering Edinburgh but being unable to take the Castle. 

 In 1544 Henry VIII was dragged into a war with France on behalf of the 

 Empire. The first success was the capture of Boulogne, which gave us a 

 very useful base until we lost it again. Francis I felt the loss of this 

 fortress keenly, and in 1545 fitted out an expedition to attack Ports- 

 mouth, while preparations were made to besiege Boulogne. A colossal 

 fleet was collected, while we had only some sixty sail. The expedition 

 began unfortunately, for when Francis gave a grand banquet on board 

 the flagship Caraquon at Havre the ship caught fire owing to the careless- 

 ness of the cooks, and the Court had a narrow escape. Intending 

 rescuers, however, were even worse off, for as the fire got to the shotted 

 guns there were a number of casualties. The expedition was under 

 Admiral Claude d'Annebaut, Baron de Retz, and among his 

 distinguished lieutenants was Antoine Esclain, nicknamed Polain, who 

 commanded a division of galleys. When they arrived at Portsmouth 

 every measure was made to defend the town, but in moving out the 

 Mary Rose, one of the finest ships in the British Fleet, heeled in turning 

 and her lowest gun-ports being left open and only a few inches above 

 the water, she filled and sank. In spite of this disaster the British made a 

 very good fight against superior odds, althou,<5h they could not prevent 

 the French landing in the Isle of Wight and plundering a number of 

 villaj^es. They did enough, however, to force the fleet to withdraw and 

 get about its original business of besieging Boulogne. 



The Salvage of the " Mary Rose." 



The Navy could ill afford the loss of such a valuable ship as the 

 Marv Rose at this period, and efforts were immediately made to lift her. 

 Certain Italians claimed to be experts and were engaged at what was 

 then considered a very big figure, but all they did was to get some barges 

 and make them fast to the masts of the wreck in the hope that they would 

 lift her on the rising tide. Not unnaturallv they simply pulled out the 

 masts, and one can well understand King Henry's annoyance when he 

 54 



