THE SPANISH MENACE 



and a very sad contrast to Drake's fervent gallantry. It ended in his 

 being put under arrest and flying home, a flight which relieved his leader 

 of a good deal of anxiety. The little squadron sailed in 1587, and from 

 certain Hanse traders they learned that although the Armada was 

 collecting at Lisbon, huge supplies of stores and munitions were at Cadiz 

 awaiting transportation. The Tagus was left undisturbed therefore, and 

 making straight for Cadiz Drake forced back the naval outposts, sailed 

 into the port in spite of the efforts of the castle, and destroyed a hundred 

 odd ships which were mostly laden with stores for the expedition. Hav- 

 ing " singed the King of Spain's beard," as he laughingly put it, Drake 

 worked up the coast and put the whole countryside into a thorough state 

 of fear. The Marquis of Santa Cruz at Lisbon having ignored an invita- 

 tion to come out and fight him in the old way, Drake went into the Tagus 

 and burnt about a hundred more ships. From the national point of view 

 it was a triumphant success, but many of his companions were dis- 

 appointed at the smallness of their personal gain, and persuaded him 

 when he had finished on the coast to go out to the Azores with the idea 

 of plundering any homeward bound galleys which came his way. The 

 San Felipe was taken, and while her rich cargo satisfied the gentlemen- 

 adventurers, the capture really had a huge eflfect on the history of 

 England, for it was by studying the papers that he found on board her 

 that Drake first conceived some of his most dashing plans — plans which 

 resulted after his death in the establishment of the British Empire. 

 Although it is not at all certain that his exploit really postponed the 

 departure of the Armada from 1587 to 1588, it certainly made the expedi- 

 tion far less formidable than it would otherwise have been and multiplied 

 its cost very much, while its success greatly encouraged the English and 

 so assisted in the defence that they were able to make. 

 The Duke of Medina Sidonia. 



On the death of its originator, the command of the Armada fell to 

 the Duke of Medina Sidonia, a grandee who had only his personal 

 courage and his honesty to suggest him for the post. When the English 

 attacked Cadiz he carried himself, as always, with conspicuous gallantry, 

 but he had no heart in the expedition and does not even appear to have 

 been confident of its success. He hated the sea because it made him 

 sick, and he did everything that he could to avoid the command. 

 Finally, the King wrote to him to thank him for having accepted the 

 command, but one may well imagine that he did so chiefly because it 

 would have been unhealthy, even for a noble of his position, to refuse it. 

 So he completed the fitting out of the expedition with many misgivings, 

 which were not decreased when he received a set of hopelessly vague 

 and contradictory instructions from the King. 



The King's Plan. 



The root of the King's plan was that the Duke should take the fleet 

 up Channel as far as Margate Roads, and from there ensure the Duke 

 of Parma a safe passas?e for his invading force of veterans from Flanders, 

 afterwards reinforcing him with a landing party of anything up to six 



63 



