THE L\ VLXC1BLE ARMADA. 



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the Almighty long to continue her reign among us ; for at this, 

 day she is the most famous and victorious prince that liveth in 

 the world. Thus, humbly desiring pardon for my tediousness,, 

 I leave your lordship to the tuition of the Almighty." 



Cavendish spent his immense wealth in equipping vessels for 

 a second voyage, which ended disastrously, and in which, after 

 being beaten by the Portuguese off the coast of Brazil, he died 

 of shame and grief. He ranks as one of the most enterprising, 

 diligent, and cautious of the early English navigators, though 

 of course, he must be regarded as an arrant buccaneer. 



From what we have said of the piracies of the English, and 

 of their encroachments upon the domain of the Spanish, and 

 of the ardent desire of the latter to retain the monopoly of the 

 trade with the natives of America and to hold the exclusive 

 right to rob and slay them at their pleasure, the reader will be 

 prepared for the imposing but bombastic attempt made by Spain 

 against England in 1588. Philip II. determined to put forth his 

 strength, and his fleet was named, before it sailed, " The most. 

 Fortunate and Invincible Armada." It was described in official 

 accounts as consisting of one hundred and thirty ships, manned 

 by eight thousand four hundred and fifty sailors, and carrying 

 nineteen thousand soldiers, two thousand galley-slaves, and two 

 thousand six hundred pieces of brass. The vessels were named 

 from Romish saints, from the various appellations of the Trinity,, 

 from animals and fabulous monsters, — the Santa Catilina, the 

 Great Griffin, and the Holy Ghost being profanely intermixed.. 

 In the fleet were one hundred and twenty-four volunteers of 

 noble family, and one hundred and eighty almoners, Domini- 

 cans, Franciscans, and Jesuits. Instruments of torture were 

 placed on board in large quantities, for the purpose of assisting 

 in the great work of reconciling England to Romanism. The 

 Spaniards and the Pope had resolved that all who should 

 defend the queen and withstand the invasion should, with 

 all their families, be rooted out, and their places, their honors, 



