REIGN OF ELIZABETH-HER PRECAUTIONS TO RESTORE HER FLEET -THE SPANISH ARMADA-HOWARD OF EFFINGHAM-EARL OF ESSEX-SIR JOHN HAWKINS-SIR FRANCIS DRAKE-SIR MARTIN FROBISHER-EARL OF CUMBERLAND-SIR ROBERT DUDLEY-SIR RICHARD GRENVILLE-JAMES LANCASTER.

ELIZABETH, who ascended the throne at the age of twentyfive, found her kingdom beset with dangers and difficulties which her courage and talents alone enabled her to overcome. One of the first measures which her prudence dictated was to attempt to restore the naval superiority of the country, which, as we have stated, had been much impaired during the preceding reign.

Having made an order in council, in the preamble of which it was recited that the distresses of the kingdom were chiefly owing to the influence of foreign advice in the late reign, the queen declared that she was an independent and free princess and meant so to act, without any farther applications to Spain than the concerns of her people absolutely required.

On the 21st of November, when she had worn the crown but three days, she sent orders to Vice-Admiral Malyn, to

draw together as many ships as he could for the defence of the narrow seas, and for preventing, likewise, all persons from entering into, or passing out of the kingdom without license, which he performed so strictly, that in a short time the council were forced to relax their orders, and to signify to the warden of the Cinque-ports that the queen meant not to imprison her subjects, but that persons might pass and repass about their lawful concerns. With like diligence, provision was made for the security of Dover, Portsmouth, and the Isle of Wight, so that by the end of the year the kingdom was out of all danger from any sudden insult, and the queen at leisure to consider how she might farther strengthen it, so as to render all the projects of her enemies abortive.

A strict legal inquiry was made into the loss of Calais in the late reign. Lord Wentworth, on whom many aspersions had fallen, was fairly tried and honourably acquitted by his peers, but the Captain's Chamberlain and Harleston were condemned, though the queen thought fit to pardon them. As for Lord Grey, his gallant defence of the fortress, wherein he was governor, exempted him from any prosecution; instead of which, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the forces that were to march into Scotland, on a new war with that kingdom. The fleet was commanded by Admiral Winter, who sailed up the Frith of Forth, blocked up Leith by sea, while the army of the Scots Lords, and the English auxiliaries under Lord Grey, besieged it by land, and in a very short space forced the French garrison to capitulate, whereby all the designs of France on that side were entirely broken, and the queen left to look to her

own concerns.

Among these the navy was the queen's peculiar care; she directed a most exact survey of it to be made, a very strict inquiry into the causes of its decay, and the surest means by which it might be recovered. She issued orders for preserving timber fit for building, directed many pieces of brass cannon to be cast, and encouraged the making gunpowder at home, which had been hitherto brought from abroad at a vast expense. For the security of her fleet, which generally lay in the river Medway, she built a strong fortress, called Upnore Castle. The wages of the seamen she raised, enlarged the number and augmented the salaries of her naval officers, drew over foreigners skilled in the arts relating to navigation to instruct her people, and by the pains she

took in these affairs, excited a spirit of emulation among her subjects, who began everywhere to exert themselves in like manner, by repairing ports, and building vessels of all sizes, especially large and stout ships, fit for war as well as commerce, from all which, as Mr. Camden tells us, the queen justly acquired the glorious title of the restorer of naval power, and sovereign of the northern seas, insomuch that foreign nations were struck with awe at the queen's proceedings, and were now willing respectfully to court a power which had been so lately the object of their contempt.

The countenance given by Elizabeth to the Protestants among her allies, in their attempts to maintain their religious liberties, turned out of the utmost importance to the commercial interest of her own subjects, for the most skilful artificers of Europe were at that time those of France and the Low Countries, who being persecuted in their own countries, naturally had recourse to that protection which Elizabeth was so willing and so able to afford them, and her numerous ships keeping generally an effective command of the intermediate seas, were always ready to protect them and their families in their passage, and they, in bringing with them in all cases their skill, and in many their capital and implements, laid the foundation of the manufactures of England, which have risen to a height unparalleled in history.

This did not fail to add to the enmity with which the Catholic princes already regarded her, and Philip of Spain took the lead in the attempt to effect her destruction.

These attempts resulted in the sailing and loss of the Spanish Armada, an era so celebrated in our naval annals, as to require from us a brief sketch of the events which preceded and attended it.

The civil dissensions of the kingdom of France, which gave the court a pretence for oppressing those of the reformed religion, whom they called Hugonots, produced in the year 1562, very destructive consequences to their neighbours. A general spirit of rapine and confusion having spread itself through the inhabitants of that extensive kingdom, and the greatest crimes meeting with impunity, such as dwelt on the sea coast, and who were mostly Hugonots, fitted out ships to annoy their enemies, upon which the court party did the like, so that at last piracies were frequent, and the English trade suffered so intolerably, that at length the queen resolved to interpose. The French Protestants had long sued to her for protection, and offered to put the port of Havre de

Grace, then called Newhaven, into her hands, which at length she accepted, and sent over Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick, in the month of September, 1562, with a considerable fleet, and a good body of troops on board, who entered the town, and kept possession of it till the 29th of July following.

The taking into our hands this place proved of infinite detriment to the French, for the court having declared all English ships good prizes so long as the queen held that port, she found herself obliged to issue a like proclamation, whereupon such numbers of privateers were fitted out from English ports and from Newhaven, that the spoil they made is almost incredible. For example, we are told that one Francis Clarke equipped at his own expense three frigates, and after a cruize of six weeks, brought into Newhaven no fewer than eighteen prizes, which were valued at upwards of fifty thousand pounds. The main motive to this conduct was to revive a naval enterprising spirit amongst her subjects, the promoting ship-building, and preventing her neighbours from gaining an ascendency at sea, as they would certainly have done, if in order to redress the nation's wrongs she had had recourse to negotiation. A maritime power injured, instead of expostulating, immediately makes reprisals, and thereby extorts apologies from the aggressors made sensible of their past mistake.

But by degrees this spirit of privateering grew to such a height, that the queen, for her own safety and the honour of the nation, was obliged to restrain it; those who had fitted out ships of force, from a disposition natural enough to privateers, plundering indiscriminately all vessels that came in their way. In the month of July, also in this year, the queen directed a small squadron of ships to be fitted out, viz., the Lyon, the Hoope, the Hart, Swallow, and a barque named the Hare, of which Sir William Woodhouse, knight, was appointed Vice-Admiral, under a pretence of guarding the narrow seas, which were then said to be greatly infested with pirates, but in reality, as appears from his instructions, to lend what assistance he possibly could to the malecontents in France. Some of these vessels were, in the November following, such as the Hart, Swallow, Hare, &c., judged requisite by the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Pembroke, and the Lord Admiral Clinton, to remain at Portsmouth, not only for the security of the coast and keeping the channel clear during the winter, but for the conveniency of transporting troops,

money, provisions, and ammunition, as also for the conveying to and receiving letters from Newhaven. The Hare, in her passage to the last-mentioned place, was attacked by a French ship of ninety tons and upwards, which she took.

Philip the Second of Spain, from the time of queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne, had dealt with her very deceitfully, sometimes pretending to be her firm friend, at others seeking every occasion to injure and molest her subjects, which he had more frequent opportunities of doing from the great commerce they carried on in Flanders. What served also to heighten the people's hatred against the Spaniards was, the cruelty and treachery with which they had treated Captain Hawkins and his crew in the West Indies, an insult which the queen could but very ill bear, though as things were circumstanced she could not well resent it, all trade to the Spanish West Indies being in some respect opposed to treaties.

In the midst of all difficulties, the queen took every opportunity to encourage her people in prosecuting new schemes of trade abroad, and of pursuing what might be an improvement of their lands at home. With this view she sometimes contributed ships, sometimes gave money, at others entered into partnership. She likewise afforded, in a very delicate conjuncture a proof of her generosity, in directing a strong squadron of her ships to escort Anne of Austria in her voyage from Flanders into Spain, notwithstanding the bad terms on which she then stood with king Philip. Her treaties with France, which seemed to exclude all fear of danger, did not hinder her from fortifying Portsmouth thoroughly, in which it quickly appeared that her precaution was far from being the effects of a needless timidity, for the French soon fitted out a considerable fleet, pretending to take some offence at the supplies she had sent the Hugonots, as if it was contrary to the treaties between them; but when it appeared that her Majesty had provided effectually against any attempts they were able to make, they were glad to desist, and even to make greater professions of friendship than before, which disposed the queen to send over the Earl of Worcester to the christening of the French king's daughter.

This proved unlucky for the Hugonots, who having fitted out abundance of rovers from Rochelle, they stopped and visited vessels of all nations approaching the French coast; amongst the rest, they seized a barque with part of the Earl of Worcester's baggage, which they took, and killed three