THE COPIE OF A LETTER SENT OVT OF ENGLAND TO AN AMBASSADOUR in FRANCE for the KING of SPAINE declaring the State of ENGLAND contrary to the opinion of Don Bernardin and of all his partizans Spaniards and others Wherunto are adioyned certain Advertisements concerning the losses and distresses happened to the Spanish Navy as well in fight with the English Navie in the narrow Seas of England as also by tempests and contrary winds upon the West and North coasts of Ireland in their returne from the Northerne Isles beyond Scotland LONDON Printed by George Miller dwelling in Black-Friers 1641. The Printer to the Reader ALthough it be well known that neither the first writers of these Letters now by me printed nor yet the Spaniard Don Bernardin to whom they are directed had any desire to heare of any good successe to the State of England as may appeare in the writer by shewing himselfe grieved to make any good report of England other then of meere necessity he was urged And in Don Bernardin who was so impudent or at the least so blindly rash as to disperse in print both in French Italian and Spanish most false reports of a victory had by the Spaniards even when the victory was notable on the part of England and the Spanish vanquished yet whilst I was occupied in the printing heerof a good time after the Letters were sent into France there came to this City certaine knowledge to all our great comfort of sundry happy Accidents to the diminution of our mortall enemies in their famous Fleet that was driven out of our Seas about the last of July 1588 towards the farthermost North parts of Scotland Wherefore I have thought it not amisse to joyne the same to this Letter of Don Bernardin that he may beware not to be so hasty of himselfe nor yet to permit one Capella who is his common sower of reports to write these false things for truthes The particularities whereof are these The Fleet was by tempest driven beyond the Isles of Orknay about the first of August 1588. the place being aboue threescore degrees from the North Pole an unaccustomed place for the young Gallants of Spaine that never had felt stormes on the Sea or cold weather in August And about those North Islands their Mariners and Souldiers died daily by multitudes as by their bodies cast on land did appeare And after twenty daies or more having spent their time in miseries they being desirous to returne home to Spain sailed very farre Southwestward into the Ocean to recover Spaine But the Almighty God who alwaies avengeth the cause of his afflicted people which put their confidence in him and bringeth downe his enemies that exalt themselves with pride to the Heavens ordered the windes to be so violently contrarious to this proud Navie as it was with force dissevered on the high Seas West upon Ireland and so a great number of them driven into sundry dangerous bayes and upon rockes all along the West and North parts of Ireland in sundry places distant above an hundred miles asunder and there cast away some sunke some broken some run on sands some burned by the Spaniards themselves As in the North part of Ireland towards Scotland betwixt the two rivers of Loughfoâ—le and Lough Swilley nine were driven to land and many of them broken and the Spaniards forced to come to land for succour amongst the wilde Irish In another place twenty miles South-west from thence in a Bay called Calbeggy three other ships driven also upon rockes In another place Southward being a Bay called the Borreys twentie miles North from Gâ—llowey belonging to the Earle of Ormond one speciall great Ship of a thousand tunne with fifty brasse peeces and foure Cannons was sunke and all the people drowned saving sixteene who by their apparell as it is advertised out of Ireland seeme to be persons of great estimation Then to come more to the Southward thirtie miles upon the coasts of Thomond North from the river Shennan two or three moe perished whereof one was burned by the Spaniards themselves and so driven to the shore another was of S. Sebastians wherin were three hundred men who were also all drowned saving threescore A third Ship with all her lading was cast away at a place called Breckan In another place afore Sir Tirlogh Obrynes house there was also another great Ship lost supposed to be a Galliasse These losses above mentioned were betwixt the fift and tenth of September as was advertised from sundry places out of Ireland so as by account from the one and twentieth of July when this Navy was first beaten with the Navie of England untill the tenth of September being the space of seven weekes and more it is most likely that the said Navie had never good day nor night Of the rest of the Navie report is also made that many of them have bene seene lying of and on upon the coast of Ireland tossed with the windes in such sort as it is also doubted that many of them shall hardly recover Spaine if they be so weakned with lacke of victuals and Mariners as part of their companies that were left on land do lamentably report These accidents I thought good to adde to the printed Copies of the Letters of Don Bernardin that he may see how God doth favour the just cause of that gracious Queen in shewing his anger towards those proud boasting enemies of Christian peace as the whole world from Rome to the uttermost parts of Christendome may see that she and her Realme professing the Gospell of his sonne Christ were kept and defended as the words of the Psalme are Under the shadow of his wings from the face of the wicked that sought to afflict her and compasse her round about to take away her soule Which I doubt not by thankfullnesse yeelded by her Majestie and her whole Realme will alwaies cotinue The 9. of Octob. 1588. The Copie of a Letter sent out of ENGLAND to an Ambassadour in FRANCE for the Kings of SPAIN MY Lord Embassador though at the time of my last large writing to you of the state of this countrey and of our long desired expectation of succours promised I did not thinke to have had such a sorrowfull occasion of any second writing as now I have of alamentable change of matters of estate here yet I cannot forbeare though it be with as many sighes as lines to advertise you of the truth of our miserable condition as now to me and others of our party the same appeareth to be That by comparing of all things past in hope with the present now in despaire your L. who have had the principall mannaging hitherto of all our causes of long time both here and there in France betwixt the King Catholique assisted with the Potentates of the holy League and all our countrey men which have professed obedience to the Church of Rome may now fall into some new and better consideration how our state
had besieged Barwicke and had won it by assault and possessed it quietly whereof no part was true nor any cause to imagine the same though I wish it had so been but not for any good will that I now beare to that King but for the trouble to this Queen For in truth there is no good for us to be hoped for from the King of Scots howsoever the Scottish Bishops in France have sought to make you beleeve otherwise who is so rooted in the Calvinists Religion as there is never hope that he can be recovered to the Church of Rome and so I thinke you are of late duely informed and by his violent actions against divers Catholikes and against all that favour the Spaniards may certainly appeare And likewise another great untruth was lately printed as your enemies say by your direction also in Paris that now in Iuly last when the Spanish Fleet and English had met and fought betwixt France and England the Spaniards had then a great victory wherein they had sunke the Lord Admirall of England with sixteen of the Queens great ships into the bottome of the Seas and that all the rest were driven to fly with the Vice-Admirall Francis Drake Upon these two so notable untruths which the adversaries spightfully called Don Bernardin Mendozas mendacia many who honour you were right sorry that you should give so hasty credit to publish the same as your enemies say you did though I have to my power for clearing of your honour given it out that these and such like have proceeded of the lightnesse of the French who commonly print more lies then truths in such doubtfull times and not of you whose honour and wisedome I thought would not be justly touched with so great untruths and lies considering alwayes a small time will discover things that are in facts reported untruly and bringeth the Authors to discredit and infamy There hath been a speech also reported here to have proceeded from you in France that hath caused a great misliking of you in Scotland which is that you should in open assembly and in a bravery say that the young King of Scots whom you called in your language a boy had deceived the K. your master but if the Kings Navy might prosper against England the K. of Scots should lose his Crowne and of this the King of Scots hath been advertised out of France and useth very evill language of you which I will not report But now to leave this digression and to returne to let you know the truth of the state of the Queens Navy this Summer The same was in the beginning of the yeare when the brute was brought of the readines of the Kings Armado in Lisbone and of the army by land upon the Sea-coasts in Flanders with their shipping divided into three companies the greatest under the charge of Charles L. Haward high Admirall of England whose father grandfather uncles great unckles and other of his house being of the noble house of the Dukes of Norfolk had also been high Admirals afore him whereof both France and Scotland have had proof Another company were appointed to remaine with the L. Henry Seymour second son to the Duke of Somerset that was Protector in King Edwards time and brother to the Earle of Hartford and these companies for a time continued in the narrow seas betwixt England and Flanders under the charge of the said high Admirall to attend on the Duke of Parmas actions A third company were armed in the West part of England towards Spain under the conduct of Sir Francis Drake a man by name and fame known too too well to all Spam and to the Kings Indias and of great reputation in England and this was compounded partly of some of the Queens owne ships and partly of the ships of the West parts But after that it was certainly understood that the great Navy of Spaine was ready to come out from Lisbone and that the fame thereof was blowne abroad in Christendome to be invincible and so published by books in print The Queen and all her Councell I am sure whatsoever good countenance they made were not a little perplexed as looking certainly for a dangerous fight upon the Seas and after that for a landing and invasion Whereupon the Lord Admirall was commanded to saile with the greatest ships to the West of England towards Spaine to joyne with Drake whom he made Vice-Admirall and to continue in the Seas betwixt France and England to stop the landing of the Navy of Spaine And with the Lord Admirall went in certaine of the Queens ships the Lord Thomas Haward second son to the last Duke of Norfolke and the Lord Sheffeld sonne to the Admirals sister who is wife to the Queenes Embassadour in France with a great number of Knights of great livelihood And at that time the Lord Henry Seymour was left with a good number of ships in the narrow Seas upon the coast of Flanders to attend on the Duke of Parma Whilst these two Navies were thus divided I confesse to you that I and others of our part secrerly made a full account that none of all these English ships durst abide the sight of the Armado of Spaine or if they would abide any sight yet they should all be sunke at the first encounter For such constant opinion we had conceived by the reports of the world that the greatnesse and the number of the ships and the army of Spaine being the chosen vessell of all the Kings Dominions was so excessive monstrous beyond all the Navies that ever had been seen in Christendome not excepting the Armado at Lepanto that no power could abide in their way But how far deceived we were therein a very short time even the first day did manifestly to the great dishonour of Spaine discover For when the Catholique army came to the coast of England which indeed the English confesse did seeme far greater then they looked for and that they were astonied with the sight of them yet the Lord Admirall and Drake having but onely fifty of the English ships out of the haven of Plimmouth where the rest remained for a new revictualling without tarrying for the rest of the Navy that was in Plimmouth they did offer present sight and furiously pursued the whole Navy of Spaine being above 160 ships so as the same with the furious and continuall shot of the English one whole day fled without any returning And after the English Navy being increased to an hundred great and small renued their fight with terrible great shot all the whole day gaining alwayes the wind of the Spanish Navy And as I am sorry to remember the particularities which the English have largely written to their owne praise so to speake all in one word for nine dayes together they still forced them to flye and destroyed sunke and tooke in three dayes fight divers of the greatest ships out of which
indeed was of the more credit first by reason of a new Bull lately published at Rome by the Popes Holinesse which I have seen with more severity then others of his predecessors whereby the Queen here was accursed and pronounced to be deprived of her Crowne and the invasion and conquest of the Realme committed by the Pope to the king Catholique to execute the same with his armies both by sea and land and to take the Crowne to himselfe or to limit it to such a Potentate as the Pope and he should name And secondly there followed a large explanation of this Bull by sending hither a number of English books printed in Antwerp even when the Navy of Spaine was daily looked for the originall whereof was written by the reverend father Cardinall Allen in Aprill last called in his owne writing the Cardinall of England which booke was so violently sharply and bitterly written yea say the adversaries so arrogantly falsly and scandalously against the person of the Queene against her father King Henry the eight against all her Nobility and Councell as in very truth I was heartily sorry to perceive so many good men of our own Religion offended therewith in that there should be found in one accounted a Father of the Church who was also a born subject of this Crowne though by the adversaries reported to be very basely borne such soule vile irreverent and violent speeches such irefull and bloudy threatenings of a Queen of a Nobility yea of the whole people of his owne nation Sorry and most sorry I am to report the generall evill conceit of these unordinate unadvised proceedings of this Cardinall of whose rash choice to such a place the world speaketh strangely as though he came to it through corruption of the Popes Sister without liking of the Colledge of Cardinals where otherwise the blessed intention of our holy Father and the desire also of the said Cardinall might without such fatall bloudy premonitions and threatenings of future invasions and conquests by the Catholique Kings noble forces have taken better place There was also to adde the more credit to these terrible prognestications such kind of other books printed in Spaine and translated into French as it is said by your Lordship containing particular long descriptions and catalogues of Armados of Castile of Andalouzia of Biscaye of Guipusque of Portingall of Naples of Sicil of Ragusa and other countries of the Levant with a masse of all kind of provisions beyond measure for the said Armados sufficient in estimation to be able to make conquest of many kingdomes or countries And one great Argument is published by the adversaries to stir up the minds of the Nobilitie of England against the Spaniards which is very maliciously invented to shew the intention of the conquest not only of England but of the whole Isle of Britaine moving all men specially to marke by the description of the Armado that there are specially named such a number of Noblemen as Princes Marquises Condes and Dons that are called Adventurers without any office or pay and such another number also of men with great titles of honour and many of them named Captains and Alferez without office but yet in sold and therfore called Entertenidos as all those being for no service in the Armada may be well presumed say they to have come to have possessed the roomes of all the Noblemen in England and Scotland and this fiction hath taken more place then it is worth And though these armies were indeed exceeding great and mighty yet they were so amplified beyond all measure in these books as in no preparation of Christendome in former times against the Sarracins or Turks could be greater By this meanes this Queene and her Realme being thus forewarned and terrified took occasion with the ayde of her people being not only firmly as she was perswaded devoted to her but throughly irritated to stir up their whole forces for their defence against such prognosticated conquests as in a very short time all her whole Realme and every corner were speedily furnished with armed people on horsebacke and on foot and those continually trained exercised and put into bands in warlike manner as in no age ever was before in this Realme Here was no soaring of money to provide horse armour weapon pouder all necessaries no not want of provision of Pyoners carriages and victuals in every County of the Realme without exception to attend upon the Armies And to this generall furniture every man voluntarily offered very many their service personally without wages others money for armour and weapons and to wage souldiers a matter strange and never the like heard of in this Realme or else where And this generall reason moved all men to large contributions that to withstand a conquest where all should be lost there was no time to spare a portion The numbers made ready in the Realme I cannot affirme of mine owne knowledge but I have heard it reported when I was grieved to thinke the same to be so true that there was through England no quarter East West North and South but all concurred in one mind to be in readinesse to serve for the Realme And that some one countrey was able to make a sufficient army of twenty thousand men fit to fight and fifteene thousand of them well armed and weaponed and in some countries the number of forty thousand able men The maritine countries from Cornowall all along the Southside of England to Kent and from Kent Eastward by Essex Suffolke and Norfolke to Lincolne-shire which countries with their havens were well described unto you in perfect Plots when Francis Throgmorton first did treat with your L. about the same were so furnished of men of war both of themselves and with resort of ayde from their next Shires as there was no place to be doubted for landing of any forraine forces but there were within eight and forty houres to come to the place above twenty thousand fighting men on horsebacke and on foot with field ordinance victuals pioners and carriages and all those governed by the principall Noblemen of the countries and reduced under Captaines of knowledge And one thing I heard of that was very politiquely ordered and executed at this time as of many late yeares was not used that as the leaders and officers of the particular Bands were men of experience in the warres so to make the Bands strong and constant choise was made of the principall Knights of all countries to bring their tenants to the field being men of strength and landed and of wealth whereby all the forces so compounded were of a resolute disposition to sticke to their Lords and Chieftaines and the Chieftaines to trust to their owne tenants And to remember one strange speech that I heard spoken may be marvelled at but it was avowed to me for a truth that one gentleman in Kent had a band of 150
now for the more part returned with a full determination and firme promise to continue their Bands in such readinesse as upon a few houres warning they will assuredly returne with them in good array Beside these foresaid arguments to disprove the opinion of discontentment of the people which heretofore hath been thought a great furtherance to this honourable action I will also remember you some other more notable actions to prove both contentation and readinesse in all the Nobilitie of the Realme at this time that were not tyed to abide in their countries by reason of their offices as Lieutenants and Governours there for martiall services I or as soone as it was heard that the Queene was come neare London and that the armies were in gathering to come out of the countries for defence of all Invasions and reports brought from the sea coasts of the appearance of the Spanish Navy all the Noblemen in the Realme from East and West from North and South excepting onely such great Lords as had speciall Governments in countries that might not lawfully be absent from their charge and some few that were not able to make forces according to their desire came to the Queene bringing with them according to their degrees and to the uttermost of their powers goodly bands of horsemen both launces light horsemen and such other as are termed Carabins or Argeletiers lodging their bands round about London and maintaining them in pay at their own charges all the time untill the Navy of Spain was certainly known to be passed beyond Scotland And of these Noblemen many shewed their bands of their horsemen before the Queene even in the fields afore her own gate to the great marvell of men of good judgement as I heard reported for that the number of them was so great and so well armed and horsed as knowing that they were no parcell of the numbers of horsemen limited in every countrey and put into bands with the armies described it was thought before they were seen that there had not been so many spare horses of such valour in the whole Realm excepting the North part of England towards Scotland whose forces consist chiefly of horsemen The first shewed his bands to the Queen was that noble vertuous honorable man the Viscount Mountague who howsoever men doe judge of him for opinion in Religion yet to tell you the truth he is reported alwayes to have professed as now also at this time he did professe and protest solemnly both to the Queen and to all her Court in open assemblies that he now came though he was very sickly and in age with a full resolution to live and dye in defence of the Queene and of his countrey against all invaders whether it were Pope King or Potentate whatsoever and in that quarrell he would hazard his life his children his lands goods And to shew his mind agreeable therto he came personally himself before the Queen with his band of horsemen being almost two hundred the same being led by his own sons and with them a young childe very comely seated on hors-back being the heire of his house that is the eldest son to his son and heir a matter much noted of many whom I heard to commend the same to see a grandfather father and son at one time on hors-back afore a Queen for her service though in truth I was sorry to see our Adversaries so greatly pleased therwith But I cannot conceale it from your Lordships knowledge because I think this Nobleman is known unto you having bin used as an Embassadour to the King Catholik many years past by this Queen as I have heard to require confirmation of the treaties of amity betwixt both their Fathers And of this Noblemans conditions I thinke there be some others of whom there is no account to be made that they will give favour to any attempt against the Queen or to any invasion of the Realme There were also many at the same time that made shews of great numbers of serviceable horses where of though it be no comfort to you to heare yet it is good that you be not abused for lacke of knowledge how the present state is here that you may better judge hereafter what may be done to recover this late losse and dishonour At this time the Earle of Lincolne and the Lord Windesore with some Knights and Gentlemen with them shewed their Bands as the Lord Mountague had done and after them the Lord Chancelour shewed goodly Bands of horsmen and footmen at his own house very many and strong And within one or two days after the Earle of Warwicke the Lord Burghley Lord Treasurer the Lord Compton and in the end of the day the Earle of Leicester and the Lord Rich besides sundry Knights of the Realme shewed every of them severall strong bands of horsmen to the great liking of the Queen and of all the people that were there being many thousands And within two days after that the Earle of Essex being Master of the Queens horse with certain principall Gentlemen his servants friends and followers shewed afore the Queen above three hundred horses of all service and a great number of Carabins and a faire Band of footmen all Muskettiers This shew exceeded in number any other particular Band and the Earle himself with a great number of Launces horsed and armed did run very many courses and specially with the Earle of Cumberland as they call it the Course of the field which I had never seen before and did also himself and his company Tourney on hors-back a very long time and caused also his Carabines and his footmen to make many skirmishes there to the great liking of the Queen of the multitude of people which were many thousands Amongst whom I heard many vehement speeches against all English Papists calling them all Traitors wishing also that the Spaniards had bin there in that field with treble the number to make proof of the value of English-men all which I heard to my great grief with many curses against all their countrimen saying that they as arrant traitors to their native country had villanously sold as far as in them did lie the liberty of their country to Spaniards and other Papists It behoved me not there to have contraried any of them for surely if I had their rancour was so stirred up by the comfort of these fair shews of hors-men as they would there in the field in their rage have killed me and cut me in a thousand peeces Besides these Lords above named there were brought to the town other fair Bands by the Earle of Worcester the Earle of Hertford the Lord Audeley Lord Morley Lord Darcy Lord Lomely Lord Mountjoy Lord Sturton Lord Darcy Lord Sands Lord Mordant and by every one that were of the privy Councell so as by estimation there were