ch high command, as he had scant
knowledge of war and no experience of the sea. It is supposed that the King
persisted in the nomination because Medina-Sidonia's hereditary rank would
place him above the jealousies of the subordinate commanders, and he hoped
to supply for the Marquis's inexperience by sending veteran sailors and
soldiers with him as his staff-officers and divisional commanders.

By the middle of May, 1588, the Armada was at last ready to sail from the
Tagus. In England there had been the wildest reports as to its numbers and
strength. These exaggerations were repeated by the popular historians of
the fighting in the Channel, and have become almost a national tradition.
The Spanish galleons were said to be floating monsters, more like castles
than ships; the fleet was so numerous that it hid the sea, and looked like
a moving town; it "seemed as if room would scarce be found on the ocean for
so vast an armament."

The glory of the English victory was great enough to need no exaggeration
to enhance it. But in sober fact there was no such enormous disparity, as
is generally imagined, between the opposing forces.

Large and small, there were 130 ships in the Armada. The detailed
catalogue of them, from the list sent by Medina-Sidonia to Philip II, has
been reprinted by Captain Duro in his "Armada Invencibile," and by
Professor Laughton in his "State Papers relating to the Armada." From these
sources I take a summarized table giving the statistics of the Armada, and
then add some particulars as to various squadrons, ships, and
commanders:--

------------------------+--------+-------+------+----------+--------+----------
Divisions. | Ships. | Tons. | Guns.| Soldiers.|Sailors.|Total Men.
------------------------+--------+-------+------+----------+--------+----------
Armada of Portugal | 12 | 7,737 | 347 | 3,330 | 1,293 | 4,623
" " Biscay | 14 | 6,567 | 238 | 1,937 | 863 | 2,800
" " Castille | 16 | 8,714 | 384 | 2,458 | 1,719 | 4,171
" " Andalusia | 11 | 8,762 | 240 | 2,327 | 780 | 3,105
" " Guipuzcoa | 14 | 6,991 | 247 | 1,992 | 616 | 2,608
" " the Levant | 10 | 7,705 | 280 | 2,780 | 767 | 3,523
Squadron of "urcas" | 23 |10,271 | 384 | 3,121 | 608 | 3,729
(hulks or storeships) | | | | | |
"P