West-Countrymen 'the case was clear in sea
divinitie,' as similar cases had often been before. Tremayne, a
Devonshire magistrate and friend of the syndicate, could hardly find
words to express his contentment with Drake, whom he called 'a man of
great government, and that by the rules of God and His Book.'

Elizabeth decided to stand by Drake. She claimed, what was true, that he
had injured no actual place or person of the King of Spain's, nothing
but property afloat, appropriate for reprisals. All England knew the
story of Ulua and approved of reprisals in accordance with the spirit of
the age. And the Queen had a special grievance about Ireland, where the
Spaniards were entrenched in Smerwick, thus adding to the confusion of a
rebellion that never quite died down at any time. Philip explained that
the Smerwick Spaniards were there as private volunteers. Elizabeth
answered that Drake was just the same. The English tide, at all events,
was turning in his favor. The indefatigable Stowe, chronicler of London,
records that 'the people generally applauded his wonderful long
adventures and rich prizes. His name and fame became admirable in all
places, the people swarming daily in the streets to behold him, vowing
hatred to all that misliked him.'

The _Golden Hind_ had been brought round to London, where she was the
greatest attraction of the day. Finally, on the 4th of April, 1581,
Elizabeth went on board in state, to a banquet 'finer than has ever been
seen in England since King Henry VIII,' said the furious Spanish
ambassador in his report to Philip. But this was not her chief offence
in Spanish eyes. For here, surrounded by her court, and in the presence
of an enormous multitude of her enthusiastic subjects, she openly defied
the King of Spain. 'He hath demanded Drake's head of me,' she laughed
aloud, 'and here I have a gilded sword to strike it off.' With that she
bade Drake kneel. Then, handing the sword to Marchaumont, the special
envoy of her French suitor, Francis of Anjou, she ordered him to give
the accolade. This done, she pronounced the formula of immemorial fame:
_I bid thee rise, Sir Francis Drake!_

CHAPTER VIII

DRAKE CLIPS THE WINGS OF SPAIN

For three years after Drake had been dubbed Sir Francis by the Queen he
was the hero of every class of Englishmen but two: the extreme Roman
Catholics, who wanted Mary Queen of Scots, and the merchants who were
doing business with Portugal and Spain. The M