inary preparations soon reached the court of
London; and notwithstanding the secrecy of the Spanish council, and
their pretending to employ this force in the Indies, it was easily
concluded that they meant to make some effort against England. The queen
had foreseen the invasion; and finding that she must now contend for
her crown with the whole force of Spain, she made preparations for
resistance; nor was she dismayed with that power, by which all Europe
apprehended she must of necessity be overwhelmed. Her force, indeed,
seemed very unequal to resist so potent an enemy. All the sailors in
England amounted at that time to about fourteen thousand men.[*] The
size of the English shipping was in general so small, that except a few
of the queen's ships of war, there were not four vessels belonging
to the merchants which exceeded four hundred tons.[**] The royal navy
consisted of only twenty-eight sail,[***] many of which were of small
size; none of them exceeded the bulk of our largest frigates, and most
of them deserved rather the name of pinnaces than of ships.

* Monson, p. 256.

** Monson, p. 268.

*** Monson p. 157

The only advantage of the English fleet consisted in the dexterity and
courage of the seamen, who, being accustomed to sail in tempestuous
seas and expose themselves to all dangers, as much exceeded in this
particular the Spanish mariners, as their vessels were inferior in
size and force to those of that nation.[*] All the commercial towns of
England were required to furnish ships for reenforcing this small
navy; and they discovered, on the present occasion, great alacrity in
defending their liberty and religion against those imminent perils with
which they were menaced. The citizens of London, in order to show their
zeal in the common cause, instead of fifteen vessels, which they were
commanded to equip, voluntarily fitted out double the number.[**] The
gentry and nobility hired, and armed, and manned forty-three ships
at their own charge;[***] and all the loans of money which the queen
demanded were frankly granted by the persons applied to. Lord Howard of
Effingham, a man of courage and capacity, was admiral, and took on
him the command of the navy: Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher, the most
renowned seamen in Europe, served under him. The principal fleet was
stationed at Plymouth. A smaller squadron, consisting of forty vessels,
English and Flemish, was commanded by Lord Seymour, second