seized with a fever, of which he soon after died. The vice-admiral, the
duke of Paliano, by a strange concurrence of accidents, at the very same
time suffered the same fate; and the king appointed for admiral the
duke of Medina Sidonia, a nobleman of great family, but unexperienced
in action, and entirely unacquainted with sea affairs. Alcarede was
appointed vice-admiral. This misfortune, besides the loss of so great an
officer as Santa Croce, retarded the sailing of the armada, and gave
the English more time for their preparations to oppose them. At last
the Spanish fleet, full of hopes and alacrity, set sail from Lisbon;
but next day met with a violent tempest, which scattered the ships, sunk
some of the smallest, and forced the rest to take shelter in the Groine,
where they waited till they could be refitted. When news of this event
was carried to England, the queen concluded that the design of an
invasion was disappointed for this summer; and being always ready to lay
hold on every pretence for saving money, she made Walsingham write to
the admiral, directing him to lay up some of the larger ships, and to
discharge the seamen: but Lord Effingham, who was not so sanguine in his
hopes, used the freedom to disobey these orders; and he begged leave
to retain all the ships in service, though it should be at his own
expense.[*] He took advantage of a north wind, and sailed towards
the coast of Spain, with an intention of attacking the enemy in their
harbors; but the wind changing to the south, he became apprehensive lest
they might have set sail, and by passing him at sea, invade England, now
exposed by the absence of the fleet. He returned, therefore, with the
utmost expedition to Plymouth, and lay at anchor in that harbor.

Meanwhile all the damages of the armada were repaired; and the
Spaniards with fresh hopes set out again to sea, in prosecution of their
enterprise. The fleet consisted of a hundred and thirty vessels, of
which near a hundred were galleons, and were of greater size than any
ever before used in Europe. It carried on board nineteen thousand
two hundred and ninety-five soldiers, eight thousand four hundred and
fifty-six mariners, two thousand and eighty-eight galley slaves, and two
thousand six hundred and thirty great pieces of brass ordnance. It was
victualled for six months; and was attended by twenty lesser ships,
called caravals, and ten salves with six oars apiece.[**]

The plan formed by the kin