How bitterly this Spanish monarch hated this English Queen, how he yearned after the possession of her fair lands no language can describe!

And the people shared the hatred of King Philip against the English. He and they had suffered not only in the Netherlands, but from marauding English buccaneers, who had seized on many a richly-laden argosy and carried her into an English port. There was the shrewd seaman Francis Drake-a sea king of the Norse pattern, who had circumnavigated the globe, and had captured booty enough to build an "invincible armada" five times over. With a fleet of thirty vessels he had come down on the Spanish coast to observe the preparation they were making, and to do them any harm that might be. On an April day (1587) he entered Cadiz roads and discovered upwards of eighty vessels; attacked, sunk, and destroyed them all. He then sailed out again, and running along the coast as far as Cape St. Vincent, demolished above a hundred sail of vessels, and besides other injuries, battered down four forts. This was what he called "singeing the beard of the King of Spain." In the Tagus he seized one of the finest ships in the Spanish navy, and carried it off in triumph.

The news which Drake brought of the great naval armament fitting out by Spain, the suspicions of treachery-notwithstanding the honeyed words of Parma, might be fairly entertained. Nevertheless time wore ⚫on and both the army and navy of England were quite unprepared, and the Queen was reluctant to incur the expense necessary to the defence of the kingdom. "I am sorry," said Admiral Howard, in a letter to Walsingham, "that her Majesty is so careless of this most dangerous time. I fear me much, and with grief I think it, that she relieth on a hope that will deceive her, and greatly endanger her, and then it will not be her money nor her jewels that will help; for as they will do good in time, so they will do nothing for the redeeming of time."

Thus opened the year 1588, the year of peril, foretold by many an ancient prophecy, and ushered in by portentous signs-such, say the chronicler, as showers of blood-red rain, we presume-and the still more remarkable phenomenon of the sun at midday with a drawn sword in his mouth!

Parma was busy with his preparations. The soldiers were talking of a London Fury like the Fury of Antwerp, and making merry at the prospect of the wealth to be won. One of Walsingham's agents reported that among the preparations there was provided a great number of torches

inextinguishable in water, "a great number of little mills for grinding corn, great store of biscuit baked, and oxen salted, great numbers of saddles and boots; also there is made 500 pairs of velvet shoes-red, crimson velvet, and in every cloister throughout the country great quantity of roses made of silk, white and red, which are to be badges for divers of his gentlemen. By reason of these roses it is expected he is going for England. There is sold to the prince by John Angel, pergaman, ten hundredweight of velvet, gold and silver, to embroider his apparel withal. The covering to his mules is most gorgeously embroidered with gold and silver, which carry his baggage. There is also sold to him by the Italian merchants at least 670 pieces of velvet to apparel him and his train. Every Captain has received a gift from the prince to make himself brave; and, for Captain Corralini,'an Italian, who hath one cornet of horse, I have seen with my eyes a saddle with the trappings of his horse, his coat, and rapier, and dagger, which cost 3,500 French crowns. All their lances are painted of divers colours, blue and white, green and white, and most part blood red-so there is as great preparation for a triumph as for war. A great number of English priests came to Antwerp from all places. The commandment is given to all the churches to read the Litany daily for the prosperity of the prince in his enterprise."

The testimony of Sir William Russell, throws still further light on the activity of Parma. "The prince," he says, "is making great preparations for war, and with all expedition means to march a great army, and for a triumph the coats and costly apparel for his own body doth exceed for embroidery, and beset with jewels; for all the embroiderers and diamond cutters work both night and day, such haste is made. Five hundred velvet coats of one sort for lances, and a great number of brave new coats made for horsemen; 30,000 men are ready, and gather in Brabant and Flanders. It is said that there shall be in two days 10,000 to do some great exploit in these parts, and 20,000 to march with the prince into France, and for certain it is not known what way or how they shall march, but all are ready at an hour's warning-4,000 saddles, 4,000 lances, 6,000 pairs of boots, 2,000 barrels of beer, biscuit sufficient for a camp of 20,000 men, etc. The prince hath received a marvellous costly garland or crown from the Pope, and is chosen chief of the Holy League, and now puts in his arms two cross keys."

While Parma was thus active, and all Europe was ringing, as it were, with the din of the hammers in the Spanish dockyards, the preparations

for defence in England went on tardily. Had not this prince promised -had not the prince said-had not the Prince assured-had not the prince pledged his honour that no harm was intended? Is it not somewhere written "put not thy trust in princes"? England had but a small fleet, and that was inefficiently manned and ill-victualled. There was no want of energy or determination on the part of the people, but a vacillating spirit on that of the Queen and her ministers; the spell of Parma's words were upon them. Lord High Admiral Howard was still chafing and complaining at the delay. "Let me have the four great ships and

twenty hoys, with but twenty men a piece, and each with but two iron pieces, and her Majesty shall have a good account of the Spanish forces; and I will make the king wish his galleys home again." But the queen kept those four great ships-as Howard said "to protect Chatham Church withal," though her sagacity might have told her that "sparing and war have no affinity together."

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"The preparations on shore," says Mr. Motley, were even more dilatory than those on the sea. Once landed, the Duke of Parma expected to march directly upon London; and it was notorious that there were no fortresses to oppose a march of the first general in Europe and his