The Life and Death of Sir Francis Drake, Part 3 – Part 4
Of Sir Francis Drakes service against the Spaniard in Eighty eight.
ANno Christi, His brave service in eighty eight.One thousand five hundred eighty eight, the King of Spain having gotten together a huge Navy, which they tearmed Invincible, came for England, and Queen Elizabeth of famous Memory, for her own preservation prepared another, which she committed to the charge of Charles Howard of Effingham, Lord Admiral, and to our Renouned Drake her Vice Admiral, which Navy she sent into the Western parts of England, the whole story whereof you may read in my Englands Remembrancer; and out of which I shall collect only so much as concerns my present purpose.
July the twentieth, about noon this terrible Fleet of the Spaniards was discried by the English before they looked for it; whereupon (the Fleet lying in the Road of Plimouth) with much difficulty they towed out their ships: and being forth, they saw the Spanish ships with lofty Towers, like Castles, seeming at first to make for Plimouth, but seeing the English ships got out of the Harbor, they steered by towards Calis, which the English willingly suffered them to do, that they might the more commodiously chase them in the Reer with a fore-right Wind.
July the one and twentieth, Our Lord Admiral sent before him a Pinnace, called the Defiance, to denounce War by discharging her Ordnance, and himself following in the Ark-Royal, set upon the Spanish Admiral (as he thought) though it proved to be the ship of Alonzo de Levas, where fire, smoke, and Lowd thundring Cannons began the Parley: and rending Bullets (freely interchanged) were the fiery messengers of each others minds.
Soon after came up Drake, Haukins, and Forbusher, incessantly playing with their Ordnance upon the hind most Squadron of the Enemies which was Commanded by Recalde, whose Ship was soon so battered as that it was made unserviceable, and thereupon was with much difficulty drawn into the main Fleet.
In this medly, a great Gallion, wherein was Don Pedro de Valdez, and some other Noblemen being sore battered by the English shot, to avoid the same, fell foul upon another ship, whereby her fore-mast was broken off, and she made unable to follow the rest of the Fleet. But the night coming on, our Lord Admiral, supposing that they had left nothing aboard in her, and fearing to loose sight of the Spaniards, passed by her, and followed the Lanthorn, which he supposed to be carried by Sir Francis Drake, as was agreed. But this brave Kinght was eagerly pursuing five great Hulks which he judged to be Spaniards; yet when he haled them they proved to be Easterlings, and friends, and so were dismissed.
July the two and twentieth, Sir Francis Drake espied the aforementioned lagging Gallion, whereupon he sent forth a Pinnace commanding them to yield, otherwise his Bullets, without any delay, should force them to it: Valdez, to seem valorous, answered, that they were four hundred and fifty strong: that himself was Don Pedro, and stood upon his Honour, and therefore propounded certain conditions: Drake replyed, that he had no leasure to Parley. If he would immediately yield, well and good: If not, he should soon find that Drake was no dastard. Pedro hearing that it was the fiery Drake (whose very name was dreadful to the Spaniards) that had him in close, presently yielded, and with forty of his Companions, came aboard Sir Francis his ship; where, first giving him the Conge, he Protested that he and all his, were resolved to have died fighting, had they not faln into such Noble hands, whose valour and felicity was so great, that Mars, and Neptune seemed to wait on him in all his enterprises, and whose Noble, and generous mind towards the vanquished, had often been experienced even of his greatest Foes. Sir Francis, to requite his Spanish Complements with English Courtesie, placed him at his own Table, and lodged him in his own Cabin: and the rest of that Company he sent Prisoners to Plimouth, where they remained for the space of eighteen months, till by payment of their ransoms they obtained their liberty.
But Sir Francis Drake's men paid themselves well by the Plunder of the ship, wherein they found fifty thousand Duckets of Gold, which they merrily shared amongst them. July the three and twentieth, was the greatest fight between these two Fleets: And July the four and twentieth, the English Fleet was divided into four Squadrons, whereof the Lord Admiral in the Ark-Royal, led the first: Sir Francis Drake, in the Revenge led the second: Captain Hawkins the third: And Captain Forbusher the fourth. What notable service these gallant men did perform against that Invincible Armado, may be seen in my Book before mentioned.
The Voyage of Sir Francis Drake into Portugal.
ANno Christi, See more of this in the Life of the Earl of Essex.One thousand five hundred eighty nine, Don Antonio, who laid claim to the Kingdom of Portugal, came into England to crave aid of Queen Elizabeth against the King of Spain, who had seized upon that Kingdom for himself, and forced the other to fly. Queen Elizabeth at his Importunate suit, and to find the Spaniards work at home sent a Fleet with him under the Command of Sir John Norris for the Land-service, and Sir Francis Drake for the sea: In which Voyage they both performed much Noble service both by sea and land, and returned in safety unto Plimouth.