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that did put them in such terror as they cut their cables and left their anchors in the sea. After, they hovered some two or three days about Graveling, and there again were beaten in a great fight, at what time our second fleet, which kept the narrow seas, was come in and joined to our main fleet. Thereupon, the Spaniards entering into further terror, and finding also divers of their ships every day to sink, lost all courage, and, instead of coming up into the Thames mouth for London, as their design was, fled on towards the north to seek their fortunes, being still chased by the English navy at the heels, until we were fain to give them over for want of powder. The breath of Scotland the Spaniards could not endure, neither durst they as invaders land in Ireland, but only ennobled some of the coasts thereof with shipwrecks; and so going northwards as long as they had any doubt of being pursued, at last, when they were out of reach, they turned and crossed the ocean to Spain, having lost fourscore of their ships and the greater part of their men. And this was the end of that sea-giant, the Invincible Armada, which, having not so much as fired a cottage of ours at land, nor taken a cock-boat of ours at sea, wandered through the wilderness of the northern seas, and, according to the curse in the Scriptures, came out against us one way and fled before us seven ways: serving only to make good the judgment of an astrologer long before given, octogesimus octavus mirabilis annus, or rather to make good, even to the astonishment of all posterity, the wonderful judgments of God poured down commonly upon vast and proud aspirings.

In the year 1591 was that memorable fight of an English ship called the Revenge, under the command of Sir Richard Greenvil, memorable, I say, even beyond credit, and to the height of some heroical fable. And though it were a defeat, yet it exceeded a victory, being like the act of Samson that killed more men at his death than he had done in the time of all his life. This ship for the space of fifteen hours sat like a stag among hounds at the bay, and was seized and fought with in turn by fifteen great ships of Spain, part of a navy of fifty-five ships in all; the rest, like abettors, looking on afar off. And amongst the fifteen ships that fought, the great St. Philippo was one, a ship of fifteen hundred ton, prince of the twelve seaapostles, which was right glad when she was shifted off from the Revenge. This brave ship, the Revenge, being manned only with two hundred soldiers and mariners, whereof eighty lay sick, yet nevertheless, after a fight maintained, as was said, of fifteen hours, and two ships of the enemy sunk by her side, besides many more torn and battered, and great slaughter of men, never came to be entered, but was taken by composition; the enemies themselves having in admiration the virtue of the commander and the whole tragedy of that ship......

In the year 1601 followed the battle of Kinsale in Ireland. By this Spanish invasion of Ireland, which was in September that year, a man may guess how long time a Spaniard will live in Irish ground, which is a matter of a quarter of a year, or four months at most; for they had all the advantages in the world, and no man could have thought, considering the small forces employed against them, that they could have been driven out so soon. They obtained, without resistance, in the end of September the town of Kinsale; a small garrison of 150 English leaving the town upon the Spaniards' approach, and the townsmen receiving the foreigners as friends. The number of Spaniards that put themselves into Kinsale was 2000 men, soldiers of old bands, under the command of Don Juan d'Aquila, a man of good valour. The town was strong of itself, neither wanted there any industry to fortify it on all parts, and make it tenable according to the skill and discipline of Spanish fortification. At that time the rebels were proud, being encouraged upon former successes; for though the then deputy, the Lord Mountjoy, and Sir George Carew, President of Munster, had performed divers good services to their prejudice, yet the defeat they had given the English at Blackwater not long before, and their treaty, too much to their honour, with the Earl of Essex, was yet fresh in their memory. The Deputy lost no time, but made haste to have recovered the town before new succours came, and sat down before it in October, and laid siege to it by the space of three winter months or more, during which time sallies were made by the Spaniards, but they were beaten in with loss. In January came fresh succours from Spain, to the number of 2000 more, under the conduct of Alonzo d'Ocampo. Upon the comforts of these succours Tyrone and Odonnell drew up their forces together to the number of 7000, besides the Spanish regiments, and took the field, resolved to rescue the town and to give the English battle. So here was the case: an army of English of some 6000, wasted and tried with a long winter siege, engaged in the midst between an army of a greater number than themselves, fresh and in vigour, on the one side, and a town strong in fortification and strong in men on the other. But what was the event? This, in few words: that after the Irish and Spanish forces had come on and showed themselves in some bravery, they were content to give the English the honour to charge them first; and when it came to the charge, there appeared no other difference between the valour of the Irish rebels and the Spaniards, but that the one ran away before they were charged, and the other straight after. And again, the Spaniards that were in the town had so good memories of their losses in their former sallies, as the confidence of an army which came for their deliverance could not draw them forth again. To conclude, there succeeded an absolute victory for the English, with the slaughter of above 2000 of the enemy, the taking of nine ensigns, whereof six Spanish, the taking of the Spanish general d'Ocampo prisoner, and this with the loss of so few of the English as is scarce credible, being, as hath been rather confidently than credibly reported, but of one man, the cornet of Sir Richard Graeme, though not a few hurt. There followed immediately after the defeat a present yielding up of the town by composition, and not only so, but an avoiding, by express articles of treaty accorded, of all other Spanish forces throughout all Ireland, from the places and nests where they had settled themselves in greater strength, as in regard of the natural situation of the places, than that was of Kinsale; which were Castlehaven, Baltimore, and Beerhaven. Indeed they went away with sound of trumpet, for they did nothing but publish and trumpet all the reproaches they could devise against the Irish land and nation, insomuch as d'Aquila said in open treaty, that, when the Devil upon the mount did show Christ all the kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them, he did not doubt but the Devil left out Ireland, and kept it for himself.

There is a short paper in Stephens's Second Collection entitled Notes of a Speech concerning a War with Spain,' which appears in the grea greater part to be only a rough draught of the Considerations; but the following rapid summary is distinguished both by its spirit and its finish :

You do not find that for this age, take it for a hundred years, there was ever any encounter between Spanish and English of importance, either by sea or land, but the English came off with the honour: witness, the Lammas-day, the retreat of Gaunt, the battle of Nieuport, and some others: but there have been some actions, both by sea and land, so memorable as scarce suffer the less to be spoken of. By sea, that of eighty-eight, when the Spaniards, putting themselves most upon their stirrups, sent forth that invincible armada which should have swallowed up England quick; the success whereof was, that, although that fleet swam like mountains upon our seas, yet they did not so much as take a cock-boat of ours at sea, nor fire a cottage at land, but came through our channel, and were driven, as Sir Walter Raleigh says, by squibs (fireboats he means) from Calais, and were soundly beaten by our ships in fight, and many of them sunk; and finally durst not return the way they came, but made a scattered perambulation, full of shipwrecks, by the Irish and Scottish seas, to get home again: just according to the curse of the Scripture, "that they came out against us one way, and fled before us seven ways." By land, who can forget the two voyages made upon the continent itself of Spain, that of Lisbon, and that of Cales; when, in the former, we knocked at the gates of the greatest city either of Spain or Portugal, and came off without seeing an enemy to look us in the face? And though we failed in our foundation, for that Antonio, whom we thought to replace in his kingdom, found no party at all, yet it was a true trial of the gentleness of Spain which suffered us to go and come without any dispute. And for the latter, of Cales, it ended in victory; we ravished a principal city of wealth and strength in the high countries, sacked it, fired the Indian fleet that was in the port, and came home in triumph; and yet to this day were never put in suit for it, nor demanded reasons for our doings. You ought not to forget the battle of Kinsale, in Ireland, what time the Spanish forces were joined with the Irish-good soldiers as themselves, or better and exceeded us far in numbers, and yet they were soon defeated, and their general, d'Avila, taken prisoner; and that war, by that battle, quenched and ended.

And it is worthy to be noted how much our power in those days was inferior to our present state. Then, a lady old and owner only of England, entangled with the revolt of Ireland, and her confederates of Holland much weaker and in no conjuncture. Now, a famous king, and strengthened with a prince of singular expectation, and in the prime of his years, owner of the entire isle of Britain, enjoying Ireland populate and quiet, and infinitely more supported by confederates of the Low Countries, Denmark, divers of the princes of Germany, and others. As for the comparison of Spain, as it was then and as it is now, you will for good respects forbear to speak: only you will say this, that Spain was then reputed to have the wisest council of Europe, and not a council that will come at the whistle of a favourite.

The remaining pieces that come under the head of Bacon's Political Writings are the following: - Speech in Parliament, 39 of Elizabeth [1597], upon the motion of Subsidy,' printed in the First Part of the Resuscitatio (1657); 'A Proclamation drawn for his Majesty's First Coming in [1603], prepared but not used,' in Stephens's Second Collection (1734); 'A Draught of a Proclamation touching his Majesty's Style, 2do Jacobi [1604], prepared, not used,' in Stephens's Second Collection; A Speech made by Sir Francis Bacon, Knight, chosen by the Commons to present a Petition touching Purveyors; delivered to his Majesty in the Withdrawing-Chamber at Whitehall, in the Parliament held 1mo et 2do Jacobi [1603], the First Session,' in the First Part of the Resuscitatio; A Speech used by Sir Francis Bacon, Knight, in the Honourable House of Commons, 5to Jacobi [Feb. 14th, 1607], concerning the article of the General Naturalization of the Scottish Nation,' in the First Part of the Resuscitatio; 'A Speech used by Sir Francis Bacon, Knight, in the Lower House of Parliament, by occasion of a motion concerning the Union of Laws [1606 or 1607?], in the First Part of the Resuscitatio; 'A Report made by Sir Francis Bacon, Knight, in the House of Commons, of a Speech delivered by the Earl of Salisbury, and another Speech delivered by the Earl of Northampton, at a Conference concerning the Petition of the Merchants upon the Spanish Grievances, Parliament 5to Jacobi' [1607], in the First Part of the Resuscitatio; 'A Certificate to his Majesty, touching the Projects of Sir Stephen Proctor relating to the Penal Laws,' in Stephens's Second Collection; A Speech used to the King by his Majesty's Solicitor, being chosen by the Commons as their mouth and messenger for the presenting to his Majesty the Instrument or Writing of their

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