in Yorkshire:
while Philip himself, under shelter of the Armada, was to effect his
landing in Kent or Essex. Ireland was looked upon as certain to revolt
and assist. Parma harangued the troops destined to join the invading
force from Flanders, informing them that the current coin in England was
gold, only the very poorest using silver; the houses were full of money,
plate, jewellery, and wealth in all shapes.

It is well to remember that England was no strange, unexplored land, at
least to the higher officers of the Armada. Philip himself had been
King of England for four years: the courtiers in his suite had lived
there for months together. Their exclamation on first journeying from
the coast to Winchester, twenty-three years before, had been that "the
poor of this land dwelt in hovels, and fared like princes!" They had
not forgotten it now.

Lord Howard took up his station at Plymouth, whence he purposed to
intercept the Armada as it came; Sir Francis Drake was sent to the west
with sixty-five vessels. But time passed on, and no Armada came. The
English grew secure and careless. Many ships left the fleet, some
making for the Irish coast, some harbouring in Wales. The Queen
herself, annoyed at the needless cost, sent word to Lord Howard to
disband four of the largest vessels of the royal navy. The Admiral
disobeyed, and paid the expenses out of his own purse. England ought to
bless the memory of Charles Howard of Effingham.

It was almost a shock when--suddenly, at last--Philip's ultimatum came.
Spain demanded three points from England: and if her demands were not
complied with, there was no resource but war.

1. The Queen must promise to withdraw all aid from the Protestants in
the Netherlands.

2. She must give back the treasure seized, by Drake the year before.

3. She must restore the Roman Catholic religion throughout England, as
it had been before the Reformation.

The first and second clauses would have been of little import in
Elizabeth's eye's, except as they implied her yielding to dictation; the
real sting lay in the last. And the last was the one which Philip would
be most loth to yield. With a touch of grim humour, His Catholic
Majesty sent his ultimatum in Latin verse.

The royal lioness of England rose from her throne to return her answer,
with a fiery Plantagenet flash in her eyes. She could play at Latin
verse quite as well as Philip; rather better, indeed,--for his question