from every harbor, and reenforced the admiral. The earls of Oxford,
Northumberland, and Cumberland, Sir Thomas Cecil, Sir Robert Cecil,
Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Thomas Vavasor, Sir Thomas Gerrard, Sir Charles
Blount, with many others, distinguished themselves by this generous and
disinterested service of their country. The English fleet, after the
conjunction of those ships, amounted to a hundred and forty sail.

The armada had now reached Calais, and cast anchor before that place, in
expectation that the duke of Parma, who had gotten intelligence of their
approach, would put to sea and join his forces to them. The English
admiral practised here a successful stratagem upon the Spaniards. He
took eight of his smaller ships, and filling them with all combustible
materials, sent them, one after another, into the midst of the enemy.
The Spaniards fancied that they were fireships of the same contrivance
with a famous vessel which had lately done so much execution in the
Schelde near Antwerp; and they immediately cut their cables, and took
to flight with the greatest disorder and precipitation. The English
fell upon them next morning while in confusion; and besides doing great
damage to other ships, they took or destroyed about twelve of the enemy.

By this time, it was become apparent, that the intention for which these
preparations were made by the Spaniards was entirely frustrated.
The vessels provided by the duke of Parma were made for transporting
soldiers, not for fighting; and that general, when urged to leave
the harbor, positively refused to expose his flourishing army to such
apparent hazard; while the English not only were able to keep the sea,
but seemed even to triumph over their enemy. The Spanish admiral found,
in many rencounters, that while he lost so considerable a part of his
own navy, he had destroyed only one small vessel of the English; and he
foresaw, that by continuing so unequal a combat, he must draw inevitable
destruction on all the remainder. He prepared, therefore, to return
homewards; but as the wind was contrary to his passage through the
Channel, he resolved to sail northwards, and making the tour of the
island, reach the Spanish harbors by the ocean. The English fleet
followed him during some time; and had not their ammunition fallen
short, by the negligence of the offices in supplying them, they had
obliged the whole armada to surrender at discretion. The duke of Medina
had once taken that re