for thy life, for thy life."]

The court, which had been incredulous of danger till it had appeared,
was now paralysed by the greatness of it. Definite orders to collect
troops were not issued till the 2nd of January. The Earl of Rutland
galloped the same day to Dover, where the musters were to meet, flung
himself into the first boat that he {p.301} found, without waiting
for them, and was half-way across the Channel when he was met by the
news of the loss of the Rysbank.[627] Rutland therefore returned to
Dover, happy so far to have escaped sharing the fate of Wentworth,
which his single presence could not have averted. The next day, the
3rd, parties of men came in slowly from Kent and Sussex; but so vague
had been the language of the proclamation, that they came without
arms; and although the country was at war with France, there were no
arms with which to provide them, either in Deal, Dover, or Sandwich.
Again, so indistinct had been Rutland's orders, that although a few
hundred men did come in at last tolerably well equipped, and the
Prince of Savoy had collected some companies of Spaniards at
Gravelines, and had sent word to Dover for the English to join him,
Rutland was now obliged to refer to London for permission to go over.
On the 7th, permission came; it was found by that time, or supposed to
be found, that the queen's ships were none of them seaworthy, and an
order of the council came out to press all competent merchant ships
and all able seamen everywhere, for the queen's service.[628] Rutland
contrived at last, by vigorous efforts, to collect a few hoys and
boats, but the French had by this time ships of war in co-operation
with them, and he could but approach the French coast near enough to
see that he could venture no nearer, and again return.[629]

[Footnote 627: Rutland to the Queen: _Calais MSS._]

[Footnote 628: _MS. Council Records._]

[Footnote 629: _MS. Mary, Domestic_, vol. xi.]

He would have been too late to save Calais at that time, however, even
if he had succeeded in crossing.

The day preceding, the 6th of January, after a furious cannonade,
Guise had stormed the castle. The English had attempted to blow it up
when they could not save it, but their powder train was wetted, and
they failed. The Spaniards, for once honourably careful of English
interests, came along the shore from Gravelines alone, since no one
joined them from Eng