ke
strong castles fearing no assault, the lesser placed in the middle ward."
The English admiral could not attack them in their position without
great disadvantage, but on the night of the 29th he sent eight fire-ships
among them, with almost equal effect to that of the fire-ships which the
Greeks so often employed against the Turkish fleets in their war of
independence.

The Spaniards cut their cables and put to sea in confusion. One of the
largest galeases ran foul of another vessel and was stranded. The rest
of the fleet was scattered about on the Flemish coast, and when the
morning broke it was with difficulty and delay that they obeyed their
admiral's signal to range themselves round him near Gravelines. Now was
the golden opportunity for the English to assail them, and prevent them
from ever letting loose Palma's flotilla against England, and nobly was
that opportunity used.

Drake and Fenner were the first English captains who attacked the
unwieldy leviathans; then came Fenton, Southwell, Burton, Cross, Raynor,
and then the lord admiral, with Lord Thomas Howard and Lord Sheffield.
The Spaniards only thought of forming and keeping close together, and
were driven by the English past Dunkirk, and far away from the Prince of
Parma, who, in watching their defeat from the coast, must, as Drake
expressed it, have chafed like a bear robbed of her whelps. This was
indeed the last and the decisive battle between the two fleets. It is,
perhaps, best described in the very words of the contemporary writer, as
we may read them in Hakluyt:

"Upon the 29 of July in the morning, the Spanish fleet after the forsayd
tumult, having arranged themselues againe into order, were, within sight
of Greveling, most bravely and furiously encountered by the English,
where they once again got the wind of the Spaniards, who suffered
themselues to be deprived of the commodity of the place in Caleis road,
and of the advantage of the wind neer unto Dunkerk, rather than they
would change their array or separate their forces now conjoyned and
united together, standing only upon their defence.

"And albeit there were many excellent and warlike ships in the English
fleet, yet scarce were there 22 or 23 among them all, which matched 90
of the Spanish ships in the bigness, or could conveniently assault them.
Wherefore the English shippes using their prerogative of nimble
steerage, whereby they could turn and wield themselues with the wind
which way