subiects bodies but also the interior fidelitie of their mindes I cannot heere omit to speake a worde or two as well of the worthinesse and loyaltie of those honorable gentlemen of her Maiesties Court The honourable offer of certaine worthy Gentlemen of the Court made vnto hir Maiestie who vpon the approch of the Spanish fleete presented not only their persons and liues for the defence of her Ma. but also a great portion and yeerely reuenue of their landes as also of her Maiesties great benignitie and gratious answere telling them That shee accounted her selfe rich enough And her most princely and gracious answere made vnto them againe in that shee possessed such subiects assuring them that for her part she would spend the last peny of her treasures for their defence rather than shee would be burthenous vnto them O happy people in such a Princesse and happie Princesse in such a people here is a well tuned musicke an agreeing concord and perfect harmonie of gouernement where the frankenesse of voluntarie affection draweth from men the effects of duty and not the basenesse of seruile and constrained feare Let atheists and traitors breathe out their bootelesse blasphemies and inueigh impugne and maligne against the florishing happinesse of our estate and let them turne themselues to all the malicious practises they can the ende of all their wicked endeuours will be like Erisicthon that dared presume to lay his profane axe vppon the holie tree of Ceres to starue languish and pine away with a selfe consuming disease of enuy and dispaire As for these that are vertuous and wise they can not but in the infinitenes of our blessings acknowledge the mightie and apparant hand of God which surely cannot be casuall or attributed to the politike industrie of man but meerely to the mightinesse of Gods mercifull working and to his long and eternall fore-appointed ordinance In fine to come to the conclusion of this point you see that her Maiestie is protected by God confederated and linked in friendship and alliance with mighty Kings and Princes that shee commaundeth a populous and manly Nation that her warres are vertuous iust and lawfull and finally her successes fortunate and prosperous This then being considered I see no reason why you or any man else should be so apprehensiue of that terrour wherewith the Spanish Brokers doe daily indeuour to dismay the courages of our countrimen If it be through doubt that our Nation is not equall vnto the Spaniard in force of armes and valour of courage I can not iudge of him that shall so conceiue as of a true English man borne but as of a degenerate bastardly and adulterine plant guiltie to his owne minde of an inward selfe feeling cowardise and finally worthy of that enthralled slauery vnder which many of our falsehearted countrymen doe groane and languish as one that through the disease infection and vnsoundnesse of his owne corrupted minde is not able for to take the true taste and rellish of his owne natiue Country vertues Sore eyes can not endure the Sunne beames nor false hatefull mindes neuer harbour true or noble mindes and affections The Poet saieth To him that loues each foule thing seemeth faire And so by contrary To him that hates ech faire thing seemeth foule If such would but reade the Chronicles as well of ours as other nations they should finde that a small army of English men vnder the conduct of that woorthy and magnanimous Prince of VVales The memorable famous battell of Nadres obtained by th Englishmen in Spaine vnder the cōduct of the blacke Prince eldest sonne to King Edvvard the third passed in despight of them through Nauarre into Spaine and there euen in the middest and bowels of their own country ouerthrew at Nadres their vsurping king Henry the bastard of whose race this man is descended by his grandmother beeing accompanied with the nobilitie of their countrie and three score thousand of the brauest fighting men in Spaine and so vtterly ouerthrew him that they erected in his place Don Pedro their iust and lawfull Prince of that kingdome compelling and by maine force constraining the nobilite and Cities to receiue him There they may likewise reade the valourous conquests archieued by Iohn Duke of Lancaster brother to the saide Prince in Galicia against Don Iohn Iohn Duke of Lancaster victorious in Galicia sonne of the saide Henry the vsurping bastard besides the Chronicles of Portugall are full of the martiall prowesse of the English men and glorious victories obtained in seruice of their King At the battel of Alaibereth to whose aide they were called against the saide king of Castile But what neede I run backe into the passed ages to seeke examples Looke but into the incounters that haue beene of late dayes betweene them and vs eyther by sea or by land and you shall finde that wee haue alwayes carryed the victorie and they blowes As by land at the incounter of Graue and that of Zutphen where the honour of the worlde and ornament of England sir Phillip Sidney by his aduenturous valour was slaine besides many other bickerings and skirmishes of lesse moment needelesse to recite Of sea matters I doe count it bootelesse for to speake so greatly and aboue measure glorious is the same and bruited throughout the worlde of the woorthy voyages of sir Frauncis Drake sir Iohn Hawkins sir Martine Frobysher Captaine Ryman the Fennors and the rest of the braue and couragious Gentlemen who for the benefite of their country haue not spared to make aduenture of their liues and fortunes But if you desire one example of all let that then serue of his huge late fleete with the which Golyas-like hee threatened heauen and earth and with the which hee thought to haue circumuented and surprized at vnawares her Maiestie whilest falsely wickedly and abusiuely hee entertained her Maiesties Commissioners in Flaunders with a treatie of peace to which her Highnesse like vnto a christian Princesse and for to anoyde the effusion of christian blood was very inclineable but God as hee hath alwayes doone so at this time did hee miraculously protect her Maiestie in such sort that through the great carefull and valorous resolution of the Lorde high Admirall of England and the rest of his noble and couragious followers they were with a small number of English shippes so fiercely and vigorously encountered that their resistance not preuailing them they were scattered chaced and vtterly discomfited in such sort as the whole worlde knoweth so that Lucans verse which in those dayes hee wrote to the glory of our Nation vpbraiding the Romanes cowardise may to none better be applied in my iudgement than vnto them Territa quaesitis ostendunt terga Printannis Besides what better triall can you haue of the valour of eyther Nation than this they being thirtie thousand the creame of all their forces and about the assembling of which hee had beene aboue three yeeres busied yet when
is to get together six thousand men and those all shepheardes hedgebreakers and such idle trewantly rogues the most part of which hee is forced to put in garrison for a yeere or two to fashion them before hee send them to seruice I saw about two yeeres agone a fresh leuie that came out of Pastrauia who put them presently in the castle of Antwarpe drawing out the olde garrison the most silly naked snakes that euer I sawe in my lyfe such as in my conscience a man in deed would beat ten of them As for Germanie out of the which heeretofore hee hath drawen greate numbers and by theyr help done great matters before Mastrig in Freisland and those places his vsage hath bene so base and miserable vnto them that the old souldiers are all starued and consumed in his seruice whose calamitie hath so terrfied the rest at home that no prince in Europe hath lesse credite to raise men there than hee And although there were no such matter yet they are no waie more bound vnto him than to an other theyr profession beeing to serue onely him best that will pay them best and yet if hee shoulde raise anie of the allyaunces of her Maiestie and the scituation of their Countrie considered it shoulde be a matter of great difficultie to ioyne them wyth his other troups Where are then his innumerable legions with which hee meanes to ouercome the world Alliance hee hath none vnlesse it bee wyth the rebellious league of France of them he can receiue no aide nor comfort themselues being miserable and distressed by reason wherof most burdenous vnto him yet there is no man liuing in the world lesse beholding vnto them than he For notwithstanding all his assistance they woulde neuer yeeld to receiue his forces into their townes or fortresses seruing only their turnes on him for the present time As for the Pope and the Princes of Italy what fayre weather so euer they do beare him he neither trusteth them nor they him and great reason they haue so to do And wythall this malediction hangeth vppon him that as hee is of all forraine Nations distrusted doubted and abhorred so both hee and the very name of a Spaniard is most loathsome and hatefull to the rest of his owne subiects Insomuch that in Millaine the young Gentlemen haue a pastime by night which they call Caccia Marran that is putting on a visard on theyr face by night they goe with theyr long Rapiers or picked Bastinadoes vnder their cloakes out into the Towne to seeke Spaniardes in the stewes or anie other place where they thinke they are lykely to finde anie of them vnto whome they giue as manye stabbes and blowes that they can laie vpon them insomuch that the Spaniards dare not for their eares abide out of the castle after shutting in of the gates As for his dealing in Portugall who knowes not his cruell tyrannie and the hatred they beare him But now come to her MAIESTIE you shall find another manner of state of matters her realme plentifully abounding in men of warlike disposition of whom she is loued adored her warres are iust charitable godly defensiue for maintenance of which besides the trust that she reposeth in God who hath hetherto mightily and miraculously defended her she is alied in straight league friendship confederation with the most victorious christian king of France with the kings of Denmarke Scotland with the Switzers and with sundrie princes and states of the Empire al being her neighbors dominions vnited with hers and thereby readie to assist aid succor one another in all such occasions as shall or may happen All this then considered tell me I praie you what occasion of feare or misdoubt you haue If you thinke the English valor not to be compared with that of the Spaniard reade but the Chronicles and you shall finde how much you are deceiued you shall finde that a small armie of English-men vnder the conduct of that worthie prince of Wales eldest sonne to Edward the third passed in despight of them thorough Cauarre into Spaine and there in the middest and bowels of their owne countrie ouerthrew at Nadres their vsurping king Henry the bastard of whose race this man is descended by his grandmother being accompanied with the nobilitie of the countrie and 60000. of the brauest fighting men in Spaine so vtterly ouerthrew him that they erected king in his place Don Pedro their iust lawfull prince of that kingdome whom by maine force they constrained all their cities and noble men of the countrie to receiue Read besides the valorous conquests atchieued by Iohn Duke of Lancaster brother vnto the sayde prince in Callicia against Don Iohn sonne of the sayd Henrie the vsurping bastard besides the chronicles of Portugal are full of the materiall prowesse of the English glorious victories obtained in seruice of their king to whose aide they were called against the sayde king of Castilo But what neede I run backe into the passed ages to seeke examples Looke but into the incounters that haue bene of late daies betweene them and vs either by sea or lande and you shall finde that they haue alwaies carried the blowes As by land at the encountering of Grane and that of Sutphen where the honor of the world and ornament of England sir P. Sidney by his aduenturous valor was slaine besides many other bickerings and skirmishes of lesse moment needles to recite Of sea matters I account it bootlesse to speake so greatly and aboue measure glorious is the same bruited through the world of the worthie voiages of sir F. Drake sir I. Haukins sir M. Frobisher C. Raiman and the rest of the braue and couragious Gentlemen who for the benefit of their countrie haue not spared to make aduenture of their liues and fortunes But if you desire one example of all let that then serue of his huge late fleet with which Golyas like hee threatned heauen and earth with which he thought to haue circumuented and surprised at vnawares her Maiestie whilest falsely wickedly and abusiuely hee entertained her Graces Commissioners in Flanders with a treatie of peace To which her Highnesse lyke a Christian princesse and for to auoide the effussion of Christian bloud was verie vnclinable But God as he hath alwaies done so at this time did hee miraculously protect her Maiesty in such sort that through the great careful and exceeding valorous resolution of that most worthie and renowmed Gentleman the Lorde Admirall of England of whose couragious behauiour and terrour with which he amazed them the verie enemy himselfe though agaynst his will makes worthie mention They were with a small number of English so fiercely and vigorously encountered that their resistance not preuailing them they were scattered chased and vtterly discomfited in such sorte as the whole world knoweth so that Lucans verse me thinkes may verie fitly bee applyed vnto them Territa quaesitis ostendunt terga
forces for to enter into any of their Townes or places of importance The King of Spaine and the League in iealousie one of an other but had continually as watchfull an eye ouer him as they woulde haue doone ouer their ennemy Neyther was hee howe faire a shewe soeuer hee made behinde them in the like subtiltie of practise as the course of his actions did well declare For when as they were by this King so straightly besieged in Paris that they were ready to eate one an other through hunger hee made his Lieuetenant the Duke of Parma although hee were long before ready yet still to delay his succours euen vntill that they laboured in their last gaspe and then the great effect that he did for them was only to put a few browne loaues and cheeses into their Towne not therewith to releeue the extremitie of their famine but euen as if a man woulde giue a locke of hay vnto a hungrie iade onely to keepe him in life He freeed not their riuers nor fought not with their enemy but went his way leauing them in a maner in as desperate estate as he found them The like hee did at Roan in neyther place so much as once aduenturing to fight for their sakes which was not so much in diffidence of his force as that hee meant not with Spanish blood to purchase the victorie leauing the Frenchmen rather to iustle one against an other to the ende that hee might treade vppon both parties when they were downe Which being by the wisest of the Leaguers perceiued as Vytry Vilroy Grillion c. they abandoned him vtterly betaking them to the seruice of their owne true and lawfull Kings Sundry other of them haue done the like and in a maner all except some fewe who drawe still backeward rather through the terrour of their owne dispairing conscience than in any hope of good successe or fortunate euent Heere nowe you see that this French League and societie of his hath not beene nor is not vnto him of any auaile but rather of great detriment burthen and expence The king of Spaine and the Princes of Italy in diffidence one of an other As for the Princes of Italie what faire weather soeuer they doe beare him hee neyther trusteth them nor they him and the pretences of the one and the estates of the other considered neyther of them both is without reason and withall this malediction hangeth ouer the head of him and his Nation that as he is of all forren Nations distrusted doubted and abhorred so both hee and the very name of a Spaniard is vnto the rest of his own subiectes most loathsome and hateful insomuch that in Millan the yoong Gentlemen amongest many other pastimes count that which they doe call Caccia marrani not to bee the meanest which is by putting on visards vpon their faces by night A pastime of the yoong Gentlemen of Millaine which they do call Caccia Marrani to goe with their rapiers or good piked bastinadoes vnder their clokes out into the towne to seeke Spaniards in the Stewes or any other place where they are likely to finde any of them and there to giue them as many stabbes and blowes as they can lay vppon them insomuch that the Spaniards dare not for their eares abide out of the Castle after the shutting in of the gates The hatred of the Netherlanders to the Spaniards Neither is the affection of the poore Netherlanders better towardes them who as their vsage hath beene harder so is their desire of reuenge greater insomuch that whensoeuer any Spaniard falleth into their handes stragling from the army or otherwise he is assured to endure as much cruelty as their best inuention can adde vnto the extremitie of their hatred some they haue whipped to death others they haue mangled with lingering torments and some they haue buried aliue in the ground leauing nothing out but their heades at which they haue bowled matches neuer leauing till they sawe their bowles imbrewed with their braines The crueltie of the Spaniards to the west Indians and of the hatred in the which they liue As for the poore west Indians of whom at their first arriuall they were honored as gods after a small and short acquaintance with their customes humors and cruelties they were so deepely and dispairefully detested that there was nothing more vsuall than to see those poore wretches by great companies to get themselues to the toppes of rockes and to tumble themselues downe headlong into the sea others to cutte their owne throates with sharpe stones some to pine themselues away with famine yea and women great with childe some to take poison and some to rippe open their owne wombes to the end to free themselues and their infants from the hatefull conuersation and cruell gouernement of those intollerable Spaniards whose monstrous inhumanitie they deemed farre more vnsufferable and vnsociable than the raging fury of lions beares or whatsoeuer bloody monsters I will not defile my pen with writing nor your eares with hearing their barbarous naturelesse and vnmanly kinds of inhumanity exercised vpon these poor desolate miserable and distressed wretches the whole world being infected with the fame thereof The extremitie of the Portugalles hatred towards the Spaniard But if you will thence throwe your eyes vppon the kingdome of Portugall a Nation ciuill militaire opulent and noble with desire to see howe he is there loued honoured and affected you must consider that in former times of their happinesse libertie and freedome there was neuer any hatred so setled deadly and violent as that which they bare vnto the Spaniard insomuch that if any one of them had but chanced to name a Castilian he would presently haue spet as the common sort vsually doe when they speake of the Deuil to cleanse his mouth after the pronouncing of so hatefull a word but being now constraind to receiue for masters those that before they would not alow for honorable enimies nor euer vse and intreate according to those militar rules that the noblenesse of war prescribes as their battailes of Alnibarota and Toro can testifie wherein they suffered not any one prisoner to escape vnslaine Their hatred then being as I saide before so great that it coulde not well be greater you may imagine that this their constrained slauerie and seruitude hath no whit at all amended their affection especially being guiltie too themselues that hee hath wroong himselfe into their estate not by any iustice of election or lawfull title of inheritance but by an absolute iniurious vsurpation and forcible intruding violence making the puissance of his army supply the weakenesse of his title And so contrary vnto the testament and ordinance of their last King the Cardinall and to the great scorne and prejudice of all the other competitours who were all agreede to stand to the triall of iustice surprized them and seazed their estate beeing vnarmed and vtterly vnprouided of all meanes of
that for the summe of sixe poundes haue followed him three yeeres when eyther hee goeth out or commeth into his house hee is faine to go thorough gardens and by-wayes to deceyue his poore sutors who otherwise assayed him though in vaine with such ruthfull cryes that it would pearse anie mans heart to heare them VVhich beggerlinesse and miserie sundrie worthie souldiers of straunge nations seeing especially the base and vnworthie vsage which they themselues receiued haue abandoned that banquerout seruice as Iohn Baptista de Monte and Camillo de Monte two warlike Captaines but now retained vnder two mightie states the one Generall to the Duke of Florence the other to the Venetians who both lie in waite to cry quittance with him and by Gods grace shall one day haue meanes to accomplish their desire Then sir Martine Skinke of whose iust discontentment and valerous reuenge you your selues in England are witnes VVhere are then the moūtains of treasure that the mightie king possesseth Or if yee say he spareth them to some other end I pray you tell me to what when he will vse them If not now the danger of the losse of his countrie fame religion and the greatnesse of the causes hee hath vndertaken and considered No no it is pure want extreame indigences that forceth him to deale so though he be rich yet the greatnesse of the cause he is entered into doth farte exceede the meanes hee hath to maintaine the same Vppon the comming downe of this last fleete hee set vp his rest and lost it not onely his owne but that also of his friendes the pope the duke of Sauoy the Geneoises c. which set him into such arrerages that I thinke hee will not easily come out of them As for the treasure of his Indians where in deede consisteth the verie marrowe strength and substance of all his puissance I confesse the same to bee great yet his charges considered making an estimate betweene the one and the other it can no waie bee able to aunswere and counteruayle them And yet the same hath beene reasonable well impaired also since such time as sir Fraunces Drake and other of your worthy English captaines by sea haue begunne to firke him in those For whereas before hee was wont vsually to waite his Indian fleete home-warde with a Gallyasse or two onely their returne accustomed to be euery sixe moneths hee is nowe forced to maintayne a great and mighty Nauy of many shippes and gallyes to his inestimable and continuall charges Notwithstanding all which his returne is seldome aboue once a yeere and that oftentimes minglingly as may be and yet they are sometimes met withall some of them scattered some sunke and some of them also taken by our Englishe shippes If you will knowe what these his great charges are on which hee is enforced to employ them First consider that he scarcely holdeth any countrey in which hee is not constrained to holde garrisons of souldiers As for these lowe Countries I knowe it vppon good and assured grounds there hath beene no yeere these twenty yeeres but they haue cost him one with another two millions and more yeerely aboue the reuenue and other commodities receyued thereout and yet howe beggarly his souldiers are vsed you haue heard before The rest for Naples Cicilia Portugall maiorque minorque the frontires of Arragon and Nauarre and Lombardie hee is faine to be at the charge of many strong and mighty garrisons by lande and in the most of them maine Gallyes or other shipping in the Hauens and all along the Sea-coasts none of which he can for his life diminish for his gouernment is so hateful that none of these prouinces are his any longer than hee hath their heades in the bridle And besides his prouinces stand so seuered and disunited that the transporting of his nauie from one to an other is infinite chargeable vnto him insomuch that I haue heard some of his commissioners here sweare that there is no crowne of his that commeth from Spaine into these Countries by land but standeth them in fiue rialles so infinite is the charge of carriages conuoyes and commissaries to deliuer and receiue the same Besides all this he disburseth yeerely mighty summes of mony to the Persian to the end to keep the Turke occupyed of whom he standeth mightily in feare and truely he hath reason if her Maiesty would condescend to such conditions as haue beene by this Turke to her proposed But shee like a christian Princesse how greatly soeuer to her aduantage the same might be will not do any thing whereby christianity might hereafter seerne to receiue any detriment As for Polonia the same hath beene incredible chargeable vnto him aswell for the mighty bribes bestowed vpon the nobles of the country as also the charges of a great army of Rewtiers he sent his kinsman Maximilian of Austria what by force and what by help of the part which he had gained and with his treasures thought to inuest him in the kingdome The successe of which enterprise I wold not write being to the whole world notorious and knowen In the consistorie of Rome hee is faine to entertaine a great number of those hungrie Cardinals in pension and fee thereby to gain theyr voices when need requireth which liberalitie of his he cannot by anie meanes withdrawe for in so doing he should be assured to haue them his enemies and contrarie to his proceedings Lastly for conclusion hee maketh at this instant open warres with France England and the Lowe counties What deeme you then heereof Hath he not trow you vent for his treasures His father was a better souldier and a greater man of warre than he is and as mightie a prince euerie deale his Portugal Indians onely excepted in place of which he quietly inioyed these his Lowe countries which in respect of theyr great oppulencie abundance of riches conuenientnes of scituation were to them accounted nothing inferior And yet he neuer dared attempt to make warres vpon France alone but he first sought by all possible meanes to assure himselfe in friendship with England giuing to that end great and mightie presents to Cardinall Wolsey and others of the councell that in those daies were with her Maiesties father of worthie memorie K. Henrie the eight whereas his sonne makes war with all the world carelesly at once but the Italians haue a true prouerbe Cum tutto abraccianes iunque string And so I hope it shall fare with him Now as touching those his mightie and puisant numbers of men which they say he is able to make I take vpon me to know the state of his forces aswell as other and I herein of all other men know him to be most needie wanting For as for Spaine Naples and Lombardie of which his onely force consisteth and which are his chiefest store-houses of men it is sufficiently knowen that his drums haue gone a whole yeere beating vp and downe according as theyr maner